Download WHU2IntroductionToUnit - Fort Thomas Independent Schools

WORLD HISTORY
NAME: _______________________________________
INTRODUCTION TO UNIT 2, “THE CLASSICAL PERIOD, 600 BCE – 600 CE”
PART I: Read the article, “Lessons From the Last Time Civilization Collapsed” by Adam Frank , and answer
the following questions in complete sentences.
1. Why, according to archaeologist Eric Cline, is the year 1177 BCE a milepost or “marker event”?
2. According to Cline, what factors allowed the Bronze Age “Group of 8” to become so powerful in the
ancient world?
3. Archaeologist Eric Cline makes the argument that climate change helped to bring down the Bronze
Age civilizations. What evidence does he provide to prove this point?
4. What were the consequences of the climate change for the later Bronze Age civilizations?
5. Read the quote from Cline at the end of the article – “We should be aware that no society is
invulnerable and that every society in the history of the world has ultimately collapsed. We should
also be thankful that we are advanced enough to understand what is happening.” Based on this
article, and the information discussed about Period 1, from 8000 to 600 BCE, what are some
generalizations that can be made about the fall of civilizations? What are some of the most common
features that lead to the decline of a civilization? Why?