Ancient Civilizations Assignment _Detailed Description_

Ancient New World Civilizations: The Big Picture
Anthropologists believe people were living in the Americas as early as 20,000 years ago. The
most popular theory is the Americas were first populated by people who migrated to this
continent by crossing the Bering Land Bridge (now the Bering Straight) between what is now
Alaska and Russia. Over thousands of years, people gradually moved south - down through
North America, Central America, and some as far as South America. For many years, people
hunted and foraged for food. Between 5000 B.C. and 3000 B.C., early Americans first began to
farm the land.
1. The first known civilization was the Olmec. They flourished from about 1300 to 400 B.C.
in Central America. In the centuries to follow, other civilizations would form in the
Americas, including the:
•Maya
•Aztec
•Inca
•Anasazi
2. The Anasazi existed from 100 B.C. to A.D. 1600.
3. Create a time line of early American societies.
- Begin the time line with 3000 B.C. and end with the current year 2000, marking
every 500 years.
- Using graphics and colored lines mark the period of each early cultural group.
Include significant dates of other ancient cultures for comparison: e.g., ancient
Egypt, 3000–30 B.C. (Pyramids completed around 2500 B.C); ancient Greece
(Athens and Sparta), 500 to 300 B.C.
- Next, use your Americas map to locate these ancient American civilizations
geographically. Place labels or use colored pencils to shade in the locations of
the Maya, Aztec, Inca, Olmec, and Anasazi. (For example, the Anasazi lived in the
"Four Corners," the place where the borders of Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and
New Mexico meet.)
Central and South America
Foraging Societies: 12,000 to 3,000 BC
o 12,000 to 8,000 BC: Ice Age Foraging Peoples
o 8,000 to 6,000 BC: Early Archaic Period
o 6,000 to 3,000 BC: Middle Archaic Period

Settled Agriculture: 5,000 BC
o 5000 BC: early agriculture begins in Mexico
Early Ceremonial Centers: 2,000 BC to 700 BC
o 2000 BC: Development of the first Peruvian ceremonial centers
o 1500 BC: Beginnings of Olmec civilization
Urban Society: 900 BC to AD 400
o 900 BC: Chavins unite Peru
o 800 BC: Olmecs unite Mesoamerica
o 300: End of Olmec civilization
Beginnings of Empire: 300-1400
o 300-600: Teotihuacan (Toltec) Empire
o 300: Beginnings of Mayan civilization
o c. 550: Chichen Itza is founded
o 600-800: Huari and Tiahuanaco Empires
o 1300: End of Mayan civilization
Later Empires: 1400-1810
o 1400-1519: Aztec Empire
o 1438-1538: Inca Empire
o 1519-1810: Spanish Empire
To present day: Independent National States
o 1776: the US created the Declaration of Independence, creating the USA – 13
colonies or “states” created
o 1867: Canada becomes a country – New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario,
Quebec were the original provinces (other provinces and territories joined later)

Marks
Timeline (20) – accuracy (10)
- detail (5)
- creativity (5)
Map (10) - accuracy (7)
- map essentials (3)