Mr. Barchetto
MMW
Name_______________________________
Ancient Civilizations
All elements of project will be hand written and/or drawn
Final Product: Ancient Civilization Fact Book
Scoring:
1. Notes: _____________/15pts
2. Fact Book______________/95pts
Total__________________/110pts
Dates:
1. Sep. 19 Project Intro
2. Oct. 3 Library Day 1
3. Oct. 7 Class Work Day
4. Oct. 11 Project Due
Requirements:
1. Notes: You need to take good, handwritten notes. You will use your notes to
complete your fact book. Therefore, make sure you use the checklist below to help you
take notes. Notes should be in outline format as discussed in previous lessons. (Hint
each Roman numeral will most likely represent a page in your fact book)
2. Resources: You must have a minimum of 2 resources and you must use those
resources to complete your fact book.
3. Fact Book: Use the following checklist to aid you in your note taking and fact book
construction. Your fact book must be in the exact order as is listed below.
Cover:
Name of Civilization-
5pts
(Clearly stated at the top of page)
Time Period-
5pts
(Placed under the name of the civilization)
Your Name
Your Class
5 pts
5 pts
(Placed at the bottom right of page)
Page 1: Hand Drawn Map-
10pts
(Map must be labeled and colored correctly and accurately portray civilization)
Page 1 cont.: Geography(Climate and major physical features which surround the civilization)
5pts.
Page 2: Timeline (5-7 dates)-
10pts
(Should reflect important historical moments in civilizations existence)
Page 3: Culture
10pts
(must provide 3 examples of culture that were discussed in class notes #2)
Page 4: 2 Hand Drawn Artifacts with explanations
10pts
(Artifacts should be a representation of the civilizations culture;
For example Ancient Egypt: You could draw the Great Pyramid and The Sphinx)
Page 5: Hand written Summary
10pts
(Summarize in one paragraph the research you already completed on your civilization)
Page 6: Resource List
20 pts
(Remember you need two sources if it is a book Title & Author, website needs the url)
Page 7: Notes
15 pts
(Outline formatted Notes)
Ancient Civilizations List:
Ancient Egypt
Hittites
Babylon
Phoenician Empire
Roman Empire
Sumer (Ur)
Indus Valley Civilization (Harrapan)
Shang Dynasty
Mesopotamia
Incan
Greek City-States
Zhou Dynasty
Persian Empire
Assyrian Empire
Mauryan Empire
Qin Dynasty
Aksum (Axum)
Olmec Civilization
Maya Empire
Han Empire
Gupta Empire
Hints for researching your civilizations:
1. Find your civilization in your text book first; some of you will find more information then
others. Scan through the information and see what you can get from the text, for example
maybe there is an example of culture, or info on the government. This will help you when
you begin looking in the library you will know what you need and what you don’t need.
2. While researching the library books stick to researching the smaller books too much
information will be hard to sort through…remember you are not writing a research paper
you are only getting a glimpse of your civilization.
3. When you find a library book you like remember to copy the front and back of the first page
of the book for your citation info i.e. author, copyright ect. Also copy the pages you are
using so someone else can use the book.
4. The encyclopedia books are some of the best.
5. Use the internet for getting dates if you need them for the timeline, a map of your
civilization to trace, and the two artifact pictures to trace. Go to google images for these
materials cut and paste picture into Microsoft word and print to size needed to trace.
Project Notes Example
I.
Name of Civilization
a. Time Period
II.
Geography
a. Climate and major physical features which surround the civilization
III.
Timeline of Events
a. 5-7 dates that reflect historical moments in civilizations existence
IV.
Culture
a. Provide 3 examples of culture
V.
Government
a. Provide examples/evidence of rulers and institutions
VI.
Hand Drawn Artifacts
a. Explanation of both artifacts
I.
Aztec Empire
a. 1200 A.D.- 1519 A.D.
II.
Geography
a. Valley of Mexico a mountain basin about 7,500 feet above sea level.
b. Valley had several large lakes with resources and fertile soil.
c. Aztec civilization at its’ height covered roughly 80,000 square miles stretching from
central Mexico to the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.
III.
Timeline of Events
a. 1200 A.D.- Aztecs arrive from Northern Mexico were they were known as Mexica.
They were poor nomadic people but were fierce and ambitious.
b. 1325 A.D.- They founded their city in the middle of Lake Tecoco and called it
Tenochtitlan.
c. 1428 A.D.- Aztecs joined two other city-states Texcoco and Tlacopan to form the
Triple Alliance. This alliance would become the leading power in the Valley of Mexico.
d. 1455 A.D.- A huge temple is built to the Aztec war god Huizilopochtli in Tenochtitlan.
e. 1486 A.D.- Rule of Ahuitzotl begins, it marks the Aztecs height of power in Mexico.
f. 1502 A.D.- Aztecs most well known ruler Montezuma comes to power. However,
under the pressure of Montezuma the Aztec empire began to decline.
g. 1519 A.D.- Spanish conquistadors land in Mexico under the command of Hernando
Cortes. Cortes will successfully conquer the great Aztec Empire.
IV.
Culturea. Foodi. Aztecs main diet consisted of maize (which is like corn), it was supplemented by
other vegetables such as beans and squash.
b. Tradei. Trade was critical in the Aztec empire. Goods like cacao beans and feathers
were in great demand. These items were used as money to pay taxes.
ii. Aztec merchants went to distant lands to trade for items like tropical feathers,
gold, fine stones, and jaguar skins.
c. Religioni. Religion was very important to the Aztec people. Sacred buildings such as
temples and pyramids became the central point for religious activities.
ii. Aztecs were very concerned with the sun because the weather was closely tied
with the survival of their civilization.
iii. Human sacrifices were often done to feed the gods with human blood, thereby
keeping the sun alive.
V.
Hand Drawn Artifactsa. Artifact 1: The Great Temple
i. This was a giant pyramid with twin temples at the top, one dedicated to the sun
god and the other the rain god. This pyramid served as the religious center for
the Aztecs. This temple was the center of all human sacrifices.
b. Artifact 2: The Aztec Sunstone
i.
This Aztec calendar stone measured 13ft in diameter and weighs 24 tons. This
stone contains a calendar of the days that began and ended each month, the
gods associated with each days and many other details.
Ancient Civilization Project:
Block:_____
1. Ancient Egypt
_____________________________
2. Ancient Egypt
_____________________________
3. Hittites
_____________________________
4. Babylon
_____________________________
5. Phoenician Empire
_____________________________
6. Roman Empire
_____________________________
7. Roman Empire
_____________________________
8. Sumer (Ur)
_____________________________
9. Indus Valley Civilization (Harrapan)
_____________________________
10. Shang Dynasty
_____________________________
11. Mesopotamia
_____________________________
12. Incan
_____________________________
13. Greek City-States
_____________________________
14. Greek City-States
_____________________________
15. Zhou Dynasty
_____________________________
16. Persian Empire
_____________________________
17. Persian Empire
_____________________________
18. Assyrian Empire
_____________________________
19. Mauryan Empire
_____________________________
20. Mauryan Empire
_____________________________
21. Qin Dynasty
_____________________________
22. Qin Dynasty
_____________________________
23. Aksum (Axum)
_____________________________
24. Olmec Civilization
_____________________________
25. Mayan Empire
_____________________________
26. Han Dynasty
_____________________________
27. Gupta Empire
_____________________________
Name: _________________________________
Grading Rubric
Ancient Civilization Fact Book
Cover Page: (20pts)
_______/20
Remarks if needed:
Page 1: Hand Drawn Map & Geography (15pts)
_______/15
Remarks if needed:
Page 2: Timeline: (10pts)
_______/10
Remarks if needed:
Page 3: Culture: (15pts)
_______/10
Remarks if needed:
Page 4: Hand Drawn Artifacts (at least 2 with explanation)(20pts)
_______/20
Remarks if needed:
Page 5: Hand written Summary: (10pts)
_______/10
Remarks if needed:
Page 6: Resource List: (10pts)
_______/10
Remarks if needed:
Page 7: Notes: (15pts)
_______/15
Remarks if needed:
Total:_________/110
Mr. Barchetto
MMW
Block 1
Map has to be hand drawn
on the project this is simply
a sample of how it should
be laid out.
Aztec Empire
Aztecs joined two other city-states Texcoco
and Tlacopan to form the Triple Alliance.
This alliance would become the leading
power in the Valley of Mexico.
1428 A.D.
Aztecs arrive from Northern Mexico were
they were known as Mexica. They were
poor nomadic people but were fierce
and ambitious.
1200 A.D
Rule of Ahuitzotl begins, it marks the Aztecs
Height of power in Mexico
1488 A.D
1326 A.D.
They founded their city in the middle of Lake Tecoco
and called it Tenochtitlan.
1466 A.D.
A huge temple is built to the Aztec
war god Huizilopochtli in Tenochtitlan
Spanish conquistadors
land in Mexico under
the command of
Hernando Cortes.
Cortes will successfully
Conquer the Aztecs
1519A.D.
1502 A.D.
Aztecs most well known ruler
Montezuma comes to power. However,
under the pressure of Montezuma the
Aztec empire began to decline.
Culture
FoodAztecs main diet consisted of maize (corn), it was supplemented by other vegetables such as beans
and squash.
TradeTrade was critical in the Aztec empire. Goods like cacao beans and feathers were in great demand.
These items were used as money to pay taxes. Aztec merchants went to distant lands to trade for
items like tropical feathers, gold, fine stones, and jaguar skins.
ReligionReligion was very important to the Aztec people. Sacred buildings such as temples and pyramids
became the central point for religious activities. Aztecs were very concerned with the sun because
the weather was closely tied with the survival of their civilization. Human sacrifices were often done
to feed the gods with human blood, thereby keeping the sun alive.
Artifact 1: The Great Temple
This was a giant pyramid with twin temples at the top, one dedicated to the sun god and the other the
rain god. This pyramid served as the religious center for the Aztecs. This temple was the center of
all human sacrifices.
Drawing would be done here
Tracing is allowed
Artifact 2: The Aztec Sunstone
This Aztec calendar stone measured 13ft in diameter and weighs 24 tons. This stone contains a
calendar of the days that began and ended each month, the gods associated with each days and
many other details.
Drawing would be done here
Tracing is allowed
Aztec Empire
The Aztec empire was a Mesoamerican civilization
flourishing in the valley of Mexico from 1200 A.D.-1519A.D.
Throughout its three hundred year span Aztecs not only
conquered a huge area of land, but also set out creating one of
the largest and most populated cities in the world during its
time. In Aztec society food, trade and religion played vital
roles in the development of their society. In order to control
such a large area Aztecs created social classes and created
their capital city Tenochtitlan in the middle of Lake Tecoco. At
the center of the city were massive walled complex filled with
palaces, temples and government buildings. The organization
and inventiveness of the Aztec people created an Empire in
the Americas which rivaled any empire in Europe.
Works Cited
Baquedano, Elizabeth. Eyewitness Aztec, Inca & Maya. 1st ed. New
York, NY USA: DK Publishing, Inc., 2005. Print.
Beck, Roger, Linda Black, Larry Krieger, Phillip Naylor, and Dahia Ibo
Shabaka. World History Patterns of Interaction. 1st ed. Evanston,
IL, USA: Houghton Mifflin, 2008. Print.
I.
Aztec Empire
a. 1200 A.D.- 1519 A.D.
II.
Geography
a. Valley of Mexico a mountain basin about 7,500 feet above sea level.
b. Valley had several large lakes with resources and fertile soil.
c. Aztec civilization at its’ height covered roughly 80,000 square miles stretching from central Mexico to the
Atlantic and Pacific coasts.
III.
Timeline of Events
a. 1200 A.D.- Aztecs arrive from Northern Mexico were they were known as Mexica. They were poor
nomadic people but were fierce and ambitious.
b. 1325 A.D.- They founded their city in the middle of Lake Tecoco and called it Tenochtitlan.
c. 1428 A.D.- Aztecs joined two other city-states Texcoco and Tlacopan to form the Triple Alliance. This
alliance would become the leading power in the Valley of Mexico.
d. 1455 A.D.- A huge temple is built to the Aztec war god Huizilopochtli in Tenochtitlan.
e. 1486 A.D.- Rule of Ahuitzotl begins, it marks the Aztecs height of power in Mexico.
f. 1502 A.D.- Aztecs most well known ruler Montezuma comes to power. However, under the pressure of
Montezuma the Aztec empire began to decline.
g. 1519 A.D.- Spanish conquistadors land in Mexico under the command of Hernando Cortes. Cortes will
successfully conquer the great Aztec Empire.
IV.
Culturea. Foodi. Aztecs main diet consisted of maize (which is like corn), it was supplemented by other vegetables
such as beans and squash.
b. Tradei. Trade was critical in the Aztec empire. Goods like cacao beans and feathers were in great
demand. These items were used as money to pay taxes.
ii. Aztec merchants went to distant lands to trade for items like tropical feathers, gold, fine stones,
and jaguar skins.
c. Religioni. Religion was very important to the Aztec people. Sacred buildings such as temples and pyramids
became the central point for religious activities.
ii. Aztecs were very concerned with the sun because the weather was closely tied with the survival
of their civilization.
iii. Human sacrifices were often done to feed the gods with human blood, thereby keeping the sun
alive.
V.
Government
a. Social Classes were very important in Aztec Society: at the top was the emperor, followed by Nobles
(government officials, generals and religious leaders), commoners (merchants craftspeople, soldiers and
farmers who owned land) and finally enslaved people.
b. At the center of Tenochtitlan was a massive walled complex filled with palaces, temples and government
buildings.
VI.
Hand Drawn Artifactsa. Artifact 1: The Great Temple
i. This was a giant pyramid with twin temples at the top, one dedicated to the sun god and the other
the rain god. This pyramid served as the religious center for the Aztecs. This temple was the
center of all human sacrifices.
b. Artifact 2: The Aztec Sunstone
i. This Aztec calendar stone measured 13ft in diameter and weighs 24 tons. This stone contains a
calendar of the days that began and ended each month, the gods associated with each days and
many other details