Embedded Files
Lines of Inquiry
What internal and external factors contribute to the rise of civilizations? (Form)
What are the causes and consequences of the decline of civilizations? (Causation)
How do the legacies of past civilizations influence our present and future? (Perspective)
CIS Library Books (click to view complete list)
CIS Library Books (click to view complete list)
WHAT IS A CIVILIZATION?
WHAT IS A CIVILIZATION?
The History of Civilization for Kids: How Civilization Began
ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS
ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS
MESOPOTAMIA
MESOPOTAMIA
*National Geographic: Ancient Mesopotamia 101 - Ancient Mesopotamia proved that fertile land and the knowledge to cultivate it was a fortuitous recipe for wealth and civilization.
Four Empires of Mesopotamia - This five minute video will explore the Akkadian, Babylonian, Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian empires.
Geography of Mesopotamia - This article is the beginning of a chapter on Mesopotamia. Read or listen to the article. Scroll down to navigation buttons to move through the chapter.
History of Cuneiform for Kids - Discover the fascinating world of cuneiform, one of the earliest writing systems in human history. Developed by the ancient Sumerians of Mesopotamia over 5,000 years ago, cuneiform was used to record laws, trade, literature, and more.
Mesopotamia: The Epic of Gilgamesh - Travel back to ancient Mesopotamia to hear one of the oldest stories ever written—the Epic of Gilgamesh! In this episode, we’ll follow Gilgamesh, a strong and powerful king, as he goes on a journey to find friendship, wisdom, and the secret to eternal life.
INCA
INCA
Inca Empire Begins: The Inca Empire was a kingdom that developed in the Andes region of South America and gradually grew larger through the military strength and diplomacy of their emperors. Watch the video to learn more. - A&E HISTORY
Inca Empire - DUCKSTERS
Inca Civilization - WORLD HISTORY ENCYCLOPEDIA
Museum of Machu Picchu - GOOGLE ARTS & CULTURE
Photos of Machu Picchu: Machu Picchu is evidence of the Inca Empire at the peak of its power and achievement—a citadel of cut stone fit together without mortar so tightly that its cracks still can’t be penetrated by a knife blade - NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
Experience Inca Engineering: The InCa Empire expanded and thrived, in part, because of its engineering prowess. Explore this site to experience interactive activities that introduce several Inka engineering accomplishments - SMITHSONIAN
The Incan Military - WAR HISTORY.ORG
Inca Architecture Photo Gallery - MAYAINCAAZTEC
ANCIENT EGYPT
ANCIENT EGYPT
Egyptian Myths - EGYPTIAN MYTHS.NET
Ancient Egypt Timeline - HISTORY ON THE NET
Ancient Nile River: The Ancient land of Egypt was one of the most fertile valleys in the world and supported one of the world’s greatest civilisations. Without the Nile River and its annual inundation Ancient Egypt would never have come into being - ANCIENT NILE
Pyramids - PBS
Explore Ancient Eqypt - Want to walk around the Sphinx? Clamber inside the Great Pyramid of Giza and seek out the pharaoh's burial chamber? Visit the link - PBS INTERACTIVE
Egyptian Hieroglyphic Alphabet - Hieroglyphs were called, by the Egyptians, “the words of God” and were used mainly by the priests.
TED: Why was the Rosetta Stone so important? - Dig into how scholars decoded the writing on the Rosetta Stone, and how this helped them understand ancient hieroglyphs.
Horrible Histories: Awful Egyptians - A playlist of funny videos about life in Ancient Egypt
What inventions or ideas from ancient Egypt do we still use or see today?
How has ancient Egyptian writing (hieroglyphics) influenced modern language or symbols?
What parts of ancient Egyptian science, math, or engineering are still important in the world today?
What lessons from ancient Egyptian beliefs (about nature, life, or death) can still be found in how people think today?
How did their respect for the Nile River show an early understanding of caring for the environment — and how is that similar to what we do now?
How does learning about ancient Egypt help us understand who we are and where our ideas come from today?
ANCIENT GREECE
ANCIENT GREECE
ancient egypt, greece, and the roman empire
ancient egypt, greece, and the roman empire
Legacy & Connection to Today
Which things from these ancient civilizations do you still see in the world today (in your city, school, language, buildings)?
How might our governments today be similar to ancient Greece or Rome?
Why do we still study these ancient civilizations—what can we learn from them?
If you could “bring back” one idea or invention from a past civilization into our modern world, what would it be and why?
Ancient Greece - BBC BITESIZE
How did Greeks change the world? Even after 3,000 years, we're still using ancient Greek ideas in maths, science and art. Learn why!
Horrible Histories: Groovy Greeks - A playlist of funny videos about life in Ancient Greece.
INNOVATIONS
INNOVATIONS
Social Classes
Social Classes
Ancient Greece Social Classes - Learn how Ancient Greek society was divided by social class and how social classes lead to the development of Ancient Greek democracy (video)
Daily Life of Ancient Egypt - An overview of the social classes of ancient Egypt during the New Kingdom, which lasted from 1600 BCE to 1100 BCE. You will take a quick look at the pharaoh, government officials, priests, scribes, artisans and peasants. (video)
Maya Social Structure - Learn about the four social classes of Mayan society in this short video. (video)
Trade Routes
Trade Routes
Trade in the Ancient World - A pack of articles, videos, and images all about trade.
History of the Major Trade Routes - In this video, let's retrace the evolution of the world’s major trade routes, from the Incense Route until today. (video)
The Silk Road - This article is the beginning of a chapter on the Silk Road. Students can read or listen to the article. Scroll down to navigation buttons to move through the chapter. (video)
TED: The Silk Road: Connecting the Ancient World through Trade - The history of the 5,000-mile Silk Road, a network of multiple routes that used the common language of commerce to connect the world's major settlements. (video)
The Royal Road: Persia's Pathway to Power - Explore the story of the Royal Road, the monumental engineering feat of the Persian Empire that spanned over 1,600 miles from Susa to Sardis. (video)
Trading Routes in The Roman Empire - Watch this video to learn how goods moved from other areas into Rome for trade. (video)
Technology
Technology
Ancient Inventions: Antigravity Aqueducts - Aqueducts work by allowing gravity to channel water to cities-- but what happens when the city is on a mountain? Ancient peoples in Europe found a way!
TED: A Day in the Life of an Ancient Egyptian Doctor
Wikipedia: List of Inventions and Discoveries of the Indus Valley Civilisation - A list of technological discoveries and inventions known to have originated in the Indus Valley civilization
Top 5 Ancient Greece Inventions In Ancient Times
Top 10 Incredibly Advanced Roman Technologies That Will Blow Your Mind - The technological aspect of the Roman Empire, and what we lost when the empire fell.
Four Great Inventions of Ancient China
The Ancient 'Computer' That Simply Shouldn't Exist - 120 year ago, divers discovered a shipwreck off the island of Antikythera in Greece. What they found changed our understanding of human history.
Taxes
Taxes
History of Tax From Ancient Civilization to First Nations
Taxes from Egypt and Sumer, to Greek and Romans, to the Arab states were used to support the military and civil projects. Meanwhile, on Turtle Island, Indigenous peoples used very different systems of wealth redistribution in their societies.
Math and Taxes were the Foundation of the Aztec Empire - From their impressive capital city, Tenochtitlan, the Aztecs developed sophisticated social, political and economic systems to rule over millions of people in 500 city-states
Stressed About Taxes? Blame the Ancient Egyptians - The civilization developed the world’s first known tax system around 3000 B.C.E.
Architecture
Architecture
The Roman Collosseum
The Incredible Ancient Engineering That Built the Pyramids
Building techniques, tools, and culture to reconstruct the Great Pyramid’s construction.
A Day in the Life of a Ancient Greek Architect
What Happened to the Ancient Wonders of the World?
FALL OF EMPIRES
FALL OF EMPIRES
Inca
Rome
Mesopotamia
Evidence of Catastrophe that Ended an Ancient Civilisation
Did Emperor Nero really ignite the fire that destroyed ancient Rome?
Egypt
LEGACIES
LEGACIES
Archimedes’ Screw: The Ancient Invention That Changed Engineering Forever
Traces of Ancient Rome in the Modern World - The ideas and culture of ancient Rome influence the art, architecture, science, technology, literature, language, and law of today.
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