Ancient Civilizations of Africa & Asia!
In the Ancient Civilizations unit of World History, I teach my students about the very first communities of people to form on Earth. They did so along four of the major river valleys in the world, the Nile River Valley (Egypt), the Fertile Crescent nestled between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the Indus River Valley (India), and the Huang He River Valley (China). Our ancestors were smart. They knew that a society could not thrive if it wasn't built along a major river source. From these four budding societies there came a wealth of advancements like language and the written word!
This first unit also introduces us to the Persian Empire and how their thirst for power led them to conquer territories all over Asia. They were a force to be reckoned with and were feared greatly among other communities. We also learn about the Phoenicians who controlled a string of cities along the eastern Mediterranean coast. They were known as “carriers of civilization” because they spread Middle Eastern culture around the Mediterranean, plus they invented the alphabet!
Finally, this second unit discusses the origins of Judaism, the first religion to be monotheistic, that is to worship only one god. The history of the Israelites dates all the way back to 2,000 B.C. when Abraham migrates from Mesopotamia to Canaan!
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