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SS - G7 U1-L2 Themes of World History
SS - G7 U1-L2 Themes of World History
Introduction
In this lesson you will learn about the way we interpret civilizations that have
existed in unique locations all across the globe. Each of these groups arose in
different places and at different times. But there are many common themes among
them.
Of course, world history is more than the rise and fall of civilizations. It’s also
about the themes that we find in each of the civilizations. In addition, they might
share similar characteristics or traits. How people interact with their environment,
how and what they believe, and the way they govern all come from somewhere in
the past in some way. Learning the ways that people once lived helps us
understand the themes of our own world and time because many of these ancient
ways still exist.
While studying history, you’ll learn about each of these civilizations based on their
location in the world. But first, let’s explore them based on their common themes.
Keep these patterns in mind as you explore the wonders of the ancient world.
These obelisks at Aksum in present-day Ethiopia were probably built in the 4th
century C.E. An ancient practice in the region was to build obelisks to mark burial
sites.
Social Studies
Vocabulary
gender roles
kinship
pastoral nomad
1. Thematic Approach
Historians use themes to identify patterns in history. Many possible themes can
apply to historical events. Two broad themes are continuity and change, that is,
the way things have stayed the same or changed over time. Two other broad
themes are integration and difference. Integration refers to ways in which the
peoples of the world have been drawn together by historical factors. Difference
concerns how they have remained distinct and diverse.
Among the topics covered by this theme aregender roles and relations, including
the place of women in society. Other topics include customs relating to family and
kinship, racial and ethnic differences and their impact on society, and divisions of
social and economic class.
Various topics fall under the theme of development of political institutions and
ideas. Forms of government, how city-states and civilizations grow, and the ways
political revolts and revolutions happen are examples of these topics.
Belief Systems An additional key theme is the creation and development of belief
systems. As ideas continued to develop throughout the ancient world, new
philosophies and religions began to emerge. These belief systems often brought
great social and political change.
A number of topics fall under the theme of belief systems. Here are some
examples:
Civilizations and kingdoms that arose in ancient Egypt demonstrate each of the six
key themes.
About 25 million years ago, a primate group called the Great Ape family split into
apes and monkeys. Both groups thrived in trees, but they had some differences
between them. While apes used their arms for locomotion by swinging in trees,
monkeys primarily used their four legs for travel. As apes developed strong vision,
monkeys developed a better sense of smell. Apes later split up into two other
groups: today’s apes (chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas) and hominins. Some of
these hominins went on to become modern humans.
Evolution of Homo sapiens outpaced the other hominin groups about 70,000 years
ago as its brain growth continued, which required larger food intake. These larger
brains made great social and technological advances such as pair-bonding, sharing
of knowledge and technical skill, the ability to imagine and plan, and the creation
of cultures and myths. Pair-bonding, or having a single mate, allowed for more
extensive child rearing and contributed to survival success.
The ability of early humans to adapt to their environments proved crucial to their
survival when Africa’s climate got worse about 160,000 years ago, making it
unlivable. Many of our early ancestors died during this time, but others migrated
to the southern coast where they found food and resources. The larger brains of
early humans also let them talk and work with one another. The cognitive, social,
and technological advances of these early humans allowed them to better exploit
and defend their territories. For these early humans, territory that was rich in
natural resources was worth defending from invaders because access to resources
led to increased probability of survival.
Early humans moved across the Earth and most continents about two million years
ago, driven by population gains and increased competition for food. Additionally,
they began to farm, which led to new inventions and innovations. These included
the herding of animals, smelting of metals, the plough, twisted rope, musical
instruments, religious worship, and complex boats. Earlier breakthroughs were the
discovery of fire, cooking, and development of tools. With these discoveries and
farming, larger communities and complex urban societies grew.
Cave paintings and carvings like this one reveal interesting details about ancient
peoples. They also give information about ancient inventions and cultures. This
carving from Newspaper Rock in present-day Utah shows ancient Indigenous art.
The inventions and ideas created between 4000 and 1000 B.C.E. were very
important for further development. These included the wheel, writing, complex
metallurgy (metal working), codes of law, mathematics, and astronomy.
New ideas about social structures also occurred during this time. As the global
population grew, powerful leaders rose up and combined smaller tribes into larger
city-states with governments. These city-states were often ruled by kings, and
sometimes queens, who said gods gave them power that could be passed down
With the support of political elites, these rulers taxed people from both cities and
rural areas to pay for bureaucracies, armies, irrigation works, and architecture.
Writing was further improved to record the actions of these governments and
leaders. This allowed for ideas about governments, religion, science, and literature
to be shared with others over larger distances. In addition, early writings from
Hinduism and Judaism set the stage for some later religions.
As city-states kept growing, some farmers migrated into more rural areas of
Africa, Southeast Asia, North and South America, and Europe. They also moved to
the steppes of Central Asia to start a new way of farm life. There, people called
pastoral nomads lived off the livestock they herded and often came into their
local city-state to trade. Pastoral nomadism allowed humans to adapt to climate in
large numbers by relocating when farmland was poor and to graze their herds over
vast areas.
Sometimes wars broke out between urban and rural societies, which often gave
the city-states power over farmers. These warring societies were sometimes ruled
by monarchies that had vastly expanded their control over agricultural regions.
Those who were not ruled by these monarchies may have remained in small
villages or lived as hunter-gatherers or pastoral nomads.
The Chinese made many inventions that improved agricultural methods for
farming.
As the number of cities grew, a new and larger form of state developed: the
empire. During this age of empires, the same patterns of change from the previous
era continued—but at an accelerated rate. These complex new empires became
much more efficient at controlling people’s lives and habits and gathering taxes.
There were many large empires in the ancient world.In Mesopotamia, the
Assyrian and Babylonian empires thrived. Persia was home to the Achaemenid,
Parthian, and Sasanian empires. The Kushan Empire in Central Asia, the Maurya
Empire in India, and the kingdom of Kush in the upper Nile River valley each made
unique contributions to the ancient world and its people.
The largest empires were the Roman Empire and the Chinese Han Empire. At one
point, the Romans controlled the entire Mediterranean Sea area and much of
Europe. While they did not rule a large part of the Earth’s land, these two empires
accounted for about half of the world’s people.
Along the Silk Road, merchants traveled long distances to get to their rural and
urban destinations. The Silk Road allowed the trade of goods and ideas, which is
how religions from across the globe were able to reach different peoples.
Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, Greek thought, and the philosophy of
Confucianism were all spread along this route and changed based on the social
orders within each society.
The creation of metal money also helped interactions among ancient peoples.
After spreading throughout the ancient world around the 6th or 5th century
B.C.E., metal money was used in Greece, Egypt, Persia, Phoenicia, Carthage, India,
China, and Rome.
The land and sea routes of the Silk Road played a critical role in fostering cultural
diffusion among various empires of the ancient world.
The Pantheon was built during the Roman Empire, one of the largest empires to
ever exist. Originally a pagan temple, the Pantheon was converted into a Christian
church.
In the 300s C.E., the Romans were facing trouble. By 476, the Western Roman
Empire collapsed and a number of small kingdoms took its place. At the same time,
Christianity spread rapidly across Europe. The Eastern Roman Empire survived as
the Byzantine Empire until 1453. For centuries, Western Europe would become
locked in decline and struggle with itself and its neighbors.
Some of those neighbors included Arabs, who began to spread Islam from the
Middle East across North Africa and into Spain in the 600s. It eventually arrived in
Asia. The rise of Islam created some conflict with other religions. However, it also
led to a golden age throughout the Islamic world. Later thinkers would use the
discoveries uncovered or rediscovered by Islamic artists, scientists, and writers.
Around the same time, other areas were also experiencing growth. The Tang and
Song dynasties in China restored the Han style of government, engaged in trade,
and made significant cultural developments. In Africa, the empires of Mali and
Ghana developed trade and complex economies. Islam was adopted throughout
As civilizations across the world continued to develop, Europe experienced its own
renaissance in the 15th to 16th centuries. European thinkers made significant
developments in science and art. Europeans then set out to shorten trade routes
with China and India. Their desire to explore led to their encounters with
Indigenous people of the Americas beginning in the 15th century.
Some Indigenous civilizations of North and South America had built cities with
monuments and complex societies. Although they did not have highly developed
writing systems, powerful groups like the Aztec and Inca built complex systems,
cities, and advanced infrastructure to help their populations survive and grow.
However, many of these groups faced disease, starvation, war, and enslavement
after Europeans arrived. The desire by European countries to build new colonies in
these lands also resulted in Africans being enslaved and sent to the Americas.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Europeans began developing new ideas about
government, society, and science. This period is known as the Enlightenment, a
time when thought and society became more secular, or non-religious.
The major changes that took place across the world from 300 to 1750 C.E. were
not just isolated to each region. Over time, they spread to other places around the
entire globe. This period was notable for how places exchanged ideas and goods
through trade. However, it was also marked by the spread of devastating war and
enslavement across continents. Along with the development of the
Enlightenment, these events, ideas, and other ways of understanding the past
continue to have an impact around the world today.
The Aztecs created long-lasting works of art and had a thriving culture. This
calendar stone was excavated in Mexico City.
Lesson Summary
Thematic Approach
Six themes for analyzing world history are human-environment interaction, rise of
civilizations, growth and changes in societies, development of political institutions
and ideas, belief systems, and interconnectedness of societies.
Hominins adapted to their environments and created inventions that helped them
survive. Modern humans evolved from a hominin group called Homo sapiens. After
humans discovered how to farm, communities and civilizations began to emerge.
As cities grew, kings took power and taxed the kingdom’s people to pay for certain
public works. During this time, many important inventions were created and
writing was heavily improved.
All across the ancient world, powerful empires rose from cities. These empires
interacted along a web of trade routes. Both goods and ideas were shared along
the trade routes connecting these places.
Though some areas declined, others grew at a more rapid pace. The expansion of
trade, culture, science, and even violence spread across oceans and continents
through the centuries.
The ancient Greeks built the Parthenon and dedicated it to their goddess Athena.
The ancient Greeks are famous for their religion, government, and Olympic games.
Elements of Geography
3. Physical Systems
Physical geography focuses on processes that shape and change Earth’s surface.
The wearing away of coastlines by ocean waves is a physical process. Most
physical processes work slowly over time. But they create the ecosystems, or
natural environments, in which we live.
4. Human Systems
The Silk Road stretched for more than 4,000 miles across Asia. It connected many
regions of the world from Asia to Africa and Europe along different land and water
routes. However, these were not easy routes to travel. Those brave enough to
journey the Silk Road had to cross various environments such as very hot deserts,
brutally cold mountains, and dangerous waters. Most travelers on the Silk Road
rode slow-moving camels in caravans and traveled eight to fourteen hours each
day. Those who decided to travel the water routes would follow the coastlines of
China, India, and Arabia.
Despite the dangers involved in traveling these routes, the exchanges between the
East and the West brought great benefits. The trade along the Silk Road created
cultural diffusion, in which ideas and knowledge—as well as goods—spread from
one culture to another.
The Silk Road made human activities and interactions across different regions and
cities possible. Geographers used maps from the past and present to study how
these physical environments have changed over time and how they affected
human societies.
Maps are important reference tools when it comes to discussing history and
geography among other subjects. There are many different types of maps that are
used to depict different aspects of a location. Three important types of maps that
Political Maps
Political maps are reference maps that show the boundaries that exist between
different locations. These boundaries can be political and geographic, and they are
often depicted by solid black lines. These types of maps often show different
countries, regions, states, and cities. Political maps also use many different colors
to denote specific locations separated by their political or geographic boundary.
For example, a political map of the United States wouldrepresent each state with
a different color. These types of maps are often used by people who want to know
about the size of a country or region in relation to its surroundings.
Physical Maps
Physical maps are used to reference the physical features of the Earth’s landscape.
Some of these features include oceans, lakes, deserts, and mountains among
others. Physical maps are often created using different colors that are associated
with these physical features. Some common colors that used to create physical
Special purpose maps are different from political and physical maps because they
can be customized to show a specific topic. Special purpose maps can also
combine features from different types of maps into one. For example, a special
purpose map that is created to show population density across a country can also
include aspects of a political map such as the designation of territories.Special
purpose maps often use gradients of colors to depict information. For example, a
dark red color can reference highly dense areas and the red color would get
increasingly lighter as it extends into less populated areas. These types of maps
come in handy when there is specific information needed about a location that is
not available in more commonly used maps.
Public Health
Public health refers to the health of people and the communities that they live in.
Many people work in fields that are considered part of public health—everyone
from research scientists to health educators to restaurant inspectors. Activities of
public health workers include tracking disease outbreaks, informing people about
the risks of alcohol and tobacco use, developing school nutrition programs, and
much more.
The field of public health seeks to prevent illness, injury, and disease in order to
improve quality of life. Public health professionals work towards these goals in
many ways, including education, law making, and research. They teach people how
to stay healthy, campaign for laws that promote health, and research to find news
ways to solve problems as well as to uncover why some people are more likely to
have certain health problems than others.
Public health policy includes all the regulations and actions taken to promote
Some of the largest organizations involved in public health policy include the
World Health Organization (WHO), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The CDC and FDA are
agencies within the executive branch of the U.S. government. However, there are
also nonprofit organizations dedicated to public health policy as well.
Some major areas of public health policy involve traffic safety. These are very
important because it keeps people traveling on and near roads safe from
accidents. For example, school zone speeding laws and helmet laws are safety
precautions made to keep children, teachers, and parents safe when going to
school. Other topics in this area include:
• speed-limit laws
• seat-belt enforcement
Another major area of public health policy is centered around fitness and wellness
policies to promote healthy lifestyles in school. School district wellness policies are
set to make sure that any meals provided by the schools meet the necessary
federal nutrition standards. Schools might also keep fitness reports for students to
ensure that they are maintaining a healthy level of physical activity. Policies like
these make sure that students are provided the resources to stay healthy while in
school. Other topics in this area include:
• bullying prevention
• reporting bullying
• zero tolerance
• Internet safety
• nutritional choices
• immunization requirements
• universal precautions
• child care
• AED availability
Coming up with a public health policy is one thing, implementing it in the general
public is another. If a policy involves a law or regulation, one of the biggest
challenges is figuring out how to monitor and enforce the policy effectively. If a
policy involves education in order to persuade people to make changes or to warn
them about risky behavior, there are more challenges. Some include getting
enough money to fund the educational effort, organizing and coordinating
between different groups or agencies, resistance to change in the public, lack of
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