As societies switched from hunting & gathering to food production during the Agricultural Revolution, populations steadily grew. As more and more people came to live in the same areas, the next big question on everyone's mind was quite simple:

Who's in charge?

Component 1: Purpose of Government

Essential Question- Why do human civilizations need government? What are the first historical examples of ‘government’ in the Ancient World?

Objective- Students will be able to...

-Trace the development of government across different civilizations and identify several significant milestones in the historical development of government (Hammurabi's Code, first 'god-kings,' in Akkadia, etc.)

Aligned Standards- UCLA Public History Initiative Standards:

• Era 2 Standard 4A

Compare conditions under which civilizations developed in Southwest Asia, the Nile valley, India, China, Mesoamerica, and the Eastern Mediterranean and analyze ways in which the emergence of early governments represented a decisive transformation in human history.

Component 3: Governments & Change

Essential Question- How did the governments of different civilizations change over time?

Objectives- Students will be able to...

-Explain how forms of government changed over time within the same civilizations.

-Identify the rise and decline of several dynasties/governments across several civilizations in different regions of the ancient world.

Aligned Standards- UCLA Public History Initiative Standards:

• Era 4 Standard 1A

Analyze various causes that historians have proposed to account for the decline of several civilizations.

• Era 3 Standard 2A

Describe the changing political institutions of several civilizations and analyze the influence of political thought on public life in their respective regions.