Mr. Moore’s
6th Grade Review
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This presentation should be used only as a
supplement to the study sheet provided
Please do not forget to take a look at the
movies on www.mrmoore.net
Quizlet is also a great resource
Feel free to take notes on the presentation
QUICK SOCIAL STUDIES FINAL REVIEW
Ancient Americas
Culture
Tribe
Hieroglyphics
Artifact
Ice Age
Land bridge
Artifacts
Mound Builders
Hohokams
Adobe
Irrigation
Eskimos
Utes
Shoshone
Apache
Navajo
League of the Iroquois
Longhouse
Matrilineal
Civilization
Mayan
Aztec
Culture
Columbus
Hieroglyphics
Contributions
Tribe
Ancient America Questions
1. What evidence suggests that early Native Americans traded
with one another?
2. What was one important purpose of the religious ceremonies
of the Native Americans?
3. What role did the women play in the Iroquois society?
4. How did the Aztecs treat people captured in war?
5. How did the Native Americans influence the Europeans?
6. How did the Europeans influence the Native Americans?
7. What advancements made the Aztecs, the Incas, and the
Mayans into civilizations?
8. How did people travel to the Americas?
Ancient America
The American People
I.
The Peoples of America Before Columbus
Migration to the Americas
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Archaeologists have unearthed remains
pointing to the arrival of humans in
America at about 35,000 B.C.E.
Scientists generally agree that the first
inhabitants of the Americas were
nomadic travelers from Siberia.
These peoples traversed an ancient
land bridge which connected northeast
Asia with Alaska.
Historians believe that
Paleolithic hunters
crossed a land bridge to
enter North America
The first Americans adapted
to a variety of climates and
resources, ranging from the
hot and wet climate near the
Equator to icy and treeless
lands in the far north
Farming and permanent
homes enter Central
America by 1500
Hunters, Farmers, and
Environmental Factors
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The first wave of humans found an abundance
of megafauna: gigantic animals. Changes in
environment and over-hunting wiped most out.
Adaptable humans learned to exploit new
sources of food from plants in the agricultural
revolution.
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Erosion, deforestation, and salinization added to
America’s environmental stresses over the
centuries.
Names of the Ancient Cultures…
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A chronological listing cultures
found in Mesoamerica:
„ Olmec
„ Maya
„ Aztec
The Olmecs: 1400 B.C.- 500 B.C.
Founded the first American Civilization.
They are known as the rubber people.
They live in the cities and spread
throughout the region. There were no
walls surrounding the cities.
What does that tell you about the
culture?
The government was run by the
priests. Who is that similar to?
Most archeologists believe that the
culture set the pattern for other great
civilizations of America
Olmec Trademarks
ƒ They produced sculptures from different
types of materials like jade, obsidian, and
basalt.
ƒ In architecture the pyramid of La Venta
stands out for its form which emulates a
volcano.
ƒ The Olmecs called themselves Xi (Shee)
Mesoamerican Empires
ƒ Mesoamerica: the middle region bridging the
great land masses of North and South America.
ƒ The Aztec people of present-day Mexico
numbered about 20 million in 1492.
ƒ The Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan later became
Mexico City.
ƒ Aztec society was divided into four classes:
nobility, free commoners, serfs, and slaves.
THE MAYAN CIVILIZATION
ƒ The civilization was active from 300 to 900 AD
ƒ The Mayan people worshipped nature. This
included animals, plants, water, and even the
planets!!
Where were the Mayan located?
•The Mayans were located
on the Yucatan Peninsula,
and stretched all the way
to Belize and Guatemala
•As you can see the
civilization was located
near the gulf of Mexico
and the Caribbean Sea
Mayan Way of Life
ƒ Mayan people were farmers
ƒ The priests were the highest ranked
people in the society
ƒ What other culture we studied were a
theocracy?
ƒ The religion influenced their entire lives
ƒ The religious rituals and festivals were
very important to the people
MAYAN
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
ƒ Had a system of
Hieroglyphics
ƒ Practiced astrology
and developed a 365
day calendar
ƒ Grew cotton, made
clothing
ƒ CODEX were their
books
ƒ Developed a system of
counting system
Mayan Architecture
•Mayan architecture is
distinct in its form and
style
•It has local variations;
but is a thing of beauty
•Outside of creating a
good life for their
families; the building of
these structures took the
most time and resources
REVIEW OF OLMECS AND MAYANS
OLMECS
•Were the earliest
MAYANS
civilization
•Had powerful priests
•Built ceremonial centers
•Spread their influence through
trade
•Developed a calendar
•Introduced tradition of priest
leadership and religious
devotion
•Developed complex irrigation
methods for farming
•Built towering pyramid
temples
•Traded extensively across
Middle America
•Developed hieroglyphic
writing system
•Developed accurate calendar
and numbering system
•Abandoned cities around
A.D. 900
THE AZTECS
THE GREAT TEMPLE AT TENOCHTITLAN
THE AZTEC EMPIRE
THE MIGRATION OF THE AZTEC PEOPLE
What was Tenochtitlan?
The “floating” city of Tenchtitlan
was created in the man-made
lake of Texcoco
The city had causeways which
connected the city to the
mainland, and the aqueducts
brought fresh water into the city
The city was made up of a central
square that was surrounded by
pyramid temples, palaces,
gardens, zoos, school, and
markets
FLOATING GARDENS
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The Aztecs farmed maize,
beans, peppers, cotton, and
tobacco that they sold and
traded locally as well as
throughout the empire
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By 1500, the Aztecs spread
from the Gulf of Mexico to
the Pacific Ocean and their
population was close to 30
million people
AZTEC SOCIETY
GOVERNMENT AND
SOCIETY
•The Aztecs used
tributes or payments
from the people they
conquered
RELIGION
•Priests belonged to a
special class
•Aztecs believed in
Huitzilopochtli
•The empire had a single
ruler
•Aztecs practiced
human sacrifice
•Slaves could buy their
freedom
•Long distance traders
traveled around the
empire and beyond
LEARNING
•Priests also recorded
Aztec knowledge and
ran the schools for the
sons of nobles
•Some priests were
astronomers or
mathematicians
•Aztec doctors were
quite advanced, treated
fevers and actually had
surgery
THE INCA EMPIRE
THE INCA EMPIRE
•The Inca Empire had more
than 10 million people
•The system of roads,
tunnels, and rope bridges
connected the majority of
the empire
•The ability to communicate
and control the empire was
exceptional considering how
long the kingdom was on
the map
Famous Ruler: 14381471:Pachacuti
•Pachacuti was known as the
“supreme ruler.”
•He is considered by many historians
to be one of the greatest rulers and
empire builders of all time
•The people thought he was a
descendant of the sun god “Inti”
•He was so loved, that at his death
many of his followers committed
suicide
THE SUCCESSES OF THE INCAN EMPIRE
The amazing road systems
allowed their armies and news
to travel quickly around the
empire
‹ There were special runners who
carried news of revolts which
brought soldiers quickly to
crush them
‹ Regular people were not
permitted to use the roads, this
reduced traffic, need for repairs,
and gave the government an
advantage over its followers
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ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE INCA PEOPLE
They kept track of people and goods using
QUIPAS, or knotted rope used to count and
read
‹ Actually performed successful brain surgery
‹ Used medicine to treat malaria
‹ They had an elaborate government system
‹ Incas regulated the lives of millions of people
that lived in their empire
‹ The importance of community service provided
the people with a reason to make their area
productive
‹ Government officials arranged marriages
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Civilization
Location
Time
Maya
Yucatan Peninsula
and stretched to
Guatemala
1000 BC
to 900
AD
Throughout
Mexico
1200 AD
to the
1500’s
Pacific Coast of
Peru in South
America
1300 AD
to the
Early
1500’s
Aztec
Inca
Capital
Tikal
Attributes
•Hieroglyphics
•365 Calendar
•Counting 0-20
•Floating capital
•Built aqueducts
Tenochtitlan
•Schools, zoos,
etc
Cuzco, the
Holy City
•System of
roads, tunnels,
& rope bridges
•Performed
brain surgery
Regional North
American Cultures
In the southwestern region of North America,
Hohokam and Anasazi societies developed
established communities thousands of years
before the arrival of Europeans (who called them
the “Pueblo” people).
Native peoples of the Pacific Northwest formed
societies emphasizing fishing, wood
craftsmanship and ceremonies such as the
Potlatch.
Several societies of Mound Builders developed
in the Mississippi River valley and Great Plains.
The Iroquois
A confederation of five distinct tribes
with unified land and goals:
¾The Mohawk (People of the Flint)
¾The Oneidas (People of the Stone)
¾The Onondagas (People of the Mountain)
¾The Cayuga (People at the Landing)
¾The Seneca (Great Hill People)
Pre-Contact Population
Recently, scholars have estimated that
the pre-contact population of America
north of the Rio Grande stood at about 4
million.
Some estimates put the population of the
Western Hemisphere at about 50 to 70
million at the same period.
Early Americans
Beringia land bridge: possible migration route
Bering Strait
Great Serpent Mound in Ohio
Cahokia Mounds
State Historic Site,
Illinois
Pueblo Bonito in New Mexico
Pueblo Indians
Anasazi cliff dwellers
Cliff dwellers
Eskimo (Inuit) Igloo
Iroquois
longhouse
Iroquois people
Native Americans