Ancient Civilization Primary Sources

The Primary Sources series is the winner of the 2015 Academics' Choice Awards for the 2015 Smart Book Award in recognition of mind-building excellence. The Ancient Civilization Primary Sources is a pack of 20 primary source that are printed on sturdy 8.5 X 11 card stock.

We have created a FREE Online Teacher's Guide for Primary Sources to help you to teach primary sources more effectively and use creative strategies for integrating primary source materials into your classroom. This FREE Online Teacher's Guide for Primary Sources is 15 pages. It includes teacher tools, student handouts, and student worksheets.

Ancient Civilization Primary Sources are just what teachers need to help students learn how to analyze primary sources in order to meet Common Core State Standards!

Students participate in active learning by creating their own interpretations of history using historical documents. Students make observations, generate questions, organize information and ideas, think analytically, write persuasively or informatively, and cite evidence to support their opinion, hypotheses, and conclusions. Students learn how to integrate and evaluate information to deepen their understanding of historical events. As a result, students experience a more relevant and meaningful learning experience.

The 20 Ancient Civilization Primary Sources are:

• 1. Photograph of ancient cuneiform writing in Ur, southern Iraq the cuneiform system of writing was developed by ancient Sumerians of Mesopotamia circa 3500-3000 BCE
• 2. Photograph of excavated ruins of Mohenjo-daro, city of the Indus Valley civilization that flourished between 3000 and 2000 BCE
• 3. Examples from Babylonian King Hammurabi's Code his laws set up a universal system of justice for his empire circa 1790 BCE
• 4. Ancient Egyptian agricultural scene from the Tomb of Nakht circa 1500 BCE
• 5. Photograph of Mykonos vase one of the earliest known depictions of the Trojan Horse that Greeks used to enter Troy during Trojan War 1194-1184 BCE
• 6. Portion of marble relief of Assyrian King Ashurbanipal depicts military campaigns against Elam between 668 and 627 BCE
• 7. Statue of Siddhartha Gautama ("the Buddha), on whose teachings Buddhism was founded 4th century BCE
• 8. Photograph of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece temple dedicated to the goddess Athena construction began in 447 BC
• 9. Photograph of Great Wall of China at Jinshanling Great Wall was originally conceived in 3rd century BCE by Emperor Qin Shi Huang
• 10. Carving from the Alexander Sarcophagus showing Alexander the Great fighting Persians at the Battle of Issus in 333 BCE
• 11. Photograph of Terracotta Army sculptures of soldiers buried approximately 210 BCE with Qin Shi Huang, first Emperor of China
• 12. Photograph of Roman aqueduct built approximately 1st century CE in Segovia, Spain
• 13. Sculpture from the Arch of Titus in Rome depicting items taken from the Jewish temple after the Siege of Jerusalem in 70 CE arch built 82 CE
• 14. Photograph of the Roman Colosseum used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles construction completed in 80 CE
• 15. Photograph of a stone ring representing a goal in the Maya Ball Court at Chichn Itz, Mexico circa 600-900 CE
• 16. Photograph of Machu Picchu ancient Inca city built high in the Andes Mountains city built approximately 1450
• 17. Map of Tenochtitln, capital city of the Aztec civilization built on an island in Lake Texcoco map created 1524
• 18. Image of Aztecs seeding, tilling, and harvesting maize from the Florentine Codex circa 1540
• 19. Photograph of three men and a camel on the paw of the partially excavated Great Sphinx of Giza in Egypt circa 1878
• 20. Photograph of Egyptologist Howard Carter examining the tomb of King Tut 1923
Your students will:
• Think critically and analytically, interpret events, and question various perspectives of history.
• Participate in active learning by creating their own interpretations instead of memorizing facts and a writer's interpretations.
• Integrate and evaluate information provided in diverse media formats to deepen their understanding of historical events.
• Experience a more relevant and meaningful learning experience.