So you're about to start middle school, and you don't really know what it means when your schedule says you'll be learning about "Ancient Civilizations" in Social Studies.
Ancient Civilizations is the study of the people who lived thousands of years ago.
In fact, it begins with the study of the earliest humans. Next, we will trace human development to the emergence of the world's first highly organized societies, called civilizations. To qualify as a true "civilization," a group of people must meet certain characteristics. Finally, we will explore several examples of civilizations that flourish around the Mediterranean Sea.
"Here's a coming attraction of the people, places, ideas, and things coming at you: Your 3.2 million-year-old human ancestor Lucy, mummies, pyramids, Cleopatra, "an eye for an eye", the birth of major religions Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, the birth of democracy, the first Olympics, Julius Caesar, gladiators, the invention of writing, paper, and the wheel, kingdoms built of stone in Africa, the Great Wall of China, the introduction of such concepts as zero, time, and monotheism (the belief in one god), Samurai, martial arts, palaces of gold, and even the Sphinx. Whew!"
Unfortunately, it won't be until 8th grade that you will get to explore the ancient civilizations in China and Japan. Otherwise, this is a quick glimpse into some of the exciting topics to be covered in Social Studies class.
