Empires
Driving Question: Why did some agrarian societies become empires?
The rise of empires introduced a new level of complexity into human societies. Some empires were small and short-lived, but others spanned thousands of miles and lasted hundreds of years.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe the expansion of early agrarian societies.
- Compare early states and empires.
Students often don’t see parallels between ancient history and today. To help them make sense of the causes of expansion, ask students if they can see territorial expansion happening today, and if so, what might be the benefits and costs of this expansion.
Some empires covered thousands of miles, which meant they were expensive to maintain. What happens when a ruler needs to raise money for their empire? Decide how you would finance your empire if you were in charge.
To focus students’ attention on the causes of the collapse and expansion of societies in this video, have them take notes, complete a graphic organizer, or answer the guiding questions while they watch. Providing them with something to do while watching helps them activate their thinking and make connections to prior knowledge. Want more video tips? Check out the OER Project Video Guide.
You’ve learned a little about how states form, but what happens when a state gets strong enough to take over the other states around it? Now we’re talking empire.
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Guiding Questions
Encourage students to use colored highlighters to annotate the articles. While they read, students highlight the claim of the paragraph in one color and the supporting evidence for that claim in another. If there is a counterclaim, they would highlight that in a third color. This allows them to see the key points and how the author is structuring the text. Read an article and do a think-aloud of this strategy together before having students complete one on their own.
Ready to snap on some latex gloves and dig around in the remains of the great empires of the past? The next set of materials looks at how some of the most powerful political forces on Earth collapsed.
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Guiding Questions
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Guiding Questions
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Guiding Questions
Some empires existed at the exact same time but never encountered one another—it’s a big world! And yet, some of these societies had a lot in common. Let’s think about why that might be.
What was life like for women living in ancient empires? Zoom in and compare the lives of three women to see how they pushed or ignored boundaries set by men.
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Guiding Questions
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Guiding Questions
Explore the connections between the evolution of humans, horses, complex societies, and trade.
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Guiding Questions
Need a graphic organizer to help students break down the sources and decide how rulers established and maintained control of their empires? Check out the Quick-Sourcing Tool.
Read about the tactics rulers used to maintain control of the people as their states expanded.
