Time Travelers to 600B.C. To A.D. 200

This class will be a continuation of the Time Travelers to 2000B.C. to 600B.C. class.  We will pick up right where that class left off and discuss the World civilizations between the years 600 B.C. to A.D. 200 in 30-minute classes.  Even though it is a continuation, the students DO NOT need to take any of my other Time Travelers classes.

In the first class, we will review the basics of how we learn about ancient cultures. Then we will discuss the Persian Empire and New Babylonia. We will learn about different rulers and their contributions and what  happened to lead to the end of these Kingdoms. 

The next two classes will focus on the Greeks. First, we will discuss some of the many achievements of the Classical Greek Era, including government, science and art. We will also briefly discuss the Persian/Greek War and set the stage for our next class. Our next class will focus on Alexander the Great, his conquests and some of the results of those conquests.

In the fourth class, we will explore the Celts, including their holidays and art. We will also discuss their conflict with the Romans and how that affected their culture.

Next, we will head over to Ancient China to learn about the Warring States during the end of the Zhou Dynasty and the short Qin Dynasty that followed. We will discuss how and why the Great  Wall of China was built and some of the other changes that came about during the Qin Dynasty.

In our sixth class, we will briefly discuss the Sabaeans and Nabataeans of the Arabian Peninsula, then hop across the Red Sea to the Nok and Bantu people in Africa. We will learn about some of the architectural achievements of the People of early Arabia and how they made their wealth. We will also discuss some of the changes in the Bantu People's lifestyle as they travel throughout Africa, as well as the technology of the Nok. 

Next, we will visit the Adena and Hopewell People in North America and the Zapotec people of Central America. We will discuss the large earthen artwork left behind by the Adena and Hopewell People  and the great city of Monte Alban that was controlled by the Zapotec. 

For our eighth class, we will head down to South America and explore what we know about the Paracas, Nazca and Moche people. We will also discuss the artwork of these civilizations: the textiles of the Paracas, the large scale desert artwork of the Nazca and the very detailed and life like artwork of the Moche. 

Next, we will explore the steppes and grasslands of Europe and Asia. We will learn about the Scythians and Xiongnu and see how their nomadic lifestyles differ from the others we have discussed.

Our next two classes will focus mostly on the Romans. First, we will learn about the founding of Rome and the typical Roman lifestyle. For the following class, we will focus more on Roman warfare and entertainment.

For our twelfth class, we will return to China and the Han Dynasty. We will briefly discuss the Silk Road and some of the inventions that came about during this Dynasty.

Finally, we will travel to India and discover the Maurya Empire. We will briefly discuss  a few of the religions that began during this time period in India.

For our final class, the students will be asked which of the civilizations they would have liked to have been a part of and why. They will come up with brief stories describing what they would be doing if they had lived back then. We will also be briefly reviewing everything we’ve studied over the past few weeks.

This will be an interactive class. There will be more conversations instead of lecturing.  We will have activities to reinforce some of the ideas and the cultural aspects we study. The information will be presented mostly through pictures and PowerPoint slides. There will be brief, ungraded quizzes to help us review and recall what we had learned in previous classes.  No prior knowledge of this subject is needed. The only materials needed for this class are paper and something to write with.