Grade Six Ancient World History Curriculum: Early Eras to 500 Ce.

Grade Six Ancient World History Curriculum: Early Eras to 500 CE.

I. Early Man

A. Australopithecus

1. Physical traits and characteristics

2. Food gathering

3. Discovery of Lucy

B. Homo erectus

1. Upright man

2. Tools

3. Fire

4. The first hunter

C. Homo sapiens

1. Further physical developments

2. Communication/cultural developments

3. Neanderthal peoples

D. Homo sapiens sapiens

1. Richard E. Leaky

2. Domestication of animals

3. Permanent settlements

4. Beginning of agriculture

II. Ancient Mesopotamia

A. Geography of Mesopotamia

1. The "land between the rivers"

2. Tigris and Euphrates rivers

3. Agricultural society

B. Early developments

1. Rise of cities

2. Metal tools

3. Social order of classes

4. Polytheism

C. Later developments

1. Cuneiform writing system

2. Development of agriculture

3. Trade routes

D. Sumer

1. Economic specialization in trade

2. Sumerian city-states

3. Formation of military, government

4. Written law

E. Babylonia and Assyria

1. Sargon of Akkad

2. Hammurabi's laws

3. Indo-European origins and migrations

III. Ancient Egypt and Africa

A. Geography of Egypt and Africa

1. "The gift of the Nile"

2. Climatic change

3. Extensive irrigation system

B. Agricultural economy

1. Egyptian trade in the eastern Med. And Nile valley

2. Expansion of ideas

3. Rise of farming villages

C. Religion

1. Polytheism

2. Mummification

3. Pharaohs

D. Rise of social order

1. Pharaohs as both God and ruler

2. Social classes develop

3. Patriarchal society

E. Egyptian achievements

1. Hieroglyphs

2. The great pyramids

3. King Tutankhamen

F. Bantu migrations

1. Sub-Saharan African language

2. Spread of Bantu language and culture

3. Early societies of Sub-Saharan Africa

IV. Ancient India

A. Geography of early India

1. Agricultural economy

2. Himalayas

3. Irrigation

B. Religion

1. Hinduism

2. Buddhism

3. Jainism

C. Social and economic structure

1. Caste system

2. Long distance trade networks

3. Towns

D. Ancient Indian achievements

1. Harrappa

2. Mohenjodaro

3. The Bhagavad Gita

V. Ancient China

A. Geography of early China

1. Huang He

2. "Yellow River" and "China's Sorrow"

B. The unification of China

1. Han dynasty

2. Qin dynasty

3. The later Ha

C. Political order

1. Confucianism

2. Civil service system

3. Daoism

4. Legalism

5. Imperialism

D. Achievements

1. Silk roads

2. Silk textiles

3. Paper

4. The Great Wall of China

5. Writing System

6. Books

VI. Ancient Greece and Persia

A. Geography of early Greece and Persia

1. Persia originated