9th Grade UNIT THREE: CLASSICAL CIVILIZATIONS

The First Civilizations, ca. 10,000 B.C.E. – ca. 630 C.E.

9.3 CLASSICAL CIVILIZATIONS: EXPANSION, ACHIEVEMENT, DECLINE (11-13 days)

Stage 1: Desired Outcomes

Topic / Unit Title: Classic Civilizations
* How do civilizations expand, achieve and fall?
9.3 CLASSICAL CIVILIZATIONS: EXPANSION, Common Core Skills
ACHIEVEMENT, DECLINE (11-13 days)  Reading-Social Studies (RH)
Classical civilizations in Eurasia and Mesoamerica employed a variety of 1. Use relevant information and ideas from documents to support
methods to expand and maintain control over vast territories. They developed analysis
lasting cultural achievements. Both internal and external forces led to the 2. Determine the main idea of a document
eventual decline of these empires. (Standards: 2, 3, 5; Themes: MOV, TCC, 9. Compare and contrast main ideas from documents
GEO, GOV, CIV)  Writing (W)
9.3a Geographic factors encouraged and hindered a state’s/empire’s expansion 1. Write an argument to support claims
and interactions.  Speaking and Listening (SL)
Students will examine the locations and relative sizes of classical political entities 1. Initiate and participate in collaborative discussion
(Greece, Gupta, Han, Maurya, Maya, Qin, Rome) noting the location and size of  Language (L)
each in relation to the amount of power each held within a region.
1. Demonstrate appropriate grammar usage in writing and
 Students will investigate how geographic factors encouraged or
hindered expansion and interactions within the Greek, Roman, and speaking
Mayan civilizations. (sentence complexity)
9.3b Empires used belief systems, systems of law, forms of government, military
forces, and social hierarchies to consolidate and expand power.
 Students will compare and contrast how the Mauryan, Qin, and
Roman civilizations consolidated and increased power.
9.3c A period of peace, prosperity, and cultural achievements can be designated
as a Golden Age.
 Students will examine the achievements of Greece, Gupta, Han
Dynasty, Maya, and Rome to determine if the civilizations
experienced a Golden Age.
9.3d Political, socioeconomic, and environmental issues, external conflicts, and
nomadic invasions led to the decline and fall of Classical empires.
 Students will compare and contrast the forces that led to the fall of the
Han Dynasty, the Mayan civilization, and the Roman Empire.
Understandings Essential Questions:
Greek Civilization (ca. 800 –ca. 100 B.C.E.) Greece / Rome / China / India
■ Human and physical geography (mountainous topography,  How did geographic and historical context cause the rise of classical
Mediterranean Sea, irregular coastline) civilizations in Greece / Rome / China India/?
■ Golden Age  How did the technology and innovations of ___________ effect change in
early classical civilizations?
■ Rise of Christianity  Did the centralization of power and unity have a positive or negative
■ Causes of decline impact/effect on people in early civilizations?
 How did the classical empires expand and spread culture?
Roman Republic and Roman Empire (ca. 500 B.C.E. –476 C.E.)  What causes civilizations/empires fall/decline?
 How did the growth of civilizations cause a increase in global trade?
■ Human and physical geography (Mediterranean Sea, Roman
system of roads)  How are the early river civilizations and the great classical civilizations
■ Factors leading to expansion and interaction: engineering, alike and different?
empire building  Why can Greek / Roman / Chinese / Indian contributions (engineering,
■ Golden Age and Contributions (law, architecture, infrastructure, tools, writing, silk, paper ect) be considered a turning point in history?
 How did geographic features encourage or hinder expansion or interaction
literature) in these civilizations?
■ Role of migrating nomadic groups from Central Asia
■ Pax Romana
Chinese Civilization: Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han
■ Human and physical geography
(Himalayas, Pacific, Mongolian Steppe, Great Wall)
■ Dynastic cycles, Mandate of Heaven
■ Factors leading to growth
■ Golden Age and Contributions (engineering, tools, writing, silk,
bronzes, government systems, paper)
■ Role of migrating nomadic and pastoralist groups from Central
Asia
■ Expansion and interaction and beginning of global trade
■ Causes of decline
Stage 2: Assessments and Tasks
Common Core Literacy Task Performance Task(s) – Other Evidence
 TEAL: How does the geographic context of Greece affect  Chart: Explain the achievements of the Hellenistic, Roman and Chinese
their development of their society? Choose 3-5 geographic culture (including law, gender, architecture and science)
features and explain their impact on the people.  Timeline: with dates and annotations to mark the important dates of the Greek
 Letter Writing: Students will write two ½ page letters to polis, the Roman Republic, and the early Chinese civilizations.
explain life as an Athenian and / or a Spartan. Explain 3-5  Map: Plot the 3-5 most important geographic features of Chinese, Greek and
facts from their historical context that explains why their Roman civilization.
civilization offered a better life for its people.  Discussion: Which offered a better lifestyle and society: Athens or Sparta?
 TEAL: How does the geographic context of Roman empire  Discussion: Was Rome’s greatness inevitable?
affect their development of their society? Choose 3-5  Discussion: Was the collapse of Rome caused from factors inside or outside
geographic features and explain their impact on the people. of the Empire?
 Post Card: Students will create a post card from the  Identify the ideas and impact of important individuals; include Socrates, Plato, and
perspective of a Chinese person that explains 3-5 Aristotle and describe the diffusion of Greek culture by Aristotle’s pupil Alexander the
contributions China made to world civilization with purpose of Great and the impact of Julius and Augustus Caesar.
convincing people to visit.  Describe polytheism in the Greek and Roman world and the origins and diffusion of
Christianity in the Roman world.
 STIMULUS BASED QUESTIONS


How will students reflect upon and self-assess their learning?

 Students will reflect upon and self-assess their learning using TEAL paragraph feedback and rubrics provided by the instructor.
 The instructor will provide prompts and make suggestions through regular feedback in continuous assessment

Stage 3: Learning Plan

Greek Civilization (ca. 800 –ca. 100 B.C.E.)
Aim: Athens or Sparta: Which one offered a better lifestyle and society?
 Define/identify: acropolis, polis, city-state, militarism, Athens and Sparta
 Examine a map of Greece and discuss how its geography influenced its development.
 Compare and contrast the Athenian and Spartan economic, political, and educational, military and social systems and their impact
on citizens.
 Compare and contrast the treatment of women in each of these societies.
 Take a position on which offered the better lifestyle and society: Athens or Sparta concerning citizenship, education, government,
individuality, marriage, etc.

Aim: Should Greece be considered the “Cradle of Democracy?” OR Is the United States more democratic than ancient Athens? OR Was
Athens truly democratic?
 Define/identify: Pericles, direct democracy, indirect democracy, ostracism, demos.
 Read and analyze documents and charts describing the structure and function of Athenian democracy. (Pericles’ Funeral
Oration).
 Explain the limits of Athenian democracy.
 Compare and contrast Athenian democracy with United States democracy or other contemporary democratic governments.
 Evaluate whether Athens was truly democratic.
 Evaluate the impact of Athenian democracy on the contemporary world.

Aim: Did the Hellenistic age produce a universal culture?

 Define:  Hellenistic Age, Hellenic Age, Hellas, cultural diffusion, Discobolus, Laocoon Group, Porch of Maidens (Erectheum), Nike
of Samothrace, Parthenon, Altar of Zeus
 List and explain the main cultural contributions of the Hellenistic Age.
  Discuss the cultural blending of Greek and other cultures. (ex Greco-Buddhist art)
 Compare and contrast Hellenic and Hellenistic sculpture and architecture and discuss how it reflects the values of these different
ages.
 Evaluate whether the Hellenistic civilization was truly a universal culture as the process of cultural diffusion influenced not only
Western Europe but also the Middle East, India, China, and Japan.

Roman Republic and Roman Empire (ca. 500 B.C.E. –476 C.E.)
Aim: Was Rome destined for greatness? OR How did tiny Rome become the giant of the western world?
 Explain and analyze the geographic, political, economic, and social factors that shaped Roman society under the Republic.
 Explain the reasons why the Romans were successful empire builders.
 Evaluate whether or not Rome was destined for greatness.

Aim: Do we owe a debt to the ancient Romans? OR Are the contributions of Classical civilizations still relevant in today’s world?
 Analyze several important contributions of the Romans: ex. art, architecture, law (Justinian’s Code), literature, philosophy,
technology, and political organization.
 Analyze the extent to which these contributions have influenced modern society.
 Evaluate whether or not the modern world owes a debt to the Romans.

Aim: Can religious ideas threaten political structures? OR Were the ideas of Christianity a threat to the Roman empire? OR Why did
Christianity triumph within the Roman empire?
 Explain how conditions within the Roman Empire favored the spread of Christianity.
 Describe the changes in religious practices that Christianity introduced into the Roman world.
 Explain how Christianity differed from other religions of the Roman Empire.
 Explain Roman opposition to Christianity and the reasons for its hostilities.
 Evaluate to what extent Christianity brought about changes in the values of the Roman world and whether or not religious ideas,
such as Christianity, threaten political structures, such as the Roman Empire.
Chinese Civilization: Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han
Aim: Was the Han dynasty a golden age of Chinese civilization?
 Define: Golden Age, civil service, merit system
 Locate, identify and describe Han China on a map of China.
 Analyze and assess the advances and achievements of Chinese civilization during the Han dynasty in science, technology,
medicine, commerce (the Silk Road), government and the arts.
 Evaluate the extent to which the Han dynasty was a golden age of China.
Aim: Did Confucianism advance/strengthen dynastic rule in China? Or Does the conduct of a government official affect his ability to
govern?
 Explain how during the Han dynasty Confucian ideas were accepted as the official belief system of the state which advanced
policy of merit, as demonstrated on civil service examinations, rather than family background to fill government positions as well as
only well-educated scholars should fill positions in the government bureaucracy.
 Explain how Confucian teachings about filial piety, loyalty to the government, and the superiority of men promoted “harmony” and
strengthened Han dynastic rule but prevented most women from receiving an education and gaining access to government
positions.
 Evaluate the extent to which Confucianism, which stressed harmony, loyalty, and merit (for males) strengthened dynastic rule in
China.
Aim: QIN DYNASTY***
Aim: MAYAN EMPIRE***( optional?)
Indian Civilization (322 –185 BCE)
Aim:  Should the Mauryan Empire be considered an example of good government?
 Discuss the economic, political, and social achievements of the Mauryan Empire.
 Describe the features of Chandragupta Maura’s centralized government which united all of northern India (the Indus
Valley, the Ganges Valley, and the southern Himalayas): military rule, government bureaucracy, spy network.
 Explain how the “enlightened policies” of Asoka united the diverse empire.
 Evaluate if the Mauryan Empire (centralized rule) is an example of good government.
Aim:  Was the Gupta Empire a Golden Age in India?
 Describe how the Gupta Empire was founded.
 Explain the relationship between the Gupta and Hindu religious art and culture.
 Explain why the Gupta period has been called India’s “classical age” with great advances in art, literature,
mathematics, and science.
 Describe the organizational structure and gender relationships of Gupta society.
 Evaluate if the Gupta Empire was a “golden age” in India.

Aim: Is the decline and fall of empires inevitable? OR Do empires collapse from external forces or internal weaknesses?
[Compare case study: The decline and fall of the Han dynasty and the Roman empire; Is America a modern day Rome]
 Explain the political, economic, and social reasons for the decline and fall of both the Roman Empire and the Han Dynasty.
 Compare the reasons for the decline and fall of this empire and this dynasty.
 Compare and contrast Ancient Rome to present day America to determine if there is evidence of decline in contemporary
America’s power and prestige in the world.
 Assess to what degree internal decay more than external pressure influenced the fall of the Roman Empire and to what extent
these factors influence a nation.
 Evaluate whether the collapse of the Roman Empire and the Han Dynasty were inevitable and resulted from mainly internal
weaknesses or external forces.

Teacher Reflection for Future Planning

 Evaluate student work and response to questions during discussion

 Will explore test results and essay writing skills on class exams to shape future writing lessons

STIMULUS MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

Base your answer to question 12 on the passage below and on your knowledge of social studies.
... Trade along the Silk Road enriched China in many ways. The Chinese sent silk, herbal medicines, ceramics, and other
local products westward by caravan, and received exotic things in return. From Persia (modern-day Iran) and the Middle East,
they received new kinds of musical instruments, and musicians to play them, as well as gold and silver cups, bowls, and
vases. From India they imported cotton cloth. From Byzantium (the eastern capital of the Roman Empire, today the city of
Istanbul in Turkey) came glassware and jewelry. Chinese merchants also traded some of these imported goods eastward to
Korea and Japan....
—Des Forges and Major, The Asian World: 600-1500

12 Based on this passage, the Silk Road made it possible for the Chinese to import cotton cloth from
(1) Persia
(2) the Roman Empire
(3) Japan
(4) India

• Asoka incorporated Buddhist ideas into the laws he had carved on rocks and pillars placed throughout the Mauryan Empire.
• Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire.
• Prince Vladimir required all Russians to become Eastern Orthodox Christians.

Which generalization can be made based on these statements?

(1) Leaders often use religion to unify an empire.
(2) Many political leaders encourage religious toleration.
(3) Leaders sometimes use religion as a reason to wage war.
(4) Political leaders usually become the head of the church in their country.

• Asoka incorporated Buddhist ideas into the laws he had carved on rocks and pillars placed throughout the Mauryan Empire.
• Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire.
 • Prince Vladimir required all Russians to become Eastern Orthodox Christians.

Which generalization can be made based on these statements?

(1) Leaders often use religion to unify an empire.
(2) Many political leaders encourage religious toleration.
(3) Leaders sometimes use religion as a reason to wage war.
(4) Political leaders usually become the head of the church in their country.

8
• Made advances in mathematics, science, and medicine
• Preserved Greek and Roman learning
• Influenced Spanish architecture and literature
These achievements are most closely associated with the
(1) Golden Age of Islam
(2) Maya Empire
(3) Gupta Empire
(4) Tang dynasty

5
• Art and literature flourished during the Gupta Empire.
• Indian scholars developed the concept of zero.
• Indian provinces were united after 200 years of civil war.
The information in these statements refers to
(1) effects of European involvement in India
(2) India’s Golden Age
(3) effects of isolationism
(4) Islamic achievements in India

Base your answer to question 4 on the quotation below and on your knowledge of social studies.
...We give our obedience to those whom we put in positions of authority, and we obey the laws
themselves, especially those which are for the protection of the oppressed, and those unwritten laws which it is an
acknowledged shame to break....
— Pericles, quoted in History of the Peloponnesian War

4 In this quotation, Pericles is praising Athenian

(1) civic values
(2) artistic creativity
(3) military strengths
(4) commercial success
9 Which geographic feature would have most likely hindered the expansion of the Guptas into what is modern-day China?
(1) Thar Desert
(2) Deccan Plateau
(3) Himalaya Mountains
(4) Bay of Bengal

Base your answer to question 5 on the passage below and on your knowledge of social studies.
Some several thousand years ago there once thrived a civilization in the Indus Valley. Located in what’s now
Pakistan and western India, it was the earliest known urban culture of the Indian subcontinent. The Indus Valley
Civilization, as it is called, covered an area the size of western Europe. It was the largest of the four ancient
civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, India and China. However, of all these civilizations the least is known about the
Indus Valley people. This is because the Indus script has not yet been deciphered. There are many remnants of the
script on pottery vessels, seals, and amulets, but without a “Rosetta Stone” linguists and archaeologists have been
unable to decipher it. . . . — Tarini J. Carr, “The Harappan Civilization” (adapted)

5 Based on this passage, what is a valid conclusion about civilization in the Indus Valley?
(1) Lack of a Rosetta stone has hindered linguists from deciphering Indus Valley script.
(2) The absence of pottery vessels and seals from the Indus Valley indicates limited urban development.
(3) The Indus Valley civilization controlled a territory that extended from western Europe to China.
(4) Artifacts suggest the Indus Valley civilization is older than the civilizations in Egypt and Mesopotamia.

Base your answer to question 12 on the passage below and on your knowledge of social studies.
... Trade along the Silk Road enriched China in many ways. The Chinese sent silk, herbal medicines, ceramics, and other
local products westward by caravan, and received exotic things in return. From Persia (modern-day Iran) and the Middle East,
they received new kinds of musical instruments, and musicians to play them, as well as gold and silver cups, bowls, and
vases. From India they imported cotton cloth. From Byzantium (the eastern capital of the Roman Empire, today the city of
Istanbul in Turkey) came glassware and jewelry. Chinese merchants also traded some of these imported goods eastward to
Korea and Japan....
—Des Forges and Major, The Asian World: 600-1500

12 Based on this passage, the Silk Road made it possible for the Chinese to import cotton cloth from
(1) Persia
(2) the Roman Empire
(3) Japan
(4) India
Base your answer to question 9 on the map below and on your knowledge of social studies.

9 Which conclusion about the Roman world around AD 526 can be drawn from the information on this map?
(1) The Gauls dominated trade on the Mediterranean Sea.
(2) Rome was the capital of the entire western region.
(3) The eastern region was unified under the Byzantine Empire.
(4) The division between eastern and western Rome followed natural boundaries

Base your answer to question 9 on the pictures below and on your knowledge of social studies.

9 These architectural achievements best indicate that

(1) advanced technology existed in early civilizations
(2) religion was of little importance
(3) entertainment was important to these ancient societies
(4) trade routes existed between China and the Americas
Base your answer to question 12 on the map below and on your knowledge of social studies.

12 Based on the information provided by this map, which statement about urban areas between 650 and 1500 is accurate?
(1) Most urbanization occurred in the Southern Hemisphere.
(2) Most urbanization is associated with a tropical climate.
(3) Most urban areas were located in Europe.
(4) Most urban areas developed near waterways.

Base your answer to question 7 on the map below and on your knowledge of social studies.
7 Which statement can best be supported by the information shown on this map?
(1) By 260 B.C., the Mauryan Empire extended north into Central China.
(2) The Mauryan Empire controlled more of the Indian subcontinent than the Gupta Empire did.
(3) Most of the Gupta Empire was located on the Deccan Plateau.
(4) The economies of India’s early empires were based on trades

Base your answer to question 4 on the map below and on your knowledge of social studies.

4 Which generalization about the Maurya and Gupta Empires is supported by the map?
(1) Expansion was limited by geographic factors.
(2) Trade contributed to stable societies.
(3) Extensive road systems unified India.
(4) Southern India was isolated from northern India.
 SHORT ANSWER QUESTION SET #1
Document #1 Athens
Pericles speech of a prominent Athenian in 338 BC, just after the battle of Chaeronea.

If we look to the laws, they afford equal justice to all despite their differences.  If a man is able to serve the state, he is not
hindered by his condition. The freedom we enjoy in our government extends to our ordinary life. There…we do not feel
called upon to be angry with our neighbor for doing what he likes...

Advancement in politics is about potential, social class is not allowed to determine merit. Our ordinary citizens, though
occupied with personal business, are still fair judges of public issues. At Athens we live exactly as we please, and yet are
just as ready to encounter every legitimate danger.

To be happy means to be free. We throw open our city to the world, and never...exclude foreigners from any opportunity of
learning or observing.
-Pericles, Funeral Oration

1. Using the narrative provided in document 1, explain how the historical context affected the
development of Athenian attitudes.
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Document #2 Sparta
Excerpts of the Spartan Constitution, approximately 390 BC.

“Instead of softening their feet with shoe or sandal, his [king of Sparta] rule was to make them hardy through going barefoot.
He believed this would allow them to climb hills and run. In fact, with his feet so trained the young Spartan would leap and
spring and run faster without shoes than another in the ordinary way. Instead of making them effeminate (ladylike) and
spoiled with a variety of clothes, the rule was to give them one piece of clothing the entire year. They would wear the same
piece of clothing whether it was hot or cold. This taught them to be brave in all weather. With regards to food, young boys
received small amounts of food. It was believed that young boys needed to know the pains of starvation.”
-Xenophon, Constitution of the Lacedaemonians

2a. Using document 2, identify Xenophon’s point of view expressed in this document.

2b. Explain how Xenophon’s point of view affects document 2 as a reliable source of evidence.

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3. Identify and explain a similarity or a difference between the ideas presented in these
documents.

SHORT ANSWER QUESTION SET #2

DOCUMENT #1

GEOGRAPHIC CONTEXT- Where this historical development is taking place, and why it is taking place there
1. Using document 1, explain how the geographic context affected the development or decline of the Roman Empire.
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DOCUMENT #2

2. Using document 2, identify West’s purpose for writing this account.

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3. Identify a turning point associated with events or ideas found in these documents and explain why it is a turning point.
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DBQ QUESTIONS
Document 2:

2. As a result of poor sanitation, what was one problem faced by the city of ancient Athens according to William Stearns
Davis?
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Document 1
1 Based on the information shown on this map, state one problem that helped bring about the decline of the Roman Empire.
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Document 2
2 According to Louis C. West, what were two economic problems the Roman Empire faced during its period of decline?
(1)________________________________________________________________________________________________
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(2)________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Document 3

3 According to Steven Kreis, what was one change that resulted from the fall of the western half of the Roman Empire?
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Document 1
1 Based on the characteristics shown in this document, what is the overall goal of an autocrat?
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Document 2

2 Based on this E-Museum document, what were two ways the Qin under Shi Huangdi attempted to control China?
(1)________________________________________________________________________________________________
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(2)________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Document 3a

3a. Based on this document, what was one way Shi Huangdi’s actions helped China?
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Document 3b
3b. According to Li Si’s proposal, what was one way Shi Huangdi could control the people of China?
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January 2015
Theme: Human and Physical Geography
Geographic features have influenced the political and economic, social and historical development of countries and regions
Task: Select two geographic features and for each
 Discuss how this geographic feature influenced the political, economic, social and/or historical developments in a country of region

You may use any geographic feature from your study of global history and geography. Some suggestions you might wish to consider include the influence of rivers in China, deserts in North Africa, climate in
Russia, plains in Europe, islands of Japan, monsoons on India, mountains of South America and natural resources in the Middle East.
You are not limited to these suggestions.
Do not write about the United States and its geographic features in your answer

January 2011
Theme: Geography
Geographic features have influenced the historical and cultural development of civilizations, empires, countries, and regions of the world.
Task: Select three different geographic features and for each
● Discuss how this geographic feature influenced the historical and/or cultural development of a specific
civilization, empire, country, or region

You may use any geographic feature from your study of global history. Some suggestions you might wish to consider include rivers, seas, oceans rain forests, plains, mountains, deserts,
islands, and monsoons.

June 2003
Theme: Conflict
Differences among groups had often led to conflict
Task: Identify two ethnic groups, religious, political and/or cultural conflicts and for each
● Discuss the historical circumstances that led to the conflict
● Analyze the effect of this conflict on the two groups involved