Ancient Civilizations

Bring the ancient world to life with free, ready-to-use lessons, maps, and videos that help students explore how empires—from Rome and Persia to India and China—rose, connected, and built the foundations of the modern world.
Ancient Empire

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Teaching Ancient Civilizations

World History Lesson Guide: Comparing Ancient Rome and Han China External link Locked

Examine how Rome and Han Dynasty rulers grew and maintained their empires. This guide has teaching instructions and guiding questions to help your students build their content knowledge and historical thinking skills.
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Maps Index External link

Discover the World History Maps Index, featuring maps that bring ancient civilizations to life. Check out the 300 BCE Ancient Empires and Agriculture thematic map to get started!
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PD Event: Rediscovering Ancient Ways External link

Join us to explore object-based learning with the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures, and discover the connection between past and present human experiences.
Blog

Blog Post: You Can Thank the Ancients External link

Help your students understand the legacies of ancient civilizations that reach beyond the ruins—think concrete, calendars, and democracy!
Blog

Blog Post: Lesson Plan: Ancient Societies External link

Show students how ancient ingenuity shapes our world today—from concrete to civics—in a ready-to-roll lesson that lightens your prep and sparks those ah-ha moments.

Teach Tomorrow: Ancient Civilization Lessons and Materials

Lesson 5.3.3
Big History
Agriculture & Complex Societies
The First States
These materials explore some of the earliest agrarian states. Compare Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Indus River Valley civilizations.
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Lesson 4.4
World History Origins
Empires and Belief Systems
600 BCE to 700 CE
Comparing Ancient Empires
Empires rise and fall. Dive into a selection of the ancient world’s great empires, comparing what made them unique and identifying similarities in what caused their growth and collapse.
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Lesson 5.4.3
Big History
Agriculture & Complex Societies
Empires Rise and Fall
Why do empires rise and collapse? These materials explore how some of the most powerful political forces on Earth collapsed.
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Lesson 4.2
World History Origins
Empires and Belief Systems
600 BCE to 700 CE
Comparing Portable Belief Systems
From Hinduism and Buddhism to Christianity and Islam, religions transformed societies as they spread to new places. What common ideas did these portable belief systems share—and how did they differ?
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Ancient Civilization Activities and Resources

What is an Empire?
Bronze sculpted head of an Akkadian emperor featuring a very detailed carved beard and hat. One eye is missing from the sculpture, probably a result of age decay.
World History Origins
Article

What is an Empire? External link

Empires have been one of the most common features of human societies throughout history. But what are they? This article gives a basic definition and highlights several important features common to empires.
Expansion of the Roman Empire Map
Roman empire map
OER Project
Visual Aid

Expansion of the Roman Empire Map External link

A full-color regional map of the expansion of the Roman Empire, including the network of Roman roads, cities, and sea lanes that connected Rome to its empire.
Empire Autopsy
Big History
Activity

Empire Autopsy External link

Think you can figure out why empires fall? Time to conduct an autopsy on some of the world’s earliest empires.

Writing Assessments for Teaching the Ancient World

Pre-Writing: Early Chinese Philosophies
World History Origins
Assessment

Pre-Writing: Early Chinese Philosophies External link

Get ready for writing by crafting a claim and gathering supporting evidence.
DBQ Sources: Early Chinese Philosophies
World History Origins
Assessment

DBQ Sources: Early Chinese Philosophies External link

Analyze these sources and gather evidence to support your argument
Writing: Early Chinese Philosophies
World History Origins
Assessment

Writing: Early Chinese Philosophies External link

Time to write! Demonstrate your understanding of this unit’s content by creating a written argument in response to a prompt.
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Community: Ask, Connect, Share

What Did the Ancients Give Us?

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"Why haven't you gotten to Mesopotamia yet..."

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Empires Cheat Sheet (or Frayer model...)

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