Unit 3 -Lesson 3: What Were Early Civilizations Like?

Big Ideas of the Lesson

Agrarian civilizations during Era 2 shared many common characteristics like social
hierarchies, central rulers, and advanced culture and technology.
Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, for example, both had polytheistic religions (many gods),
complex social hierarchies, and long periods of rule by a central authority (King or Pharaoh
in these cases). They also traded with each other.
To learn about life and society in these places so long ago, historians build their stories or
accounts of the past by corroborating multiple sources of evidence. Using different sources,
they look for patterns, or commonalities and differences, between the accounts in order to
make conclusions about these different societies.

Lesson Abstract:
In this lesson, students engage in case studies of ancient civilizations in Mesopotamia and Egypt.
They examine secondary accounts of these civilizations to develop an overview of their primary
social institutions. Next, they examine, analyze, and synthesize evidence from primary source
documents to create their own accounts of civilization in either Egypt or Sumer (Mesopotamia). In
doing so, students review the idea that historians question documents sources, read sources
critically, and then create accounts of the past. By engaging in these processes, students take up
historical practices and historical ways of knowing.
Content Expectations1: 7th Grade H1.2.1; H1.2.2; H1.2.3; H1.2.4; H1.4.1; H1.4.2; H1.4.3;
7th Grade: W1.2.3; W1.2.4; W2.1.4
Common Core State Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies: RH.6-8.1, 2, 4, 6, and
7; WHST.6-8.2, 4, and 9; SL.6-8.4
Key Concepts
civilization
evidence
power and authority
river valley civilizations
social hierarchy
specialization

1 The language of the content expectations can be found in the Reference Section at the end of the lesson.