Lyndale SC Unit Design TemplateHumanities

Subject

HISTORY

Year level

7

Unit title (catchy to attract interest and raise curiosity)

Timeline of the Ancient World

And

THE ANCIENT WORLD through the study of EGYPT

Logistics (How much time will we spend on this unit)

7 WEEKS

Big Ideas

There is continuity and change over time.

Enduring Understandings

The ‘lay of the land’ influences how people live, and what people do

There have always been different layers in society

The human spirit can endure much

Discovery and development are the result of necessity and curiosity

Learning goals of the unit: what key skills, knowledge and understandings will this unit help students develop?

INTRODUCTION

Historical Knowledge and Understanding:

· the theory that people moved out of Africa around 60 000 BC (BCE) and migrated to other parts of the world, including Australia.

· the evidence for the emergence and establishment of ancient societies (including art, iconography, writing tools and pottery) (Integrated into the study of Ancient Egypt)

· key features of ancient societies (farming, trade, social classes, religion, rule of law) (Integrated into the study of Ancient Egypt)

Investigating the Ancient Past

· How historians and archaeologists investigate history, including excavation and archival research

· The range of sources that can be used in an historical investigation, including archaeological and written sources

· The methods and sources used to investigate at least ONE historical controversy or mystery that has challenged historians or archaeologists, such as in the analysis of unidentified human remains

· The nature of the sources for ancient Australia and what they reveal about Australia’s past in the ancient period, such as the use of resources

DEPTH STUDY

Egypt

· The physical features of ancient Egypt (such as the River Nile) and how they influenced the civilisation that developed there

· Roles of key groups in ancient Egyptian society (such as the nobility, bureaucracy, women, slaves), including the influence of law and religion

· The significant beliefs, values and practices of theancient Egyptians, with a particular emphasis on ONE of the following areas: everyday life, warfare, or death and funerary customs

· Contacts and conflicts within and/or with other societies, resulting in developments such as the conquest of other lands, the expansion of trade, and peace treaties

APPLIES TO BOTH, INTRODUCTION AND DEPTH STUDY

Historical Skills

Chronology, terms and Concepts

Sequence historical events, developments and periods

Use historical terms and concepts

Historical Questions and Research

Identify a range of questions about the past to inform a historical inquiry

Identify and locate relevant sources, using ICT and other methods

Analysis and use of sources

Identify the origin and purpose of primary and secondary sources

Locate, compare, select and use information from a range of sources as evidence

Draw conclusions about the usefulness of sources

Perspectives and Interpretations

Draw conclusions about the usefulness of sources

Explanation and Communication

Use a range of communication forms (oral, graphic, written) and digital technologies

Essential Questions (to guide and provoke inquiry; to stimulate curiosity)

· How do we know about the ancient past through research and inquiry?

· How much of the past is in the present?

· Why and where did the earliest societies develop?

· What emerged as the defining characteristics of Ancient Egypt?

· What have been the legacies of Ancient Egypt?

· How did the physical features of Ancient Egypt influence the development of society?

· What influence did different social groups in Ancient Egypt have on the development of society?

· What were the significant beliefs and customs that were idiosyncratic to Ancient Egyptians?

Assessment For, As,

Assessment For Learning, Assessment Of Learning

Students will conduct individual and group inquiry through the Facts File strategy

Assessment Of learning

See CAT in the learning sequence below

Moderation (making consistent judgements for fairness and equity)

· Cross-mark CAT with other staff

· Co-construct an instructional rubric for the CAT

Targets

Do I need to target the learning of any specific students? What will guide my decisions?

Make assessment of various abilities in class based on brainstorming session in the first lesson when introducing the topic as to how to proceed and what concepts will need more time to cover with that particular class.

Modify the work and time allowed to process new concepts based on this assessment

Learning Sequence Design

A translation of the Unit design into teaching, learning and assessment experiences for students

Who are my learners? What might my four learning (instructional) groups be? (Use data and evidence to determine this. For example, students’ learning styles/multiple Intelligences, learning needs, previous achievement data, prior experience you might had with them, information from Special Needs Co-ordinator, ESL Co-ordinator, Heads of School, Wellbeing Co-ordinator...)

What have I learnt from previous learning sequences and/or from data and evidence I have collected to help me determine specific targets and intervention?

What does the evidence I have on my learners so far tell me about:

· the impact of my teaching

· my teaching and learning needs?

Planning for learning

Phase One (Can be supported by Bloom’s taxonomy – Remembering)

Teachers do:

Students do:

· Introduce the topic for study, the big ideas

Activity 1:

Introducing the enduring understandings

Activity 2

Introduce and negotiate the essential questions and use questioning to broaden students’ understanding of the dimensions of the new topic

Activity 3:

· Explain the taxonomy used to structure the learning sequence

· Inform students of the assessment processes you will use

Activity 4:

· Determining prior knowledge about the timeline of the Ancient World

Activity 5:

Five minute recall: what do students know about Ancient Egypt?

This learning sequence is designed to help you explore and learn about the Ancient Past.

· It covers a general timeline from the time the earth was formed, to the time people settled around the Nile river in Egypt

· It also covers a deep study of Ancient Egypt through collaborative activities between you, a partner, and your teacher

· Through the study of this topic, you will discover how some things change over time (such as how we live, and what beliefs we form about the world), and some things stay the same (such as working in different jobs, liking specific fashion, building a house, etc)

Activity One: Work in groups of three for this activity

The ‘cloud’ below contains ideas and concepts that need to disperse (fly in all directions). Use the raindrops around the cloud to write what you think the concepts and ideas mean. When you have explained each idea, cross it out from inside the cloud.

· The ‘lay of the land’ influences how people live, and what people do

· There have always been different layers in society

· The human spirit can endure much

· Discovery and development are the result of necessity and curiosity

Activity two

The questions below will guide our inquiry into the Ancient Past and our ‘Deep Study’ of Egypt.

· Read the questions carefully and then use the ‘Double Entry Journal’ provided to write what you think our learning will be about

· When you complete your work, find someone in the class to discuss your work

· Write a brief comment on your partner’s work using the following sentence starters:

· I like how you….

· Perhaps you could also add….

· I wonder what made you write…..

•How do we know about the ancient past through research and inquiry?

•How much of the past is in the present?

•Why and where did the earliest societies develop?

•What emerged as the defining characteristics of Ancient Egypt?

•What have been the legacies of Ancient Egypt?

•How did the physical features of Ancient Egypt influence the development of society?

· What influence did different social groups in Ancient Egypt have on the development of society?

· What were the significant beliefs and customs of Ancient Egyptians?

Activity Three

This learning sequence addresses two topics:

· Timeline of the Ancient World

· Deep study of Ancient Egypt

You will be in charge of your learning. You will be supported to create an investigators ‘Fact File’ that contains ‘Fact Sheets’ on different aspects of Ancient Egypt. You will work independently, and in triads, to complete the ‘Fact Sheets’ and share your findings with the class. Your teacher will support you and give you feedback

Your final assessment is designed at three different parts, to give you opportunities to achieve the standard you are capable of. The rubric for the assessment is attached to the assessment task

Write:

· how you think you feel about the work you are about to start

· how you would like your teacher to support you

Activity Four

Work with another in your class to complete as many of the gaps in the story as possible :

In 4.5 billion B.C. planet Earth formed. In 3 billion B.C, first signs of primeval life (bacteria and blue-green algae) appear in oceans.

Then…….(fill in what you think might have happened)

In 2.5 million B.C, Homo habilis (“Skillful Man”). First brain expansion is noted. Homo habilis is believed to have used stone tools. 1.8 million B.C we have the Homo erectus (“Upright Man”). Brain size twice that of Australopithecine species

Then…….

In 1.7 million B.C, homo erectus leaves Africa.

Then….

In 10,000–4,000 B.C, Development of settlements into cities and development of skills such as the wheel, pottery, and improved methods of cultivation in Mesopotamia and elsewhere.

Activity Five

On the map of Egypt below, write in dot point, everything you know about ancient Egypt

Phase Two (Can be supported by Bloom’s taxonomy - Understanding)

Teachers do:

Students do:

· Introduce the new learning

Activity 1 (a-e):

Teachers please note:

Activities 1a-1e- address the Overview Section of the learning sequence.

Please open the embedded document and familiarise yourselves with it. All activities are clearly described. However, you may choose to substitute the recommended activities with ones of your own

This overview should be completed in 2 lessons.

You will have to support your students with the reading of the texts included in this overview

Activity 2

Timeline of Ancient Egypt using either Prezi or the ‘Timeline Handout’ embedded here

Students will need to seek feedback from their family and from their teacher

You may wish to negotiate a feedback mechanism with your class or you may use the example below:

Timeline of Ancient Egypt presentation feedback

The presentation was clear

Yes

No

The information was interesting and well organised

(Had visuals, colour, etc)

Yes

No

The audience had opportunities to be involved in the presentation. (Time to ask questions, time to read information, etc)

Yes

No

The audience was informed that they would have to give feedback

Yes

No

Activity 3:

Primary and secondary Sources

Teachers please note:

Students will need to log on to the internet to take the Quiz

http://www.historyonthenet.com/Lessons/sources/sourcesexplain.htm

Activity 4: Facts File:

This is a student driven inquiry and has been designed to encourage student collaboration, self- reflection and the use of Historical Inquiry

Teachers please assume the role of mentor and facilitator. Monitor student progress carefully and ensure all students receive the support the really require. (Not ‘one size fits all’ approach)

You may wish to use a class chart to monitor progress and offer support and guidance.

· Students indicate where they are up to with their work, at the start of each class.

· Teachers ensure the accuracy of this by walking around and observing/giving support.

· Teachers judge how and when to help each student and how they will restructure their groupings to achieve maximum peer to peer collaboration. They note all actions on the class chart and discuss them with their students. This constitutes immediate, accurate, and relevant feedback to the students. It helps all students to know:

· Where they are

· Where they need to be

· How they will get there

Name of students in your class

Fact Sheet one

· Where I am

· Where I need to be

· How I will get there

Fact Sheet two

· Where I am

· Where I need to b

· How I will get there

Fact Sheet three

· Where I am

· Where I need to be

· How I will get there

Fact Sheet four.

· Where I am

· Where I need to be

· How I will get there

· What resources are needed?

Internet

Handouts

Textbook

Library

· How to make a Mummy Interactive Activity http://kids.discovery.com/games/just-for-fun/mummy-maker

Activity One (a – e): Timeline of the Ancient World.

Use the handout provided by your teacher and complete all activities described there, to familiarise yourself with the timeline of the Ancient World

The document containing the information and the activities is embedded here

Activity Two: Deep Study of Ancient Egypt

You are now asked to work as an Historian to uncover Egypt’s Ancient Past. Your teacher and your peers will be here to help you when ‘the going gets tough’.

To get an idea of the time period you will investigate, do the following:

· Use the timeline below to create a Prezi presentation,

· or a hard copy presentation using the handout provided by your teacher

Your audience will be your family and your teacher. Your parents and your teacher will give you feedback on your presentation.

Ancient Egypt -The Egyptian Timeline

6000BC

In 6000BC early people settled in the Nile valley. Egyptians began to use clay and silt from the river to make pottery vessels.

5000BC

Around 5000BC many Egyptians farmed sheep and cattle. Some Egyptians grew wheat and barley on the fertile land on the Nile valley.

4500BC

Around 4500BC, sails were used on Egyptian ships for the first time. Boats were the main form of transport in Ancient Egypt.

3500BC

Around 3500BC craftsmen began to create the first wall paintings using hieroglyphic symbols in the Egyptian writing system.

3000BC

Around 3000BC walled towns and villages were built in Egypt. The first buildings were made of mud brick.

2500BC

Around 2500BC Egyptians built the Great Sphinx and the Great Pyramid at Giza. 2500BC to 2000BC was the 'Old Kingdom' period.

1550BC

It was around 1550BC that many of the royal tombs were built in the Valley of the Kings. 1500BC - 332BC was the period of the 'New Kingdom'.

1325BC

Around 1325BC, King Tutankhamun was buried in the Valley of the Kings. In 1922 his tomb was discovered, inside were wonderful treasures and the mummy of the Pharaoh covered by a beautiful gold death mask.

332BC

In 332BC Egypt was invaded by Alexander the Great and was then ruled by Greek Kings. The era of the New Kingdom ends.

Activity Three:

In order to be a reliable Historian, you need to know about Primary and Secondary Sources and how to use them to develop knowledge and understanding of the past.

Below is a fun activity to remind you what about Primary and Secondary Sources

Activity:

Read the definitions of Primary and Secondary Sources below and then find a partner to complete the quiz that follows the definitions.

Definition:

A Primary Source is a document or physical object which was written or created during the time under study. These sources were present during time period and offer an inside view of a particular time.

Some types of primary sources include:

· ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS: Diaries, speeches, manuscripts, letters, interviews, news film footage, autobiographies, official records

· CREATIVE WORKS: Poetry, drama, novels, music, art

· RELICS OR ARTIFACTS: Pottery, furniture, clothing, buildings

A Secondary Source interprets and analyses primary sources. These sources are one or more steps removed from the event. Secondary sources may have pictures, quotes or graphics of primary sources in them.

Some types of secondary sources include:

· PUBLICATIONS: Textbooks, magazine articles, histories, criticisms, commentaries, encyclopaedias

Examples of secondary sources include:

· A journal/magazine article which interprets or reviews previous findings

· A history textbook

· A book about the effects of WWI

Quiz:

Go to the website below and take the Quiz. Share your results with your class.

http://www.historyonthenet.com/Lessons/sources/sourcesexplain.htm

Activity Four: Facts File

The Facts File activity will qualify you as an apprentice Historian. There are four compulsory ‘fact sheets’ to complete and one optional

· Make sure you ask your teacher and/or your peers for help when you need it

· Make sure you note your progress on the class chart at the start of every lesson

· Make sure you take action on the feedback from your teacher and peers

Phase Three (Can be supported by Bloom’s taxonomy – Applying)C level of VELS CAT begins here

Teachers do: Remember that the Common Assessment Task begins here. This is the C level of VELS

Student do:

· Assist students to select strategies to demonstrate relationships between ideas and to connect new content with prior learning.

Guide students to establish independent practice routines to reinforce and extend their level of understanding

Assist students to apply learning to new authentic situation

Support students to use the language of the discipline, to select the mode of language appropriate to the task and to meet the literacy demands of the task

Challenge students to represent their understanding in multiple ways.

.

This is the start of your Common Assessment task. You are encouraged to use all your work from your Facts File activity to help you with information for the Common Assessment task

Your Common Assessment Task is designed in three parts. You are encouraged to complete all parts.

HOWEVER:

You may NOT go to part two before completing part one and asking your teacher to agree that you are ready for part two. Similarly, you need to complete part two successfully, before moving to part three

Part One starts here:

You have applied and have been successful in receiving a grant to tour Egypt’s Ancient sites. The choice of sites is yours entirely. However, you have to consider all the prompts below as part of your preparation

· What sites will you visit?

· What made you choose these sites?

· What primary sources can you expect to find in these sites?

· What secondary sources do you expect to find?

· What legacies about the Ancient World do these sites reveal? For example, Pyramids, Mummies, Scripts, images about work habits, burial habits, fashion, daily life, wars, etc

· Where can you place these sites on the Ancient Egypt Timeline?

The organisation that gave you the grant requires you to show them what you have decided to do before you go.

Choose a method for your presentation. This may include a brochure, a wiki, a blog, an interactive electronic presentation, a power point…..

Phase Four (Can be supported by Bloom’s Taxonomy- Analysing)B Level of VELS

Teachers do:

Students do:

Support students to critique one another’s ideas to increase the intellectual rigour of their conversation.

Support students to provide evidence of learning in new contexts.

Structure opportunities for students to demonstrate their deepening individual and collective understanding.

Continuously monitor student progress and provide feedback that enables each student to understand what they need to do to improve.

Part two starts here: Can you answer YES to the questions below?

Have you completed part one successfully?

Has your teacher seen your work for part one and agreed that it is successfully completed?

If you answered YES, you must permit yourself to feel proud and continue with part two.

See who else in your class is up to this stage and ask them if they want to work with you, so you can support each other

Part two starts here:

Whilst you were visiting the ancient sites of Egypt, you spent some time with a group of Archaeologists from John Hopkins University undertaking a dig at the Temple of Mut: the website here http://www.jhu.edu/egypttoday/ includes a calendar of events and interesting work of the people involved in the dig.

You are so excited at the opportunity of gaining real experience as an archaeologist that you offer your services to the group. This is what you asked to do:

You are to support the newly arrived British Archaeologists to analyse and catalogue newly discovered objects at a different part of the dig.

The objects are:

1.

A person buried in a pit 5400 years ago, with some of his possessions. The body is well preserved but Xrays show he has some broken bones.

You analysis of this find has to include the following:

What made it possible for this body to be so well preserved for more than 5000 years? What does this show about the values and beliefs of the society that preserved this body?

What might be the reason this body has suffered broken bones? What helped you to reach this conclusion?

Compare this burial site to one from any Pharaoh’s burial chamber.

· What similarities and differences can you find?

· What conclusions can you offer about the person’s in the picture social class? What helped you to reach these conclusions?

If this person died last year, what might be some ways that he could be ‘preserved’?

What can you say about your work as a Historian so far?

2.

Ancient Egyptian Painting of the Weighting of the Heart ritual

Your analysis of this find has to include the following: Choose how you want to present your answers. Using the table form below is only one possibility

Explain why this ritual was so important?

Compare this process of deciding whether a soul would have a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ afterlife to one modern day belief. How are they the same and how are they different?

How else did the Ancient Egyptians prepare souls for the afterlife? What does this show about the depth of their beliefs?

How has your understanding of the values and beliefs of Ancient Societies been strengthened so far?

Phase FiveA level of VELS (Can be supported by Bloom’s Taxonomy Evaluating/Creating)

Teachers do:

Students do:

Structure opportunities for students to demonstrate their deepening individual and collective understanding.

Support students to critique one another’s ideas to increase the intellectual rigour of their conversation.

Continuously monitor student progress and provide feedback that enables each student to understand what they need to do to improve.

The student version of the CAT is embedded here:

Part Three of your Common Assessment task starts here

· Have you checked with your teacher if you are ready for this stage?

· Are you using your rubric to self- assess and decide if you have successfully completed the previous two parts of your assessment?

You can choose one of the tasks below (or negotiate a task of your own choosing) to show your deep understanding of Ancient Egypt:

1. Justify the decision of the Ancient Egyptians to settle around the Nile river.

To Justify means to show that something is right or reasonable

Use the frame below to help you structure your response. You may include pictures, graphs, statistics, drawings, or anything else you consider interesting or effective

Paragraph 1:

· What are the characteristics and qualities of the Nile?

· What were the needs of the first settlers?

· How did the Nile meet the needs of the settlers?

Paragraph 2:

· How did the early and later Ancient Egyptians use the Nile?

· How did they learn to adjust their living conditions and the kind of work they did during the year, to fit in with the behaviour of the Nile?

Paragraph 3:

· How were the Ancient Egyptians able to develop as a society as a result of what the Nile provided?

· If the Nile was a small river, how might the history of ancient Egypt be different?

2. How can a deep study of the fashion trends in Ancient Egypt help us learn about its people, social class, climate, materials valued by this society, and wealth?

Paragraph 1:

· What were the notable fashion trends in Ancient Egypt? (clothes, make up, jewellery, shoes, bags, perfumes, house decorations, house designs

Paragraph 2:

· What can we tell about a person’s social class from what they wore, the house they lived in? Provide some specific examples that can illustrate your answer.

Paragraph 3:

· How might have the climate influence fashion trends and the materials people used?

Paragraph 4:

· How do we know about the fashion trends of Ancient Egypt? How does this knowledge support our understanding of this era in History?

Unit design and Learning Sequence evaluation

How will the success of the unit design be determined?

· Student engagement, successful completion of tasks, engagement with peers, engagement with teacher

· Successful completion of the CAT (all students completed exit one. Number of student completing exits 2 and 3 aligns with the four instructional groups and a noticeable growth is evident)

What are the evaluation criteria?

How will the success of the teaching and assessment strategies be monitored?

What needs to be improved?

Overview of the

Ancient world.docx

Timeline of the Ancient World

Our story might have started here:

4.5 billion B.C.: Planet Earth formed.

3 billion B.C.: First signs of primeval life (bacteria and blue-green algae) appear in oceans.

600 million B.C.: Earliest date to which fossils can be traced.

Activity 1a: Radiocarbon Dating

Read the text below (or your teacher might read it to you) and complete the following activities:

Write five questions on the text starting with five of the following:

1. Why...?

2. How would it be different if...?

3. What are the reasons...?

4. Suppose that...?

5. What if...?

6. What if we knew...?

7. What is the purpose of...?

8. What would change if...?

Dating Fossils and Artifacts

How do scientist such as anthropologists or archaeologists determine how long ago an artifact was created, or how long ago a fossilized creature lived?

In today’s society, the products we consume often come with an expiration date; a date that tells us when we should use the product by: "Best if used by…" Ancient artifacts and fossils do not come with dates stamped on them. Thus, scientists must use detective work to determine their date of origin.

Radiocarbon Dating

One method that scientists use to date ancient fossils and artifacts is called radiocarbon dating. All living things on Earth are made up of a high percentage of an element called carbon. Carbon combines with other elements in complex ways to form the molecules that make up our bodies. Most carbon on Earth is not radioactive, but a very small percentage is. Thus, as living things take in carbon, they inevitably will take up a small amount of radioactive carbon into their bodies.

When these life forms die, they stop taking in new carbon. The carbon in their bodies at the time of their death will remain in their bodies until they decompose, or if they become fossilized, then forever.

Radioactive carbon decays at a known rate. This allows scientists to look at the amount of decay in a fossil’s radioactive carbon and determine a relative date.

Radiocarbon dating is only effective for objects and fossils that are less than 50,000 years old. However, scientists can look at the decay of other elements in these objects allowing them to date them up to 2.2 billion years.

These dating techniques are by no means perfect, but they are always improving, and they are the best methods that we have at this time.

4.4 million B.C.: Earliest known hominid fossils (Ardipithecus ramidus) found in Aramis, Ethiopia, 1994.

4.2 million B.C.: Australopithecus anamensis found in Lake Turkana, Kenya, 1995.

Early Hominids

Human-like animals that walked upright were known as hominids. It is believed that the earliest hominids lived around 4.4 million years ago in the humid forests of eastern and southern Africa.

These animals, known as Australopithecus, are believed to have been around three to five feet tall, and probably fed on leaves, fruits, and the remains of dead animals. There is no evidence that Australopithecus made their own tools. There is, however, strong evidence that they used sticks and bones to help them dig and defend themselves.

3.2 million B.C.: Australopithecus afarenis (nicknamed “Lucy”) found in Ethiopia, 1974.

2.5 million B.C.: Homo habilis (“Skillful Man”). First brain expansion; is believed to have used stone tools.

1.8 million B.C.: Homo erectus (“Upright Man”). Brain size twice that of Australopithecine species.

The second type of early human living on the Earth was Homo erectus, which means ‘person who walks upright.' Homo erectus lived on the Earth until about 150,000 years ago.

The final type of hominid living on the Earth is Homo sapien. Homo sapien means ‘person who can think’. All humans living on the Earth today are Homo sapiens.

1.7 million B.C.: Homo erectus leaves Africa.

Activity 1b) Out of Africa Theory:

Your teacher will read this text to you. The key points are underlined to help focus easier.

When the reading is over, use the following strategy to reflect:

I use to think that our species….

This is how my thinking has changed

This is what helped me to change my thinking

Our species is an African one: Africa is where we first evolved, and where we have spent the majority of our time on Earth. The earliest fossils of recognizably modern Homo sapiens appear in the fossil record at Omo Kibish in Ethiopia, around 200,000 years ago. Although earlier fossils may be found over the coming years, this is our best understanding of when and approximately where we originated.

According to the genetic and paleontological record, we only started to leave Africa between 60,000 and 70,000 years ago. What set this in motion is uncertain, but we think it has something to do with major climatic shifts that were happening around that time—a sudden cooling in the Earth’s climate driven by the onset of one of the worst parts of the last Ice Age. This cold snap would have made life difficult for our African ancestors, and the genetic evidence points to a sharp reduction in population size around this time. In fact, the human population likely dropped to fewer than 10,000. We were holding on by a thread.

Once the climate started to improve, after 70,000 years ago, we came back from this near-extinction event. The population expanded, and some intrepid explorers ventured beyond Africa. The earliest people to colonize the Eurasian landmass likely did so across the Bab-al-Mandab Strait separating present-day Yemen from Djibouti. These early beachcombers expanded rapidly along the coast to India, and reached Southeast Asia and Australia by 50,000 years ago. The first great foray of our species beyond Africa had led us all the way across the globe.

Slightly later, a little after 50,000 years ago, a second group appears to have set out on an inland trek, leaving behind the certainties of life in the tropics to head out into the Middle East and southern Central Asia. From these base camps, they were poised to colonize the northern latitudes of Asia, Europe, and beyond.

   Homo sapiens

   Neanderthals

   Early Hominids

Around 20,000 years ago a small group of these Asian hunters headed into the face of the storm, entering the

East Asian Arctic during the Last Glacial Maximum. At this time the great ice sheets covering the far north had literally sucked up much of the Earth’s moisture in their vast expanses of white wasteland, dropping sea levels by more than 300 feet. This exposed a land bridge that connected the Old World to the New, joining Asia to the Americas. In crossing it, the hunters had made the final great leap of the human journey. By 15,000 years ago they had penetrated the land south of the ice, and within 1,000 years they had made it all the way to the tip of South America. Some may have even made the journey by sea.

Activity 1c) Where did the early Australians come from?

New Research Confirms 'Out Of Africa' Theory of Human Evolution

When you complete your reading, use the ‘What is important strategy to reflect on h. Share your reflection with two of your peers

Least important

Moderately important

Most important

May 10, 2007

Researchers have produced new DNA evidence that almost certainly confirms the theory that all modern humans have a common ancestry. The genetic survey, produced by a collaborative team led by scholars at Cambridge and Anglia Ruskin Universities, shows that Australia's aboriginal population sprang from the same tiny group of colonists, along with their New Guinean neighbours.

The research confirms the “Out Of Africa” hypothesis that all modern humans stem from a single group of Homo sapiens who emigrated from Africa 2,000 generations ago and spread throughout Eurasia over thousands of years. These settlers replaced other early humans (such as Neanderthals), rather than interbreeding with them.

Academics analysed the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y chromosome DNA of Aboriginal Australians and Melanesians from New Guinea. This data was compared with the various DNA patterns associated with early humans. The research was an international effort, with researchers from Tartu in Estonia, Oxford, and Stanford in California all contributing key data and expertise.

The results showed that both the Aborigines and Melanesians share the genetic features that have been linked to the exodus of modern humans from Africa 50,000 years ago.

Until now, one of the main reasons for doubting the “Out Of Africa” theory was the existence of inconsistent evidence in Australia. The skeletal and tool remains that have been found there are strikingly different from those elsewhere on the “coastal expressway” – the route through South Asia taken by the early settlers.

Some scholars argue that these discrepancies exist either because the early colonists interbred with the local Homo erectus population, or because there was a subsequent, secondary migration from Africa. Both explanations would undermine the theory of a single, common origin for modern-day humans.

But in the latest research there was no evidence of a genetic inheritance from Homo erectus, indicating that the settlers did not mix and that these people therefore share the same direct ancestry as the other Eurasian peoples.

Geneticist Dr Peter Forster, who led the research, said: “Although it has been speculated that the populations of Australia and New Guinea came from the same ancestors, the fossil record differs so significantly it has been difficult to prove. For the first time, this evidence gives us a genetic link showing that the Australian Aboriginal and New Guinean populations are descended directly from the same specific group of people who emerged from the African migration.”

At the time of the migration, 50,000 years ago, Australia and New Guinea were joined by a land bridge and the region was also only separated from the main Eurasian land mass by narrow straits such as Wallace's Line in Indonesia. The land bridge was submerged about 8,000 years ago.

The new study also explains why the fossil and archaeological record in Australia is so different to that found elsewhere even though the genetic record shows no evidence of interbreeding with Homo erectus, and indicates a single Palaeolithic colonisation event.

The DNA patterns of the Australian and Melanesian populations show that the population evolved in relative isolation. The two groups also share certain genetic characteristics that are not found beyond Melanesia. This would suggest that there was very little gene flow into Australia after the original migration.

Dr Toomas Kivisild, from the Cambridge University Department of Biological Anthropology, who co-authored the report, said: “The evidence points to relative isolation after the initial arrival, which would mean any significant developments in skeletal form and tool use were not influenced by outside sources.

“There was probably a minor secondary gene flow into Australia while the land bridge from New Guinea was still open, but once it was submerged the population was apparently isolated for thousands of years. The differences in the archaeological record are probably the result of this, rather than any secondary migration or interbreeding.”

The study is reported in the new issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The story continues

100,000 B.C. First modern Homo sapiens in South Africa.

70,000 B.C. Neanderthal man (use of fire and advanced tools).

Tools and the Stone Age

One of the most important advancements in human history was the development and use of tools. Tools allowed hominids to become the masters of their environments, to hunt, to build, and to perform important tasks that made life easier for them. The first tools were made out of stone. Thus, historians refer to the period of time before written history as the Stone Age.

Historians divide the Stone Age into three different periods based on the sophistication and methods of tool design. The first such period is referred to as the Paleolithic, or Old Stone Age. The Old Stone Age began about 2 million years ago with the development of the first tools by Homo habilis and lasted until around 12,000 years ago.

In addition to stone, Cro-Magnons used other materials for making tools. These materials included bones, antlers, teeth and ivory.

With these new materials, they were able to create sharper blades, needles for sewing, and fishhooks for fishing. Cro-Magnons also invented new kinds of long distance weapons, such as bow and arrows and spear throwers.

Axes allowed humans to chop down trees. Evidence has been found to show that early humans used some of these logs to make canoes.

New technologies dramatically increased the amount of food available. This in turn allowed for the population of Cro-Magnon to explode.

Activity 1d)

What tools did the Neanderthal man use?

What were these tools made of?

How were they used?

Who used the tools?

How did the use of tools impact the way Cro-Magnon and Neanderthal people lived?

With the discovery of fire, Homo Erectus became even more adept at survival. Fire allowed them to cook their food, to stay warm in cool environments, and to utilize caves as shelter.

35,000 B.C. Neanderthal man replaced by later groups of Homo sapiens (i.e., Cro-Magnon man, etc.)

18,000 B.C. Cro-Magnons replaced by later cultures.

Hominids evolved and developed for millions of years prior to the arrival of Homo sapiens on the Earth. This evolution was slow. The development of a new skill or tool often took thousands of years.

15,000 B.C. Migrations across Bering Straits into the Americas.

10,000 B.C. Semi-permanent agricultural settlements in Old World.

Activity 1e) As you read the information below, underline what you think is important. Share your choice with one other in your class

The Agricultural Revolution

For hundreds of thousands of years hominids depended on nature for their survival. Food came from wild plants and animals. A natural disaster could reduce the amount of food in the environment which might have a devastating effect on the peoples in nearby regions.

Around 8,000 years ago a new way of providing food emerged. This revolutionary advancement was that of farming. Instead of hunting and gathering food from the environments where they lived, humans learned to simply grow their own food.

Grains such as wheat, barley, rice and corn were grown in different parts of the world. Wild animals were also domesticated. Goats were utilized for their meat and milk, cattle, pigs and chickens provided a steady source of food for the support of a group of humans.

Villages Develop

With the advent of farming and domesticated animals to feed a society, life became much easier for early humans. As a result, many more humans survived the difficulties of life. The population quickly rose from around 2 million humans on the Earth to more than 90 million.

Farming allowed people to build villages along rivers, or wherever the ground was fertile enough for crops to grow. Archaeologists have found some villages that are believed to have been built more than 8,000 years ago. Some of these ancient villages, such as Jericho, still survive to this day.

Cro-Magnon Social Life

At first, Cro-Magnon life was not all that different from the lives of earlier hominids. They lived in caves or temporary structures, and spent their lives hunting and gathering in small groups.

As food sources increased, humans settlements became more permanent. Many groups began building homes out of logs or stone. Smaller groups joined together forming larger groups.

As these groups developed, so did the need for order. In order to allow individuals to interact with one another, it was necessary that these groups developed rules, or laws. To help enforce these laws, there had to be leaders appointed.

Each group or tribe had their own methods for appointing leaders. Sometimes leaders were selected through fighting. In other cases they were appointed according to religious beliefs or through inheritance.

With an abundance of food and more permanent shelters, people had more time to devote to the development of new technologies. Better farming equipment, such as the ox-driven plough, were invented. The wheel aided humans greatly in transporting goods from one location to another. The loom allowed people to weave cloth and create finer and more comfortable clothing.

Tools were created for measuring the passage of time, such as calendars, star charts and sundials. This helped farmers track when the growing season would arrive, and when the best time to plant crops would be.

People learned improved farming techniques, such as how to use fertilizers in their fields, and how to better utilize water through irrigation. Villagers dug large canals and complex systems of ditches, delivering water from distant sources to where it was most needed.

10,000–4,000 B.C. Development of settlements into cities and development of skills such as the wheel, pottery, and improved methods of cultivation in Mesopotamia and elsewhere.

The Rise of Civilizations

As mankind began to develop more complex ways of life, and as cities began to increase in size and complexity, a new type of society emerged. These societies are known today as civilizations. A civilization is a nation or people that share a common culture, common laws, a common economy, and typically a common faith or religion.

Our study of Ancient Egypt begins here

You will simply read the following information as a class

5500–3000 B.C. Predynastic Egyptian cultures develop (5500–3100 B.C.); begin using agriculture (c. 5000B.C.). Earliest known civilization arises in Sumer (4500–4000 B.C.). Earliest recorded date in Egyptian calendar (4241 B.C.). First year of Jewish calendar (3760 B.C.). First phonetic writing appears (c. 3500 B.C.). Sumerians develop a city-state civilization (c. 3000 B.C.). Copper used by Egyptians and Sumerians. Western Europe is neolithic, without metals or written records.

3000–2000 B.C. Pharaonic rule begins in Egypt. King Khufu (Cheops), 4th dynasty (2700–2675 B.C.),completes construction of the Great Pyramid at Giza (c. 2680 B.C.). The Great Sphinx of Giza (c. 2540 B.C.) is built by King Khafre. Earliest Egyptian mummies. Papyrus. Phoenician settlements on coast of what is now Syria and Lebanon. Semitic tribes settle in Assyria. Sargon, first Akkadian king, builds Mesopotamian empire. The Gilgamesh epic (c. 3000B.C.). Systematic astronomy in Egypt, Babylon, India, China.

3000–1500 B.C. The most ancient civilization on the Indian subcontinent, the sophisticated and extensive Indus Valley civilization, flourishes in what is today Pakistan. In Britain, Stonehenge erected according to some unknown astronomical rationale. Its three main phases of construction are thought to span c. 3000–1500 B.C.

2000–1500 B.C. Hyksos invaders drive Egyptians from Lower Egypt (17th century B.C.). Amosis I frees Egypt from Hyksos (c. 1600 B.C.). Assyrians rise to power—cities of Ashur and Nineveh. Twenty-four-character alphabet in Egypt. Cuneiform inscriptions used by Hittites. Peak of Minoan culture on Isle of Crete—earliest form of written Greek. Hammurabi, king of Babylon, develops oldest existing code of laws (18th century B.C.).

1500–1000 B.C. Ikhnaton develops monotheistic religion in Egypt (c. 1375 B.C.). His successor, Tutankhamen, returns to earlier gods. Greeks destroy Troy (c. 1193 B.C.). End of Greek civilization in Mycenae with invasion of Dorians. Chinese civilization develops under Shang Dynasty. Olmec civilization in Mexico—stone monuments; picture writing.

1000–900 B.C. Solomon succeeds King David, builds Jerusalem temple. After Solomon's death, kingdom divided into Israel and Judah. Hebrew elders begin to write Old Testament books of Bible. Phoenicians colonize Spain with settlement at Cadiz.

900–800 B.C. Phoenicians establish Carthage (c. 810 B.C.). The Iliad and the Odyssey, perhaps composed by Greek poet Homer.

800–700 B.C. Prophets Amos, Hosea, Isaiah. First recorded Olympic games (776 B.C.). Legendary founding of Rome by Romulus (753 B.C.). Assyrian king Sargon II conquers Hittites, Chaldeans, Samaria (end of Kingdom of Israel). Earliest written music. Chariots introduced into Italy by Etruscans.

700–600 B.C. End of Assyrian Empire (616 B.C.)—Nineveh destroyed by Chaldeans (Neo-Babylonians) and Medes (612 B.C.). Founding of Byzantium by Greeks (c. 660 B.C.). Building of the Acropolis in Athens. Solon, Greek lawgiver (640–560 B.C.). Sappho of Lesbos, Greek poet(fl. c. 610–580 B.C.). Lao-tse, Chinese philosopher and founder of Taoism (born c. 604 B.C.).

600–500 B.C. Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar builds empire, destroys Jerusalem (586 B.C.). Babylonian Captivity of the Jews (starting 587 B.C.). Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Cyrus the Great of Persia creates great empire, conquers Babylon (539 B.C.), frees the Jews. Athenian democracy develops. Aeschylus, Greek dramatist (525–465 B.C.). Pythagoras, Greek philosopher and mathematician (582?–507? B.C.). Confucius (551–479 B.C.) develops ethical and social philosophy in China. The Analects or Lun-yü (“collected sayings”) are compiled by the second generation of Confucian disciples. Buddha (563?–483? B.C.) founds Buddhism in India.

500–400 B.C. Greeks defeat Persians: battles of Marathon (490 B.C.), Thermopylae (480 B.C.), Salamis (480 B.C.). Peloponnesian Wars between Athens and Sparta (431–404 B.C.)—Sparta victorious. Pericles comes to power in Athens (462 B.C.). Flowering of Greek culture during the Age of Pericles (450–400 B.C.). The Parthenon is built in Athens as a temple of the goddess Athena (447–432 B.C.). Ictinus and Callicrates are the architects and Phidias is responsible for the sculpture. Sophocles, Greek dramatist (496?–406 B.C.). Hippocrates, Greek “Father of Medicine” (born 460 B.C.). Xerxes I, king of Persia (rules 485–465 B.C.).

400–300 B.C. Pentateuch—first five books of the Old Testament evolve in final form. Philip of Macedon, who believed himself to be a descendant of the Greek people, assassinated (336 B.C.) after subduing the Greek city-states; succeeded by son, Alexander the Great (356–323 B.C.), who destroys Thebes (335 B.C.), conquers Tyre and Jerusalem (332 B.C.), occupies Babylon (330 B.C.), invades India, and dies in Babylon. His empire is divided among his generals; one of them, Seleucis I, establishes Middle East empire with capitals at Antioch (Syria) and Seleucia (in Iraq). Trial and execution of Greek philosopher Socrates (399 B.C.). Dialogues recorded by his student, Plato (c. 427–348 or 347 B.C.). Euclid's work on geometry (323 B.C.). Aristotle, Greek philosopher (384–322 B.C.). Demosthenes, Greek orator (384–322 B.C.). Praxiteles, Greek sculptor (400–330 B.C.).

300–251 B.C. First Punic War (264–241 B.C.): Rome defeats the Carthaginians and begins its domination of the Mediterranean. Temple of the Sun at Teotihuacán, Mexico (c. 300 B.C.). Invention of Mayan calendar in Yucatán—more exact than older calendars. First Roman gladiatorial games (264 B.C.). Archimedes, Greek mathematician (287–212 B.C.).

250–201 B.C. Second Punic War (219–201 B.C.): Hannibal, Carthaginian general (246–142 B.C.), crosses the Alps (218 B.C.), reaches gates of Rome (211 B.C.), retreats, and is defeated by Scipio Africanus at Zama (202 B.C.). Great Wall of China built (c. 215 B.C.).

200–151 B.C. Romans defeat Seleucid King Antiochus III at Thermopylae (191 B.C.)—beginning of Roman world domination. Maccabean revolt against Seleucids (167 B.C.).

150–101 B.C. Third Punic War (149–146 B.C.): Rome destroys Carthage, killing 450,000 and enslaving the remaining 50,000 inhabitants. Roman armies conquer Macedonia, Greece, Anatolia, Balearic Islands, and southern France. Venus de Milo (c. 140 B.C.). Cicero, Roman orator (106–43 B.C.).

100–51 B.C. Julius Caesar (100–44 B.C.) invades Britain (55 B.C.) and conquers Gaul (France) (c. 50 B.C.). Spartacus leads slave revolt against Rome (71 B.C.). Romans conquer Seleucid empire. Roman general Pompey conquers Jerusalem (63 B.C.). Cleopatra on Egyptian throne (51–31 B.C.). Chinese develop use of paper (c. 100 B.C.). Virgil, Roman poet (70–19 B.C.).Horace, Roman poet (65–8 B.C.).

50–1 B.C. Caesar crosses Rubicon to fight Pompey (50 B.C.). Herod made Roman governor of Judea (37 B.C.). Caesar murdered (44 B.C.). Caesar's nephew, Octavian, defeats Mark Antony and Cleopatra at Battle of Actium (31 B.C.), and establishes Roman empire as Emperor Augustus; rules 27 B.C.–A.D. 14. Pantheon built for the first time under Agrippa, 27 B.C. Ovid, Roman poet (43 B.C.–A.D. 18).

timeline-Egypt-works

heet.pdf

Facts File.docx

Create a ‘Facts File’ about Ancient Egypt

This activity requires you to become an ‘investigator’ of a different kind. You can use as many different ways as you believe effective enough to help you find information about Ancient Egypt that is interesting, informative, correct, and perhaps a little different from what you ordinarily might find if you do a simple search

Your ‘Facts File’ can be a Wiki, a brochure, a word processed document, or any other form you manage to negotiate with your teacher

Fact Sheet One

How did the geographical features influenced human settlement in Egypt?

Consider the following:

· What are the geographical features of Ancient Egypt?

· Which of these features are likely to have been an attraction for the early people and why?

· How did the early Egyptians use the geographical features to support a permanent settlement in the area?

· What were the advantages and disadvantages of the geographical features? How did the early Egyptians overcome the disadvantages?

Internet searches

http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/geography/index.html

Textbook

List all the pages where the information appears

Library

Write a reference list and a bibliography of all the books you use

World museums virtual tours

List all the sites

Fact Sheet Two

Social Groups in Ancient Egypt

· What were the key social groups in Ancient Egypt?

· Create a visual that shows the status and importance of the different social groups. What information and evidence did you use to guide your decision about the status of the different groups?

· If you woke up one morning and you found yourself a Pharaoh, what would your job be?

· How would Ancient Egypt’s social structure be affected if there were no farmers, priests, and scribes?

· How many of the jobs in Ancient Egypt could women do? How would you have to think differently if you were a woman in Ancient Egypt instead of 21st Century Australia?

Internet searches

Textbook

Library

World museums virtual tours

Fact Sheet Three

Beliefs, Values, and Lifestyle

· What were the religious beliefs of the Ancient Egyptians?

· What did the Ancient Egyptians believe about the afterlife?

· What Ancient Egyptian legacies are results of these beliefs?

· Much value was placed on how people looked in Ancient Egypt.

· What did they do to look good?

· Could everybody afford to look good? What makes you say that?

· What were the similarities and differences between the houses of rich and poor in Ancient Egypt?

· How do the values that the Ancient Egyptians placed on looks and living standards reflect what we do today?

Internet searches

Textbook

Library

World museums virtual tours

Fact Sheet Four

Create a Glossary of terms that are specific to Ancient Egypt

Use the examples provided to help you with your glossary

Alabaster:

Translucent, usually white, form of gypsum carved into ornaments and pots.

Book of the Dead:

The modern name for a collection of spells (about 200) that enabled the dead to travel through the underworld and enter the afterlife. The ancient Egyptians knew it as the ‘spells for going forth by day’.

Cartonnage:

A material made of layers of gummed linen or papyrus or plaster used to make mummy masks and coffins.

Fact Sheet Five (OPTIONAL)

You can complete this only if there is time before the start of the Common Assessment Task

Trade and Conflicts

· What were the Ancient Egyptians able to export?

· How did trade take place in Ancient Egypt?

· Find out what were the major campaigns and battles in Ancient Egypt.

· Who led these campaigns/battles?

· What was/were the reason/s for the campaign?

· What was the outcome?

Internet searches

Textbook

Library

World museums virtual tours

The websites below might be a place to start with your search.

http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0210200/ancient_egypt/timeline.htm

http://www.schoolsliaison.org.uk/kids/access/egypt/timeline_egypt.htm

http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/

http://www.ancient-egypt.org/

http://www.discoveringegypt.com/

The Global Egyptian Museum: http://www.globalegyptianmuseum.org/

At a rough estimate, over 2 million objects from ancient Egypt are kept in about 850 public collections, dispersed over 69 countries around the world. This website aims to collect them into a global virtual museum, which can be visited at any time, from any place. The Global Egyptian Museum is a long-term project, carried out under the aegis of the International Committee for Egyptology (CIPEG).

http://www.ancient-egypt.co.uk/cairo%20museum/index_1.htm The Egyptian Museum in Cairo

http://www.egyptianmuseum.org/virtualgallery Explore this gallery on a virtual tour

http://www.rom.on.ca/en/education/online-activities/ancient-egypt Ontario Museum

http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/menu.htm British Museum

Timeline of the Ancient World

Our story might have started here:

4.5 billion B.C.: Planet Earth formed.

3 billion B.C.: First signs of primeval life (bacteria and blue-green algae) appear in oceans.

600 million B.C.: Earliest date to which fossils can be traced.

Activity 1a: Radiocarbon Dating

Read the text below (or your teacher might read it to you) and complete the following activities:

Write five questions on the text starting with five of the following:

1. Why...?

2. How would it be different if...?

3. What are the reasons...?

4. Suppose that...?

5. What if...?

6. What if we knew...?

7. What is the purpose of...?

8. What would change if...?

Dating Fossils and Artifacts

How do scientist such as anthropologists or archaeologists determine how long ago an artifact was created, or how long ago a fossilized creature lived?

In today’s society, the products we consume often come with an expiration date; a date that tells us when we should use the product by: "Best if used by…" Ancient artifacts and fossils do not come with dates stamped on them. Thus, scientists must use detective work to determine their date of origin.

Radiocarbon Dating

One method that scientists use to date ancient fossils and artifacts is called radiocarbon dating. All living things on Earth are made up of a high percentage of an element called carbon. Carbon combines with other elements in complex ways to form the molecules that make up our bodies. Most carbon on Earth is not radioactive, but a very small percentage is. Thus, as living things take in carbon, they inevitably will take up a small amount of radioactive carbon into their bodies.

When these life forms die, they stop taking in new carbon. The carbon in their bodies at the time of their death will remain in their bodies until they decompose, or if they become fossilized, then forever.

Radioactive carbon decays at a known rate. This allows scientists to look at the amount of decay in a fossil’s radioactive carbon and determine a relative date.

Radiocarbon dating is only effective for objects and fossils that are less than 50,000 years old. However, scientists can look at the decay of other elements in these objects allowing them to date them up to 2.2 billion years.

These dating techniques are by no means perfect, but they are always improving, and they are the best methods that we have at this time.

4.4 million B.C.: Earliest known hominid fossils (Ardipithecus ramidus) found in Aramis, Ethiopia, 1994.

4.2 million B.C.: Australopithecus anamensis found in Lake Turkana, Kenya, 1995.

Early Hominids

Human-like animals that walked upright were known as hominids. It is believed that the earliest hominids lived around 4.4 million years ago in the humid forests of eastern and southern Africa.

These animals, known as Australopithecus, are believed to have been around three to five feet tall, and probably fed on leaves, fruits, and the remains of dead animals. There is no evidence that Australopithecus made their own tools. There is, however, strong evidence that they used sticks and bones to help them dig and defend themselves.

3.2 million B.C.: Australopithecus afarenis (nicknamed “Lucy”) found in Ethiopia, 1974.

2.5 million B.C.: Homo habilis (“Skillful Man”). First brain expansion; is believed to have used stone tools.

1.8 million B.C.: Homo erectus (“Upright Man”). Brain size twice that of Australopithecine species.

The second type of early human living on the Earth was Homo erectus, which means ‘person who walks upright.' Homo erectus lived on the Earth until about 150,000 years ago.

The final type of hominid living on the Earth is Homo sapien. Homo sapien means ‘person who can think’. All humans living on the Earth today are Homo sapiens.

1.7 million B.C.: Homo erectus leaves Africa.

Activity 1b) Out of Africa Theory:

Your teacher will read this text to you. The key points are underlined to help focus easier.

When the reading is over, use the following strategy to reflect:

I use to think that our species….

This is how my thinking has changed

This is what helped me to change my thinking

Our species is an African one: Africa is where we first evolved, and where we have spent the majority of our time on Earth. The earliest fossils of recognizably modern Homo sapiens appear in the fossil record at Omo Kibish in Ethiopia, around 200,000 years ago. Although earlier fossils may be found over the coming years, this is our best understanding of when and approximately where we originated.

According to the genetic and paleontological record, we only started to leave Africa between 60,000 and 70,000 years ago. What set this in motion is uncertain, but we think it has something to do with major climatic shifts that were happening around that time—a sudden cooling in the Earth’s climate driven by the onset of one of the worst parts of the last Ice Age. This cold snap would have made life difficult for our African ancestors, and the genetic evidence points to a sharp reduction in population size around this time. In fact, the human population likely dropped to fewer than 10,000. We were holding on by a thread.

Once the climate started to improve, after 70,000 years ago, we came back from this near-extinction event. The population expanded, and some intrepid explorers ventured beyond Africa. The earliest people to colonize the Eurasian landmass likely did so across the Bab-al-Mandab Strait separating present-day Yemen from Djibouti. These early beachcombers expanded rapidly along the coast to India, and reached Southeast Asia and Australia by 50,000 years ago. The first great foray of our species beyond Africa had led us all the way across the globe.

Slightly later, a little after 50,000 years ago, a second group appears to have set out on an inland trek, leaving behind the certainties of life in the tropics to head out into the Middle East and southern Central Asia. From these base camps, they were poised to colonize the northern latitudes of Asia, Europe, and beyond.

   Homo sapiens

   Neanderthals

   Early Hominids

Around 20,000 years ago a small group of these Asian hunters headed into the face of the storm, entering the

East Asian Arctic during the Last Glacial Maximum. At this time the great ice sheets covering the far north had literally sucked up much of the Earth’s moisture in their vast expanses of white wasteland, dropping sea levels by more than 300 feet. This exposed a land bridge that connected the Old World to the New, joining Asia to the Americas. In crossing it, the hunters had made the final great leap of the human journey. By 15,000 years ago they had penetrated the land south of the ice, and within 1,000 years they had made it all the way to the tip of South America. Some may have even made the journey by sea.

Activity 1c) Where did the early Australians come from?

New Research Confirms 'Out Of Africa' Theory of Human Evolution

When you complete your reading, use the ‘What is important strategy to reflect on your understanding. Share your reflection with two of your peers

Least important

Moderately important

Most important

May 10, 2007

Researchers have produced new DNA evidence that almost certainly confirms the theory that all modern humans have a common ancestry. The genetic survey, produced by a collaborative team led by scholars at Cambridge and Anglia Ruskin Universities, shows that Australia's aboriginal population sprang from the same tiny group of colonists, along with their New Guinean neighbours.

The research confirms the “Out Of Africa” hypothesis that all modern humans stem from a single group of Homo sapiens who emigrated from Africa 2,000 generations ago and spread throughout Eurasia over thousands of years. These settlers replaced other early humans (such as Neanderthals), rather than interbreeding with them.

Academics analysed the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y chromosome DNA of Aboriginal Australians and Melanesians from New Guinea. This data was compared with the various DNA patterns associated with early humans. The research was an international effort, with researchers from Tartu in Estonia, Oxford, and Stanford in California all contributing key data and expertise.

The results showed that both the Aborigines and Melanesians share the genetic features that have been linked to the exodus of modern humans from Africa 50,000 years ago.

Until now, one of the main reasons for doubting the “Out Of Africa” theory was the existence of inconsistent evidence in Australia. The skeletal and tool remains that have been found there are strikingly different from those elsewhere on the “coastal expressway” – the route through South Asia taken by the early settlers.

Some scholars argue that these discrepancies exist either because the early colonists interbred with the local Homo erectus population, or because there was a subsequent, secondary migration from Africa. Both explanations would undermine the theory of a single, common origin for modern-day humans.

But in the latest research there was no evidence of a genetic inheritance from Homo erectus, indicating that the settlers did not mix and that these people therefore share the same direct ancestry as the other Eurasian peoples.

Geneticist Dr Peter Forster, who led the research, said: “Although it has been speculated that the populations of Australia and New Guinea came from the same ancestors, the fossil record differs so significantly it has been difficult to prove. For the first time, this evidence gives us a genetic link showing that the Australian Aboriginal and New Guinean populations are descended directly from the same specific group of people who emerged from the African migration.”

At the time of the migration, 50,000 years ago, Australia and New Guinea were joined by a land bridge and the region was also only separated from the main Eurasian land mass by narrow straits such as Wallace's Line in Indonesia. The land bridge was submerged about 8,000 years ago.

The new study also explains why the fossil and archaeological record in Australia is so different to that found elsewhere even though the genetic record shows no evidence of interbreeding with Homo erectus, and indicates a single Palaeolithic colonisation event.

The DNA patterns of the Australian and Melanesian populations show that the population evolved in relative isolation. The two groups also share certain genetic characteristics that are not found beyond Melanesia. This would suggest that there was very little gene flow into Australia after the original migration.

Dr Toomas Kivisild, from the Cambridge University Department of Biological Anthropology, who co-authored the report, said: “The evidence points to relative isolation after the initial arrival, which would mean any significant developments in skeletal form and tool use were not influenced by outside sources.

“There was probably a minor secondary gene flow into Australia while the land bridge from New Guinea was still open, but once it was submerged the population was apparently isolated for thousands of years. The differences in the archaeological record are probably the result of this, rather than any secondary migration or interbreeding.”

The study is reported in the new issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The story continues

100,000 B.C. First modern Homo sapiens in South Africa.

70,000 B.C. Neanderthal man (use of fire and advanced tools).

Tools and the Stone Age

One of the most important advancements in human history was the development and use of tools. Tools allowed hominids to become the masters of their environments, to hunt, to build, and to perform important tasks that made life easier for them. The first tools were made out of stone. Thus, historians refer to the period of time before written history as the Stone Age.

Historians divide the Stone Age into three different periods based on the sophistication and methods of tool design. The first such period is referred to as the Paleolithic, or Old Stone Age. The Old Stone Age began about 2 million years ago with the development of the first tools by Homo habilis and lasted until around 12,000 years ago.

In addition to stone, Cro-Magnons used other materials for making tools. These materials included bones, antlers, teeth and ivory.

With these new materials, they were able to create sharper blades, needles for sewing, and fishhooks for fishing. Cro-Magnons also invented new kinds of long distance weapons, such as bow and arrows and spear throwers.

Axes allowed humans to chop down trees. Evidence has been found to show that early humans used some of these logs to make canoes.

New technologies dramatically increased the amount of food available. This in turn allowed for the population of Cro-Magnon to explode.

Activity 1d)

What tools did the Neanderthal man use?

What were these tools made of?

How were they used?

Who used the tools?

How did the use of tools impact the way Cro-Magnon and Neanderthal people lived?

With the discovery of fire, Homo Erectus became even more adept at survival. Fire allowed them to cook their food, to stay warm in cool environments, and to utilize caves as shelter.

35,000 B.C. Neanderthal man replaced by later groups of Homo sapiens (i.e., Cro-Magnon man, etc.)

18,000 B.C. Cro-Magnons replaced by later cultures.

Hominids evolved and developed for millions of years prior to the arrival of Homo sapiens on the Earth. This evolution was slow. The development of a new skill or tool often took thousands of years.

15,000 B.C. Migrations across Bering Straits into the Americas.

10,000 B.C. Semi-permanent agricultural settlements in Old World.

Activity 1e) As you read the information below, underline what you think is important. Share your choice with one other in your class

The Agricultural Revolution

For hundreds of thousands of years hominids depended on nature for their survival. Food came from wild plants and animals. A natural disaster could reduce the amount of food in the environment which might have a devastating effect on the peoples in nearby regions.

Around 8,000 years ago a new way of providing food emerged. This revolutionary advancement was that of farming. Instead of hunting and gathering food from the environments where they lived, humans learned to simply grow their own food.

Grains such as wheat, barley, rice and corn were grown in different parts of the world. Wild animals were also domesticated. Goats were utilized for their meat and milk, cattle, pigs and chickens provided a steady source of food for the support of a group of humans.

Villages Develop

With the advent of farming and domesticated animals to feed a society, life became much easier for early humans. As a result, many more humans survived the difficulties of life. The population quickly rose from around 2 million humans on the Earth to more than 90 million.

Farming allowed people to build villages along rivers, or wherever the ground was fertile enough for crops to grow. Archaeologists have found some villages that are believed to have been built more than 8,000 years ago. Some of these ancient villages, such as Jericho, still survive to this day.

Cro-Magnon Social Life

At first, Cro-Magnon life was not all that different from the lives of earlier hominids. They lived in caves or temporary structures, and spent their lives hunting and gathering in small groups.

As food sources increased, humans settlements became more permanent. Many groups began building homes out of logs or stone. Smaller groups joined together forming larger groups.

As these groups developed, so did the need for order. In order to allow individuals to interact with one another, it was necessary that these groups developed rules, or laws. To help enforce these laws, there had to be leaders appointed.

Each group or tribe had their own methods for appointing leaders. Sometimes leaders were selected through fighting. In other cases they were appointed according to religious beliefs or through inheritance.

With an abundance of food and more permanent shelters, people had more time to devote to the development of new technologies. Better farming equipment, such as the ox-driven plough, were invented. The wheel aided humans greatly in transporting goods from one location to another. The loom allowed people to weave cloth and create finer and more comfortable clothing.

Tools were created for measuring the passage of time, such as calendars, star charts and sundials. This helped farmers track when the growing season would arrive, and when the best time to plant crops would be.

People learned improved farming techniques, such as how to use fertilizers in their fields, and how to better utilize water through irrigation. Villagers dug large canals and complex systems of ditches, delivering water from distant sources to where it was most needed.

10,000–4,000 B.C. Development of settlements into cities and development of skills such as the wheel, pottery, and improved methods of cultivation in Mesopotamia and elsewhere.

The Rise of Civilizations

As mankind began to develop more complex ways of life, and as cities began to increase in size and complexity, a new type of society emerged. These societies are known today as civilizations. A civilization is a nation or people that share a common culture, common laws, a common economy, and typically a common faith or religion.

Our study of Ancient Egypt begins here

You will simply read the following information as a class

5500–3000 B.C. Predynastic Egyptian cultures develop (5500–3100 B.C.); begin using agriculture (c. 5000B.C.). Earliest known civilization arises in Sumer (4500–4000 B.C.). Earliest recorded date in Egyptian calendar (4241 B.C.). First year of Jewish calendar (3760 B.C.). First phonetic writing appears (c. 3500 B.C.). Sumerians develop a city-state civilization (c. 3000 B.C.). Copper used by Egyptians and Sumerians. Western Europe is neolithic, without metals or written records.

3000–2000 B.C. Pharaonic rule begins in Egypt. King Khufu (Cheops), 4th dynasty (2700–2675 B.C.),completes construction of the Great Pyramid at Giza (c. 2680 B.C.). The Great Sphinx of Giza (c. 2540 B.C.) is built by King Khafre. Earliest Egyptian mummies. Papyrus. Phoenician settlements on coast of what is now Syria and Lebanon. Semitic tribes settle in Assyria. Sargon, first Akkadian king, builds Mesopotamian empire. The Gilgamesh epic (c. 3000B.C.). Systematic astronomy in Egypt, Babylon, India, China.

3000–1500 B.C. The most ancient civilization on the Indian subcontinent, the sophisticated and extensive Indus Valley civilization, flourishes in what is today Pakistan. In Britain, Stonehenge erected according to some unknown astronomical rationale. Its three main phases of construction are thought to span c. 3000–1500 B.C.

2000–1500 B.C. Hyksos invaders drive Egyptians from Lower Egypt (17th century B.C.). Amosis I frees Egypt from Hyksos (c. 1600 B.C.). Assyrians rise to power—cities of Ashur and Nineveh. Twenty-four-character alphabet in Egypt. Cuneiform inscriptions used by Hittites. Peak of Minoan culture on Isle of Crete—earliest form of written Greek. Hammurabi, king of Babylon, develops oldest existing code of laws (18th century B.C.).

1500–1000 B.C. Ikhnaton develops monotheistic religion in Egypt (c. 1375 B.C.). His successor, Tutankhamen, returns to earlier gods. Greeks destroy Troy (c. 1193 B.C.). End of Greek civilization in Mycenae with invasion of Dorians. Chinese civilization develops under Shang Dynasty. Olmec civilization in Mexico—stone monuments; picture writing.

1000–900 B.C. Solomon succeeds King David, builds Jerusalem temple. After Solomon's death, kingdom divided into Israel and Judah. Hebrew elders begin to write Old Testament books of Bible. Phoenicians colonize Spain with settlement at Cadiz.

900–800 B.C. Phoenicians establish Carthage (c. 810 B.C.). The Iliad and the Odyssey, perhaps composed by Greek poet Homer.

800–700 B.C. Prophets Amos, Hosea, Isaiah. First recorded Olympic games (776 B.C.). Legendary founding of Rome by Romulus (753 B.C.). Assyrian king Sargon II conquers Hittites, Chaldeans, Samaria (end of Kingdom of Israel). Earliest written music. Chariots introduced into Italy by Etruscans.

700–600 B.C. End of Assyrian Empire (616 B.C.)—Nineveh destroyed by Chaldeans (Neo-Babylonians) and Medes (612 B.C.). Founding of Byzantium by Greeks (c. 660 B.C.). Building of the Acropolis in Athens. Solon, Greek lawgiver (640–560 B.C.). Sappho of Lesbos, Greek poet(fl. c. 610–580 B.C.). Lao-tse, Chinese philosopher and founder of Taoism (born c. 604 B.C.).

600–500 B.C. Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar builds empire, destroys Jerusalem (586 B.C.). Babylonian Captivity of the Jews (starting 587 B.C.). Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Cyrus the Great of Persia creates great empire, conquers Babylon (539 B.C.), frees the Jews. Athenian democracy develops. Aeschylus, Greek dramatist (525–465 B.C.). Pythagoras, Greek philosopher and mathematician (582?–507? B.C.). Confucius (551–479 B.C.) develops ethical and social philosophy in China. The Analects or Lun-yü (“collected sayings”) are compiled by the second generation of Confucian disciples. Buddha (563?–483? B.C.) founds Buddhism in India.

500–400 B.C. Greeks defeat Persians: battles of Marathon (490 B.C.), Thermopylae (480 B.C.), Salamis (480 B.C.). Peloponnesian Wars between Athens and Sparta (431–404 B.C.)—Sparta victorious. Pericles comes to power in Athens (462 B.C.). Flowering of Greek culture during the Age of Pericles (450–400 B.C.). The Parthenon is built in Athens as a temple of the goddess Athena (447–432 B.C.). Ictinus and Callicrates are the architects and Phidias is responsible for the sculpture. Sophocles, Greek dramatist (496?–406 B.C.). Hippocrates, Greek “Father of Medicine” (born 460 B.C.). Xerxes I, king of Persia (rules 485–465 B.C.).

400–300 B.C. Pentateuch—first five books of the Old Testament evolve in final form. Philip of Macedon, who believed himself to be a descendant of the Greek people, assassinated (336 B.C.) after subduing the Greek city-states; succeeded by son, Alexander the Great (356–323 B.C.), who destroys Thebes (335 B.C.), conquers Tyre and Jerusalem (332 B.C.), occupies Babylon (330 B.C.), invades India, and dies in Babylon. His empire is divided among his generals; one of them, Seleucis I, establishes Middle East empire with capitals at Antioch (Syria) and Seleucia (in Iraq). Trial and execution of Greek philosopher Socrates (399 B.C.). Dialogues recorded by his student, Plato (c. 427–348 or 347 B.C.). Euclid's work on geometry (323 B.C.). Aristotle, Greek philosopher (384–322 B.C.). Demosthenes, Greek orator (384–322 B.C.). Praxiteles, Greek sculptor (400–330 B.C.).

300–251 B.C. First Punic War (264–241 B.C.): Rome defeats the Carthaginians and begins its domination of the Mediterranean. Temple of the Sun at Teotihuacán, Mexico (c. 300 B.C.). Invention of Mayan calendar in Yucatán—more exact than older calendars. First Roman gladiatorial games (264 B.C.). Archimedes, Greek mathematician (287–212 B.C.).

250–201 B.C. Second Punic War (219–201 B.C.): Hannibal, Carthaginian general (246–142 B.C.), crosses the Alps (218 B.C.), reaches gates of Rome (211 B.C.), retreats, and is defeated by Scipio Africanus at Zama (202 B.C.). Great Wall of China built (c. 215 B.C.).

200–151 B.C. Romans defeat Seleucid King Antiochus III at Thermopylae (191 B.C.)—beginning of Roman world domination. Maccabean revolt against Seleucids (167 B.C.).

150–101 B.C. Third Punic War (149–146 B.C.): Rome destroys Carthage, killing 450,000 and enslaving the remaining 50,000 inhabitants. Roman armies conquer Macedonia, Greece, Anatolia, Balearic Islands, and southern France. Venus de Milo (c. 140 B.C.). Cicero, Roman orator (106–43 B.C.).

100–51 B.C. Julius Caesar (100–44 B.C.) invades Britain (55 B.C.) and conquers Gaul (France) (c. 50 B.C.). Spartacus leads slave revolt against Rome (71 B.C.). Romans conquer Seleucid empire. Roman general Pompey conquers Jerusalem (63 B.C.). Cleopatra on Egyptian throne (51–31 B.C.). Chinese develop use of paper (c. 100 B.C.). Virgil, Roman poet (70–19 B.C.).Horace, Roman poet (65–8 B.C.).

50–1 B.C. Caesar crosses Rubicon to fight Pompey (50 B.C.). Herod made Roman governor of Judea (37 B.C.). Caesar murdered (44 B.C.). Caesar's nephew, Octavian, defeats Mark Antony and Cleopatra at Battle of Actium (31 B.C.), and establishes Roman empire as Emperor Augustus; rules 27 B.C.–A.D. 14. Pantheon built for the first time under Agrippa, 27 B.C. Ovid, Roman poet (43 B.C.–A.D. 18).

Facts File.docx

Create a ‘Facts File’ about Ancient Egypt

This activity requires you to become an ‘investigator’ of a different kind. You can use as many different ways as you believe effective enough to help you find information about Ancient Egypt that is interesting, informative, correct, and perhaps a little different from what you ordinarily might find if you do a simple search

Your ‘Facts File’ can be a Wiki, a brochure, a word processed document, or any other form you manage to negotiate with your teacher

Fact Sheet One

How did the geographical features influenced human settlement in Egypt?

Consider the following:

· What are the geographical features of Ancient Egypt?

· Which of these features are likely to have been an attraction for the early people and why?

· How did the early Egyptians use the geographical features to support a permanent settlement in the area?

· What were the advantages and disadvantages of the geographical features? How did the early Egyptians overcome the disadvantages?

Internet searches

http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/geography/index.html

Textbook

List all the pages where the information appears

Library

Write a reference list and a bibliography of all the books you use

World museums virtual tours

List all the sites

Fact Sheet Two

Social Groups in Ancient Egypt

· What were the key social groups in Ancient Egypt?

· Create a visual that shows the status and importance of the different social groups. What information and evidence did you use to guide your decision about the status of the different groups?

· If you woke up one morning and you found yourself a Pharaoh, what would your job be?

· How would Ancient Egypt’s social structure be affected if there were no farmers, priests, and scribes?

· How many of the jobs in Ancient Egypt could women do? How would you have to think differently if you were a woman in Ancient Egypt instead of 21st Century Australia?

Internet searches

Textbook

Library

World museums virtual tours

Fact Sheet Three

Beliefs, Values, and Lifestyle

· What were the religious beliefs of the Ancient Egyptians?

· What did the Ancient Egyptians believe about the afterlife?

· What Ancient Egyptian legacies are results of these beliefs?

· Much value was placed on how people looked in Ancient Egypt.

· What did they do to look good?

· Could everybody afford to look good? What makes you say that?

· What were the similarities and differences between the houses of rich and poor in Ancient Egypt?

· How do the values that the Ancient Egyptians placed on looks and living standards reflect what we do today?

Internet searches

Textbook

Library

World museums virtual tours

Fact Sheet Four

Create a Glossary of terms that are specific to Ancient Egypt

Use the examples provided to help you with your glossary

Alabaster:

Translucent, usually white, form of gypsum carved into ornaments and pots.

Book of the Dead:

The modern name for a collection of spells (about 200) that enabled the dead to travel through the underworld and enter the afterlife. The ancient Egyptians knew it as the ‘spells for going forth by day’.

Cartonnage:

A material made of layers of gummed linen or papyrus or plaster used to make mummy masks and coffins.

Fact Sheet Five (OPTIONAL)

You can complete this only if there is time before the start of the Common Assessment Task

Trade and Conflicts

· What were the Ancient Egyptians able to export?

· How did trade take place in Ancient Egypt?

· Find out what were the major campaigns and battles in Ancient Egypt.

· Who led these campaigns/battles?

· What was/were the reason/s for the campaign?

· What was the outcome?

Internet searches

Textbook

Library

World museums virtual tours

The websites below might be a place to start with your search.

http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0210200/ancient_egypt/timeline.htm

http://www.schoolsliaison.org.uk/kids/access/egypt/timeline_egypt.htm

http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/

http://www.ancient-egypt.org/

http://www.discoveringegypt.com/

The Global Egyptian Museum: http://www.globalegyptianmuseum.org/

At a rough estimate, over 2 million objects from ancient Egypt are kept in about 850 public collections, dispersed over 69 countries around the world. This website aims to collect them into a global virtual museum, which can be visited at any time, from any place. The Global Egyptian Museum is a long-term project, carried out under the aegis of the International Committee for Egyptology (CIPEG).

http://www.ancient-egypt.co.uk/cairo%20museum/index_1.htm The Egyptian Museum in Cairo

http://www.egyptianmuseum.org/virtualgallery Explore this gallery on a virtual tour

http://www.rom.on.ca/en/education/online-activities/ancient-egypt Ontario Museum

http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/menu.htm British Museum

Student Version of

the CAT.docx

Your Common Assessment Task is designed in three parts. You are encouraged to complete all parts. Your teacher will guide you throughout this assessment task

HOWEVER:

You may NOT go to part two before completing part one and asking your teacher to agree that you are ready for part two. Similarly, you need to complete part two successfully, before moving to part three

Part One starts here:

You have applied and have been successful in receiving a grant to tour Egypt’s Ancient sites. The choice of sites is yours entirely. However, you have to consider all the prompts below as part of your preparation

· What sites will you visit?

· What made you cho