Course Outline
Culminating Activity
This ISU group project is to be completed outside of class hours, and is worth 20% of the final grade. Students are strongly encouraged to work diligently on the assignment throughout Term 3 of the course.
Important Definitions
There are some terms we all need to be familiar with before we begin this course. The worksheet and power point is posted below if you missed class for any reason.
The Ascent of Humanity
Human evolution began about 7 million years ago in Africa, and continues today. Once thought to be a simple process of changes from apes to early humans to modern humans, scientists now realize that evolution is a complicated and messy process. To make things more difficult, evidence is often scarce and open to interpretation. This lecture series and the vidoes and links that follow represent a mere introduction into the world of human evolutionary studies.
Learning will include an extensive teacher-centred lecture as well as videos and websites. I have posted the entire Becoming Human Nova documentary series. In class we will watch parts of Becoming Human: Episode 2 and all of Becoming Human: Episode 3. There is a worksheet for taking notes during Episode 3. Episode 1 has been included here for your edification and enjoyment.
Course Materials
Further Readings
The first evaluation for this unit is a letter. You must pretend to be a Neanderthal who is spending a summer with the new Homo sapiens in your valley. Write to your mother explaining what life is like with the humans, and how your two species are similar and different. Use the further reading articles to assist you.
The Neolithic Revolution
Initially humans were nomadic hunters and gatherers that lived in small family groups. Over time these groups created more efficient hunting techniques and more complex cultures, resulting in tribal- and clan-based societies. Eventually some groups of humans began settling down and using agriculture as a primary source of food. Although archaeologists use a variety of terms from Upper Palaeolithic to Mesolithic to Neolithic to describe the time periods in which these settlements occured in China, the Middle East, and parts of North America, ultimately they all describe the same phenomenon: the change in some human groups from hunting and gathering to the minor use of crop cultivation and animal husbandry to complete dependence on agriculture and farm animals for existance.
In the Middle East, in the area known as the Fertile Crescent, the initial use of agriculture began with a group of people known as the Natufians approximately 10, 000 years ago. As a result of becoming more and more dependant on agriculture, settlements - first on a small scale, and then on larger scales of towns and cities - began to crop up in the region. The specialization of a number of jobs and duties made possiblle by the full-scale use of agriculture, and the resulting need for government and organizational structures eventully led to the advent of "civlization" as we know it in the West today, including governments, religious institutions, writing and academia, art and architecture, and social structures.
Archaeologists and anthropologists are divided as whether or not the Neolithic Agricultural Revolution was a positive thing or a negative thing for humanity. During this unit students will read and view a variety of materials from different points of view, and participate in a fish-bowl discussion of the issues related to the Neolithic Agricultural Revolution.
In addition to studying the Neolithic Era through readings and discussion circles, students will also explore early urbanization by examing primary and secondary sources related to early settlements in the Fertile Crescent. One library period will be set aside for students to do this research.
As the readings and video made clear, increased use of animal husbandry and of agriculture led to increases in population. Increases in population meant more man power, and therefore the ability to increase agricultural production. The longer this cycle continued, the more dependent on agriculture these Neolithic people became. Ultimately this lead to settlement and then finally urbanization. This assignment asks students to consider the layouts of early urban centres and what they say about the way of life of the first agriculturalists.
Mesopotamia
The region of the Fertile Crescent between the Tigres and the Euphrates Rivers is known as Mesopotamia (meaning, "middle of the rivers"). Out of this region grew some of the world's earliest and greatest civilizations in the form of city states (when a main city rules the hamlets and farming regions around it). The four we will look at in class were Sumer, Akkad, Assyria, and Babylon.
The bulk of the content of this unit will be covered by a lecture and Power Point, followed by a video about some of the customs and inventions of the region, as well as an indepth look at the literature in the form of the "Story of the Flood" from The Epic of Gilgamesh, a class discussion of the importance of Hammurabi's law code.
Please note that the video has six parts. Please watch all six parts of the video. A link to the first part is provided below.
Ancient Egypt
Not long after early Neolithic agriculturalists began creating permanent settlements in the Fertile Crescent, peoples began settling along the Nile River in Egypt (called Kemet by the ancient Egyptians). The patterns for the development of human civilization in ancient Egypt was similar to that of Mesopotamia: agriculture lead to small permanent settlements that allowed for specialization in the arts, culture, technology the military and politics as well as dramatic population growth. Eventually small villages turned into major urban centres that were run by kings or dictators and the religious classes. With advances in technology came the Bronze Age, which is characterized by the use of bronze weapons and tools.
There were some differences, however, in the development of the two regions. Egypt's Nile River flooded regularly and predictably, bringing fresh soil to the small amount of arable land tracts along the banks of the river. The entire culture and social structures were shaped by Egypt's yearly indundations. Additionally, Egypt was rather isolated as a result of being surrounded by formidable deserts on all sides, and as a result developed many ideas independantly from the rest of the Mediterranean world. Egyptians were fairly xenophobic and resisted change, a situation that proved detrimental at times in their history. One major difference between the Egytians and their counterparts in other places was that they developed a religion based at least partially on morality: the after life and proper care of the dead were extremely important to Egyptian culture. This lead to the development of a powerful institutionalized religion as well as many cultural practices around death, such as mummification and the building of the pyramids.
This unit begins with an overview of ancient Egypt as per the preadings and questions posted below. After that students will be given an introductory lecture on the Old Kingdom, pyramids, and mummification practices.
Students will then be taken to the computer lab or library to learn more about pyramid building and religion in ancient Egypt. They will need this information so that they can complete the major unit assignment, which is to work in groups to plan a bid to build a new pyramid, complete with a scale replica of their pyramid. Some links to useful websites and videos are provided below, along with the assignment sheet and religion webquest worksheet.
Eventually the Old Kingdom began to collapse under the weight of its own bureaucracy: local governments, leaders, and peoples began to exert pressure on the central government to give them more power, many openly staging rebellions against the pharaoh. One hundred and fifty years of anarchy ensued. Into this power gap came the Hyksos, described by the ancients as a war-like people from the region of Palestine. They took over Egypt and a variety of surrounding territories. Eventually the Egyptians were able to overthrow them, and the Middle Kingdom was born.
Eventually, under the command of Pharaoh Ahmose, the Egyptians were once again able to overthrow the Hyksos invaders. This time, however, the Hyksos had integrated well into the region, particularly in the north, and with them came new ideas and innovations that brought prosperity to Egypt's New Kingdom. From 1540 BCE until the arrival of the Persians, Egypt thrived under a series of exceptional rules. In order to understand the influence of the pharaohs and their significance, students will study seven of the New Kingdom's most significant rules and rank their contributions to Egypt, its economic and military growth, and its social and cultural institutions.
Life during the time of the New Kingdom was about as peaceful and prosperous as it ever was in the ancient world. Women were relatively well respected, the nuclear family was the main social-structure unit, people were generally well fed, medicine and art reached pinnacles never before achieved in the ancient world, and the economy was booming. Eventually, of course, all good things come to an end, and the Persians, mighty from their conquests in the Asia and the Middle East, arrived with their very fomidable army. From then on, Egypt's history was one of conquest and foreign rule.
Ancient Israel
For this unit, students will discover the rather bumpy and rocky history of the ancient Israelites vis a vis a webquest. The central question, "Why were the Israelites so hated and distrusted by their neighbours? Was there something about their culture and religion that led other peoples in the region to fear and distrust them?"
Students will read, watch, and evaluate evidence about the ancient Israelites ranging from understanding the differences between the creation stories of the Israelites and their neighbours, to understanding the differences in social and legal structures between various groups in the region, to discovering the short but mighty reign of King David and the creation of the state of Israel.
After coming to an understanding of the relationships between the Israelites and their neighbours, students will write a letter in role, either as an Israelite or as one of their neighbours, explaining their reactions to their not-always-friendly neighbours.
Students should follow the webquest step by step, starting wtih Document #1, and ending with the letter writing exercise.
Step 1 - Read the Directions and Assignment Requirements
Step 2- Review Background Materials
Step 3 - Compare and Contrast Creation Stories
Please note, that for this portion of the webquest students have a choice between viewing audio-visual versions of the creation stories or reading text versions. They do not have to do both.
Step 4 - View the Documentary about King David
Step 5 - Compare and Contrast the Law Codes of the Israelites and the Babylonians
Step 6 - Complete the Letter Writing Assignment
Return to Step 1 and complete the letter writing assignment. Be sure to review the rubric and the exemplar letter. You must show your understanding of the Jews and of their neighbours in your letter through the use of specific historical examples. Your letter will be due after the winter break.
The Winter Exam
The winter exam is 1.5 hours long and has three parts:
- 30 multiple choice questions (30 marks)
- A paragraph response to ONE of several choices (15 marks)
- An analysis of a primary document (10 marks)
Because there was no unit test on the Egypt unit, the exam is largely focused on ancient Egypt. However, the first units - The Ascent of Humanity and Mesopotamia - are also covered on the exam. Ancient Israel is not covered. That unit will be evaluated by the letter writing assignment.
Good luck!
Ancient Greece
In the Ancient World there was no political entity called "Greece." The area currently called Greece was settled as early as 70, 000 years ago by some of the earliest humans, and from that point on had a rich and varied history.
Although the region was populated with a variety of peoples before 3500 BCE, including the Cycladic Peoples, the first major civilizations in the region were the Bronze Age civilizations of the Minoans on the islands in the Aegean and the Mycenaeans on the mainland. The Minoans were a peaceful people, egalitarian in nature, and seemed to have been non-Greek speaking peoples. The Mycenaeans, in contrast, were hearty mainlanders who seem to have been a proto-Greek people. They copied much of the superior art and architecture of the Minoans, but celebrated early forms of the Greek gods and developed political systems that ultimately created the city states of Ancient Greece.
The Mycenaeans were conquered by the Dorians, and Greece experienced an influx of other peoples, from the Ionians to the Aiolians, who ultimately merged their cultures with those of the Mycenaeans. Following the Dorian invasions, Greece experienced a Dark Ages. What came out of those dark and terrible times was the city-state organization Ancient Greece was well known for, and one of the greatest cultures of all times.
Students will begin by exploring the world of Ancient Greek mythology. Each student will be responsible for completing one page of the class book of mythology, to be distributed when the project is complete. Students will have access to readings in class, but may find the following link helpful:
Student will then look at the earliest civilizations in the region, those of the Minoans and the Mycenaeans. Students will also look at the desctruction of the Minoanesque island of Thera, a possible site for the mysterious lost island of Atlantis. As the documentary about Atlantis is not available online, student who miss the class viewing will have to get notes from their classmates.
One of the greatest Mycenaean heroes of all times was Achilles, and Homer's The Iliad tells the story of Achilles wrath and power as seen during four days of the Trojan War. Students will read a summary of The Iliad, examine closely Book I of the epic poem, and then write a short essay comparing and contrasting The Iliad with the movie Troy. In order to complete the assignment properly, students will also need to know about the period known as the Archaic Period, the first few centuries after the Dark Ages, and the period in which Homer lived. Although Homer may have recorded a very old tale when he wrote The Iliad, and although the ancients took the poem to be a history of the Trojan War, he was a product of his own era, and the epic reflects the concerns of Homer's times as much as it does those of the Mycenaean Era.