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TEACHING WITH PRIMARY SOURCES—MTSU

PRIMARY SOURCE SET: World History and Geography:

Early Civilizations through the Decline of the Roman

Empire (5th century C.E.)

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Covering the entire history of the world from the very beginning of human life up to the 5th century C.E. is a gargantuan task! Teachers have to pack almost 400,000 years of the human story into one short academic year, including 10,000 years of human settlement and 1,500 years of complex civilization. What are the main themes of this vast duration of history?

The evolution in complexity of human settlement has taken us from hunter/gatherers, to agriculturalists, to members of advanced civilizations. The culmination of this chronology is the development of empires, in which one civilization expands to control others across diverse geographic regions. This process happened differently in different parts of the world.

The geographic diversity of the world and how geography has impacted the development of civilizations is another major theme. For instance, the productive soil of the Fertile Crescent and its location at the crossroads of Eu-rope, Asia, and Africa compelled Mesopotamia to a highly advanced status among early civilizations. Greece’s rocky islands and peninsulas, moreover, influenced the develop-ment of independent city-states.

This period of world history also witnessed the develop-ment and growth of important trade routes, the birth of democracy and republican government, and the emer-gence of many of the world’s important religions. Giving students a thorough overview of these major themes is a challenge, but also a wonderful opportunity to broaden their perspectives on the world and its rich cultures.

SUGGESTIONS FOR TEACHERS

This primary source set is geared towards the 6th grade Social Studies curriculum standards. The curricular units, such as “Mesopotamia: 3500-1200 B.C./B.C.E.” and “Ancient China,” are retained here in the subheadings, about two per page, and follow the order in the stand-ards. Sixth grade teachers can use this set throughout the year as they cover different civilizations and events.

Several of the following primary sources are parts of online exhibitions that would make good secondary source reading assignments for students, due to the ex-planatory narrative and development of world history themes.

Because most primary sources created during this early time period were created so very long ago, very few of them have survived to the present day. Many of the fol-lowing sources are therefore creations of later time peri-ods that depict a building or cultural tradition that repre-sent an earlier era. Talk to your students about what kinds of sources remain, and what they (and later ones) can reveal about early civilizations.

ADDITIONAL LINKS

World Digital Library

World History Links Guide

World History & Cultures newsletter (September 2009)

The Ancient World newsletter (January 2011)

The Legacy of Greece and Rome primary source set

Browse by Topic: World History and Cultures

Thèbes. Bas-relief dans l'interieur du Rhames-séion. Egypte / Bonfils. [between 1867 and 1899]

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HUMAN ORIGINS IN AFRICA THROUGH THE NEOLITHIC AGE

MESOPOTAMIA: C. 3500-1200 BC/BCE

School exercise tablet [2200-

1900bc; translation and drawing

included]

The archaeological map of

Iraq. [1967, detail]

Rock Painting S00176, Bethlehem, Dihlabeng District

Municipality, Free State, South Africa [1986 CE]

ANCIENT EGYPT: C. 3000-1200 BC/BCE

Pyramides de Chéops et de

Cheffren, le sphynx, et la

temple de Cheffren [between

1869 and 1899]

The Great Temple of Aboo-

Simble, Nubia (Head of Ramses

II) [between 1846-1849]

Thèbes. Bas-relief dans

l'interieur du Rhamesséion

[between 1867 and 1899]

Mummy, Ramses

II [between 1898 and

1946]

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ANCIENT INDIA

Mahābhāratakālīna

Bhāratavarshācā nakāśā. [19--?]

Compare to modern political map of India.

[Images of Hindu cosmogony and gods] /

G. Heck, dirt. ; Henry Winkles sculp.

[1851]

Bhagavad-gita : "The songs of the master" / translated with an introduction and commentary by Charles John-ston ... [1908; p. 26]

[Brahman priest, in India, painting his

forehead with the red and white

marks of his sect and caste] [between

1900 and 1923]

Liu sheng Huang He sao ba he dao quan tu. [etween 1824 and 1825]

China. [1996]

The Analects of

Confucius [1533]

[Bird's-eye view of the Great Wall of China along mountain ridges, disappearing into the haze in the

distance] [1979]

ANCIENT CHINA

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ANCIENT ISRAEL, C. 2000 BC/BCE-70 AD/CE

[Caves of Qumran where Dead Sea scrolls

were found] [1958]

Palestine, Tribes, and Jerusalem [1783, detail]

Pesher Hoshe`a. 4Q166 [Copied

late first century B.C.E.] Courtesy

of the Israel Antiquities Authority

(6) Translation

Iraq. Babylon.

Basalt lion

marking

Daniel's den

[1932]

ANCIENT GREECE, C. 800-300 BC/BCE

Asia Minor. Corinth, ruins of the Temple of

Apolo [i.e., Appollo] [between 1950 and 1960]

Greece - Athens - The Parthenon - near view [ca.

1925]

The Empire and

Expeditions of

Alexander the

Great [1833, de-

picting events

from 356-323

BCE]

Exterior door panel depict-

ing Euclid. National Acade-

my of Sciences, Washing-

ton, D.C. [between 1980

and 2006]

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ANCIENT ROME, C. 500 BC/BCE-500 AD/CE

Rome. Baths of Caracalla [between 1860

and 1890]

Veduta dell' arco di Costantino, e dell' anfiteatro Flavio

detto il colosseo [between 1746 and 1760] (Translation:

“View of the Arch of Constantine and the Flavian Amphi-

theatre called the Colosseum”)

History and Ethnology of Ancient Rome: 4 illus: fig. 1 Exhibi-

tion of captives in the forum; fig. 2 Gladiators in the theatre;

fig. 3 Gladiators at funerals; fig. 4. Funeral of Emperors [1851]

Stone bridge and San Giorgia (i.e., Giorgio),

Verona, Italy [between ca. 1890 and ca. 1900]

Rome par la voie du Mont-Cenis /

Geo Dorival. [ca. 1920; poster of

Roman Forum, advertising train

line that runs through Mont-

Cenis, France, to Rome]

The Metamorphoses of Publius

Ovidius Naso / translated in

English blank verse by Henry

King. [1871] Rome. Frescoes in house of Claudius Nero.

Palace of the Caesars [between 1860 and 1890]

Theatrum historicum ad annum Christi quadringentesi-

mum : in quo tum Imperii Romani tum Barbarorum

circum incolentium status ob oculosponitur pars orien-

talis / [1712] (Translation: “The Historical Theater in

the Year 400 AD, in Which Both Romans and Barbari-

ans Resided Side by Side in the Eastern Part of

the Roman Empire” and blurb)

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CITATIONS

Teachers: Providing these primary source replicas without source clues may enhance the inquiry experience for students. This list of cita-

tions is supplied for reference purposes to you and your students. We have followed the Chicago Manual of Style format, one of the for-

mats recommended by the Library of Congress, for each entry below, minus the access date. The access date for each of these entries is June

24, 2014

HUMAN ORIGINS IN AFRICA THROUGH THE NEOLITHIC AGE

Woodhouse, Herbert Charles, photographer. “Rock Painting S00176, Bethlehem, Dihlabeng District Municipality, Free State, South

Africa.” 1986. From World Digital Library, Woodhouse Rock Art Collection, University of Pretoria Library. http://www.wdl.org/en/

item/3006/

MESOPOTAMIA: C. 3500-1200 BC/BCE

“School exercise tablet.” Photograph. Between 2200 and 1900BCE. From Library of Congress, Cuneiform Tablets: From the Reign of

Gudea of Lagash to Shalmanassar III. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?intldl/cunei:@field(DOCID+@lit(amcune000004))

The archaeological map of Iraq. Map. Baghdad: Directorate General of Antiquities, 1967. From Library of Congress, Map Collections.

http://www.loc.gov/item/gm70005037/

Maison Bonfils (Beirut, Lebanon), photographer. “Pyramides de Chéops et de Cheffren, le sphynx, et la temple de Cheffren / Bon-

fils.” Albumen print. Between 1867 and 1899. From Library of Congress, Miscellaneous Items in High Demand. http://www.loc.gov/

pictures/item/2004666849/

Haghe, Louis, lithographer. “The Great Temple of Aboo-Simble, Nubia / David Roberts, R.A.” Lithograph, color. Between 1846

and 1849. From Library of Congress, Miscellaneous Items in High Demand. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2002717575/

“Mummy, Ramses II.” Dry plate negative. [Between 1898 and 1946] From Library of Congress, Matson (G. Eric and Edith) Photograph

Collection. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/mpc2004000675/pp/

Maison Bonfils (Beirut, Lebanon), photographer. “Thèbes. Bas-relief dans l'interieur du Rhamesséion. Egypte / Bonfils.” Albumen

print. Between 1867 and 1899. From Library of Congress, Miscellaneous Items in High Demand. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/

item/2004667883/

ANCIENT INDIA

“[Brahman priest, in India, painting his forehead with the red and white marks of his sect and caste].” Photograph. Between 1900 and

1923. From Library of Congress, Carpenter Collection. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/94509889/

Winkles, Henry, engraver. “[Images of Hindu cosmogony and gods] / G. Heck, dirt. ; Henry Winkles sculp.” Engraving. 1851.

From Library of Congress, Miscellaneous Items in High Demand. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/95522139/

Johnston, Charles, editor and translator. Bhagavad-gîta : "The songs of the master." Book. Flushing, N.Y. : C. Johnston, 1908. From

Library of Congress. https://archive.org/details/bhagavadgtatheso00john

Mahābhāratakālīna Bhāratavarshācā nakāśā. Map. [Poona, India? : s.n., 19--?] From Library of Congress, Maps Collection. http://

www.loc.gov/item/88691872/

ANCIENT CHINA

Liu sheng Huang He sao ba he dao quan tu. Map. 1824. From Library of Congress, Maps Collection. http://www.loc.gov/item/

gm71002474/

Norwood, Jean E., photographer. “[Bird's-eye view of the Great Wall of China along mountain ridges, disappearing into the haze in

the distance].” Slide, color. 1979. From Library of Congress, Miscellaneous Items in High Demand. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/

item/2012650138/

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CITATIONS (CONT.)

The Analects of Confucius. Book. Sakai: Asaino families, 1533. From World Digital Library, National Diet Library. http://

www.wdl.org/en/item/11844/

United States. Central Intelligence Agency. China. Map. [Washington : Central Intelligence Agency, 1996]. From Library of Con-

gress, Maps Collections. http://www.loc.gov/item/96681216/

ANCIENT ISRAEL, C. 2000 BC/BCE-70 AD/CE

The Hosea Commentary Scroll. Pesher Hoshe`a. 4Q166 (4QpHos[superscript]a). Scroll. Copied late first century B.C.E. Courtesy of the Isra-

el Antiquities Authority. From Library of Congress, Scrolls from the Dead Sea: The Qumran Library. http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/

scrolls/late.html#obj6

Safieh, Hanna, photographer. “[Caves of Qumran where Dead Sea scrolls were found].” Nitrate negative. 1958. From Library of

Congress, Matson (G. Eric and Edith) Photograph Collection. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/mpc2007010267/pp/

American Colony (Jerusalem). Photo Dept., photographer. “Iraq. Babylon. Basalt lion marking Daniel's den.” Dry plate negative.

1932. From Library of Congress, Matson (G. Eric and Edith) Photograph Collection. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/

mpc2004000688/pp/

Anville, Jean-Baptiste Bourguignon d', cartographer. Palestine, Tribes, and Jerusalem. Hand-colored, engraved map. 1783. From World

Digital Library, Library of Congress. http://www.wdl.org/en/item/136/

ANCIENT GREECE, C. 800-300 BC/BCE

Visuri, Osmo, photographer. “Asia Minor. Corinth, ruins of the Temple of Apolo [i.e., Appollo].” 1 slide : color. [Between 1950 and

1960]. From Library of Congress, G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/

mpc2010000486/PP/

Highsmith, Carol M., photographer. “[Exterior door panel depicting Euclid. National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C. ].” 1

transparency. [Between 1980 and 2006]. From Library of Congress, Carol M. Highsmith Archive. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/

item/2011636508/

Delamarche, Félix. The Empire and Expeditions of Alexander the Great. 1 map : hand colored, mounted on linen. 1833. From World Dig-

ital Library, Library of Congress. http://www.wdl.org/en/item/11738/

“Greece - Athens - The Parthenon - near view.” 1 photographic print. [ca. 1925]. From Library of Congress, Carpenter Collection.

http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2001705753/

ANCIENT ROME, C. 500 BC/BCE-500 AD/CE

Piranesi, Giovanni Battista, artist. “Veduta dell' arco di Costantino, e dell' anfiteatro Flavio detto il colosseo.” 1 print : etching.

[Between 1746 and 1760]. From Library of Congress, Fine Prints. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2009633840/

“History and Ethnology of Ancient Rome: 4 illus: fig. 1 Exhibition of captives in the forum; fig. 2 Gladiators in the theatre; fig. 3

Gladiators at funerals; fig. 4. Funeral of Emperors.” 1 print : engraving. 1851. From Library of Congress, Miscellaneous Items in High

Demand. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2006679885/

Dorival, Géo, artist. “Rome par la voie du Mont-Cenis / Geo Dorival.” 1 photomechanical print (poster) : halftone, color. Cannes :

Affiches Photographiques Robaudy, [ca. 1920]. From Library of Congress, Posters: Artist Posters. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/

item/2004675357/

“Rome. Baths of Caracalla.” 1 photoprint : albumen. [Between 1860 and 1890] From Library of Congress, Miscellaneous Items in High

Demand. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/92501495/

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CITATIONS (CONT.)

“Stone bridge and San Giorgia (i.e., Giorgio), Verona, Italy.” 1 photomechanical print : photochrom, color. [Between ca. 1890 and

ca. 1900] From Library of Congress, Photochrom Prints. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2001701087/

“Rome. Frescoes in house of Claudius Nero. Palace of the Caesars.” 1 photoprint : albumen. [Between 1860 and 1890] From Library

of Congress, Miscellaneous Items in High Demand. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/92501493/

L'Isle, Guillaume De. Theatrum historicum ad annum Christi quadringentesimum : in quo tum Imperii Romani tum Barbarorum circum incolenti-

um status ob oculosponitur pars orientalis/. Map. [London] : Sold by J. Senex ... London, [1712]. From Library of Congress, Maps Collec-

tion. http://www.loc.gov/item/2004629155/