Download A Message of Ancient Days

A Message of Ancient
Days
Sixth Grade History in 30 minutes
or less
Early man
• Paleontologists have determined that the
ancestors of present-day humans first lived in
East Africa 4.5 million years ago
• Early humans started out in hunter-gatherer
societies, but then transitioned to food
producing societies (agriculture)
• Evidence of these early humans can be seen
in cave art, early tools, basic forms of religion,
switching from stone tools to metal tools, and
the development of oral language as a medium
for transmitting knowledge
Mesopotamia
• Mesopotamia consists of the region in
between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
in what is Iraq today
• Together with Palestine and Egypt, they
all formed the “Fertile Crescent”
• The Sumerians (people living in
Mesopotamia) created the wheel, the
plow, irrigation systems, cuneiform
writing, measurement, and written law
Ancient Egypt
• During Queen Hatshepsut’s reign,
Egyptian art and architecture flourished
• Trade extends Egypt’s influence beyond
the Middle East
• Ramses II (Ramses the Great) was
concerned with warfare and defending
extending the Egyptian Empire
• The Nile River was important for both
agriculture and trade
Kush
• The Kingdom of Kush is Africa’s oldest
interior empire
• They conquered Egypt in 728 BC, and
were later conquered themselves by the
Assyrians
• The Kush civilization developed iron tools
and weapons, an alphabet, and a trade
network that extended to sub-Saharan
Africa, Arabia, India, and possibly China
The Ancient Hebrews
• The Hebrews created the foundation for
ethical teachings in Western culture
• The Old Testament forms much of basis
for the law and religion of the Western
world
• Old Testament stories include the
Creation, Noah and the Ark, Adam and
Eve, the Tower of Babel, Abraham, the
Exodus, the Ten Commandments, David,
and selections from Psalms and Proverbs
Ancient Greece
• Another root of Western civilization is
Ancient Greece
• Democratic government: every citizen
has a voice
• Rational thought, mathematics, science
history
• Greek drama, poetry, art, and
architecture
Ancient Greece
• The development of the Greek polis (citystate)
• Athens evolved from tyranny and
oligarchy to inclusion and democracy
• Rivalry between Athens and Sparta
• Macedonian conquest; Alexander the
Great
• The Olympics, education of youth, trial of
Socrates, mythology, and Homer’s epic
poems
Ancient India
• Around 2600 BC, the Harappan civilization
developed in the Indus River valley
• Ancient India evolved into a culture rich in
architecture, sculpture, music, and dance
• In the sixth century BC, Siddartha Gautama
introduces Buddhism to India
• Buddhism emphasizes peace, compassion,
unselfishness, tolerance, nonviolence, and the
prohibition of lying, stealing, killing, and gossip
Spread of Buddhism during the
reign of Asoka (260-218 BC)
Ancient China
• The Chinese civilization began around
1500 BC in the Huang-He Valley
• Throughout the centuries, China
expanded by conquering neighboring
territories and absorbing these lands as
frontier states
• By the 6th century BC, fighting between
the old empire and new states plunged
China into civil war and chaos
Ancient China
• It was during this time of chaos that
Confucius wrote his teachings
• Confucius taught his followers to practice
all things in moderation, control your
emotions, respect your elders, improve
yourself through education, and avoid
people who are not good
• Confucius also emphasized the dignity of
humanity
Chinese Dynasties
Ancient China
• Between 221 and 207 BC, the Qin
Dynasty was able to unite China
• Later, the Han Dynasty built upon this
unification, made Confucianism the
official “religion” of China, and created
the civil service system
• By the first century BC, the Silk Road
began operation between China and
Rome
Ancient Rome
• Rome began as a republic, but then
became an empire
• Julius Caesar began the empire,
conquered new lands, but was
assassinated in 44 BC on March 15
• His adoptive “son,” Augustus Caesar,
united the empire under the Pax
Romana, or the peace of Rome
The Roman Empire
Ancient Rome
• Eventually, the Roman Empire grew too large,
and split into the Western and Eastern Roman
Empires
• Christianity first emerged during the Roman
Empire, and while Christians were punished at
first, it would later become the official religion
of the Empire
• The Prodigal Son, the Sermon on the Mount,
the Good Samaritan—Jesus advocated
compassion, justice, and love for others