A Message of Ancient Days

1. A Message of Ancient Days Sixth Grade History in 30 minutes or less

2. 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

3. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

9. 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

11. Ancient Greece • The development of the Greek polis (city-state) • 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

12. 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

13. Spread of Buddhism during the reign of Asoka (260-218 BC)

14. 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

15. 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

16. Chinese Dynasties

17. 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

18. 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

19. The Roman Empire

20. 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