HISTORY.

4th ESO
UNIT 0: INTRODUCTION TO HISTORY

UNIT 0  INTRODUCTION TO HISTORY 

 

SUMMARY 

● What is a civilisation? 
● Chronology 
● Geographical location 
● Politics 
● The economy 
● Society 
● Culture 

This lesson belongs to….

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1-. WHAT IS A CIVILIZATION? 

History is the study of human civilizations that have existed in the past, such as Ancient Egypt, Classical
Greece or the Roman Empire.

A civilization is a human society that exists in a particular time and place, with a complex organization
which includes political, economic, social and cultural elements. The specific nature of these elements and
their organization make each civilization unique.

Elements of a civilization:

Geographical location.    Economy 

Elements of a civilization 
Location in time  Society 

Politics.  Culture 

Using these different elements, we can identify, study, analyse and describe any of the civilizations that
have existed since the invention of writing over 5.000 years ago.

2-. CHRONOLOGY. 

KEY WORDS

● Chronology: order in which a series of events occurs in time

● Historical period: period of time with common characteristics, beginning and ending with a an
important change.
● Reign: period of time during which a monarch or emperor rules.
● Emperor: ruler of an empire
● Historian: person who studies and writes about history

The chronology of a civilization refers to its location in time, shown in ears, decades, centuries or historical
periods. To establish a chronology we need to determine the order in which important events happened.

A timeline is a graphic representation of a chronology. Timelines can indicate the major events of an entire
civilization, a specific historical period or a particular process. For example, we can make a timeline for the
entire Roman Empire, the reign of only one emperor or the events of one particular war during his reign.

- Before and After Christ 

In their chronologies, historians often use the birth of Christ as an important point of reference:

● years before Christ’s birth are indicated by the letters B.C. (Before Christ) or BCE (Before the 
Common Era) 
● years after his birth are indicated by the letters A.D. (Anno Domini — ‘the year of our Lord’ in
Latin) or CE (Common Era). 

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Making a timeline 

The following information should always appear on a timeline:

● the beginning and end dates for the entire timeline

● the major periods into which we can divide the timeline
● the dates of important events, such as the start of a new government, a battle or the approval of a
new law.
● The distance between the events on a timeline should be proportional to the amount of time that
passed between them.
● The dates of all the events should be indicated in the same format — that is. by year, decade or
century.

Timeline about Ancient Rome.

3-. GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION 

KEY WORDS

● Develop: emerge and grow

● Border: frontier separating one country or region from another
● Trade (n.): buying, selling or exchanging products
● Sword: weapon with a long metal

The geographical location of a civilisation refers to the regions or continents where it develops. We can
represent this development graphically with a historical map that provides information about:
● Politics ~ borders, countries, battles
● Economy — resources, productive areas, trade routes
● Society — population, cities, towns, villages
● Culture — language, religion, artistic centres.
All maps should have a key that explains any symbols used, such as;
● Lines — for borders, roads or trade routes
● Colours — to identify different regions .
● Dots or stars — for towns and cities
● Arrows — for movements, such as migration
● Swords or cannons — for battles.

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Analysing a historical map 

To analyse a historical map, we should follow these steps.

1. Describe the information that is represented on the map:

● Geographical area and chronology, for example, Spain from 200 to 500 AD.
● Civilisations that existed in that place and time, for instance, Roman Hispania.
● The type of information shown,such as political divisions, roads and cities.
● Symbols explained In the key like stars, dots and coloured lines.

2. We can then discuss the Information provided by the map and compare it with our prior knowledge
about the topic. For example, does the map tell us anything new?

3. We can then evaluate the information and make conclusions. For example: is the map completely
detailed enough?

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4-. POLITICS. 

KEY WORDS  

● Legislative: related to the part of government that makes laws

● Executive: related to the part of government that puts Iaws into action.
● Judicial: related to the legal system
● Authority: person or body with the recognized power or right make decisions.
● Citizen: inhabitant of a town, city or state who has certain rights

Politics refers to the governing m of a country or area, and especially the relationships between groups
that have power.

The state is a structure that exercises three types of power, usually through three branches of government:
the legislative, executive and judicial branches.

POWERS OF THE STATE

Legislative Executive Judicial

Passes laws Applies laws and governs Judges if the laws are being
obeyed.

The government makes decisions about issues that affect the entire country, such as education and
healthcare. Civil servants are people who work directly for the state and put the government's decisions
into practice. They can include a variety of people, such as teachers, doctors, office workers, judges or
military personnel. All of them are called civil service. 

In many-countries, government is divided into two parts. 

● Central government controls act1v1t1es that affect all the inhabitants of the country.
● Regional and local government control activities that affect all the inhabitants in a specific
region, province or municipality of the country-

Throughout history, there have been various types of government with different individuals or groups of
people holding power. For example:

● In a monarchy, a monarch (either a king or queen) controls a kingdom.

● In an empire, an emperor or empress controls a state or a group of states.
● In a republic, a president is the highest authority of the state.

We can also classify governments into two groups, depending on the distribution of the state´s powers:

● In a dictatorship, one person, known as a dictator, has all the power.

● In a democracy, the power belongs to the citizens of the state, who vote for political
representatives in elections.

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5-. THE ECONOMY

KEY WORDS

● Raw material: basic material from which products are made

● Manufacture: make or produce something
● Goods: products which can be bought and sold
● Feudal: social system in which crown in return for military service, loyalty or produce

The economy of a society refers to the management of its resources, production and commercial activities.
A country or region´s economic activities are normally divided into three different sectors.

ECONOMIC SECTORS 

Primary sector  Secondary sector  Tertiary sector  Quaternary sector 

Activities related to the Activities related to the Activities that provide Activities related to IT
extraction of raw production of services, such as and innovation.
materials from nature, manufactured goods, clothes, education,
such as farming, fishing, such as clothes, healthcare, tourism,
forestry and mining. furniture or vehicles. trade or banking

We can classify economies into different types. The two most general are closed economies and open
economies.

In a closed or subsistence economy, the population depends on resources, goods and services that are
provided by its own members. There is little or no trade with other regions. Closed economies were typical
in feudal societies.

In an open economy, the population exchanges resources, goods and services with people from other
regions or countries. For example Ancient Rome had a very open economy, with lots of foreign trade.

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6-. SOCIETY  

KEY WORDS 

● Weath: property or other possessions.

● Hierarchical: arranged in order of rank or importance.
● Middle Ages: period of history from the fall of the Roman Empire to the end of the 15th century.
● Early Modern Age: period of history from 1492 to 1789.
● Clergy: collective term for people in religious service, such as priests or monks.
● Privilege: special rights or benefits
● Peasantry: collective term for small farmers of low social status

Society is composed of people who live in a specific geographical location and have relationships with
each other. These people can be divided into smaller groups according to characteristics like wealth,
social position, ethnic background and culture.

A closed society. 

There are two general types of societies: closed and open.

In a closed society, there is a rigid social system which does not allow people to change groups easily.
An example is the estates of the realm — a hierarchical, closed society that was common in Europe during
the Middle Ages and Early Modern Age.

In this system, there were three social groups, known as estates.

● The First Estate was formed by members of the clergy, such as bishops, priests, abbots and
monks. This group possessed special privileges.
● The Second Estate was formed by members of the nobility, such as dukes, counts, barons and
knights. Membership of this group depended on noble birth or royal favour. The Second Estate
also possessed special privileges.
● The Third Estate was formed by members of the middle class and the peasantry. Unlike the
clergy and the nobility, this group did not possess any special privileges.

  Privileged groups  Non-privileged groups 

   
CLOSED 
SOCIETY  Nobility  Clergy  Middle class  Peasantry 
 

An open society. 

This is our current society, which was born in the middle of the 19th century. In an open society, social
groups are not rigid, so people can move more easily between them. An example is a class—based
society in which social status (lower, middle or upper class) depends on wealth and property. When people
become richer or poorer, their class status changes.

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Lower class

OPEN SOCIETY Middle class

Upper class

7- CULTURE 

Culture refers to a society's beliefs, customs and knowledge, as well as its artistic, literary, scientific and
technological achievements.

As a result, culture reflects a people´s way of life, attitudes and values,. In addition, it also demonstrates
how a society thinks about and explains the world around it.

Some of the most important elements of culture are:

● Religion: People´spiritual beliefs and practices.

● Mythology — fantastic stories about 90:15 or heroes used to explain things that people don´t
understand
● Philosophy: The study of humanity and questions about the meaning of life, such as Who am I?
or Why are we here?.
● Literature — written works that people create to express their feelings, narrate events and
describe their historical context.
● Art - production of works appreciated for their beauty in architecture. decorative arts (e.g.
painting and sculptures) music, photography and cinema
● Science: the study of life and the world around us, including natural science, mathematics and
medicine. This knowledge can also produce technological advances.

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A  EXERCISES ABOUT CIVILISATION, CHRONOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHY. 

 

A1- Mention two civilizations for each continent:

a. In America:
b. In Europe:
c. In Asia:
d. In Africa:
e. In Oceania:

A2- Find the appropriate word related to chronology: 

● The period of thirty days:

● The period of ten years.
● The period of a hundred years:
● The period of seven days:
● The period of a thousand years:
● The period of six months:
● The period of five years:
● The period of three months:

A3-. Describe what represents all these date for differentes civilisations:

Historical fact Type of calendar

776 B.C.

753 B.C.

509 B.C.

622

38 B.C.

1789

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A4-. Look at this Modern History timeline:

a) What are the beginning and end dates of this timeline? How many years did it last?

b) How many historical periods does the timeline show? How are these periods Indicated?

c) Write here the subperiods that are underline and explain why they are relevant to history.

A5-. What information can historical maps give us? Write if it is related to politics, economy,
society or culture.

Language Cities Borders Resources

Religion Countries Battles Productive areas

Artistic centres Population Invasions Gross Domestic Product

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A6-. Look at the map symbols. What do you think they mean?

B  EXERCISES ABOUT POLITICS AND SOCIETY 

B1-. Complete the text using these words:

branches judging passes practice three region

executive obeyed power processes judicial structure

Politics involves the various _____________ of government in a country, _____________,, or other area.
A state Is a political ______________ that exercises _________ different types of ______________,
usually through .different _______________ of government: legislative, ______________ and judicial.

The legislative branch ________________ laws, while the executive branch puts those laws into
__________ and enforces them. The __________________ branch is responsible for ____________
whether or not the laws are being ________________ by everyone.

B2-. Look at these sentences. Are they true or false? Correct the false sentences.

a) Civil servants make decisions about matters that affect the entire population of a country.

b) Civil servants put the government's decisions into practice.

c) Public-school teachers are civil servants.

d) The central government only controls some of the regions or provinces of a country.

e) A king is the person who rules a kingdom.

f) The citizens of a democracy choose their own political representatives.

9) In a dictatorship, one person monopolises all the power.

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B3-. Match the economic sectors to the activities. Then copy the table in your exercise book.

● Using raw materials to produce manufactured goods. A. Primary

● Providing services for other secondary members of society. B. Quaternary
● Extracting raw materials from nature. C. Secondary
● Creating new technological devices by innovating. D. Tertiary

B4-. Make a list of the economic activities that are most important in the town, city or region where
you live. Which sector(s) do those activities belong to?

B5. Underline the correct word, choosing between every both options.

In a closed society, people's sociaI/ politicaI status depends on their age/birth and family connections.
For example, in the estates system of the Middle Ages / Modern Age, people were born into either the
Second Estate (nobility/peasantry) or into the Third Estate (peasantry and middlecIass/clergy).

Members of both the Second and Third Estates could join the clergy/ royalty and become members of
the First Estate. However, the most important clergy usually came from noble or rich/poor families.

B6-. Discuss these questions and the write your answers:

a) Do we live in a closed or open society today?

b) What factors can affect a person's social status or success in our society today?

c) Can people today change their social status easily?Why or why not?

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B7- Work with the map and the timeline:

a. When did the War of the Spanish Succession begin? How long did it last?.

b. Which European territories did Spain lose?

c. Which countries gained those territories?

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d. How important was their loss for Spain?

e. Compare this map to a map of Europe today. Which countries have fairly similar frontiers? Which
regions are completely different?

C  EXERCISES ABOUT CULTURE 

 

C1-. Match the descriptions to the elements of culture:

a) The study of life and the world around us:______________________

b) Written works that people create:__________________________

c) People’s spiritual beliefs and practices:_____________________

d) The study of humanity and the meaning of Iife:_____________________

9) Creative expression, often visual:________________________

f) Fantastic stories about ancient gods and heroes:________________________

C2-. Look at these lists of famous people. In which areas of culture were their achievements?

A. Miguel de Cervantes, William Shakespeare

B. Marie Curie, Severo Ochoa
C. Antonio Gaudí, Gustave Eiffel
D. Socrates, Marta Zambrano
E. Luis Bufiuel, Marilyn Monroe
F. Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi
G. Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein
H. Leonardo Da Vinci, Pablo Picasso
I. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Richard Wagner

D  REVISION EXERCISES  

D1. In pairs, discuss the differences between these terms:

A. legislative / executive powers

B. central / regional and local government
C. monarch/ president

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D. dictatorship / democracy
E. open / closed economy.

D2- Read the descriptions of economic activities. Are they primary, secondary or tertiary sector?

● A school that teaches fashion design:_____________

● A farm where cotton is grown:___________________
● A factory which makes dresses:_____________________
● A bank that offers credit cards:____________________
● A shop that sells cotton clothing:___________________________
● A website for a fashion magazine:_________________________
● A factory where cotton fabric is made:_______________________
● A company that transports clothes:____________________

D3-. Are these sentences true or false? Correct the false sentences and write why.

a) An open economy has commercial relationships with other regions and countries.
b) In a closed economy, people are very dependent on products that come from other areas.
c) In an open society, it is difficult for people to change from one social class to another.
d) In a closed society, people’s families have an important effect on their social status.

D4-. Complete the table in your exercise book, using these words about society:

abbot baron count farmer shopkeeper peasant

banker bishop duke monk priest

First Estate Second Estate, Third Estate.

D5-. Complete the text about politics with the following words to show the difference between a 
republic and a constitutional monarchy:

Constitution Republic Separation

Elected Government Represents

Executive Inherits Political

Monarch President

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A republic is a form of _______________________ that, like a constitutional monarchy, has a

_________________ and a ______________ structure based on the _______________ of powers. The
difference between the two systems lies in the figure that ______________________ the country and
exercises _______________ power. In a constitutional monarchy this figure is the ______________, who
_______ his or her position, whereas in a ________________ the main figure is a president who is
______________ by the people in general elections.

D6-. Put several examples of countries which have these political governments:

Example 1 Example 2 Example 3

Republic

Constitutional
monarchy

Dictatorship

Parliamentary
monarchy

D7. -Complete this summary text with the words shown below:

Rome Characteristics Chronology Primary

Self-sufficient Monarchies Art Services
Religion Birth Maps Open
Timelines A.D. Governing Executive
Judicial dictatorship BC. Secondary
republics

● History involves the study of civilisations, such as Ancient Egypt, Greece or

_____________________
● Each civilisation has its own social, political, economic and cultural ____________
● ________________ is the location of historical events in their correct place in time.
● Western culture divides history into two major eras: before the birth of Christ __________ and
after the birth of Christ (___________________ )
● _____________________show a sequence of historical periods and the chronological order of
key events and developments - -
● Geographical location in history can be shown by historical_______________ , which include
political, social or cultural developments

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● Politics refers to the ________________ of a country or region

● Government can be divided into three branches: _________________ , legislative and
_________________
● There are various forms of government, depending on who holds power. These include empires,
___________ , _____________ , democracies and _______________.
● The economy is divided into three main sectors: __________________ (concerned with the
extraction of raw materials), ________________ (manufacturing) and tertiary
(___________________ ).
● An economy can be closed (____________) or open to trade with other societies
● In closed societies, social status, is usually decided by ______________________
● In ________________ societies, people can move from one social group to another
● Culture reflects the way people in.a society think and explain the world around them. It Includes
various elements, such as _______________, __________________, literature, philosophy and
science.

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