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"Ancient numeration systems can be an interesting topic of study for elementary and middle school students. First they can learn more about the mathematics of our own system by comparing it to the systems of ancient civilizations. In addition they can learn more about those ancient civilizations from understanding better how they wrote numbers."

"The sexagesimal part of this system survives in the modern era in units of time (seconds and minutes) and of trigonometry (360 degrees)."

"The sexagesimal part of this system survives in the modern era in units of time (seconds and minutes) and of trigonometry (360 degrees)."

"The Sumerian writing system was adopted and modified by other contemporaneous Mesopotamian people such as the Akkadians and the Babylonians. As a spoken language, Sumerian died out around the 18th century BCE, but continued as a "learned" written language (much like Latin was during the Middle Ages in Europe). In this way, Sumerian was used continually until the 1st century CE, making it one of the longest used writing system in history."

"Cuneiform was a writing system used between roughly 5,300 and 1,950 years ago, so for more than 3,300 years. That makes it the longest-lasting writing system in known history-"

Scholars of ancient history and IT experts at Stanford University have collaborated to create a novel way to study Ancient Rome. ORBIS, a geospatial network model, allows visitors to experience the strategy behind travel in antiquity. (Find a handy tutorial for using the system on the Web and YouTube). The ORBIS map includes about 750 mostly urban settlements of the Roman period

Scholars of ancient history and IT experts at Stanford University have collaborated to create a novel way to study Ancient Rome. ORBIS, a geospatial network model, allows visitors to experience the strategy behind travel in antiquity. (Find a handy tutorial for using the system on the Web and YouTube). The ORBIS map includes about 750 mostly urban settlements of the Roman period

Human migration and social change are closely linked to changes in Earth's climate. Climate shifts have both helped to foster the rise of civilizations and contributed to their demises. Over the last few decades, proxy records (tree rings, sediment cores, mineral deposits, etc.) of ancient climates and past climate shifts have become available. Studies of these records show that past periods of significant climate change often correspond to periods of social change across remote parts of the globe. While no universally accepted definition for civilization exists, here civilizations are defined as societies that rely on permanent infrastructure (i.e. cities, granaries and irrigation systems) and intensive cultivation of crops for their survival, meaning that they cannot respond to climate change simply by moving to where the weather is better nor can they readily switch to different food sources.

Human migration and social change are closely linked to changes in Earth's climate. Climate shifts have both helped to foster the rise of civilizations and contributed to their demises. Over the last few decades, proxy records (tree rings, sediment cores, mineral deposits, etc.) of ancient climates and past climate shifts have become available. Studies of these records show that past periods of significant climate change often correspond to periods of social change across remote parts of the globe. While no universally accepted definition for civilization exists, here civilizations are defined as societies that rely on permanent infrastructure (i.e. cities, granaries and irrigation systems) and intensive cultivation of crops for their survival, meaning that they cannot respond to climate change simply by moving to where the weather is better nor can they readily switch to different food sources.

"Regions of ancient state political systems that evolved into complex civilizations "

Written in Stone: Historic Inscriptions from the Ancient Near East, ca. 2500 B.C.-550 B.C. View all five objects in an exhibition that explores the development of writing in Mesopotamia-the wedge-shaped system that we call cuneiform-that was in use for over three thousand years.

"This unit focuses on the location of major rivers and the different landforms that are created by fluvial systems. How humans have manipulated rivers to become settled societies. The growth of different civilisations that have development along major rivers."

"n the early part of the first millennium B.C., Persians started constructing elaborate tunnel systems called qanats for extracting groundwater in the dry mountain basins of present-day Iran (see figure 1). Qanat tunnels were hand-dug, just large enough to fit the person doing the digging. Along the length of a qanat, which can be several kilometers, vertical shafts were sunk at intervals of 20 to 30 meters to remove excavated material and to provide ventilation and access for repairs. The main qanat tunnel sloped gently down from pre-mountainous alluvial fans to an outlet at a village. From there, canals would distribute water to fields for irrigation. These amazing structures allowed Persian farmers to succeed despite long dry periods when there was no surface water to be had. Many qanats are still in use stretching from China on the east to Morocco on the west, and even to the Americas."

"Here is a little history: in 605 b.c.  the Babylonian army defeated the Egyptians in a battle."

"Cuneiform script[nb 1] is one of the earliest known systems of writing,[1] distinguished by its "wedge-shaped" marks on clay tablets, made by means of a blunt reed for a stylus. The name cuneiform itself simply means "wedge shaped", from the Latin cuneus "wedge" and forma "shape," and came into English usage "probably from Old French cunéiforme."[2]"

"Digital Augustan Rome is an online interactive map of ancient Rome, as it looked around A.D. 14. The map is an accurate depiction of the size, location, and orientation of the various structures, roads, and water systems of the city at a pivotal phase in its transformation into the imperial capital."

"The Sumerians had developed an abstract form of writing based on cuneiform (i.e. wedge-shaped) symbols. Their symbols were written on wet clay tablets which were baked in the hot sun and many thousands of these tablets have survived to this day. It was the use of a stylus on a clay medium that led to the use of cuneiform symbols since curved lines could not be drawn. The later Babylonians adopted the same style of cuneiform writing on clay tablets."

"The Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) "

"Ancient Mesopotamia was the earliest civilization in world history, and the longest lasting. It was probably also the most influential, as all later western civilizations were built on foundations it laid."