Mr. Maison October 2014
Western Civilization 1 - PROJECT
Name
Date
Ancient Civilizations Project
1.
Research: You will be assigned one of the following Ancient Civilizations to research. We will begin by using the
materials and books online.
Mesopotamia: Sumer
Mesopotamia: Persians
India: Indus River Valley
China: Shang Dynasty
Greeks: Phoenicians
Americas: Aztecs
2.
3.
Mesopotamia: Babylon
Egypt: Old Kingdom
India: Aryans
China: Zhou Dynasty
Greeks: Minoans
Africa: Axum
Mesopotamia: Hittites
Egypt: Middle Kingdom (Kush)
India: Maurya Dynasty
China: Qin Dynasty
Americas: Incan
Africa: Bantu Peoples
Mesopotamia: Assyrians
Egypt: New Kingdom
India: Gupta Dynasty
China: Warring States Period
Americas: Mayan
Africa: Nubia & Meroë
PowerPoint: You will create a PowerPoint using the following topics about your civilization that you will present to
the class. Before you create your PowerPoint, you will need to create a planning sheet for EACH of your slides, to be
approved by me.
 Geography
 Technology
 Time period
 Writing
 Government
 Social Classes & Slavery
 Economy
 Art & Architecture
 Religious Beliefs
 Rise & Fall
 Contributions
Presentation: You will present your PowerPoint to the class. Remember the following tips:
a. Make sure you speak loudly
b. Listen to one another and help each other
c. Be respectful when other students are presenting
d. Make sure you include all the information your classmates need to take notes
****IMPORTANT**** Do not type (or copy/paste) paragraphs onto each screen of your PowerPoint. You need to
practice giving speeches in your own words; we don’t need to read a document.
4.
The Listening Sheet: you will each receive a sheet of paper to take notes on your classmates’ presentations so that
you know all about the different civilizations. You will use this for a quiz and for the writing assignment.
5.
Writing: You will receive 4 or 5 topics to choose from, then you will write a short essay comparing the civilizations
we have learned about.
Mr. Maison October 2014
Western Civilization 1 - PROJECT
Name
Date
Research Notes for :
Geography: Where were they located? What is that place called today? What effects did the geography have on
the civilization that grew there? Where they isolated from other civilizations? What bodies of water (if any) were
they exposed to (lakes, rivers, oceans, seas, etc)
Time period: When did they emerge as a civilization? When were they at their peak? How long were they around?
When did they fall?
Government: What type of ruler did they have? Were they a monarchy, theocracy, oligarchy, etc? What were some
of their laws or courts like?
Economy: What was the role of trade and commerce? What was their major product or good for trade? How did
geography affect their trade? What were the major jobs that people had?
Religious Beliefs: What kind of religious or worship did they practice? Were they polytheistic or monotheistic? Was
their religion and government combined? Did they believe in life after death?
Contributions: What were the major contributions of this civilization to the world and their time? Are there any
lasting contributions still seen today?
Technology: What innovations were made in this civilization? Did they have a calendar? Did they have irrigations
system? How did they build their buildings or roads?
Writing: What form of communication did they use? What type of writing did they have? Was it pictographic? Can
we translate it today? Why did it develop (what was its purpose)? Was it used by other civilizations as well?
Social Classes & Slavery: How were the social classes divided? What was the basic structure? How was slavery a
part of this civilization? Was slavery based on race? Was it permanent?
Art & Architecture: What role did the arts have in this civilization? What were their main forms of art? What was
their architecture like? What can we learn about them from their art?
Rise & Fall: What caused this civilization to rise and fall? Did they conquer another civilization? Were they
conquered? How many times?
Mr. Maison October 2014
Western Civilization 1 - PROJECT
Name
PowerPoint Planning Sheet
Slide Number
Title of Screen:
Text
Script
Image
Date