New
New
Year 3

Other 'cradles of civilisation'

I can describe the ancient 'cradles of civilisation' and explain the similarities between them.

New
New
Year 3

Other 'cradles of civilisation'

I can describe the ancient 'cradles of civilisation' and explain the similarities between them.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Mesopotamia and the Nile were not the only places where people stopped moving around and settled down to farm.
  2. In Asia, other civilisations developed in the Indus River Valley and the Yellow River Valley.
  3. Historians and archaeologists sometimes use the phrase 'cradles of civilisation' to describe these places.
  4. As in Egypt and Mesopotamia, the people of the Indus and the Yellow River Valleys channeled water for farming.
  5. As in Egypt and Mesopotamia, the people of the Indus and the Yellow River Valleys created cities and art.

Keywords

  • Nomadic - nomadic people do not settle to live in one place but move from place to place

  • Cradle - a cradle is a small bed or cot that helps keep babies safe and warm when they sleep

  • Similarity - a similarity is when something is like something else, but is not exactly the same

Common misconception

Egypt and Mesopotamia are the only places to have had early civilisations.

Look at a map of the world and point out the locations of the Indus Valley and Shang civilisations.

You could experiment with different ways of channeling water - through tubes or guttering and of different thicknesses. You could try channeling water in sand trays or in trays filled with earth too.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
When did the Sumer and Ancient Egyptian civilisations exist?
3 BCE
0 CE
Correct answer: 3000 BCE
3 BCE
Q2.
Match keywords to the definitions.
Correct Answer:civilisation,people living together in an organised way

people living together in an organised way

Correct Answer:ancient,from many thousands of years ago

from many thousands of years ago

Correct Answer:farming,growing crops and raising animals for food

growing crops and raising animals for food

Correct Answer:trade,buying and selling items

buying and selling items

Q3.
Where did the Sumer civilisation develop?
Egypt
United Kingdom
Correct answer: Mesopotamia
Italy
Q4.
Which two rivers were important to the Sumer civilisation?
River Nile
Correct answer: River Tigris
River Thames
Correct answer: River Euphrates
Yellow River
Q5.
Having a surplus means you have food than you need.
Correct Answer: more, More
Q6.
Which of these are true about both Ancient Egypt and Ancient Sumer?
Correct answer: They were successful farmers.
They were in Mesopotamia.
Correct answer: They developed near rivers.
They wrote using hieroglyphs.
Correct answer: They traded with other people.

6 Questions

Q1.
A ' of civilisation' is a place where a civilisation first grew and developed.
Correct Answer: cradle, Cradle
Q2.
Match the keywords to their definitions.
Correct Answer:nomadic,moving from place to place

moving from place to place

Correct Answer:settle,to stay and live in one place

to stay and live in one place

Correct Answer:similarity,when something is like something else, but is not exactly the same

when something is like something else, but is not exactly the same

Q3.
Which ancient 'cradle of civilisation' was located in modern-day India?
Sumer
Ancient Egyptian
Shang
Correct answer: Indus Valley
Q4.
Match the ancient civilisation to the river it was close to.
Correct Answer:Indus Valley,Indus River

Indus River

Correct Answer:Shang,Yellow River

Yellow River

Correct Answer:Ancient Egyptian,River Nile

River Nile

Correct Answer:Sumer,Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

Q5.
Order the ancient civilisations starting with the earliest.
1 - Sumer
2 - Indus Valley and Ancient Egypt
3 - Shang
Q6.
What were similarities of all 'cradles of civilisation'?
Correct answer: channeling water for farming
having a nomadic lifestyle
Correct answer: inventing types of art
Correct answer: building cities

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