Discover the Earliest Civilisations in UKS2

What is a civilisation? Explore the nature of this abstract term with our selection of fantastic topics about early civilisations from around the world.

In planning to ensure the progression described above through teaching the British, local and world history outlined below, teachers should combine overview and depth studies to help pupils understand both the long arc of development and the complexity of specific aspects of the content.

National Currciulum

The Achievements of the Earliest Civilizations:

• Ancient Egyptians

  Learn all about the Ancient Egyptians. Investigate the men and women who studied the kingdoms of Egypt and explore their discoveries. Look at some of the Pharaohs and the development of the pyramids.

  This topic is filled with creative opportunities, with the chance to stage an exhibition about the pyramids, create your own Ancient Egyptian tomb, and design an Ancient Egyptian board game.

  Explore our Ancient Egyptians topic for UKS2

• Ancient Sumer

  Place the Ancient Sumer civilisation in the context of world history and compare it to contemporary Britain. Learn about life in Ancient Sumer, how the people lived, what they did, how they worshipped and what they have left behind for us to discover.

  This is a fabulous topic for English, with the reading of the Lament of Ur, the discovery of Sumerian debate poetry, and the opportunity for children to write their own myths inspired by ancient stories of Sumer.

  Explore our Ancient Sumer topic for UKS2

• The Indus Valley

  Find out about the fascinating Bronze Age civilisation based in the Indus Valley from around 3300 to 1300 BC and place it on a world timeline. Be amazed as you learn how Harappan civilisation functioned and how its cities flourished. Discover daily life, investigate the evidence we have for this civilisation and speculate on why the civilisation ended.

  This is an exciting topic! The Indus Valley was only discovered in the 1920s, and provides a wonderful opportunity to engage your class with the work of archaeologists and the challenges faced by historians.

  Explore our Indus Valley topic for UKS2

• Shang Dynasty

  Learn all about The Shang Dynasty of Ancient China (1600-1046 BC). Discover key information about the formation of the Shang Dynasty and the kings who ruled it. Learn about everyday life, the music, cities and settlements, and the process of worship in this early civilisation. Study how the Shang developed warfare techniques, technology, and writing.

  This is a wonderfully varied topic, with opportunities to cover objectives from the history, English, maths, geography, science, music and art & design curricula.

  Explore our Shang Dynasty topic for UKS2

Ancient Greece

• Ancient Greece

  Discover the four main time periods of the Greek Empire. Explore different kinds of historical sources and evaluate their usefulness. Marvel at Alexander the Great and the empire under his leadership.

  This is a wide ranging topic, with blocks on Aesop and his fables, the Parthenon Marbles, the Olympics, the origin of democracy and more!

  Explore our Ancient Greece topic for UKS2

A non-European Society that Provides Contrasts with British History

• Benin c. CE 900 - 1300

  Study Benin culture in the period 900 to 1300, and contrast features of this West African society with contemporary developments in British history. Learn about the rise of the Benin Kingdom. Consider what brought the Edo people to the rainforests of Benin and how their empire grew. Study the Edo rulers, everyday life, religion and worship, trading currencies and routes, music and art. Find out how the Kingdom of Benin came to an end.

  This topic provides lots of opportunity for children to engage in role-play, discussions and debates. Re-enact the foundation and growth of the Benin Kingdom as well as the oral myths of the Edo people. Role play a court of law, and give children the chance to discuss the ethics of the slave trade.

  Explore our topic about Benin c. CE 900 - 1300 for UKS2

• Early Islamic Civilisation

  Track the development of the great Islamic city of Baghdad. Learn about everyday life in this great city and compare it with life in London. Discuss the spread of Islam and the legacy and continuing influences of early Islam.

  This topic provides fantastic opportunities for covering the computing curriculum in an exciting way. Use animation software to compare the spread of Christianity with the spread of Islam. Evaluate the reliability of information sources from the internet when looking at the life story of Muhammad (pbuh). And create a short film about an element of everyday life in Baghdad.

  Explore our topic about Early Islamic Civilisation for UKS2

• The Maya

  Study the magnificent Maya in this vigorously researched topic. Discover where and when the Maya built their civilisation as you develop a range of skills across the curriculum. Investigate how they lived, their culture and their legacy. Compare their lives to your own as you bring your learning together.

  This is an extensive topic, with twelve fantastic blocks covering everything from Maya writing, trade, religion, technology and more!

  Explore our topic about The Maya for UKS2