1. Was Ancient Egypt the first great civilisation?

Plenary

Using the timelines they have created, explain to the children that the last pharaoh, Cleopatra VII, lived around 2056 years ago (her death in 30 BCE to 2026 CE). Can the children calculate how long the time duration is between the building of the pyramids of Giza and the death of Cleopatra? It is around 2530 years!  Discuss how this shows Cleopatra lived closer to us today than she did to the construction of those pyramids!

Teacher Mastery

A civilisation is a complex, organised society marked by features such as cities, structured government, specialised jobs, shared culture, and advances in areas like writing, technology, and trade. The first major civilisations emerged in fertile river valleys where people could farm successfully and support growing populations. Ancient Sumer developed in Mesopotamia, introducing early writing and city-states; the Indus Valley civilisation arose in South Asia, known for its well-planned cities and sophisticated drainage systems; the Shang Dynasty in China grew along the Yellow River, developing bronze technology and one of the earliest Chinese writing systems; and Ancient Egypt flourished along the Nile, building monumental architecture and a highly organised state. When discussing their timelines, we use BCE (Before Common Era) for dates counting backwards before year 1, and CE (Common Era) for dates counting forward after year 1. BCE and CE are terms that parallel BC and AD but are more inclusive and widely used in historical study.