Ancient Civilizations Curriculum

From the sophisticated urban planning of the Harappans to the ever-famous pyramids of Egypt, let’s explore the wonders of ancient civilizations in this curriculum pack! Discover effective teaching and learning strategies for this massive ancient history topic. 

See the fact file below for more information on putting together an Ancient Civilizations Curriculum, or you can download our FREE 24-page Ancient Civilizations Curriculum pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

Short video explainer

• Before we start, watch a short video explainer about civilizations found in the PDF download.

What to consider

• Geography – Teaching about ancient civilizations always begins with acquainting our learners with the features and significance of geography. They need to be aware of and realize the crucial role of the surroundings, and specific bodies of water, in the emergence of ancient complex societies such as the Mesopotamians and Egyptians.
• Historical Context – Similar to tackling other historical epochs, such as the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Age of Discovery, and the Industrial Revolution, it is vital to provide our learners with an understanding of the historical context at the time. Accurate knowledge of ancient geographical and natural conditions will ensure everything is clear about how and why events happened. Although there are a few instances such as the sudden collapse of some civilizations that have no clear explanations yet. 
• Historical Themes – Ancient and medieval history is often presented and analyzed using themes. Themes such as Social Structures, Political Systems, Human-Environment Interaction, Cultures, and Economic Systems are used as a framework to examine a region over a period of time and its historical changes. Specific themes may include geography, empires, literature, population movements, religion, war and conquest, art, science, states, agriculture, etc. 
• Material Culture – Artifacts and scholarly interpretations by archaeologists make sense of the material culture left behind by ancient civilizations. Their way of life is mainly strung together in pieces of objects, ruins of structures, carvings on stone walls, and a few written histories. 
• Historical Significance – Relatability sparks interest. For a lesson to be relatable, learners must connect the significance of the past (ancient contributions in varied fields) to the present. Remember that history is not just a study of the past. More importantly, it helps us understand our present better.
• Glossary – Much of what we know today about ancient civilizations is based on archaeology or the science that deals with past human life using historical evidence or material culture. Learners must be well-acquainted with terms such as artifact, carbon dating, excavate, fossil, relic, tomb, lithic, and crypt. Moreover, the use of more inclusive and politically correct and acceptable terms should be encouraged in tackling ancient complex societies. 
• If you’re concerned about upsetting your students with dark aspects of history during a time of what is supposed to be informative and interactive learning. In that case, we have a useful blog that will help you navigate teaching and an objective recount of the facts.   

How to deliver

• As the existence of humankind began in much earlier periods, civilizations or complex societies emerged within ancient history. While the term ”civilization” has been debated and redefined by scholars, the legacy of ancient complex societies became the foundation of many modern societies today. Before we dive into the vastness of the legacies of the ancient Egyptians, Mesopotamians, Chinese, and others, let’s acquaint our learners with what “civilization” means. Let’s extract what they know about the term using a word cloud. In the PDF file are possible terms related to civilization.
• Moreover, we can also begin with the word’s etymology and how it was used and changed over time. See the PDF file for a sample. *Over time, the meaning of civilization has been debated as many ancient cultures had the main features of a “civilized” society before European incursions. 
• Through digital resources such as images of ancient ruins, codices of rituals, stone carvings, and pieces of pottery, teachers can deepen the schema of the learners of what a civilization is. See samples in the PDF file.
• Deepening questions may include:
  • What can artifacts tell us about people’s daily lives and customs in those times?
  • What do artifacts reveal about these cultures?
  • What can the style and design of artifacts tell us about the values and beliefs of the people who created them?
  • How can discovering new artifacts change our understanding of ancient civilizations and their contributions to human history?
• An excellent activity to keep their interest until the end of the lesson is to collect suspended questions they have in mind and keep them coming in an “ancient question chest”. Encourage our learners to inquire based on their observations of the artifacts and other primary sources they are aware of and those you have presented. 
• From a vast selection of archaeological finds, collaborative excavations and categorization of the purpose of each artifact is also fun. Sample categories and artifacts are presented below. Note that you may present the artifacts through pictures, hide them in meaningful locations within the school, and task the students to do a treasure hunt and come up with a gallery walk, which could be structured using a timeline or a world map to show the historical and geographical context of the artifacts in relation to its origins. 

Religious & Funerary customs	Daily life	Artistic expressions	Trade, Commerce & Politics
– Tutankhamun’s mask – Trundholm sun chariot – Flood Tablet – Mold Gold Cape – Oxus Chariot Model – North American Otter Pipe – Dancing Girl of Mohenjo-Daro – Dead Sea Scrolls – Sican Funerary Mask – Greenstone Mask – Gerzeh Beads – Mask of Agamemnon – Lydenburg Heads	– Basse Yutz Flagons – Minoan Bull Leaper – Battersea Shield – Venus of Willendorf – Li Tripod Jar – Bradshaw Rock Paintings – Nebra Sky Disc – Messapian Baby Bottle – Baghdad Battery	– Sophios vase – Ain Sakhri Lovers – Stargazer	– Quipu of Caral – Imago Mundi – Seals of Indus Valley – Code of Hammurabi – Ishtar Gate – Olmec Colossal heads – Rosetta Stone – Bust of Nefertiti

See a sample of a map showing the locations of ancient civilizations in the PDF file.

• Upon collecting and observing our learners’ schema of what a “civilization” is, we can move forward to the elements of what makes a complex society a “civilization” as standardized by scholars. Regardless of the time ancient civilizations existed, they were complex, unique, independent, and interconnected. One of the key suggestions to strategically discuss its complexities is using historical themes. 
• First, highlight the significance of geography to ancient river civilizations, including the Egyptians (Nile River), Mesopotamians (Tigris–Euphrates River), Harappans (Indus River), and the Chinese (Yellow River). Despite the dangers of annual flooding, complex societies sprouted from these river banks because of their advantages, such as fertile soil for agriculture (which made them sedentary communities), transportation, and, later on, trade. Ancient river civilizations were known to have flourished for a long time and are noted for their development of various agricultural practices, irrigation systems, and means of transportation. Early people in these river civilizations succeeded in adapting to the annual flooding. However, scholars suggest that these adaptations failed to preempt unexpected natural disasters, eventually weakening each society and contributing to its collapse. Through traditional printed maps and Google Earth, we can explore the significance of geography to the emergence and subsistence of ancient river civilizations. 

For more teaching strategies about Ancient Egypt, access Kidskonnect’s Ancient Egypt Curriculum. 

• Mesoamerican civilizations had a more diverse topography than Egypt’s generally arid environment, which influenced settlement patterns, agricultural practices, technology, and culture. Ancient Maya was known for their complex canal systems as an adaptation to their lowland rainforests geography. Meanwhile, the Olmecs, who flourished in the Gulf Coast region of present-day Mexico, took advantage of their sea access and developed long-distance trade networks with other civilizations in Mesoamerica. For the Aztecs, their geography significantly impacted their religious and astronomical beliefs, as reflected in the location of the ancient capital city of Tenochtitlan. 

For more reading materials, access these online articles:

• Largest Ancient Maya Dam Found in Guatemala – Sci News
• Nearly 500 ancient ceremonial sites found in southern Mexico – Science Daily
• Archaeologists discover array of Aztec artefacts under Mexico City – Aljazeera

• Directly related to the theme of geography, one of the main features of an ancient civilization was the existence of agriculture. From our earlier hunter-gatherer ancestors, scholars suggest that the decision of early people to settle in one place was based on the environment (an example is the richness of rivers and soil fertility). As the early people became sedentary, they discovered agricultural practices and developed more complex societies. Most ancient civilizations were established for the sustenance of agriculture, which included the planting of crops and domestication of animals. Ancient Egyptians were known for cultivating wheat, flax, and barley despite the desert terrain, while ancient Mesopotamians grew dates in addition to wheat and barley. Meanwhile, ancient Chinese and the Maya developed terraced fields to increase crop yields in a mountainous landscape. In groups, our students may work on dioramas showing a specific civilization’s geographical features and agricultural adaptations. 
• Other themes to discuss are political, economic, and social structures, which we can effectively connect to other prominent features of civilization – population, cities, and social stratification. Most ancient civilizations are described as having a relatively small population, while others, such as ancient China and Rome, had dense populations. According to scholars, the population in ancient civilizations varied depending on several factors, such as environmental conditions and access to resources. For example, ancient Minoans who lived on the island of Crete had been limited to around 30,000 people, and as their geography dictated, they were maritime people who engaged in sea trade. On the other hand, the Roman Empire was peopled by around 50 million in the 2nd CE because of its extensive road and trade routes. 
• As ancient people developed agriculture and settled in a specific location, they built structures later labeled as cities. These urban areas primarily served as the centers of their political, economic, and religious life. In ancient Mesopotamia, the city of Uruk was the home of about 50,000 people at its height, while the city of Mohenjo-Daro in the Indus Valley accommodated about 40,000 people. Along with Mohenjo-Daro, the city of Harappa along the Indus River was known for its extensive urban planning, sewage system, and underground channels. In Western civilization, ancient Rome had also been known for its sophisticated grid-like street system, bathhouses, and aqueducts. Both became known for their functional and practical architecture. 
• While both civilizations (Indus Valley and ancient Rome) showed sophisticated urban planning and engineering at their times, it is significant to note their unique approaches. The Harappans used mud to make bricks for walls and houses, while the Romans used stones to pave streets and structures, such as temples, buildings, amphitheaters, and bathhouses. Similar to the Harappans and the Romans, the ancient Peruvian civilization of the Incas used the resources surrounding them. The Incas were also known for their urban planning, particularly the world heritage city of Machu Picchu, built on a mountain slope. 
• Another point of discussion showing the interconnectedness of ancient civilizations was their architecture’s similar but different features. We can assign our students some archaeological digs (pictures) of ancient structures for this section and facilitate a class analysis. Sample pictures are presented in the PDF file.
• Despite being known for its pyramids, ancient Egypt was only one of the civilizations that constructed this massive architecture. Ancient Mesoamerican civilizations also had pyramids, which many, like the pyramids in Egypt, are still observable today. 
• Here are a couple of Mesoamerican pyramids we can visit via Google Earth.
  • El Castillo/El Templo/Temple of Kukulcán
  • Palenque/Temple of the Inscriptions
  • The Great Jaguar Tikal
• Luckily, these historical landmarks are also available for physical and digital tours. 
• While the Great Pyramid of Giza was known as the largest manmade structure until the 19th century, its purpose is still debatable among scholars. From a tomb for Khufu, historians also suggest that it may have had an astronomical purpose, similar to the El Castillo pyramid in Chichen Itza. The fact remains that early people had built many megalithic structures for their belief systems, including religion and astronomy. Moreover, the capability of early people to gather thousands of laborers and move large boulders without the technology we know today continues to fascinate the modern world. 
• Other than pyramids, ancient Egyptians built mortuary temples and monuments honoring their dead, pharaoh, and deities. Similar to ancient Greek and Roman temples honoring Zeus/Jupiter, Hera/Juno, Poseidon/Neptune, and Venus/Aphrodite. 
• Here are a couple of ancient temples and tombs we can visit via Google Earth and 360° virtual tours.
  • Temple of Karnak
  • Valley of the Kings
  • Parthenon 
  • Acropolis
  • Machu Picchu

For more teaching strategies about Ancient Greece and Rome, access Kidskonnect’s Ancient Greece Curriculum and Ancient Rome Curriculum. 

• Out-of-the-classroom activities may include historic sites and museum tours. In the United States, several museums house ancient art and artifacts. Below are some of them:
  • Penn Museum at the University of Pennsylvania has a variety of galleries showcasing ancient art and artifacts from Mesoamerica, Egypt, the Mediterranean, the Near East, and Mesopotamia. 
  • Kelsey Museum at the University of Michigan also has a collection of ancient and medieval Near East and Mediterranean artifacts. 
  • The Met, or the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, has an enormous display of Egyptian and Islamic art. 

• One more significant feature of a civilization is the presence of writing systems. Scholars date 3300 BCE as the period when the first writing system occurred, thus labeling the years before it as pre-history (before any writing system). Historians suggest that the line that divided prehistory and history is the existence of writing during the Bronze Age when civilizations in Egypt, Sumer, and the Indus Valley emerged. While the Sumerians were known for cuneiform and Egypt for hieroglyphics, the writing system in the Indus Valley is yet to be deciphered. 
• Aside from interpreting historical documents, records, and inscriptions, understanding ancient writing systems is crucial to studying language development and preserving cultural heritage over time. Due to the progressive decipherment of the ancient writing system, such as hieroglyphics, we can use several activities for better learning engagement. Learn more about hieroglyphs and the fun activities using video explainers. 
  • Egyptian hieroglyphic alphabet
  • Egyptian Hieroglyphic – were Hieroglyphs like Emoji?
  • Egyptians Hieroglyphic – how to read hieroglyphs in the right order
  • What’s hiding inside Maya glyphs
• While many Egyptian and Maya hieroglyphs carved in stone monuments survived over time. Aztec pictographs and phonetic signs typically written on paper bark or deerskin hardly survived. As a result, the more common source of insights into the Aztec culture was codices made from less decaying materials. 
• We can also look at how specific aspects of ancient civilizations are depicted in films. Before any film-viewing activity, we must provide our students with guide questions or the expectations the class attempts to achieve. Below are some movies we can watch and analyse in class. (Note that some movies are not for younger learners, guidance must be provided)
  • Gladiator (2000) – The film depicts ancient Roman architecture, politics, and military culture. 
  • Apocalypto (2006) – A fictional film inspired by the decline of the Maya civilization. Despite the creative take in the movie, it shows the multifaceted culture of the Maya people – religion, architecture, warfare, enslavement, and rituals.
  • 300 (2006) – The fictional portrayal of the Battle of Thermopylae shows the Spartan military discipline, and their refusal to be succumbed by the Persians, a struggle the ancient Greeks had encountered to defend their civilization. 
  • Hercules (2014) – Aside from including the famous battles of Marathon and Troy, the film portrays the ancient Greek cultural landscape. 

• For younger learners: (Note that films require adult guidance to avoid historical misinterpretations due to creative liberties employed in the movies.
  • The Road to El Dorado (2000) – An adventure movie depicting the mythical city of gold that the Spanish explorers searched for in the 16th century. It represents the wealth-driven conquistadors mistaken as gods by the indigenous population. It shows Mesoamerican culture, architecture, and mythology. 
  • Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003) – A fantasy adventure movie set in ancient Persia and follows the legendary sailor Sinbad on his quest to save his friend and the city of Syracuse. It shows some aspects of ancient Persian mythology, customs, and traditions.
  • The Emperor’s New Groove (2000) – An animated movie set in the ancient Incan Empire and follows the story of a selfish emperor named Kuzco who is turned into a llama. Amidst the inaccuracies in depicting Incan civilization, the film provides a glimpse of Inca mythology and architecture. 
  • Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) – A stop-motion animated movie set in ancient Japan. Aside from strong family history and bond, the film depicts ancient Japanese mythology and culture. 

• While the ancient civilizations of Sumer, Egypt, and the Indus Valley emerged independently, artifacts suggest that they traded. Trade and commerce have always been vital aspects of any civilization. Trade will not occur if both people have the same kind of goods. In this discussion, we can turn our class into a marketplace where students can trade goods and services for one another. Note that they cannot use actual currencies in trading, encourage them to practice the barter system like our ancestors did.  
• This activity will help us connect the ancient trading practice to what trading means today. 
• Again, with the use of maps, we can dwell on the significance of the Silk Road to the economic, cultural, and intellectual connection of ancient China to Europe, the extensive trading networks of the Phoenicians in the Mediterranean, or the economic importance of Timbuktu in ancient African kingdoms. As trade between civilizations proliferated, specialized occupations also developed, thus social stratification. 

For more ideas about the expansion of trade, access Kidskonnect’s Age of Discovery Curriculum. 

• Wealth, power, and religion were often intertwined in most ancient complex societies. Social stratification or hierarchy organized ancient societies based on privileges, power, and prestige. While status was deeply entrenched in some ancient societies (born into a specific position), others were more fluid. While some ancient Egyptians and Chinese were born with silver spoons, named nobles, and had access to education, later civilizations like the Greeks and the Romans had more fluid social mobility. An individual could rank up the social ladder based on military success and wealth accumulation throughout their life.  
• Regardless of civilization, social stratification is effectively presented in pyramid-type diagrams. See the sample in the PDF file.
• It is significant to emphasize the strong connection of politics, religion, and mythology in the stratification of ancient societies. In most ancient complex societies, the ruler (pharaoh, king, emperor) was regarded as a god or a demigod, a direct descendant or representation of the god/s. In highly stratified societies, priests or religious leaders/ scholars (in ancient China) followed rulers, while at the bottom were unfree people, typically enslaved because of debt or captured in war.
• In ancient times, things or events that they couldn’t explain were associated with the will of the spirits or gods. As populations grew, the belief system later labeled religion was used for social control, and most of the time utilized to justify social stratification. 

For more ideas about the emergence of religion, access Kidskonnect’s Religious Studies Curriculum. 

• Aside from megalithic monuments, ancient civilizations left us with technology which became the blueprint of our modern-day advancements. What’s a better way to learn and realize the legacies of ancient times than to match their inventions then and now? We can involve the entire class in this activity by finding the pairs of images of ancient technology and real objects today. See the sample in the PDF file.  

Learning outcomes

• At the end of the lesson, learners are expected to deeply understand ancient complex societies, their culture and their contributions to the modern day. Through understanding, learners should be equipped to respect the diversity of contemporary society.
• Learning more about ancient civilizations is an eye-opener on the human-environment interaction over time. Upon learning that the environment was a deciding element in the emergence of ancient complex societies, learners should be able to realize and uphold a sense of communal, environmental responsibility. At the same time, some ancient civilizations, like the Maya, collapsed without defined reasons. Archaeologists and historians theorize that environmental phenomena (one of the factors), such as prolonged drought, led to famine and population decline.  
• Ancient civilizations were not so far from today as we witnessed continuing warfare, attempts for peace, internal political instability, economic progress and decline, and unprecedented technological advancement. That is why it is significant for us to promote and act on sustainable development and peaceful coexistence with others. 

Ancient Civilizations Worksheets

This is a fantastic curriculum bundle that includes everything you need to know about Ancient Civilizations across 24 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Ancient Civilizations, the earliest complex societies in history.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

• Teaching Ancient Civilizations
  1. Short video explainer
  2. What to consider
  3. How to deliver
  4. Learning outcomes
• Lesson Plan Template
• Suggested Worksheets

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the 6 ancient civilizations?

The earliest known human civilizations are ancient Mesopotamia, ancient Egypt, ancient India, ancient China, ancient Peru, and ancient Mesoamerica.

What are the four main ancient civilizations?

The four main ancient civilizations are the river civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus Valley, and China.

Why study ancient civilizations?

Learning about ancient civilizations connects modern-day daily life, including politics, economy, culture, and technology, to its early origins.

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