Supporting Questions:

• Why did some civilizations develop into large-scale empires while others did not?
• How and why did changes in social institutions change how people lived in large-scale empires?
• How did empires change exchanges between peoples across large expanses of territory?
• How did the emergence of world religions both influence and reflect the rise of empires?

Lesson 1: Unit Overview: From Early Civilizations to Empires

Lesson 2: What is the Recipe for an Empire: A Comparative Analysis of Era 3 Empires

• What Led to the Golden Age of Athens? Source Activity
• What were the Effects of Alexander the Great’s Empire? Source Activity

Lesson 4: Social Hierarchy & Slavery in the Age of Empires

• What was the Mediterranean Sea Complex? Source Activity

Lesson 5: The Emergence & Spread of World Religions

• What are the Major Beliefs of Judaism? Source Activity
• What are the Major Beliefs & Practices of Christianity Source Activity
• How Do We Know What We Know About Jesus? Source Activity
• How Did Christianity Spread During the Classical Era? Source Activity
• What are the Major Beliefs & Practices of Hinduism? Source Activity
• How does Hinduism Impact the Lives of Hindus? Source Activity
• What are the Major Beliefs & Practices of Buddhism? Source Activity
• What are the Major Beliefs & Practices of Confucianism?

Lesson 6: From Religious Tolerance to Book Burning: Leadership in the Empires

• How did the Mauryan Empire Gain, Consolidate, & Maintain Power?

Lesson 7: Connections & Contacts in Era 3: Exchanging Ideas, Technologies, & Goods in the Age of Empire

Lesson 8: Empire…What it is, What it is Not: Using Non-Examples to Refine the Concept