Wikijunior:Ancient Civilizations/Print version
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[edit] Table of Contents
[edit] Ancient Civilizations
- Ancient Pueblo Peoples
- Assyrians
- Aztecs
- Celts
- Chinese
- Egyptians
- Greeks
- Hebrews
- Incas
- Mound Builders (North America)
- Mayans
- Vikings/Norse (Scandinavians)
- Persians
- Romans
- Scythians
[edit] References
[edit] Authors
[edit] Ancient Pueblo Peoples
The Ancient Pueblo Peoples were a Native American culture also known as Anasazi. They are the ancestors of modern Pueblos. Their culture dates back to 1200 B.C.
[edit] What country did they live in?
The Ancient Pueblo Peoples lived in the south-western United States of America. They lived in a high desert area filled with mesas. Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona meet at a point called “four corners”. The area surrounding four corners was their home.
[edit] What did their buildings look like?
The Ancient Pueblo Peoples built large buildings made up of many individual rooms. Families built the buildings over generations. Different families lived together in a single building, like an apartment complex today. The Spanish called the buildings pueblos. Pueblo is a Spanish word that means "village". It is from these pueblos that the Ancient Pueblo Peoples get their name.
These buildings were made of wood logs, adobe and stone. Adobe is a natural building material made from water, dirt and straw. The Ancient Pueblo builders used stones to make the walls of each room. Then they covered them with a layer of smooth adobe. The color of the walls is often the same as the color of the ground nearby.
One very famous pueblo is Taos Pueblo. It has a multi-storied residential complex of reddish-brown adobe. The Rio Pueblo River runs through the middle of the pueblo. Pueblo People built this pueblo between 1000 and 1450 A.D. About one hundred and fifty people still live there today.
They also built enclosed pits called kivas. Religious rituals and ceremonies were held inside the kivas. Most kivas built by Ancient Pueblo Peoples were round underground rooms. A hole in the roof was both a door and chimney. There were benches and alcoves in the walls. A fire pit was in the center.
The Ancient Pueblo Peoples are famous around the world for their cliff dwellings. Mesa Verde in south-western Colorado has several built into its sides. Cliff Palace is a particularly well known dwelling there. It has 220 rooms, in several stories and 23 kivas. The design of Cliff Palace seems random. Different people added new rooms slowly. Over many years, it took shape. People who lived there grew their food on the top of the mesa above them. They had to climb the face of a steep cliff to get home. They used small hand and foot holds carved in the rock.
[edit] What did they eat?
The Ancient Pueblo Peoples were superb farmers in spite of the harsh and arid climate. They ate mainly corn, beans, and squash. They knew how to dry their food and could store it for years. Women ground the dried corn into flour, which they made into paper-thin cakes. They cooked these on a hot rock. Today their ancestors call these cakes piki. They cooked stews in clay pots over a fire.
Since they lived in the high desert, food was hard to come by. They had bows and stone tipped arrows. They hunted and ate animals like mice and rabbits. They also gathered wild foods like piñon nuts, yucca bulbs and sunflower seeds. They kept turkeys and ate their eggs, but they may not have eaten the birds themselves. Instead, they used these birds to control insects. The birds would eat the bugs before the bugs ate the plants.
[edit] What did they wear?
Ancient Pueblo Peoples wore many different types of clothing. They wore shirts and loincloths made of animal hides and furs. Because animals were scarce, so was leather. They made sandals with thick soles from the matted fibers of the yucca plant. Yucca fibers were also used as thread.
About 1,000 years ago, they began trading for and growing cotton. They used cotton to weave shirts, dresses, loincloths and blankets. They decorated their clothing using natural dyes made from plants and minerals. Some common colors were ochre yellow, rust red, and pale blue-gray. The Ancient Pueblo Peoples were expert weavers and they would decorate the fabric they wove. They painted or embroidered abstract geometric designs on the fabric.
The weather was hot during the summer, so they wore little clothing then. It was cold during the winter, though. To make robes and coats, they wrapped feathers around Yucca fibers. Then they sewed these together.
They also wore jewellery. They crafted pendants, earrings and necklaces from turquoise. They traded for shells and beads and wore these as well.
[edit] What did they believe?
No one knows for sure what the Ancient Pueblo Peoples believed. We can make some good guesses, though. This is because we know what modern Pueblos believe.
They did not believe in a single "God". They believed in many mystic beings and gods. Today their ancestors call some of these kachinas. The kachinas could speak directly with gods. People would ask the kachinas to help them. Dancing was a main way that people connected with kachinas.
According to Pueblo history, their ancestors entered this world from another world. The people who entered this world are the First People. A flute-playing locust led them on the journey.
An important concept in Pueblo history and religion is the sipapu. A sipapu was a place where people could communicate with spirits. It could be an alcove in a kiva, a mountain, a body of water, or some other place. Ancient Pueblo Peoples believed that the dead pass into the spirit world through the sipapu. When someone died, their spirit went to a different world for a time. Then they were reborn in this world as a new baby.
[edit] What did their writing look like?
Ancient Puebloans did not have a written language. They did create pottery, cloth, and rock carvings with abstract designs, though. These designs identified groups or spirits. They also made rock carvings that had pictures of people and animals.
[edit] Are some of them famous even today?
A Pueblo Medicine man named Popé led a revolt against the Spanish in 1680. The revolt was in response to the cruel treatment the native Americans received from the conquering Spanish. The Pueblos managed to force the Spanish out of New Mexico but two years after Popé's death, the Spanish regained control.
Maria Martinez is a famous pottery maker known for her recreation of traditional Puebloan designs. Her most famous pots have matte black designs on a shiny black surface.
[edit] What is left of them today?
There are still Pueblo People living in New Mexico and Arizona. Some live other places in the American Southwest. There are around 25 pueblos today. Taos, Acoma, Zuni, and Hopi are the most well known pueblos. Modern Pueblo people are descended from the Mogollon and Hohokam People as well as the Ancient Pueblo Peoples.
[edit] Aztecs
[edit] What country did they live in?
The Aztecs lived in what is now Mexico. The name Mexico comes from the Aztec word Mexica, a name they used to describe themselves.
[edit] What did their buildings look like
The Aztecs lived on a self-made island where their city, Tenochtitlan, was located. When they first arrived in the area, there was nothing but a swampy island in the middle of Lake Texcoco. They developed a system, called the chinampa system to dry the land by setting up small plots in which they produced all the food they needed.They did not make more then they should when they had the time to make sure that they had all of them right. When enough land was dry they would begin to build there. Over time, they added to the size of the island using this system.
[edit] Tenochtitlan
Tenochtitlan was divided into four zones or campan. Each campan was divided into 20 districts (calpullis), and each calpulli was crossed by streets, or tlaxilcalli. There were three main streets that crossed the city and extended to firm land; The calpullis were divided by channels used for transportation, with wood bridges that were removed at night. Each calpulli had its own tianquiztli (marketplace), but there was also a main marketplace in Tlatelolco.
Tenochtitlan was created symmetrical, that is, a mirror image on both sides. At the heart of the city lay public buildings, temples and schools. Inside a walled square, 300 meters to the side, was the ceremonial center. There were public buildings, the main temple, the temple of Quetzalcoatl, the ball game, the tzompantli, or rack of skulls, the temple of the sun, the platforms for the sacrifice of gladiators, and some minor temples. Outside was the palace of Moctezuma. Nearby was the cuicalli or house of the songs, and the calmecac, or school. All construction had to be approved by the calmimilocatl, a person in charge of city planning.
Moctezuma's palace had 100 rooms and bathrooms for the lords and ambassadors of allies and conquered people. It also had two zoos, one for birds of prey and another for other birds, reptiles, and mammals. There was also a botanical garden and an aquarium. The aquarium had ten salt water ponds and ten fresh water ponds, containing fish and aquatic birds.
[edit] What did they wear?
Aztec men wore cloth around their waists and cloaks around their shoulders. Aztec women wore sleeveless blouses and wraparound skirts. Nobles dressed in brightly coloured cotton clothes decorated in gold and feathers. This was done to attract attention to themselves. The poor wore clothes made of maguey fibres, and slaves did not wear much at all!
The Aztec army dressed differently from everyday people. Warriors wore vests made of quilted cotton, feathered plumes dusted with stones and precious metals. They also wore collars, bracelets and earrings made of the same materials. Depending on how many enemies they captured, warriors could earn the right to wear animal costumes. Chiefs wore layers of gold or silver with feathers underneath. Both chiefs and warriors wore wooden helmets shaped like animals, and carried shields made of woven reeds and feathers. Common soldiers did not have these items. They painted themselves in the colours of their chief's banner, and wore a simple girdle.
When sacrificing humans to the gods, priests wore black blood-stained robes, while the victim was painted with chalk. Often, masks were worn during the ceremony.
[edit] What did their writing look like?
Like the Mayans, the Aztecs wrote using a series of glyphs, or pictures. For example, a snake (coatl) was represented by a drawing of a snake's head. Numbers below 20 were represented by a series of dots. Numbers larger than 20 were represented by glyphs. For example, the number 500 would be represented by a feather and four flags (400 + 5*20 = 500). To show that glyphs belonged to a single group, a line was drawn to connect them. Next, a line was drawn to the object being counted.
[edit] What did they believe?
According to Aztec legend, the ancestors of the Aztec came from a place in the north called Aztlán. They were guided by a god named Huitzilopochtli, meaning "Left-handed Hummingbird." There was a prophecy that said that they should build their home where they saw an eagle eating a snake while perched on a nopal cactus. When they arrived on the island in Lake Texcoco, they saw this, and settled there.
The Aztecs also believed that their ancestors were considered by other groups to be uncivilized. However, they decided to learn, and took knowledge from other peoples, especially the Toltec. They believed all culture came from them.
The Aztecs had several creation myths. One said that there were four ages before our time, each of which ended in a catastrophe. Our age – Nahui-Ollin, the fifth age, or fifth creation – escaped destruction because of the sacrifice of Nanahuatl ("full of sores", the smallest and humblest of the gods), who was transformed into the Sun. Another says that Earth was created by the twin gods Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl. Tezcatlipoca lost his foot in the process of creating the world and all representations of these gods show him without a foot and with a bone exposed.
[edit] Are some of them famous even today?
At the time of the arrival of the Spanish, the emperor Moctezuma ruled over Tenochtitlan. His name in Nahuatl, pronounced Mo–tekw–so–ma, meant "he who makes himself ruler by his rage."
Legend has it that ten years before the Spanish arrived, eight things happened that signaled the fall of the Aztec empire. They were:
- A comet appeared in the sky during the day.
- A pillar of fire (possibly the comet) appeared in the night sky.
- The temple of Huitzilopochtli was destroyed by fire.
- A bolt of lightning struck the Tzonmolco temple.
- Tenochtitlan was flooded.
- Strange people with many heads but one body were seen walking through that city.
- A woman was heard weeping a dirge for the Aztecs.
- A strange bird (quetzal) was caught. When Moctezuma looked into its mirror-like eyes, he saw unfamiliar men landing on the coast.
In the spring of 1519, Moctezuma received reports of strange men off the coast of his empire. At first, the emperor sent an ambassador with a costume of Tlaloc, and another of Quetzalcoatl. When the ambassador met conquistador Hernán Cortés, he thought he looked like Quetzalcoatl. He told Moctezuma, who tried to stop him from coming to Tenochtitlan. He sent gold, wizards, priests, and even one of his ambassadors, Tzihuacpopoca, who pretended to be the emperor.
Eventually, Moctezuma met Hernán Cortés. He believed he was the god Quetzalcoatl. He took him to his garden and gave him flowers, the greatest honour he could give. When Cortés ordered a halt to the human sacrifices, he agreed. He even offered to be baptized a Christian and become a subject of king Charles I of Spain.
When Cortés went to meet other Spaniards on the coast, deputy governor Pedro de Alvarado took over. He stopped the Aztecs from celebrating Toxcatl, and killed most of the important upper class Aztecs in what is known as "The Massacre in the Main Temple." Anywhere from 350 to 1000 people died. This enraged the Aztecs, who revolted. Moctezuma was then taken by the Spanish. On July 1, 1520, Moctezuma appeared on the balcony of his palace, pleading with his people to retreat. Instead, they threw rocks at him, and he died shortly after the attack.
After the death of Moctezuma, there were only two other emperors. One died of smallpox, the last aztec emperor was named Cuahutemoc, and to make him confess where the aztec wealth was kept, they burned his feet until finally his death came very possibly from shock, or so Mexican scholars say. One year later, the Aztec empire had crumbled. Techichpotzin, Moctezuma's daughter, inherited his wealth. She was baptized a Christian and given the name Isabel Moctezuma. She married a total of five times before she died. the Aztec's belived in over 1000 god's
[edit] What is left of them today?
Although the Aztecs no longer exist, their influence is still felt in Mexico. More than 60% of the population are mestizo or mixed. This means that some of their ancestors were Aztec. There are also over 1.5 million people in Mexico who speak Nahuatl, which comes from the Classical Nahuatl spoken by the Aztecs.
The Nahuatl language has given many words to English, usually through Spanish. Here is a list of some English words of Nahuatl origin:
- avocado: from ahuacatl (fruit)
- chilli: from chilli (vegetable)
- chocolate: from xocolatl (drink)
- cocoa: from cacahuatl (fruit/nut)
- coyote: from coyotl (mammal)
- ocelot: from ocelotl (mammal)
- shack: from xacalli (structure)
- tomato: from (xi)tomatl (fruit/berry)
[edit] Assyrians
{{:Assyrians}}
[edit] Celts
[edit] What country did they live in?
Around 400 BC, the Celts ranged from Britain & Ireland all the way across Europe to northern Turkey.
[edit] What did they look like?
Men wore a loose fitting tunic down to the knees and trousers called Bracae, Women wore long, loose fitting dresses. They made their clothes from Linen woven from the flax Celtic farmers grew. They were very concerned about their appearance and used dye from berries to colour their clothes. Both Men and Women also wore great cloaks they used for travelling, Women used a decorative brooch to fasten their cloak at the neck. These cloaks were very heavy and often used as sleeping bags for the men when they were away hunting. The Celts used lime to bleach their hair, preferring light hair and both Men and Women wore their hair long.
[edit] What did their buildings look like?
Most Iron-age Celts, in Britain, lived in roundhouses, circular houses of wood or stone with thatched straw roofs shaped like a cone. Most roundhouses were made up of wooden posts, with walls in-between made out of "wattle and daub." Wattle and daub consists of wooden sticks (wattles), covered with a mixed mud and clay plaster (daub).
In Scotland, most roundhouses were built of stone rather than wood, yet retained the cone-shaped thatched roof. This type of roundhouse is called the Atlantic roundhouse.
Celtic houses on the continent were rectangular.
The Celts in Ireland built many forts and settlements, the most popular of which is called the Ringfort. Inside the Ringfort, wooden, circular houses were built using Wattle and Daub.
Celts also built fortified defensive structures, which can still be seen today, especially in the Highlands & Isles of Scotland, as well as Ireland.
[edit] What did they eat?
Celts ate like most other Europeans, subsisting mostly on grains supplemented by meats, fruits, and vegetables. Exactly what they ate varied by area, and Celts grew local crops. Scottish Highlanders were famous for supposedly subsisting almost entirely on Oats, though this was not entirely true. However, Oats remain the favorite grain of Scotland, and Scottish cuisine is full of them. Potatoes serve this role in Ireland, although they were not introduced until after Columbus reached the New World.
The Celts in Ireland farmed the land and reared cattle and sheep. In the Spring, they would get Milk, Butter and Cheese from the Cattle, killing them later in the year for meat. Cattle were not only a means of food for Celts, the Celts wealth was meaured in the amount of Cattle they owned. One Ancient Irish tale tells of Queen Maedhb (May-ev) and another rival King, and their battle over the Táin Bó Chuaille (a bull). This doesnt just show the imprtance of cattle in Celtic society, but also the fact that they thoroughly accepted the idea of women as leaders, unlike other societies of that time.
The most famous example of food of any Celtic people is probably the Scottish haggis. Many people aren't quite clear on what a Haggis is, and one survey conducted in the United States found that over half of the people they surveyed thought that the haggis was a small rodent native to Scotland. In reality, a haggis usually consists of a sheep's 'pluck' (heart, liver, windpipe and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, which is traditionally boiled in the animal's stomach for about an hour.
[edit] What did they wear?
Celts took a great interest in their clothes when they could afford to do so. Many had colorrful designs woven into their clothes called tartan, still shown in Scottish Kilts and Trews today.
Celts also had a great fondness for jewellery, and both men and women wore quite a bit, when they could afford it.
Finally, many warrior Celts wore their weapons (swords, more often than not) as normal attire. This became very complex during the late middle ages with Scottish Highlanders, who were sometimes seen with a broadsword at their waist, dirk (long knife) on their belt, one or more pistols also attached to their belt, a long hunting rifle, and a small dagger in their sock, called a Sgian Dubh (Gaelic for "Black Dagger").
[edit] What did their writing look like?
Celts didn't have a very high opinion of the written word. Instead, they recorded their history and culure in an oral tradition; that is, they recorded their past by telling stories. Early examples of Gaelic Celtic writing have been recovered in Europe, based on the Phoenician alphabet.
In Ireland, a different alphabet was used, primarily in Gaelic Celtic languages like Irish, Manx, and Scottish Gaelic. This alphabet was called Ogham, sometimes referred to as the "Celtic Tree Alphabet." It developed as a way for Irish monks to write in stone.
After Christianity was spread throughout the Gaelic world, Ogham fell into disuse, in favor of the Latin Alphabet (largely because Christian writings were all in the Latin alphabet).
[edit] What did they believe?
Celts were polytheists; they believed in many gods and goddesses (deities). Unlike many other civilizations, different groups of Celts worshipped various deities, although there were some patterns. Beira was the name that Celts gave to Mother Earth, and some of them believed her to be the mother of all their deities.
Most Celt believed in afterlife, we know this because Archaeologists have found many Grave goods within their burial tombs (Dolmens, Cairns)
Many, though not all, Celts worshipped in sacred groves.
[edit] Are some of them famous even today?
Yes! Today, the British Isles (along with Ireland) are probably regarded to be Celtic more than any other area in the world. No one's quite sure who lived there before them, and they were certainly well-established by the time the Romans came there in AD 43. After 20 years of Roman rule, the chieftain of the Icenii tribe, Prasutagus, died. Though by tradition, his wife Boudicca would've assumed leadership of the tribe, the Romans took Icenii land, brutally humiliating Boudicca and her two daughters. This enraged the Icenii people, and Boudicca raised an army to fight the Romans and liberate Britain. She gained support of many other Celtic tribes, and almost succeeded in toppling the Roman Empire in Britain. She is revered as a national hero in Britain.
The world-renowned Scottish poet, Robert Burns, was a Celt.
Many famous Celts are alive today. The famous Scottish actor, Sean Connery, is proud of his Celtic heritage.
[edit] What is left of them today?
Celts are alive and thriving today! Much of the population of Europe are seen as descendents of the Celts, and the nations of Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, Brittany and Manx are considered to be made up of primarily Celtic peoples. As well, the Celtic diaspora, the descendents of Celts around the world, is vast, being spread greatly through the British Empire. In particular, Novia Scotia, Canada, is a hotbed of modern Gaelic Celtic culture.
[edit] Chinese
[edit] Where did they live?
The geography of Ancient China is often described by geologists in a system of three steps: The first step is to the far west near present day Tibet. With the highest mountains on earth around hear the climate is quite cold and in the summer quite warm this place is widely considered inhospitable, from -40℃ (-40 F) in the winter to 37℃ (100 F) in the summer. Due to this there aren’t many villages and when found villages are quite small. The next step is the middle of China it’s covered with desert and a small amount of grassland. People here raise grazing cattle (Yak). There are some low hills but no snow. With cold winters and hot summers this area was never densely populated. The final step is the East. This area is accounts for about, 95% of modern and Ancient Chinese population. Two long rivers flow through here the Yellow and the Yangtze River. Here there was plenty of water for crops and agriculture flourished. In the North wheat was the main crop and in the South rice was more frequent.
[edit] What did their buildings look like?
Most ancient Chinese buildings have not survived because they were made of wood. A small number of buildings were made of stone. However, the forbidden palace, which is still located in China, Bejing, has survived, and many tourists visit it every day.
[edit] What did they eat?
Northern Chinese people eat wheat; Southern Chinese people eat rice; and they both eat with chopsticks. Many of them eat noodles, which are long, thin pieces of dough that they boil in hot water. A main meat was pork, each family would keep a live pig if they could afford it. They would feed it table scraps, and pigs were also popular as a pet as well as dogs.
[edit] What did they wear?
In Ancient China, the wealthy wore SILK. while peasants wore cotton. The color yellow could only be worn by the Emperor and other Royalty. A dragon was sometimes sewn on the Emperor's clothes. The color red indicates celebrity or happiness and is usually worn on holidays.They also sometimes wore jade depending on what they were doing, since jade was a lucky stone.
[edit] What did their writing look like?
The ancient form of writing evolved into the character system that is still in use today.
Many ancient stories say, an ancient man named Cangjie invented the Chinese character system. He's functionary of history for Huang Emperor. This story went around in the ancient war period,and wrote in some ancient Chinese books. But today many people think it's just a myth.
[edit] What did they believe?
During the Bronze Age most of China worshiped many gods and spirits. The most important of these being Ti or “Deity Above” He was believed to punish those that pleased him and punish those that didn’t. Ti was in charge of all the gods and goddesses in the pantheon. The gods and goddesses all represented something in nature for example the “God of Soil” etc. Some of the Emperors brought their servants with them to the after life. Priests and Priestess’s main job was to act as mediums between the Gods and Goddesses and the worshipers they specialized in sacrificing and ceremonies of specific Gods and Goddesses. A special type of medium was an Augur. An Augur asked questions of the Gods and Goddesses or read oracle bones.
After the Bronze Age, Three Doctrines or Ideologies became important Chinese Religions. Taoism and Confucianism were native to China and developed in isolation. The Three ideologies can also be viewed as philosophies but they also have a spiritual element, which is why they are classified as religions. The Third Doctrine, Buddhism was brought from China by traveling monks from India.
Confucius was alive during when the Chou dynasty (a part of the Zhou Dynasty) was decaying it was riddled with corruption. Confucius experienced the corruption firsthand as he held a position in government. He believed that decline was because the Chinese had abandoned old traditions and old concepts of honor, politeness morality and social roles had been forgotten; this is the base of Confucianism.
Confucianism filtered into different aspect of Chinese culture Confucius’ teachings became the basis for education in China and his writings became the classics that every child in China reads.
The basis of Taoism is the concept of Tao. Tao is translated as “the path” or “the way.” The term has no conclusive definition it refers to a wide force in nature and is the source of all things.
Taoism in its purest form calls followers to pursue Tao. This means he or she should not try to alter nature or force it to do what it was not meant to do. A follower must remain inactive and not make plans. A follower must not do anything contrary to Tao for example building a house or damming a river. Taoists were members of the educated wealthy elite. Some of the less privileged did learn about it but altered it to be more about magic and alchemy than the purest form of Taoism.
Siddharta Gautana founded Buddhism around 500 BC; He was later called The Enlightened One or the Buddha. Buddhism spread to China via the Silk Road. When it first arrived it was considered part of Taoism because of how similar Taoism and Buddhism are. How ever a number of Buddhist monks came from India to China and kept the religion from being incorporated into Taoism. Buddhism encourages followers to throw off self-interest. Through meditation and right living, a Buddhist can reach Nirvana or absence of suffering which was a similar concept to Tao.
All three religions were not intolerant of each other although they did not always agree. Many people were subscribers of more than one religion and all three subtly influenced each other.
[edit] Are some of them famous even today?
Confucius (also known as Kongzi) is widely known as the prototypical Chinese sage. He spawned a whole school of philosophy. His follower, Mencius, is also known today. There are other ancient Chinese people known today, although their origin is thought of as legendary: Laozi, writer of the Daode jing, one of the five major classics of ancient chinese wisdom; Sun Tzu, the military theorist who wrote the "Ping Fa", know in the West as "The Art of War". Historiographically, there is a rather important name: Sima Qian, the first Chinese historian, dating from the Later Han.
Politically, there are maybe two major figures: Qin Shi Huangdi, the First Emperor and the first builder of the Great Wall of China. Originally named Zheng, he conquered the remaining Chinese kingdoms and became the first "Son of Heaven" to aggregate "All-Under-Heaven", the whole territory. Nearly 60 years later, Han Wu Di, or simply Wudi, rose to power, marking the true beginning of Confucianism as "the" building block of the Imperial State.
Zheng He is another famous person. He explored the world on big ships in 1405, almost a century before Ferdinand Magellan set sail. Zheng He visited India, Persian Gulf, Egypt, and Africa! Read more about Zheng He [1]
[edit] What is left of them today?
Chinese civilization is one of a few ancient civilizations that have lasted into modern times. The present-day China is the heir to that civilization. The influence of Chinese civilization also spread to Japan, Korea, Vietnam,
The Chinese civilization has made countless contributions to the world.They include the invention of compass, paper, gunpowder, silk, noodle, porcelain, and paper money, ... These things are a part of our lives today.
[edit] Egyptians
[edit] What country did they live in?
The Egyptians lived along the Nile River in north eastern Africa. This river flows from the central part of Africa. The Nile's water flows north, until it empties into the Mediterranean Sea. At the northern most part of the Nile, the Nile forms a delta. The delta of a river is formed at the river's mouth, where it leaves behind dirt and other sediment. At the delta, a river often branches out into a wider, triangular shape.
The Nile was very important to life in Egypt. Seasonal floods every year covered the land near the river with fresh silt, making the land very good for growing food. In order to grow more food, people built irrigation canals to move water from the river to nearby areas. The Sahara Desert makes up much of the surrounding area, so most people didn't travel very far from the Nile. The surrounding desert land made the rich soil of the Nile very important from growing crops.
Egyptian transportation systems included boats that traveled north and south along the river. Boats could easily travel north, with the current of the river, but they could go south easily as well. The winds along the river usually blow to the south, so the Egyptians would raise sails on their boats and head against the current with the help of the wind!
The Nile was extremely important to the Egyptian civilization. A Greek historian, Herodotus traveled the river thousands of years after the Egyptians started their civilization. He is often quoted as saying that "Egypt is the gift of the Nile." This means that, there could not have been a civilization in Egypt without the Nile and what it made possible for the people there.
[edit] What did their buildings look like?
There were two types of buildings that the ancient Egyptians lived in. One was called the worker's home. The other was the town house, which was for wealthier people. Both types of houses were built from bricks. Stone was only used for building permanent structures, such as the Pyramids. The bricks were made from a mixture of mud, pebbles, and straw. The builders would pour the mixture into wooden frames and leave it in the sun to dry and harden. Buildings made from such bricks eventually crumbled, and new buildings were constructed right on top of the ruins. This led to the formation of tells or hills. Houses were often built along the Nile River, but they had to be high to avoid flooding.
A worker's home was usually one-story high and had up to four rooms. There was a yard and a kitchen in the back of the house, as well as two underground storage cellars. The roofs of the Egyptians houses were flat, and people spent much of their time there. Egyptian families slept, cooked, and ate their meals on the roof. It was a bit like having a living room, kitchen, dining room, and bedroom all up on the roof. The Egyptians did not have running water in their homes, but water could be gotten from nearby wells. Workers' homes had very little furniture, including beds and storage chests for clothes.
The houses of the wealthy were much larger and up to three stories tall. Because the walls were much higher, they had to be supported by wooden beams. The walls of the first floor were sometimes made of stone for added strength. Different levels of the house served different purposes. The first floor was where business and work was conducted. The second and third floors were the living space for the family and had nicer furnishings. The roof was used for preparing and cooking meals that were then brought in by the servants. Wealthy homes had gardens, pools, and small shrines for worship. Some houses were decorated with tiled floors, barred windows, fancy staircases, and painted walls. The ceilings were high and held up with columns.
The pyramids were large stone structures built to house the bodies of the Egyptian rulers, or Pharaohs, after they died. The pyramids were built high, because it was believed to be the ruler's staircase to heaven. Although the most famous shape is the familiar three-dimensional triangle, pyramids were built in a variety of shapes. They were all built with the help of simple machines, including pulleys, inclined planes, and levers. The inside walls of the pyramids were decorated with hieroglyphics, the picture-based writing of the Egyptians. The tomb of the Pharaoh was located in a room deep in the heart of the pyramid, and was filled with gold, jewels, and other riches. It was also filled with other everyday objects that might be needed by the dead Pharaoh during his journey to the afterlife. This could include food, clothing, utensils, pottery, and furniture. Sometimes, even servants were sealed up in the tomb! Because of all the treasure inside the tomb, robbers sometimes broke into the pyramids, but their maze-like interior could cause them to get lost and die of starvation. Another defense against robbers were the curses written at the entrance of the pyramids. Most ancient Egyptians were very superstitious, and the curses were frightening enough to keep them away. Unfortunately, as centuries passed, thieves grew less afraid of the curses and managed to steal many of the ancient treasures that had been in the tombs for ages.
[edit] What did they eat?
The ancient Egyptians ate food that is not much different from what we eat today. Because the Nile River supplied them with a constant water source, the Egyptians were able to grow many different kinds of crops in their desert environment. Common crops included grains, vegetables, and fruit. The Egyptians relied on these crops as their main food source, because it was expensive to raise animals. Therefore, most domestic animals were used as work animals rather than as food. Often, Egyptian families hunted wild animals in order to add meat to their diets.
The Egyptians ate many different kinds of bread. The dough was made from grain, yeast, eggs, butter, salt, milk, and spices. In early times, it was cooked over an open fire. Later, pre-heated stone slabs were used. The bread was usually flat and round, but it might be shaped in rolls for special occasions. It could be plain or filled with beans, vegetables, or other ingredients. If sweet bread was desired, it would be flavoured with honey, fruit, or dates. Honey was the main sweetener for the Egyptians, because they had not discovered sugar. They also believed that honey had healing properties.
Fruits and vegetables made up a large part of the Egyptian diet. The abundant water of the Nile River allowed vegetables to be grown almost all year round except summer. Common vegetables included: cucumbers, onions, cabbage, garlic, radishes, leeks, and more. Green vegetables were often served with a dressing, usually made of vinegar and oil, not unlike the salad dressings we use today. The hot climate prevented a large variety of fruits to grow in Egypt, but figs, pomegranates, dates, melons, and grapes were readily available. Other fruits like coconuts, apples, and peaches were imported by wealthy people.
Fish was also a large part of their diet, although many rich people would not eat it. Fish was usually eaten fried, boiled, or roasted. It was also often sun-dried.
[edit] What did they wear?
Most Egyptians wore white tunics made of linen. This clothing style was comfortable in the hot climate of Egypt. For men, this tunic came up to the knee, while for women, it reached the ankle. Women sometimes wore shawls with their dresses. While working, men wore loincloths, but many workers wore nothing at all. Women wore shorter skirts while working. Children often didn't wear clothes during the summer, but when winter came, they dressed in cloaks and wraps. Wealthier people had pleats in their clothing, and some noblewomen wore beaded dresses.
Egyptians wore sandals made of palm fiber or braided papyrus for shoes. Most people went barefoot and carried their shoes, wearing them only when necessary. Women seldom wore shoes, because most of their work was indoors.
Royalty wore ceremonial clothes which were elaborately decorated with feathers and sequins. The Pharoah's sandals and gloves were both highly ornamented.
Both men and women wore makeup, which was made by mixing powdered minerals with oil. They also used a reddish dye called 'henna.' Unlike other ancient civilizations, the Egyptians were quite clean and washed and oiled themselves with scented oil before dressing. They used combs, razors, and tweezers as part of their hygiene routine. Men and women both wore wigs, which were changed every day and made from human hair or wool. Curled wigs were worn on special occasions.
Jewelery was a normal part of any Egyptian's outfit. All classes wore some type of jewelery. made of either gold or colorful beads or stones. Lapis lazuli and turquoise were used to make necklaces. Earrings and rings made of clay were also worn.
[edit] What did they believe?
During most of Egypt's history, polytheism (the belief in many gods) was practiced. One of the most important gods was Ra the sun god. Several of the gods were based on animals, or had animals as their symbols. One god was often shown as a jackal and another as a cow!
Often, there were myths told about these gods and goddesses that explained some of the major ideas in ancient Egypt. One famous myth involves Isis and Osiris. This story helped explain several of the most important beliefs, such as the belief in the afterlife .
Egyptians believed that after people died, they went to an afterlife, where they would continue their lives as they lived them on Earth. To do this successfully, however, they had to preserve everything that they had in life on Earth. This is the reason that Pharaohs were buried with everything that they owned. Pharaohs, and others who were rich enough, would have scenes of their life on Earth painted on the walls of their tombs, so that those same sorts of scenes could be "relived" in the afterlife. This is also why Egyptians believed in mummification: the body had to be preserved, so that the spirit, called the 'ka', could return to the body after death.
Under the rule of one Pharaoh named Akhenaten, Egypt became monotheist, meaning that they believed in one god. During this time, they worshipped the god Aten, another sun god. Monotheism was never fully embraced by the people of Egypt, however, and after the Pharoah's death, the Egyptian people went back to polytheism.
[edit] What did their writing look like?
The Egyptians had three types of writing. The first is called hieroglyphics. This was a kind of picture writing in which pictures and characters make up words. This can be very hard to read, because the words often run together, and the Egyptians didn’t use punctuation. Another form of writing is called ““Priests’ Writing.”” This form is the same as hieroglyphics, but written very fast in a cursive style. Last came “Demotic,” which became popular during the time when Egypt was ruled by Pharaohs.
Egyptians could carve hieroglyphs into stone, mud brick, or papyrus (paper made by pounding the stems of a reed until they stick together). Egyptian writing was so difficult that only a very few people learned to read it. If these “scribes” worked very hard, they could become court officials or priests. After Christianity became the religion of the Roman Empire, knowledge of how to speak and write Ancient Egyptian disappeared. In the early 1800’s, a large slab of stone with three different forms of writing on it was found. Because it was found near the town of Rosetta in the Egyptian delta, it was called the Rosetta Stone.
Several years later, a man named Jean-François Champollion discovered that one of the languages on the stone was a form of Greek that he knew how to read. The three languages were hieroglyphs, Demotic, and Greek. By gradually comparing common words between the Greek and Egyptian languages, he was able to get a basic understanding of how the ancient Egyptian language worked. However, it has taken the work of many other people to understand Egyptian writing. Even today, there are many signs and words we do not understand. People are still working to put together the puzzle of what all the symbols mean.
[edit] Are some of them famous even today?
Yes! King Tutankhamun, sometimes referred to as "King Tut" or "The Boy King", is one of the most well known ancient Egyptian kings in modern times. Interestingly, he was not considered to be very important in ancient times and was not recorded on most ancient king lists. However, the discovery of his tomb in 1922 made him a celebrity. While many tombs of the past were robbed, this tomb was left virtually undisturbed. Most of the items buried with Tutankhamun have been well preserved, including thousands of artefacts made from precious metals and rare stones. This is why he has become so popular in modern times. The discovery of this tomb has allowed historians and archaeologists to have a glimpse of what some of the more important kings may have had in their burial chambers before they were robbed.
[edit] What is left of them today?
Even today Egypt is still a major country with a large population. Many modern Egyptians still live near the same land that their ancestors lived on thousands of years ago.
The ancient Egyptians wrote messages that they carved into the walls of many of their buildings, and most of the early work by Egyptologists was based on these writings. Moreover, thousands of papyrus scrolls -- on every aspect of life and many areas of knowledge -- have remained, many still untranslated, to this day. We have much of their art and jewellery as well. Many major pieces were recovered from King Tutankhamen's tomb, and from the tombs of many other Pharaohs. One of the more famous works is the bust of Neffertiti.
Many of the Ancient Egyptians' buildings, tombs and monuments survive, although most are in ruins. Still, there is much to be learned about Egyptian politics, history, religion, and scientific ideas.
[edit] Greeks
[edit] What area did they live in?
Ancient Greeks lived on the Balkan Peninsula (approximately at the territory of modern Greece) and on the western part of Turkey. They governed themselves from their cities, each of which had a separate government which governed over the countryside surrounding them. There were quite a few of these city states, but their two greatest cities were Athens, in the north, and Sparta in the south. The Greeks lived under their own rule until first being absorbed by the Macedonians, who lived to their north, and then finally the Roman Empire. Greece has many mountains and poor soil, which prevents many crops from being grown there. The country has a mild climate, which makes it convenient to farm goats and sheep. Also, Greece is a sea country: there are many beaches and islands, and no part of the country is far away from the sea. That made many of the Greeks sailors, and that meant that they sailed near and far, trading with different people, learning about other cultures, and bringing their own culture to faraway lands. These types of exchanges inspired development of Greek science and art.
[edit] What did their structures look like?
Greek buildings were usually rectangular-shaped, surrounded by colonnades – rows of columns. Greece is rich in limestone, which was the most popular material of the time. Marble was more expensive, and was mostly used for statues and decoration.
Greek theaters looked very much like modern ones, except that most were open to the weather. There were semi-circled rows of seats, each row was higher than the row in front of it, so that people in the back could see better. Centered in front of the audience was a circular orchestra, where performances took place. A low building called a skene sat behind the orchestra. It was used to conceal actors, and gave room for costume changes, props and other "backstage" activity.
[edit] What did they wear?
Greek men wore chitons – pieces of cloth pinned on one shoulder. Women wore peplos – long tube-shaped cloth, which was pinned on both shoulders and gathered around the waist. When it was cold, both men and women wore a cloak, called clamys. Greeks wore sandals, which looked a lot like the sandals that we wear today.
[edit] What did their writing look like?
Greek writing looked a lot like Modern Greek text, written with capital letters. The Greek alphabet appeared in 8th century BC and was influenced by the Phoenician alphabet, the first alphabet that used signs for letters, not for words or syllables. Unlike the Phoenician alphabet, which did not have characters for vowels, the Greek alphabet had characters for all the sounds used in the language. In that sense it was the first modern alphabet, and the oldest to be used to this day. The Greek alphabet became a base for two other alphabets: Latin (that is used in English) and Cyrillic currently used in Slavic-speaking countries.
[edit] What did they believe?
Greeks were polytheistic, which means that they believed in many gods and goddesses. Each god or goddess was “responsible” for some side of life or natural phenomenon.
Twelve of the most important gods resided on mount Olympus. Their leader was Zeus, the god of the sky. Other Olympic gods were: his wife Hera - the goddess of marriage and motherhood, Poseidon – god of the sea, Aphrodite - the goddess of love, Apollo – the god of art and leader of muses - and Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war, and the favorite daughter of Zeus.
Greeks believed in many mystical creatures other then gods: titans – children of Geia, goddess of Earth, challenging Olympic gods; nymphs – nature spirits; muses – goddesses and patrons of art; centaurs – half humans, half horses; cyclopses – one eyed monsters; giants.
In Greek myths, the Gods often had affairs with real people, and that’s how heroes, like Hercules – man of superhuman strength, who committed twelve labours, and Achilles – the hero of Trojan war, were born.
[edit] Are some of them famous even today?
We know many Greek politicians, scientists, and artists. Possibly the most known person of this culture is Homer, the legendary blind poet, who composed two masterpieces of Greek literature: the poems Iliad and Odyssey. Another famous Greek is a mathematician Pythagoras, mostly known for his famous theorem about relations of the sides of right triangles. Archimedes made many amazing inventions and discoveries. The legend says that he discovered Archimedes Principle while taking a bath, and got so excited, that he ran out naked into the street crying “Eureka!” – “I have found it!” The philosopher Socrates taught to question everything, separating beliefs from proven facts. He even questioned the existence of gods, which got him in trouble: he was accused of corrupting the youth and was sentenced to death by taking poison. Alexander the Great is known for his conquest of the Middle East and Central Asia.
[edit] What is left of them today?
The whole modern country of Greece! They still speak the same language, though it strongly changed over time, use the same alphabet and preserve their heritage.
But Greek heritage is not limited to Greece only. It influenced Western culture greatly. That's we call it the Cradle of Western Civilization. We use many Greek words in our everyday life, like democracy, philosophy, photography. Greek architecture and art strongly influenced Western architecture and art. (What does Lincoln Memorial remind you of?) The foundation of our science came from Ancient Greece.
[edit] Hebrews
[edit] Who are Hebrews?
Hebrews were ancestors of modern Jews. They considered themselves the descendants of biblical Patriarch Abraham. They are known for their input into world culture, because their beliefs have influenced 3 major religions of the world. They are also known for their cultural and spiritual laws, rules, and morals. The Hebrews have influenced society today to a higher degree.
[edit] What country did they live in?
Hebrews were nomadic people, they lived in the ancient Middle East. Around 1400 BC they settled in Canaan, the country on the eastern coast of Mediterranean sea, the territory of modern Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. Later this country was known as the kingdom of Israel, and, after the death of King Solomon, was divided into Israel and Judea.
[edit] What did their buildings look like?
In the warm climate of the Middle East the house was not so important. Most of the life of the Hebrew family happened in the open air. Women did the cooking in the yard; stores were just open counters looking into the street. There were no large forests in the land of Canaan, so wood for building houses was extremely expensive.
When Hebrews were nomadic people, they lived in tents. But even when they settled, tents were very popular. Tents are often mentioned in the Torah, and even at the time of David and Solomon, living in a tent was common, especially for poor people.
Another option was living in a cave. The natural cave was enlarged and a wall was built in front, converting the cave into a sheltered home.
Wealthier people lived in the houses built of sun-dried mud bricks. The roofs of the houses were flat, so that people could stay outside in the cool evenings and sleep in summer. Domestic animals were kept on the first floor, together with people. There was no chimney; smoke from cooking or heating fires escaped through the windows. The furniture was very simple. It included a few mats, spread upon the floor at night for sleeping, and rolled up during the day, or a kind of divan set against the wall; there were a table and chairs; a large jug for grain stood in the corner, and others for water, wine, oil, etc.; a niche in the wall held the lamp.
But what made Hebrews really proud was the Jerusalem Temple. There were two temples built: the First Temple was built by King Solomon. Cedar wood for the construction was brought from Lebanon, and the walls and floor of the temple were covered with gold. The Ark of the Covenant was kept in the Holy of Holies, a room at the end of the temple. The first Temple was destroyed in 586 BC, when the Jews were exiled into the Babylonian Captivity.
After Jews returned from Captivity in 536 BC, they started building the Second Temple. This temple stood till AD 70, when it was destroyed by Romans. The only part that is left from Second Temple is its Western Wall, a sacred site for Jewish people. The Western Temple Mount wall is sometimes called the Wailing Wall.
[edit] What did they eat?
Hebrew food was similar to the food of other Mediterranean people: they ate homemade bread that the lady of the house would bake in the big clay ovens in the yard, lentils, goat cheese, olives, and fresh fruits. Meat was rare, and usually eaten on special days. Fish was more common. The most popular drink was wine.
But there was one difference about the food Hebrews ate: it had to be Kosher. Kosher applied to all different types of food. It applied to meat which had to come from correctly slaughtered animals. These animals had to have split hooves and had to chew their cud.The fish they ate had to have fins and scales. The wine had to be made and supervised by a Hebrew at all times because other cultures would put blood in it to help it ferment and eating or drinking blood is not Kosher. Some of the stricter Hebrews thought that meat should not be mixed with dairy, and that a person had to wait a few hours between having meat and dairy.
[edit] What did they wear?
Both men and women wore a tunic with a girdle, a robe on top of it, and a mantle (a sleaveless over garment) and a headdress. Mens and womens clothes were different in style and pattern. Women’s garments were longer, with long sleeves.
Hebrew laws also had instructions about their clothing. They were supposed to wear tassells on the corners of their clothing and their clothes were supposed to be made out of unmixed fibres. This means that they could not weave together wool and flax or any other combination of fibres. The priests also had special instructions about the clothing that they were supposed to wear while they worked.
[edit] What did their writing look like?
From very ancient times, the Hebrews began to write down their history, laws, and beliefs. Some of these writings were gathered together form the Tanakh. The first five books of the Tanakh are called the Torah. Most of the Tanakh was written in Hebrew. The books were written on large pieces of parchment and rolled into scrolls.
Hebrew was and is written right-to-left, with consonants only. The Hebrew script evolved over the course of their history so ancient Hebrew writing does not look the same as it does today. Here is an example of what ancient Hebrew writing looked like: 
[edit] What did they believe?
Hebrews were among the first people in the world whose religion was monotheistic. Monotheism is the belief that there is only one God. All of their neighbors were polytheistic: they believed in many gods and goddesses that looked and behaved like humans. The idea that there is a single God who cannot be seen and is present everywhere and knows everybody’s thoughts was very unusual at that time.
According to the Torah, the first person to start spreading the concept of one God was the patriarch Abraham. Monotheistic beliefs are currently found in many religions all over the world.
The Hebrews believed that they were God's chosen people and that the Torah contained God's laws which must be followed.
[edit] Are some of them famous even today?
Many biblical heroes are known today. The Bible became the most published book in the world, and, since so much of it was written about Hebrews, many Hebrew historical figures became famous. Many books, paintings and even movies are dedicated to them.
- Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are the three patriarchs.
- Joseph - Jacob's youngest son born to him in his old age. According to the Torah he was sold in to slavery and ended up in Egypt, where he worked for Pharaoh. His most famous job was interpreting Pharaoh's dreams, which led to him saving Eygpt having a famine while the rest of the world was having one.
- Moses - Considered by many people to be one of the greatest leaders of Jewish people, and according to the Torah he is called the most humble man that ever lived. The most notable according to the Torah he took the Hebrews out of slavery from Eygpt, God through him brought 10 plagues to Eygpt, split the Red Sea, received the Torah along with the Ten Commandments and the oral Jewish law, set up the Jewish courts, took them to the land of Canaan - the land God promised to them through Abraham.
- King David - One of three kings of ancient Israel and ruler of the largest territorial extent of ancient Israel. He was a significant military leader and lead the ancient Israelite armies in many successful battles. He wrote most of the songs in the Book of Psalms.
- King Solomon - According to the Tanakh he built the first temple. During his reign the kingdom of Israel reached its greatest prosperity, being one of the biggest powers in trade. He was known for his wisdom and justice.
- Queen Esther - queen of Persia, according to the Tanakh she saved Jewish people from evil plans of Minister Haman to kill all Jews throughout the Persian Empire. This event is celebrated during the Jewish holiday of Purim.
- Jesus of Nazareth - Jesus is one of the most famous Hebrews of all. He was born in Bethlehem to Hebrew parents. He grew up in Nazareth, which is a part of Israel and became the founder of the Christian faith. Many of his early followers were also Hebrew and are still famous today, such as the apostles Paul, Peter and John and John the Baptist.
[edit] What is left of them today?
Kingdom of Israel was destroyed by Assyrians in 722 BC. Judea lost its independence to Rome in the first century AD. Jews had to leave their country. For two thousand years they lived all over the world, preserving their religion, language and traditions. They survived through centuries of discrimination and prejudice and through the extermination of one third of the Jewish population of the world in the Second World War. In 1948 the state of Israel was established again.
[edit] Incas
[edit] What countries did they live in?
They lived in the Andes Mountains in South America. Their range stretched from southern Chile through Argentina, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador and into southern Colombia.
[edit] What did their buildings look like?
The Inca lived in stone houses varying in sizes. They were all built in the Andes on flat plateaus. The temples, however, were built on circular mounds made by the Inca, sort of like a slanted cylinder. At the top there was a plateau. On this plateau the main buildings were built.
[edit] What did they eat?
The Incas ate potatoes and corn. They drank llama milk and water
[edit] What did they wear?
Typical Incan clothing would consist of a lightweight finely made poncho covered by a thicker, blanket-like poncho. They wore sandals and hats, some with fuzzy chinbands. Even when they climbed the tallest mountains in South America, they did not wear socks or pants!
[edit] What did they believe?
The central god of the Incan religion was the sun-god, the only god that had temples built for him. The sun-god was the father of the royal family. There were many gods among the Incas, but the sun-god outshone them all. The Incas also believed that there was a heaven, a hell, and a resurrection of the body after death. The Incas worshiped the dead, their ancestors, their king whom they regard as divine, nature and it's cycles.
[edit] What did their writing look like?
The Incas did not have a system of writing with letters or symbols. Instead, they used a special system called Quipu, tying knots in ropes of different colors. The ropes were kept on special belts that the Quipu writers would always wear. The different colors ropes could show deaths, weddings, trade, and other things. Being a Quipu writer took many years of schooling, and because very few learned, they were very important.
[edit] Are some of them famous even today?
Yma Sumac is a singer who performed Incan and South American folk songs beginning in the 1940s. She is claimed to be an Incan princess directly descended from Atahualpa.
[edit] What is left of them today?
They are famous for their abandoned cities in the Andes Mountains. Some major cities are Cuzco and Machu Picchu, located in Peru. Although many cities have been found, there are still many hidden in the jungles and under the desert floor. Archaeologists hope to one day know more about these people through their amazing artifacts.
[edit] Mound Builders
[edit] Where did they Live?
The Mound Builders lived in what is today the eastern half of the United States and southern Canada, in North America. Their civilization lasted from about 1000 BC to about 1500 AD. A lot of the mounds were built from between 500 BC and 500 AD. Some of the biggest mounds were built after 1000 AD. The biggest mound was 100 feet tall.
Because the people who lived in these societies did not leave any written records, archeologists look for similarities and differences between the mounds, and figure out which groups of Mound Builders interacted with each other.
[edit] What did their buildings look like?
The name for this society comes from the fact that they left large earthen mounds behind in what appears to be community centers of activity. Many of these earthen mounds have been removed by modern peoples in North America, but they were found in many of the same locations where current cities in the United States are now located.
A major feature of most villages was a trading area where items could be exchanged for items that were made in places much more distant. It is known that these trading networks were quite large, and they may have even had contact with other major civilizations in North America like the Aztecs. Items such as obsidian knives have been found over 1000 miles from any known source of volcanic rock.
Often within these mounds, particularly some of the larger mounds, there have been the remains of what is assumed to be a major chief or king, based on the items that are found buried with the person. This was also a reason for why many of these mounds have disappeared, because early treasure hunters would dig through these mounds trying to find gold, silver, or other precious stones and jewelry.
[edit] When did they live there?
- Archaic Period
- Early Woodland - Adena in Ohio, others in Illinois, Kentucky, West Virginia
- Middle Woodland - Hopewell in Ohio, others in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Kentucky
- Late Woodland - Effigy Mounds in Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota
- Mississippian - Cahokia Mounds in Illinois, Spiro Mounds in Oklahoma
Many of these
[edit] What did they eat?
They ate a wide variety of food items, depending on where they were living. Corn (maize) was brought into the area from Mexico and was widly grown together with other vegetables like beans and squash. They also hunted both small animals like rabbits and squirrels, and larger game animals like bison and various types of deer. In some lake regions they ate wild rice, and also ate fish either from the ocean or from freshwater lakes and rivers. They dried many foods to eat in the winter. And they also drank water from freshwater rivers.
[edit] What did they wear?
It is not completely clear how they dressed. If you look at the traditional clothing of their descendants, it was probably simple clothing made for protection from the weather. Their clothing was probably made mostly from animal skins. It may have also included plant fibers, and might have been colored with plant-based dyes.