11c. The Inca Empire: Children of the Sun

The Inca called their empire Tahuantinsuyu, or Land of the Four Quarters. It stretched 2,500 miles from Quito, Ecuador, to beyond Santiago, Chile. Within its domain were rich coastal settlements, high mountain valleys, rain-drenched tropical forests and the driest of deserts. The Inca controlled perhaps 10 million people, speaking a hundred different tongues. It was the largest empire on earth at the time. Yet when Pizarro executed its last emperor, Atahualpa, the Inca Empire was only 50 years old.

Material Type: Diagram/Illustration, Reading

The Emergence of Europe: 500-1300, Fall 2003

Survey of the social, cultural, and political development of western Europe between 500 and 1300. Topics include: the Germanic conquest of the ancient Mediterranean world; the Carolingian Renaissance; feudalism and the breakdown of political order; the crusades; the quality of religious life; the experience of women; and the emergence of a revitalized economy and culture in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.

Material Type: Full Course

Author: McCants, Anne Elizabeth Conger

Lesson 1: How Did Surnames Come to Be?

During the Middle Ages, the feudal system meant that most people in Europe lived in small farming villages. As the population expanded and the towns grew, however, a need arose to find ways to differentiate between two people who shared the same first name.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Was the Spartan Education System Beneficial?

This unit follows a general introduction of Athens and Sparta including historical context, geographical location, demographics, etc. This unit will begin with teaching about the people of Athens and Sparta and the competition between the two. Students will learn about the Persian Wars and the Peloponnesian Wars, focusing on the involvement of Athens and Sparta. Students will read articles describing the two city-states and the spartan education system in an open textbook. Based on their knowledge of both Sparta's and Athens' societal and military ventures, students will decide if the spartan education system was beneficial. They will then compose a persuasive essay on this topic.

Material Type: Lesson

Author: Rebecca Fazio

World Religions

This unit is designed to provide 11th grade students with a basic understanding of the 5 Major World Religions.  Included for each religion are:  origins, development, beliefs, and impact.  The unit incorporates elements of online learning with face-to-face interactions.

Material Type: Unit of Study

Author: Alexa Spruit

5. Ancient Greece

Democracy. Philosophy. Sculpture. Dramatic tragedies. The Olympic Games. Many of the fundamental elements of Western culture first arose more than 2000 years ago in ancient Greece.

Material Type: Diagram/Illustration, Reading

9e. Taoism and Confucianism — Ancient Philosophies

The 6th century B.C.E. was an amazing time of philosophical growth for ancient China. It was during that time that the two most influential spiritual leaders native to China, Confucius and Lao-tzu, are thought to have lived and taught. The philosophies that they practiced, Taoism and Confucianism, existed simultaneously in dynastic China, attracting countless numbers of followers over the past 2,500 years. The fascination of both the Eastern and Western worlds with these two legendary figures and the philosophies that they created remains strong.

Material Type: Diagram/Illustration, Reading

The Ancient Times

Slideshow of ancient Greece

Material Type: Interactive

Ancient Greece

This video is produced by the Bloomfield Township, MI community media. It is from a public access program. It is posted to the Internet Archive and was discovered via https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Vd4QiNgR59m3064dN042QwW4uULpSdihpziCMEC1qZc/edit#gid=839695847

Material Type: Lecture

Authors: Bloomfield Township, John Hauser

Ancient World, The: Greece, Part 1

'Ancient World, The: Greece' (1955) 66m, dir. ray Garner. This film recreates the ancient Greek world through its extant art and literature. The narration is from translations of Greek authors, including Hesiod, Pindar, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, Herodotus, Thucydides, Plato, and Plutarch, and accompanies visual impressions of Greek religious philosophy and history through the golden age. The film features spectacular footage of Crete, Knossos, Mycenae, and the sculptures of Athens. It discusses the Persians at Marathon, then 10 years later, Xerxes at Thermopylae. To view Garner’s Greece, Part II, visit http://archive.org/details/AncientWorldGreece_Pt2 For more on Garner, visit http://www.afana.org/garner.htm

Material Type: Lesson

Authors: Greek Archeological Society, Greek Government, Harmon Foundation, Menelaos Pallandios, Museum of Fine Arts - Boston, Ray Garner, The American School of Classical Studies at Athens, The Archeological Institute of America, The British Museum, The Royal Ontario Museum

The Ancient World, Greece, Part 2

'Ancient World, The: Greece' (1955) 66m, dir. ray Garner. This film recreates the ancient Greek world through its extant art and literature. The narration is from translations of Greek authors, including Hesiod, Pindar, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, Herodotus, Thucydides, Plato, and Plutarch, and accompanies visual impressions of Greek religious philosophy and history through the golden age. The film features spectacular footage of Crete, Knossos, Mycenae, and the sculptures of Athens. It discusses the Persians at Marathon, then 10 years later, Xerxes at Thermopylae. For more on Garner, visit http://www.afana.org/garner.htm

Material Type: Lesson

Author: Ray Garner

11e. Clash of Cultures: Two Worlds Collide

In the wake of Columbus' historic voyage in 1492, expeditions, especially from Imperial Spain, swarmed into Aztec territory. They came in search of gold and souls — gold to enrich the coffers of the Spanish king (and their own), and heathen souls to rescue for Christianity. Within a generation, America's ancient civilizations were crushed. Both the Aztec and Inca Empires collapsed after campaigns lasting just a couple of years. How did they fall so fast? Historians suggest many causes.

Material Type: Diagram/Illustration, Reading

6f. The Fall of the Roman Empire

One of the many factors that contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire was the rise of a new religion, Christianity. The Christian religion, which was monotheistic ran counter to the traditional Roman religion, which was polytheistic (many gods). At different times, the Romans persecuted the Christians because of their beliefs, which were popular among the poor.

Material Type: Diagram/Illustration, Reading

8c. The Rise of Hinduism

Not many things have endured without interruption or major transformation for over 5,000 years. Hindu traditions such as these are great exceptions. Arguably, Hinduism is the oldest religion on Earth.

Material Type: Diagram/Illustration, Reading

4h. Birth of Christianity

To understand the life and death of Jesus and the birth of Christianity, one must understand the context of the Roman Empire. Jesus was a Jew, as were almost all of his early followers.

Material Type: Diagram/Illustration, Reading

4i. Muhammad and the Faith of Islam

A man meditating alone in a cave near Mecca received a religious vision. This vision laid the foundations for a new religion. The year was 610 and the man's name was Muhammad.

Material Type: Diagram/Illustration, Reading

11. Central and South American Empires

In the 1500s, when Spanish conquistadors appeared, two vast empires, those of the Aztecs and the Incas, dominated Central and South America. Both possessed divine kings, both were fractured by internal dissent, and both quickly succumbed to the Spanish onslaught. The physical remains of all these cultures lay dormant for centuries, until science and curiosity demanded their exploration.

Material Type: Diagram/Illustration, Reading

7a. Kingdom of Ghana

Between the 9th and 11th centuries C.E., the kingdom of Ghana was so rich that its dogs wore golden collars, and its horses, which were adorned with silken rope halters, slept on plush carpets. Based on animal luxuries alone, it is no wonder that foreigners touted Ghana's kings as the richest men in the world.

Material Type: Diagram/Illustration, Reading

7b. Mali: A Cultural Center

What would life be like if a magician ruled the land? The history of ancient Mali gives us some hints. The founder of this West African kingdom was well known among his people as a man of magic with more than a few tricks up his sleeve.

Material Type: Diagram/Illustration, Reading

7c. Benin and Its Royal Court

Like many great civilizations, Benin's rise to power was filled with excitement and wonder, but its eventual social crises and political instability displayed the effects of greed, inhumanity, and love of power.

Material Type: Diagram/Illustration, Reading