History / Year 7 / Historical Knowledge and Understanding / Overview of the ancient world

Curriculum content descriptions

key features of ancient societies (farming, trade, social classes, religion, rule of law) (ACOKFH003)

Elaborations
  • exploring why the shift from hunting and foraging to cultivation (and the domestication of animals) led to the development of permanent settlements
  • identifying the major civilisations of the ancient world (namely Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia, Greece, Rome, India, China and the Maya); where and when they existed, and the evidence for contact between them
  • locating the major civilisations of the ancient world on a world map and using a timeline to identify the longevity of each ancient civilisation
  • identifying the major religions/philosophies that emerged by the end of the period (Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Christianity, Islam) and their key beliefs (through group work)
General capabilities
  • Intercultural understanding Intercultural understanding
  • Personal and social capability Personal and social capability
  • Ethical understanding Ethical understanding
ScOT terms

Agriculture,  Law,  Ancient history,  Religion,  Economy,  Socioeconomic status

Video

Systems of Exchange and Trade

This short (4 minute) video offers an overview of the history of world trade, focusing on the beginnings during the time of agrarian civilisations. The four great civilisations of the Romans, the Kushans, the Parthians and the Han Chinese were the key players, with their development of roads, ports and coin systems. The ...

Video

How did the first humans live?

This 10 minute video in three parts offers an overview of what life was like in the ancient world. Part 1 introduces the Palaeolithic era, marked by the use of stone tools, focusing on Homo Sapiens, and the tools used to study this era - archaeology and anthropology. Part 2 discusses human foraging and the specialist techniques ...

Video

Threshold 7: Agriculture

This is a short video offering an overview of the developments from the end of the Ice Age, to the establishing of farming practices. Increasing knowledge about the environment, combined with increasingly dense human communities, led to increasing competition for resources. This in turn led to practices such as irrigation ...

Video

Why was agriculture so important?

This 10 minute video in 2 parts offers an overview of the development of agricultural practices in ancient societies. Part 1 discusses the limitations of foraging for food, and the advantages of farming - the domestication of animals and plants for nutrition. This move to agriculture meant humans changed also - technologically, ...

Online

Creating an Indigenous plant-use garden: planting

The outcomes of this learning activity are for children to: follow instructions and a planting plan; understand the steps involved in planting out and maintaining a successful Indigenous plant-use garden enjoy being active and productive outdoors and build their social and teamwork skills; physically be involved in the ...

Online

Creating an Indigenous plant-use garden: resources from the bush

For thousands of years, First Nations peoples across Australia have been using plants for many different purposes. Plants are used for food, fibre, shelter, medicine, tools and utensils, hunting, music and ceremony. Everything they needed to survive comes from the land. Outcomes of this learning activity are for learners ...

Online

Creating an Indigenous plant-use garden: harvesting

The satisfaction of eating straight from the garden is one of life’s best learning experiences, however we need to be respectful and mindful to only harvest what we need to allow the plant to continue to thrive for generations to come. This activity involves the assessment and mapping of local environments to create a successful ...

Online

Creating an Indigenous plant-use garden: plant list

For thousands of years, First Nations peoples across Australia have been growing and cultivating plants. Plants are grown for many different purposes, including food, tools, medicine, shelter, clothing, hunting, carrying, water craft, ceremony and land management. Everything they needed to survive is provided by the bush. ...

Online

Creating an Indigenous plant-use garden: vision

Planning for an Indigenous plant-use garden is a good way to develop a connection with and respect for First Nations people's perspectives. Use this learning activity to explore exciting ideas, create goals and understand more about successful Indigenous plant-use garden projects. Outcomes of this learning activity are ...

Online

The development of farming in Ancient Societies

This is a unit of work about the development of technologies in farming from ancient societies to present day. Topics explored include: technology in the ancient world; life in Mesopotamia; agricultural changes in Australia; and timeline of technology used in agriculture. The resource includes: a teacher guide; an extract ...

Online

Journey’s end

This is website about emigrants arriving by boat to Victoria in the 19th and early 20th century. The resource has three sections: Introductory information; Story Objects; and Story Education Resources. There are 21 Story Objects, including a video and images with captions that depict the journey and way of life at this ...

Video

Benalla Migrant Camp

While many postwar immigrants were sent to Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre when they arrived in Australia, others lived at the smaller Benalla Migrant Camp. Like Bonegilla, Benalla is in north-east Victoria. Unlike at Bonegilla, however, many immigrants remained at Benalla for over a decade. Listen as Sabine ...

Text

The first modern humans in south-east Asia

This is a multilayered resource about the theories and evidence of the origins of the first modern humans in south-east Asia. It has four sections: Theories; The sout-heast Asian fossil record; The appearance of sout-heast Asian features; and The first modern Indonesians. The Related sections, Related items and Related ...

Text

Vindolanda

This resource is about the Roman garrison established at Vindolanda. It includes extracts from the Vindolanda tablets dating from the period AD 97-103, which documented details of everyday life for a Roman soldier on the north-west frontier of Roman Britain. The resource describes the discovery of the tablets and their ...

Interactive

The chariot of Wetwang

The interactive resource is about the discovery of an Iron Age chariot in a grave in the Yorkshire village of Wetwang in 2001. It has three parts: an account of the discovery of the burial site and the contents of the grave; a detailed explanation of the reconstruction of the chariot; and a quiz to test the knowledge gained ...

Interactive

Gladiator: dressed to kill - game

This interactive resource is a game about gladiators. The game tests students' knowledge about the combat dress of three different types of gladiators known as Murmillo, Retiarius and Hoplomachus. Each uses different weapons and armour. In the game students are required to prepare each gladiator for combat with the correct ...

Interactive

Ages of treasure timeline

This is an illustrated and annotated timeline of the Ancient World, from the Palaeolithic era to the Norman era. The timeline moves through seven distinct eras: Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman, Anglo-Saxon, Viking and Norman. It includes images of the key sites and treasures from Britain's ...

Interactive

Ancient Greeks: Greeks at war

This is a multi-layered resource about the ancient Greeks at war. The text is divided into four sections covering historical facts about who the Greeks fought, The Battle of Marathon, the Greek method of fighting and their armour. It includes a quiz, fun facts, photographs, factsheets, links, and a range of extension activities.

Image

Pillar of Ashoka

This resource is about a significant individual in history. It shows a fragment of a pillar built by the Emperor Ashoka in India about 240 BC. On the fragment is part of an inscription that uses a type of writing known as 'Brahmi'. The inscription is by Ashoka. It reads of how the great conquest in life is not over other ...

Text

Social pecking order in the Roman world

This interactive resource is about the social structure of Ancient Rome. It includes detailed information about the stratification of Roman society and how this affected people's lives. The topics covered are: Legal status; Citizen and non-citizen - which includes information about the imperial hierarchy, the Senate and ...