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Period: 5580 BCE to 330 BCE
Achaemenids
The Achaemenid Empire was founded in Persia by Cyrus the Great. The empire stretched from India to the borders of Egypt, and continued to expand with new leaders. They had a pastoral economy. They ruled with central initiative but used local administration too. Satraps were military officers and tax collectors. They made a postal service and built the Persian Royal Road which was 1600 miles long. -
Period: 3100 BCE to 2160 BCE
Egpyt
Egypt is located in Africa, along the Nile River. The Egyptian civilizations were led by Pharaohs. The Pharaohs were worshiped like they were actual gods. They had a patriarchal society, although some women ruled alongside the Pharaoh. They had a system of writing called hieroglyphics. Egyptians are known for their massive pyramids; they were the burial grounds of the Pharaohs. -
Period: 3000 BCE to 404 BCE
Athens
The Athens were located in Greece, close to the Spartans. They had a democratic government, but only free males could participate in it. Aristocratic landowners benefitted from maritime trade. Athens is referred to as the "education of Greece" because it was filled with scientists, artists, and philosophers. -
Period: 2000 BCE to Jan 1, 1000
Bantu
The Bantu people lived in Africa. The Bantus were not like the others of their time; they were open to migrations. They had agricultural surpluses which led to a growing population. When the population got to crowded for the Bantu peoples, some of them would move and start a new community. They used canoes for travel. The Bantu peoples produced iron tools and weapons. -
Period: 1500 BCE to 500 BCE
Aryans
Aryans lived around the Ganges Valley. The first Aryans did not write, but they passed down Vedas, collections of songs and hymns, orally in their language of Sanskrit. They had kingdoms led by rajas, which means king. The Lawbook of Manu stated proper moral behaviors and social relations; women were subordinate to men. They had a defined social order with the brahmins, or priests, on the top. Aryans made iron tools such as axes and plows. They depended on a pastoral economy. -
Period: 1222 BCE to 256 BCE
Zhou
The Zhou dynasty was located along the Huang He and Shang Jiang Rivers. Their government was a dictatorship. The leader said that he had the right to rule because it was given to him by the gods; this was known as the Mandate of Heaven. The Zhou Dynasty was able to make cheap weaponry. People in the Zhou Dynasty were fond of fortune telling and there was even a book, The Book of Changes, that explained how to accurately predict the future. Unfortunately the book was later destroyed by the Qin. -
Period: 1200 BCE to 400 BCE
Olmec
The Olmec civilization was located in Mesoamerica, along the Gulf of Mexico. They most likely had an authoritarian government, but we don't know for sure because they left no written records, except for a calendar. They built elaborate draining systems so that their city would not flood. The Olmecs are known for their massive stone heads; some even stand 10 feet tall. -
Period: 1100 BCE to 300
Nubia
Nubia is located along the Nile River, in present day Sudan and Egypt. Nubians were similar to the Egyptians. For instance, they had a patriarchal society, but some women did have power. Their primary crops were wheat and barley. Nubians had to use wheeled vehicles to travel across land because the Nile had too many cataracts for them to navigate. The Nubians had their own language, Meroitic. -
Period: 650 BCE to 464 BCE
Sparta
The Spartans were lucky to be able to live in a fertile area. They made their captives slaves. The slaves job was to farm and provide food for the citizens of Sparta. Spartans were worried about a rebellion so they used their resources to maintain a powerful army. When boys turned the age of seven they started training for the military. Sparta was considered an equal society. They did not wear jewelry or fancy clothing to show their wealth. They used iron bars for their money. -
Period: 500 BCE to Jan 1, 650
Teotihuacan
Teotihuacan was located in the center of Mexico. There is evidence that the people of Teotihuacan had extensive trade and exchange networks. We don't have any records of how they viewed the world. They built large pyramids of the sun and moon. -
Period: 321 BCE to 232 BCE
Mauryan
The Mauryan dynasty was the first to bring centralized government to the Indian subcontinent. They had a bureaucratic administration system that allowed them to implement policies throughout the state. Arthashastra was a book they used that had detailed instructions on the principles of government, it included things like taxing, trade, and war. Ashoka encouraged building roads and irrigation systems to promote trade and agriculture. -
Period: 247 BCE to 224
Parthians
The Parthian empire was located along the Chinese Silk Road which helped them to become a trade center. They were ruled by a federation of rulers, not a centralized government. Decisions were discussed and made among a group of men. They learned to feed their horses with hay to keep them strong during the winter months. They also had a large cavalry to keep the nomads from launching and attack on them. -
Period: 224 BCE to Jan 1, 651
Sasanids
The Sasanid Empire was located in Persia. They traded with India and China. Through trade they started to get new crops such as sugarcane, cotton, and rice. The Sasanids had conflicts with the Kushan, Roman, and Byzantine empires that eventually led to their fall in 651 CE. -
Period: 221 BCE to 207 BCE
Qin
The Qin Dynasty came with the return of an effective central government. For the first time they brought China under one single state. They started building a wall around their territory. Under the control of Li Si, China had a standardized script. -
Period: 206 BCE to 220
Han
The Han Dynasty ruled as an imperial dynasty. They built roads and canals to promote trade and unify China. The Han Dynasty built imperial universities where men would go to learn about government service. The Han Dynasty had a patriarchal society. -
Period: 300 to Jan 1, 900
Maya
The Maya Civilization spanned a long distance from southeastern Mexico and Central America. The Mayans had city kingdoms that constantly fought among each other. They used cacao beans as their currency. Mayans writing included ideograpic symbols and symbols that represented syllables. Mayans are known for their extremely accurate calendar and inventing the concept of zero. -
CCOT
One CCOT that I found was how trade can start a civilization. The Parthians were located on the Silk Road so their civilization grew rich and plentiful. Also, other civilizations wanted to build roads to connect to other civilizations for trade. Today, businesses try to build and move places where more people are so they have more opportunities to expand their wealth. -
CCOT
Another CCOT that I found was social hierarchy. Most of the early civilizations had some type of social order. There is even still one in India today. There is also some type of distinction between the upper class and lower class because upper class usually wear nicer clothes or have nicer cars, or something that shows that they have money.