Ancient World
There are many unexplained phenomena in the history of the world. We are sometimes given the impression that the people of the ancient civilizations were primitive cavemen or barbarians who were only smart enough to kill food to survive. But the people of the ancient world were brilliant people who did amazing things.
Such amazing things that even with our modern genius and sophisticated technology, we still can’t explain how they did what they did. Here is a list of history’s mysteries.
Choose one to research and come prepared with a 3-5 minute presentation to share with the class. Please find 1-2 pictures of what you’re presenting about and send them to sarafontano8@gmail.com so that we can all view this mystery while you’re talking about it. You can sign up here.
- Easter Island, Chili
- Gobekli Tepe
- Lost City of Atlantis
- The Antikythera Mechanism
- The Lost City of Mohenjo-Daro, Pakistan
- El Mirador, Guatemala
- Underground Churches of Lalibela, Ethiopia
- Teotihuacan, Mexico (The Pyramid of the Sun)
- Leshan Giant Buddha, China
- Chand Baori, India
- Tiwanacu and Puma Punku
- Nazca lines
- Sacsayhuaman
- Stonehenge
- Costa Rica Stone Spheres
- Trilithon at Baalbeck
- Great Pyramid of Giza
- Enormous Conehead of Paracas, Peru
Read the book “Motel of Mysteries”. Come ready to discuss your insights. If your bedroom was discovered, what do you think it could mean? From an outside observer, what does your room reflect about you?
Cultural Creation
This is your yearlong project. You will each be assigned to a culture group. The groups are:
Group 1 –
- Anna
- Lauren
- Talmage
- Ethan
- Will
Group 2 –
- Sam
- Juicy
- Archer
- Marilee
Group 3 –
- Alex
- Savannah
- Emma
- Noah
- Tommy
Group 4 –
- Garrett
- Annabelle
- Sadie
- Douglas
Your task is to create a civilization/culture. This week, connect with your group and start brainstorming ideas for your culture.
You will need to create a language, a Rosetta Stone, a journal to help explain or give clues to understanding your culture and civilization, and at least 2 artifacts per person. The goal is to work together to create a unique culture and civilization.
Once your civilization and culture are made, then it is time to submit them all together. It is important to keep your civilization/culture a secret within your group. It helps with the mystery of the next part. I will then bury it. Your cultural group will then be given the task to uncover another civilization and culture. Your job is to put the pieces together and figure out who this civilization is and what kind of culture they have.
As a group, you will present your findings to the rest of us. It may or may not be correct. You will present your interpretation of what you think the civilization and culture are like. Please remember that dead men tell no tales. This is an interpretation of what was left behind.
Please recognize that this is an ongoing project throughout the year. Very little class time will be used on this project. You will need to communicate and work in your group using methods other than class time. Please see the important dates section below.
- Rosetta stone– made out of baked clay. This includes words in English and your new Civilization/Culture language. This will allow others to figure out your language and be able to translate it.
- Journal– Each group will create its own journal. Each member of the group must complete 2 journal entries. This is a way to get a glimpse into the everyday happenings in your culture. Be creative and find ways to introduce the artifacts that you will make and leave behind for others to find. This will be buried and left in the weather. I strongly encourage laminating.
- Universals– These are basic components of every civilization and culture. These are building blocks to help you create your civilization and culture. We will also use them to deconstruct the Ancient Egyptian civilization during the 2nd Imaginative Arts Week. Use the Universals to help guide you in your creation.
- Artifacts– You are required to complete at least 2 artifacts to represent part of your civilization and culture. These will be buried and left outside. Think this through. Paper will turn into a soggy mess. Be creative! Hopefully, you can come up with unique ways to show many of your Civilization/Cultures’ universals so you can leave behind a glimpse of who they are.
- Group Work– The goal of this project is to create a unique Civilization and Culture. Another goal is to learn to work well with others in a group setting. You will be asked each IA week to make an accounting of how you are doing working in your group. This is important to recognize. There is a lot of give and take in group work. Always taking the lead and never taking the lead are both problematic. Same with voicing your thoughts. I will be asking you to do some introspection. The goal is to recognize the pros and cons you are bringing to the group. Many times, group work is hard, but it is something you will face over and over in life. Learn it now!
Important Dates –
- Oct 2- Ancient Mysteries presentation. Slide show 5 min. Take-home material to make a Rosetta Stone.
- Nov 6- Rosetta Stone due. 30 minutes of class time to work in your group.
- Jan 15- work on artifacts and journal, 30 minutes of class time to work together.
- Feb 12- One entire civilization/culture due. It needs to be boxed up and turned into Sara and Jay Fontano.
- March 19- Before this class, you will need to meet as a group and uncover an entire civilization. You will have 30 minutes of class time to share discoveries with each other.
- Apr 23- Present on the archaeological find of the century! 20-30 minutes per group
