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The Upper Elementary class has been studying the ancient world for Social Studies this year. In the fall, they started with early hominids and hunter-gatherers. The development of farming led to the first civilizations. Ancient Sumerian city-states were next, followed by Mesopotamia, ancient Egypt, and the Near East. Students learned of the origins of Judaism, then moved on to India to discover the beginnings of Hindu and Buddhist beliefs.
This week we studied the unification of India under the Mauryan family, and how King Ashoka decided to reject wars and embrace love, peace, and nonviolence. Next, we learned about the Golden Age of India during the Gupta Empire. Universities and colleges were built during this time, and there were great advancements in engineering, literature, painting and sculpting, metalwork, and math.
Did you know that the Arabic numerals we use today were based on early Hindu mathematics? Gupta mathematicians used decimals and place value. They were also the first to treat zero as a number! Aryabhata, a famous Gupta mathematician, figured out that a year was exactly 365.258 days long, calculated the approximate size of the Earth, suggested that the Earth and other planets were spheres, and was one of the earliest scientists to suggest that the Earth spins on its axis. That's quite impressive!
Our next unit takes us to Ancient China, where we'll explore dynasties, emperors, and the Silk Road. (That lesson is REALLY fun!!!)
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