Social Studies · Grades 6-8
Ancient Civilizations
Thousands of years ago, people built great cities and invented writing. How did they do it, and how do we even know?
A civilization is a large, organized society with cities, leaders, jobs that people specialize in, and usually some form of writing. In this unit you will visit four of the most famous ones.
In Egypt you'll follow the Nile, meet rulers like Khufu, Hatshepsut and Cleopatra, and try writing your name in hieroglyphs. Greece, Rome and China come next: city-states and the first Olympics, roads and laws, dynasties and the Silk Road.
Each page has a timeline, the big ideas, famous people, real words from old writers, a game and a quiz. Start with Egypt. The others are on the way.
Pick a Civilization
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Ancient Egypt
Kings, giant stone tombs and hieroglyphs along the Nile, about 3100 BCE to 30 BCE.
Explore Egypt → -
Ancient Greece
City-states, early democracy, the Olympics and stories of gods and heroes.
Coming soon -
Ancient Rome
From a small city to a huge empire: roads, arches, laws and legions.
Coming soon -
Ancient China
River valleys, dynasties, early writing on bones and bronze, and the Silk Road.
Coming soon
Did you know? When the first Olympic Games were held in Greece (traditionally 776 BCE), Egypt's Great Pyramid was already about 1,800 years old.
BCE means "Before Common Era" and counts backward, so 3100 BCE is older than 30 BCE. CE means "Common Era," the years we use today.