EARLY SOCIETIES

UNTIL 500 BCE-1500 CE

ANCIENT EGYPT

The Egyptian words 'per aa' that meant

'great house' were used as a title for the

king. Tutankhamun was one of Egypt's

pharaohs

Papyrus was made from reeds that grew

along the Nile. The reeds were cut into

strips and pasted together to make a type

of parchment (paper).

Sphinx is a Greek term. The statue is

carved from the bedrock close to the Giza

pyramids. It has a human head and the

body of a lion.

When it rained in central Africa, the water

flowed into the Nile and overflowed the

banks in Egypt. The silt made the fields

fertile so that farmers could plant crops.

Goddess Anubis

Farming in Ancient EgyptSarcophagus

ANCIENT GREECE

Greece is a country in the southeast of

Europe.

Athens was the city where tragedy,

philosophy, and democracy was invented.

It is even the capital of Greece today!

The Greeks had hundreds of myths. One

of the most famous was about the Trojan

War, where heroes from all over Greece

fought at Troy to win back Helen, the most

beautiful woman in the world.

The Greeks used to have kings. Only the

kings could make decisions, and nobody

else liked that. So, they invented

democracy, where everybody can vote

about decisions.

Zeus

Olympic TheatreParthenon

ANCIENT ROME

Legend says that Rome was founded by a man

called Romulus and his brother, Remus. It is said

that they were the twin sons of the Roman god of

war called Mars.

About 2000 years ago, the Roman Empire was so

big it would have taken 100 days to ride from one

end to the other.

Throughout history, Rome was ruled in three

different ways: first by kings, then by a number of

officials who were chosen by the people, and

finally by emperors. Really, an emperor was just a

king with a different title!

Everyone who lived in Italy at this time spoke

Latin. People from other parts of the Empire had

to learn Latin as well, so that they could all

understand each other.

Roman Baths

Roman Aqueducts

MIDDLE AGES 400-1500The basic government and society in

Europe during the middle ages was based

around the feudal system. Small

communities were formed around the local

lord and the manor. The lord owned the

land and everything in it. He would keep the

peasants safe in return for their service. The

lord, in return, would provide the king with

soldiers or taxes.

It is estimated that approximately 20 million

people died in Europe from the Black Death.

This is about one-third of the population.

Many cities lost more than 40% of their

residents

The Catholic church was the supreme

power during most of the medieval period.

Some of the ways the church exercised its

power includes the flow of wealth, the use of

sacraments to control people and their lives,

and the use of Church councils.

Map of Europe, 950-1100

Pope and CardinalsPlague doctors