In this project, you will select four early river civilizations, from the following list: Mycenaean, Chinese, Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and the Indus Valley. Make a graphic analyzer for each civilization, and use it to chart the different characteristics of each. Analysis helps to sort out not only what aspects belonged to which culture, but also what aspects of a single culture led to something else. For example, one civilization might be settled between two rivers. This might have led to the cultivation of rice as well an advanced river culture. This, then, may have led to a robust boating and trading culture up and down the two rivers, which later brought the civilization wealth and, consequently, the need to militarize to protect its wealth from invaders. Each of these characteristics would be in connected boxes on the graphic, to show which led to which.

Once you have completed the organizer, use it to make a short presentation on the basic characteristics of the four cultures that you’ve chosen, comparing the similarities and differences.

Your primary sources for this project will be books. Try to find at least two different books for each civilization. As you put the information into the graphic organizer, note which information came from which book, perhaps using different colors for each book and highlighting or marking the text.

Sometimes, two books will have the same information; sometimes there will be different information.

In your oral presentation, discuss which books you found more reliable or informative and which you would recommend to others for further research. Use and make note of the new vocabulary you found in the books for your oral presentation. Be prepared to explain the new vocabulary to your audience. Also, consider discussing which of the books you used was the most helpful in your research, and why.