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The First Cities, States, and Empires

Driving Question: How did the formation of cities, states, and empires change life for the people who lived in and around them?

The rise of cities, states, and empires marks a critical transition in the story of human history. For the first time, human communities were exceeding tens of thousands of people. Further complexity ensued when cities began to link up with other cities, setting the stage for the formation of states and intricate networks of human connections that continue to this day.

  1. Analyze the causes and consequences of urbanization and the creation of new metropolitan and interregional networks of exchange.
  2. Investigate the characteristics of the first states (kingdoms, sultanates, republics, city-states, and empires) and the qualities that united people living in these types of states.
  3. Use causal reasoning to evaluate demographic changes and how population increased and shifted as a result of farming.
  4. Consider differing perspectives on what constitutes a state, as well as why people form states.

     

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Extension Materials
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First States

People built states at various times in different places, but not every historian agrees about the details. In this video, two historians explain what states are, where they emerged, and the how they developed.

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.
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