Early River Valley Civilizations

Research Project
Due Date: _________________
River Valley Civilization__________________________________________________
Directions: Students will be researching and creating a visual and informative presentation about one
of the early river valley civilizations. Students may choose to create a computer generated presentation
(11 slides) or booklet (11 pages) about one of the early river valley civilizations. For numbers two
through nine, gather information about each of the 8 Characteristics of the River Valley Civilization.
Design one slide/page for each of the characteristics. Be sure to include at least one picture, chart, or
graph on each slide/page.
1. Title Slide/Cover Page- Include the name of the civilization, a map, and your name.
2. Cities- Include a map with cities labeled within the civilization.
3. Centralized government- Who was the leader (for example: emperor)? How was the
government organized? What types of rules or laws did the civilization enforce?
4. Specialized jobs- List jobs people had during the time of the civilization.
5. Social classes- Explain how the people were organized into classes. Who were the people at the
top, middle, and bottom?
6. Monumental architecture- What types of buildings or monuments are associated with the
civilization?
7. Highly organized religions- What type of religion did the civilization follow? Name the god or
gods. Explain the rituals.
8. Complex technologies- List items invented or used regularly by the civilization.
9. Writing- What type of writing system did the civilization use? Include a picture of the writing.
10. Contributions to Today- What items or ideas are still used today that came from the river
valley civilization?
11. Works Cited- Document websites, books, and other sources used to create the presentation. Be
sure to use at least three different sources to cross-reference information.
Nile River Valley

Indus River Valley

Tigris & Euphrates

River Valley

Egypt 3200 BCE

Harappa 2600 BCE

Mesopotamia 3600BCE

Yellow River Valley

Shang Dynasty 1700 BCE