Introduction to Ancient
Civilizations
# is the same on your worksheet; use it to help you stay on task
1. What is History?
Copy  History is the study of the past.
bolded
words!  Historians are people who study history.
 How people lived and why?
 What were the problems and how did people found
solutions?
 Where did people work, fight, trade, farm, and
worship?
 They study the past to understand people’s culture.
 Culture is the knowledge, beliefs, customs, and values
of a group of people.
2. What is Archaeology?
 Archaeology is the study of the past based on
what people left behind.
 Archaeologists, or people who practice
archaeology, explore places where people
once lived, worked, or fought.
 The things people left behind may include
jewelry, dishes, or weapons, stone tools, or
huge buildings.
 Archaeologists examine the objects to see
what they tell us about the past.
3. Using Clues
 We must rely on a variety of sources to learn
history.
 A fossil is a part of imprint of something that
was once alive.
 Bones and footprints preserved in rock
 Artifacts are objects created by and used by
humans
 Coins, arrowheads, tools, toys, pottery
4. Sources of Information
 Historical sources come in two types.
 A primary source is an account of an event created by
someone who took part in or witnessed the event.
 Treaties, letters, diaries, laws, and court documents
 A secondary source is information gathered by
someone who did not take part in or witness an event.
 History textbooks, journal articles, and encyclopedias
5. Studying Geography
 Geography is the study of the earth’s physical and
cultural features
 Geography influenced the early development of
cultures.
 Ex. People who lived along rivers learned to make
fishhooks and boats, while those far from rivers did
not.
 Geography has helped shape history and has affected
the growth of societies.
 Ex. Society first formed along rivers b/c crops grown
on the fertile land fed large populations
6. Primary Source
 “They are the captains and kings, saints and fanatics,
traitors, rogues and villains, pathfinders and explorers,
thinkers and creators, even, occasionally, heroes. They are
significant---if not necessarily admirable…they matter. They
are the actors, not the acted upon, and are consequently
that much more interesting.”
 Why does the author think the people she discusses are
interesting?
 A. They write books about history.
 B. They do things that are remembered.
 C. They obey the laws of their societies.
 D. The author knows more about those people.
7. Timeline
 BC (Before Christ) or BCE (Before Common Era)
 AD (Ano Domino) or CE (Common Era)
 Put the following dates in order from oldest to most
recent.
 ______ 523 AD
 ______ 32 BC
 ______ 1500 BC
 ______ 84 AD
 ______ 893 BC
 Which cities were early Buddhist areas?
 A. Summatra and Sarnath, B. Sarnath and Bodh Gaya,
C. Tibet and Sanchi, D. Sarnath and Nepal
 What country did Buddhism begin in?
 A. China B. Jerusalem C. Japan D. India