United States · Common Core State Standards
6th Grade Ancient Civilizations
A comprehensive journey through the earliest human societies and the great civilizations of the ancient world. This 6th-grade curriculum covers human origins, Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, Greece, Rome, and the Americas.
Foundations of Human Society
Exploring the origins of humankind in Africa, the migration across the globe, and the monumental shift from nomadic life to settled agriculture.
How archaeologists, anthropologists, and historians use primary sources, fossils, and artifacts to reconstruct history.
The emergence of early humans in East Africa and the environmental factors that drove global migration.
The lifestyle of hunter-gatherers, focusing on tool-making, fire, and the expression of early art in caves.
The transition to farming and animal domestication that led to the first permanent human settlements.
A case study of one of the world's oldest towns, examining its unique architecture and social organization.
Identifying the characteristics of civilization, including government, religion, social classes, and writing.
Mesopotamia: The Land Between Two Rivers
The birth of urban life in the Fertile Crescent, from the Sumerian city-states to the rise of the first empires.
How the Tigris and Euphrates rivers provided both life-giving water and destructive floods.
The political structure of independent cities like Ur and Uruk, and the role of the Ziggurat.
The development of the first writing system and the themes of the Epic of Gilgamesh.
Analyzing the Babylonian system of justice and its impact on social order.
The rise of military technology and the architectural wonders of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
The maritime empire of the Phoenicians and their revolutionary contribution to the alphabet.
Ancient Egypt & Kush
The "Gift of the Nile": exploring the stability of Egyptian dynasties, their religious devotion, and the neighboring Kingdom of Kush.
The importance of the annual flood and the natural barriers that protected Egypt from invasion.
The era of the pyramid builders and the concept of the Pharaoh as a living god.
The complex belief system regarding the afterlife and the preservation of the physical body.
Expansion, trade, and the famous rulers like Hatshepsut, Akhenaten, and Ramses II.
The Egyptian writing system and the historical breakthrough that allowed us to read it.
The African kingdom south of Egypt that eventually conquered Egypt and became a center for ironworking.
Social hierarchy, the role of women, and the lives of farmers and artisans.
Ancient India
From the mysterious Indus Valley civilization to the Mauryan and Gupta Empires, and the birth of major world religions.
The advanced urban planning of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa.
The arrival of the Indo-Aryans and the development of the caste system and Hindu beliefs.
The life of Siddhartha Gautama and the spread of Buddhist philosophy.
Unification of India and Ashoka's transformation into a peaceful Buddhist ruler.
Advancements in mathematics, science, and literature during India's most prosperous era.
Ancient China
The isolation and innovation of early Chinese dynasties, the philosophy of social order, and the impact of the Silk Road.
The role of the Yellow and Yangtze rivers and the earliest evidence of Chinese writing.
The transition of power and the rise of feudalism in early China.
Three competing philosophies that emerged during the Warring States period to restore order.
The unification of China, the Great Wall, and the standardized systems of the first Emperor.
The expansion of the empire, the civil service exam, and the opening of trade with the West.
Ancient Greece
The foundations of Western democracy, philosophy, and art in the city-states of the Mediterranean.
The early seafaring cultures of Crete and the mainland, and how the rugged landscape shaped Greek life.
The evolution of government from monarchy to direct democracy under leaders like Pericles.
The rigorous life of Spartan citizens and the structure of their oligarchy.
Conflict with an outside empire and the subsequent civil war that weakened the Greek city-states.
The search for truth through reason by Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.
The conquest of the known world and the blending of Greek, Persian, Egyptian, and Indian cultures.
The religious beliefs of the Greeks and the cultural importance of athletic competition.
Ancient Rome & The Americas
The rise and fall of the Roman Republic and Empire, alongside the development of complex societies in the Western Hemisphere.
The establishment of a representative government and the struggle between Patricians and Plebeians.
The reign of Augustus and the 200-year period of relative peace and prosperity.
The origins of Christianity in Judea and its eventual adoption as the official religion of the Empire.
The internal and external factors that led to the collapse of Rome in 476 CE.
The sophisticated city-states of Mesoamerica, known for their astronomy and calendar systems.
The rise of Tenochtitlan and the complex social and religious life of the Aztecs.
The mountain empire of the Andes, connected by an incredible road system and the Quipu.
The Mississippian mound builders and the Ancestral Puebloans of the Southwest.
A concluding look at how these civilizations still influence modern law, language, and technology.