Ancient Civilizations “Smackdown”
Your group will be assigned ONE of the following civilizations (or pairs of civilizations) to
research and present to the class:
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Ch. 2: Mesopotamia (incl. Sumer, Akkad, Babylon & Assyria)
Ch. 3: Egypt & Nubia
Ch. 4: Ancient India (including Harappan and Aryan)
Ch. 5: Ancient China (Xia, Shang, & Zhou)
Ch. 6: Olmec & early Maya
Ch. 6: Austronesian
Part 1: Research & Presentation
Your task is to research your assigned civilization(s) and present the following information to
the class. You will have roughly 7 minutes to present:
-Dates of civilization’s “rise” & “fall”, + any other major dates (of invasion or change)
-Location & geographic characteristics of civilization (see map provided)
-“PIRATES” characteristics of your civilization (see chart provided)
-One primary source excerpt, analyzed (using SOAPSTone)
-One image of an artifact (or ruins) that illustrates an important characteristic or
contribution of your civilization
-A map and other visuals as appropriate, to support your presentation
Part 2: Map & Chart—to be completed during group research and presentations
Part 3: Comparisons/Venn Diagram
After each group has presented, you must choose 3 of the civilizations from the chart you have
completed to compare side-by-side in a Venn Diagram. Your Venn Diagram must include at
least 20 significant facts and a combination of both similarities and differences.
Part 4: The “Smackdown”!
After presenting the basic information of your civilization to the class, you will engage in an
in-class debate, in which your task is to prove that your assigned civilization was the most
significant in the development of world history. Below are some questions you might
consider when preparing for this debate:
o How did the people of your civilization adapt to their environment?
o How long did your civilization survive? How did they achieve longevity?
o What challenges and/or adversaries did your civilization overcome in its efforts
to preserve itself?
o What specific contributions to history were made by your civilization? Are any
of these contributions significant still today? How so?
o How do the strengths and contributions of your civilization “stack up” to the
others (your competition)?
Name: ________________________________
Ancient Civilizations (PIRATES Chart)
*You need 2-3 facts per box!
Mesopotamia
(Sumer, Akkad, Babylon, & Assyria)
DATES:
LOCATION:
POLITICAL
Government
Laws & Justice
Diplomacy
War
INTELLECTUAL
Ideas
Philosophies
Education
Language & Writing
RELIGIOUS
Beliefs
Rituals
Deities
Afterlife?
ARTISTIC
Art
Architecture
Literature
Music
TECHNOLOGY
Inventions
Tools
Transportation
Mechanization
ECONOMIC
Resources
Land/Labor
Trade
Currency
SOCIAL
Class Structure
Gender roles
Family Structure
Slavery/Servitude
Reasons for
Decline?
Egypt & Nubia
Ancient India
(Harappan & Aryan)
Ancient Civilizations (PIRATES Chart)-Cont’d
*You need 2-3 facts per box!
Ancient China
(Xia, Shang, & Zhou)
DATES:
LOCATION:
POLITICAL
Government
Laws & Justice
Diplomacy
War
INTELLECTUAL
Ideas
Philosophies
Education
Language & Writing
RELIGIOUS
Beliefs
Rituals
Deities
Afterlife?
ARTISTIC
Art
Architecture
Literature
Music
TECHNOLOGY
Inventions
Tools
Transportation
Mechanization
ECONOMIC
Resources
Land/Labor
Trade
Currency
SOCIAL
Class Structure
Gender roles
Family Structure
Slavery/Servitude
Reasons for
Decline?
Olmec &
Early Maya
Austronesian
Ancient Civilizations MAP
Name: _________________________
1. On the map below, color & label each of the following civilizations (some will be on the BACK): Mesopotamia (Sumer, Akkad, Babylon, Assyria), Egypt, Nubia,
Harappan India, Aryan India, Ancient China (Xia, Shang, & Zhou), Olmec, Maya, Austronesian peoples.
2. Draw in/label 25 major physical features (rivers, mountains, plateaus, seas, etc.)
3. Label at least 10 major cities (political or ceremonial centers)
Map Questions: (answer after completing map)
1) What differences do you see in the development of Eurasia versus that in the
Americas before 600 CE?
2) What do you think might be the reasons for these differences?
3) What impact will geographic differences and isolation have on the development
of the Americas through history? When will this change?
Ancient Civilizations Venn Diagram
Name: ________________________________
After each group has presented, you must choose 3 of the civilizations from the chart you have completed to compare side-by-side in a Venn Diagram. Your
Venn Diagram must include at least 20 significant facts and a combination of both similarities and differences.
Civilization
#1:_______________________
Civilization
#2:_______________________
Civilization
#3:_______________________