The New Earth
Pack your bags and prepare for a tour
around the world!
Before you begin….
First you’ll need to pick 4 ancient cities
that you will visit on your journey. You’ll
have to plan your travel route and choose
how you will travel. Will you fly? Will you
take a cruise? Or will you take your private
yacht? It’s up to you!
Be Creative
Be creative! Just remember to gather as
much information as you can because
when you come home, you will need to
help develop a new economy for our 21st
century world.
Your Mission:
We need your expertise to help set up a
new, innovative, and successful economic
system that will replace our own. During
your travels, gather information that will
help you set up this new economy for the
21st century.
Good luck and safe travels!
Driving Question
As you travel to the 4 ancient civilizations, study
their economic systems and gather information
to produce a model for a new economy for the
world of the 21st century.
Ask yourself: Why is a well developed economic
system a crucial part of a successful
civilization? What characteristics do we find
common among successful economies?
Overview
While you are creating your model,
think about these factors…
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Trade
Established Social Order
Skill Level
Supply and Demand
Employment
Scarcity
Division of Labor
Population Management
Defense
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Resources
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Natural resources (gas)
Precious metals
Soil
Water
Weather
Social Classes (low,
middle, upper)
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Disparity between poor and rich
What is Economics?
ANCIENT EGYPTIANS
Characteristics of Ancient Egyptian
Economy (Contextualization)
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Sources of wealth were and fishing.
Labor was divided based on gender.
Some of the wheat harvested and belonging to private
owners was stored in state warehouses. So was much of
the grain collected as taxes. Written withdrawal orders by
owners of lots of grain were used as a kind of currency.
Main energy source was muscle power.
Resources available: Copper, gold, grain
Money-barter system
 Standard sacks of grain
 Deben-About 91 grams of copper or silver
ANCIENT CHINA
Characteristics of Ancient China’s
Economy (Contextualization)
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Trade via the Silk Road
Fished, farmed, and irrigated the land
Exported silk
Imported gold
Originally used seashells as money
Development of merit system
Mining was an important industry
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Miners were mainly slaves
ANCIENT ROMANS AND GREEKS
Characteristics of Ancient Greece and
Roman Economy (Contextualization)
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Both economies were based on agriculture
Greeks normally lived on small self-sufficient wheat
producing farms.
Both Greece and Romans worked in mines.
Romans were more interested in trade while the Greeks
felt it was degrading.
They were also both based on coin currency.
Their production of materials were mostly from slave
labor.
MIDDLE AGES
Characteristics of the Middle Ages
Economy (Contextualization)
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Feudal economic and political system
People mainly ate and wore things they produced
themselves
Relied heavily on agriculture
wealth was derived from the land
commodities were wool, glass, leather, metal
Value of coin money depended on:
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weight of coin and
type of metal
increased trading led to the standardization of the coin
Follow the Yellow Brick Road to
your Goal:
Take a stand on the issue and
provide supporting research
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A Resource-Based Economy is a system in which all goods and services
are available without the use of money, credits, barter or any other
system of debt or servitude. All resources become the common heritage
of all of the inhabitants, not just a select few. The premise upon which
this system is based is that the Earth is abundant with plentiful
resource; our practice of rationing resources through monetary methods
is irrelevant and counter productive to our survival.
http://www.thevenusproject.com/anewResource.php
Make a recommendation for
addressing/resolving the issues
raised by the driving question
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After researching the four ancient civilizations and comparing and
contrasting their ability to have a successful economy we were
able to identify what characteristics made their economy weak or
strong.
While researching take note of what you see common among all
that helped their economy. This will help to begin solving your
questions about what characteristics you should be looking for to
include in your new economy.
GUIDE TO PROCESS
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Assignment into groups
Introduction to rubrics
Research (See suggested bibliography)
Virtual field trips
Mind Mapping
Culminating group project (output)
Guide to Resources
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Bibliography
Lists of suggested organizational tools:
Diigo, Google Docs
Group wiki
Mindomo
Tools: Application Tutorials
PODCAST
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http://www.how-to-podcast-tutorial.com/00-podcast-tutorial-four-ps.htm
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/tutorials/podcasting.html
GLOGSTER
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http://appserv.mnstate.edu/instrtech/its/main.php?id=1&menu=1&show=web20
&page=tut4
iMOVIE
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http://www.design.iastate.edu/LABS/tutorials/imovie/basic.html
http://www.apple.com/support/imovie/
iPHOTO
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http://www.apple.com/support/iphoto/tutorial/
GARAGEBAND
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http://comtechlab.iupui.edu/tutorialsfolder/garageband.html
http://www.apple.com/support/garageband/
Tools: Application Tutorials
GOOGLE DOCS
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http://services.google.com/apps/resources/overviews_breeze/DocsSpreadsheets/
index.html
http://www.google.com/google-d-s/tour1.html
POWERPOINT
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http://www.bcschools.net/staff/PowerPointHelp.htm
http://homepage.cs.uri.edu/tutorials/csc101/powerpoint/ppt.html
WIKISPACE
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https://tools-4-teachers.wikispaces.com/Wikispace+Tutorial
DIIGO
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http://www.slideshare.net/cliotech/diigo-tutorial-presentation
Bibliography/Resource Pages
Ancient Egypt
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Carr, Karen "Ancient Egypt Economy." Retrieved April 2, 2009. from Kidpede
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/egypt/
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Thompson, James. “The Egyptian Economy and The Cashless Society and Women’s
Place in it.” July 2003. http://www.womenintheancientworld.com/economy.html
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"Ancient Egypt." 2008, Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia.
http://encarta.msn.com
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“Ancient Egypt.” 2009, Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopdedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Egypt
Ancient China
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KingsParkES. "Technology/ancient/china.htm." www.fcps.edu **Information about
geography, government, economics, and contributions of Ancient China**
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"About Ancient Economy." retrieved April 2, 2009. Ministries of Culture
http://www.chinaculture.org/gb/en_aboutchina/2005-06/23/content_69985.htm
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“Ancient China.” Retrieved April 8, 2009. Kidipede
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/china/
Bibliography/Resource Pages
Middle Ages
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Beckman, Nathan Cheran, Elango. 1998, Feudalism and Manorialism.
**http://web.nickshanks.com/history/medieval/manor**
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Carr, Karen. "Medieval Economy." Retrieved April 2, 2009. Kidpede,
http://www.historyfork ids.org/learn/medieval/economy
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“The End of Europe's Middle Ages.” 1997, Applied History Research Group.
http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/endmiddle/economy.html
Ancient Rome/Greece
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Heaton, Chris. 2008, Ancient Roman Economy, retrieved March 25, 2009. UNRV
History. **http://www.unrv.com/economy.php**
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Carr, Karen. "Ancient Rome Economy." Retrieved April 2, 2009. Kidpede
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/romans/economy/
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Carr, Karen. "Ancient Greece Economy." Retrieved April 2,2009. Kidpede
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/economy/
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"Ancient Greece." 2008, Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia.
http://encarta.msn.com
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"Roman Empire." 2008, Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia.
http://encarta.msn.com
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Harris, William. “Trade and Barter in Ancient Greece.” Retrieved April 6, 2009.
http://community.middlebury.edu/~harris/Classics/EconomicsinGreece.html
Bibliography/Resource Pages
General Economic Websites
"The Road to Riches" Economist.com. 23 Dec. 1999. 27 Mar. 2009
<http://www.economist.com> Article about the effects of the industrial revolution on
the world economy worldeconomy, http://www.economywatch.com/
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"Money in the Ancient World." 2000 retrieved March 25, 2009, Thinkquest,
http://library.thinkquest.org/C004203/economic/main.htm
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"Currency." 2008, Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. http://encarta.msn.com
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"Money." 2008, Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. http://encarta.msn.com
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"Dollar." 2008, Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. http://encarta.msn.com
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"Banking." 2008, Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. http://encarta.msn.com
What factors makes up a successful economic system?