Book of Centuries

Our Book of Centuries
(a work in progress)

4.5 billion years ago
While we don’t yet comprehend the beginning of earth, the Big Bang theory is the current scientific inclination to explain the birth of the universe. It gets tweaked from time to time but hasn't had any significant change for many years. How does the biblical Creation account compare to current scientific knowledge and theory? Is science and religion always in conflict?

Genesis 1-2 from the Old Testament, Moses 1-3 & Abraham 4-5 from The Pearl of Great Price

Reflections of a Scientist by Henry Eyring (older teens)
****

“The Bible shows the way to go to heaven, not the way the heavens go.”-Galileo
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/galileo/galileoaccount.html

“Truth does not changed because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people.”
“Maybe you who condemn me are in greater fear than I who am condemned.”
-Giordano Bruno (burned at the stake for his belief in an infinite universe)



Ideas for geology study units: plate tectonics, earthquakes, & the rock cycle; the Grand Staircase, the fossil record, & dinosaurs; the formation of our atmosphere, volcanoes, mountains.
Visit the planetarium & the natural history museum.
Bill Nye videos (check your library)
Earth’s Crust ****
Dinosaurs – Those Big Boneheads****

Chased by Sea Monsters: Prehistoric Predators of the Deep by Nigel Marven ****
Contains computerized images of the seven most deadly seas in earth’s history (undoubtedly with plenty of conjecture). It’s amazing to see humans next to those creatures scientists have put together from the fossils.
Watch October Sky (a coal miner's son becomes a rocket scientist) with older students.

Before 10,000 BC
ADAM – Although we don’t know where to place him on the timeline, he is known as the first man.
More conflict?
Here's a good place to bring up evolution (and yes, you should study it even if you don't believe in it)


Oxford First Ancient History by Roy Burrell **
Charles Darwin and Evolution by Steve Parker ***
Visit the LaBrea Tar Pits


c. 10,000 BC
The end of the last ice age heralded the dawning of history as we see it today.
This is the beginning of what we call the Neolithic or new stone age.
*Nomads find river valleys where food is available most of the time, they begin to settle and to farm.
*More food means more people can survive, so the population grows.
*People begin to trade crafts for food.
Watch the movie Ice Age for fun.***

c. 8,500 BC
First villages in the fertile crescent
People are farming cereal grains and legumes, taming goats and sheep. http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Publications/Zoogoer/2004/4/kidsfarmside.cfm (a history of farming)
*Eventually they form governments to help with irrigation and protection of land and property.
*Some time before 3,000 BC they may have even practiced democracy in some cities.

c. 8,000 BC
The ancient city of Jericho (Tell es-Sultan)
grew around a spring called 'Ain es-Sultan or Elisha's Fountain.
This ancient location is about 2 km (1.24 miles) from the modern city of Jericho.
*Located in the Jordan valley approximately 16 km (10 miles) northwest of the
northern bank of Dead Sea and 825 ft below sea level.
http://www.bibleplaces.com/jericho.htm

C. 6500 BC
1st Apples enjoyed by humans in Central Asia

The Life and Times of the Apple by Charles Micucci***
Another opportunity for plant studies.

c. 6,000 BC
Farming and domestic animals appear
Around 5000 BC, people began to live in villages up and down the Nile Valley, and one thousand years later these people were burying their dead with great care and ornamentation (belief in an afterlife?). Around 3800 BC, Nile culture began to flourish. Egyptians discovered the world and began to interact and trade with other cultures as far away as Mesopotamia. Egyptians became master craftspeople; they buried their dead in coffins in lavishly equipped graves; they began to develop sophisticated technologies.

From 3900 to 3100 B.C., the villages along the Nile valley grew in wealth and power. Two of these villages became particularly powerful and wealthy, so much so that it is not an exaggeration to think of them as cities. In the north, the city of Nekheb (named by the Greeks, Hieraconpolis or "city of the falcon") grew powerful, while in the south, Nekhen grew powerful. Around 3000 BC, the rivalry between these two towns erupted into war. Upper Egypt would emerge victorious in this war and dominate all of Egypt.

6,000 BC
Settlers in Huang He River Valley are Farming, Villages Begin

3,500 BC – Agriculture changes the world
Some scholars say this is the year when farming changed things in a big way. Civilizations could begin to grow when people were able to stay in one place and produce enough food to multiply. Specialization began as communities formed and community laws soon followed.

3,500 BC
First villages in the Indus valley
(Pakistan & Northern India)
Village culture of Mahar Garh was developed. The site of Mahargarh reveals that people were cultivating crops on rain-dependent lands.They were making excellent ceramics from terracotta. There is evidence that various forms of democracy existed as different peoples moved through the area.
http://www.nipissingu.ca/department/history/muhlberger/histdem/indiadem.htm (scholarly paper)


3,100 BC
King Menes unites upper and lower egypt
3100-1000 BC bronze age of nubia (sudan)
The Golden Goblet (fiction - ancient Egypt) by Elouise Jarvis McGraws****

c. 3,000 BC
Kings begin to rule Sumerian cities
The Gilgamesh epoch of Sumer may be placed at about 2700 BC
(Noah?)
As the Sumerian city-states' wealth increased, government officials realized that an efficient method of keeping records had to be developed. Evolved from simple pictographic writing, Sumerian cuneiform emerged as the world's first writing system. The term cuneiform means "wedge-shaped." It was made up of hundreds of word signs that were "wedge-shaped" due to the shape of the reed pen, or stylus, that was used. The Sumerians wrote on clay tablets that would either be dried in the sun or fired in kilns to make the writing permanent.
Cylinder seals were carved out of stone, and they were used as identification. For example, in order to identify himself, a Sumerian would roll his cylinder seal across a wet clay tablet. This would make an imprint on the tablet that would become permanent by sun-baking or kiln-firing. Cylinder seals were used as signatures are used today. Since the city-states fought among themselves, they were weakened and ripe for being conquered.

Gilgamesh the King (2700 BC?) and others in series, retold & illus. by Ludmila Zeman***

2,700 BC
States begin to form in China
by 2400 BC they are using bronze
http://www.humanities-interactive.org/ancient/bronze/

c. 2,300-1,500 BC
Cities in Indus Valley
Harrapa, Mojenjodaro
Advanced sewer systems
Trade with people of Mesopotamia
350 miles apart, yet they were laid out in similar grid-like patterns, indicating they were planned. The structures were built out of kiln-fired brick, which must have required the importation of large amounts of wood, which means somebody had to coordinate the transporting of the wood as well as the labor to create the bricks and to construct the buildings. When the cities got to be about one square mile, people were installed in them. After that the cities may have been allowed to grow naturally.

Although a written language was developed, so far nobody has been able to decipher it.
Beautiful seals have been found and indicate class structure.
The cities were not walled in or fortified, which indicates that they were not built for defensive reasons. (They may have started out as religious centers.) Small villages were scattered around rather than clustered for defense. There is little evidence of either offensive or defensive warfare. It is likely that the people were unified by religion rather than by military forces. The whole region, which is larger than the Old Kingdom of Egypt or Sumer, had a uniform culture as shown in their decorative art and architecture. Somebody did central planning and coordinated foreign trade, but there is no evidence that it was done by a coercive state. City planning and foreign trade may have been done under the authority of the priestly class. The people may have been governed by religious rules and may have been organized along hereditary, religious-class lines. This culture could have been the source of the later Hindu caste system.
http://socialstudies.com/c/@9Fx3O2fZsAAyQ/Pages/article.html?article@PIN149A+af@donn (Hinduism)

c. 2,235 BC
Sargon conquers all of Sumeria
reigns for 56 years
After conquering all the Sumerian city-states, Sargon I united them with Akkad, and created the world's first empire. His empire included all of Mesopotamia. Akkadian was the official language, but they used Sumerian cuneiform to write their language.
When Sargon died, the empire crumbled. The individual city-states again rose to power.

c. 2200-1400 BC
Minoans of Crete
Rise to Peak of prosperity, then disappear

c. 2040 BC
Middle Kingdom of Egypt

c. 2000 BC
Inuit from Siberia arrive in the Arctic regions of North America

c. 2,000 BC
Abraham in Ur of Chaldaea
(Iraq)

1726-1122 BC
Shang Dynasty of What is now China
(first documented dynasty)

c. 1700 BC
Hammurabi of the Fertile Crescent
Rules the “4 quarters of the world”
1763 founds Babylonia
1760 conquers Ashur of Assyria
Extensive system of laws (1758 BC)
bring a degree of fairness
About 1800 B.C., the Amorites migrated to Mesopotamia and constructed their own city-states. One of the city-states built was named Babylon, and it was ruled by a king named Hammurabi. As Hammurabi rose to power, he began conquering the city-states of Mesopotamia.
Hammurabi began uniting the city-states, but he was much more successful than Sargon I because he made many new reforms that improved society. For example, he improved the irrigation system, tax system, and government housing system. He also united the people under one religion, but the reform for which Hammurabi became renowned was his code of law.
Hammurabi provided uniformity among the city-states by enacting a code of law. The code of law provided consistent justice and covered many aspects of daily life.
Hammurabi of Babylon was a great ruler; the time he reigned is often referred to as the "Golden Age of Babylon" due to the many accomplishments and reforms.
1600 BC
Hittite city of Hattusas using iron
(Turkey)
Hittites sack Babylon

1595 BC
Kassites invade Babylonia

c. 1570 BC
New Kingdom of Egypt
known as Egypt’s Golden Age

c. 1500-600 BC
Hindu religion grows up in India
the many gods are forms of Brahma, the supreme god.

c. 1450 BC
Mycenaeans from Greece colonize Crete,
Expand their power in Greece
Using bronze weapons and chariots

1350-1339 BC
King Tutankhamen the boy Pharaoh
only lived 18 years
Howard Carter’s discovery of his tomb still full of riches in 1922 made King Tut
well-known in the modern world

c. 1300 BC
Egypt Invaded by Hyksos of Asia
200 years of turbulence ensues
Hittite Warrior (fiction - 1200s BC) by Joanne S. Williamson****

c. 1240 BC
Assyrians sack Babylon

c. 1200-700 BC
Barbarians (sea peoples and Dorians) conquer Mycenaeans
war technology improves,
Dark Age of Greece-no written records
Black Ships before Troy : the Story of the Iliad retold by Rosemary Sutcliff***

c. 1200-200 BC
Olmecs rule a great civilization in Mexico,
the Maya begin to take over
Monte Alban founded c. 500 BC by Zapotec, controlled nearby villages


1122-221 BC
Zhou Dynasty of China
1012 BC
David becomes king of Israel

c. 1000 BC
Phoenician port cities (Lebanon)
Sidon and Tyre
Traded timber (kings of Israel imported cedars), precious metals, carvings & cloth
(dyed purple, from whence the Greek name Phoenician comes—it means red people),
Expert sailors and shipbuilders
COLONIZED CARTHAGE IN AFRICA

c. 800-200 BC
Etruscans are powerful in northern Italy

c. 800 BC
Homer (blind?) is born
writes the stories of Ancient Greece

745 BC
Assyria conquers Babylonia
689 BC Assyria destroys Babylon
Ashurbanipal (668-627 BC) creates library at Nineveh

721 BC
Sargon II conquers Israel, all of Sumeria

c. 700 BC-400 ad
Adena farm and build huge burial mounds
in Ohio Valley
http://www.avoca.k12.il.us/os/mariemurphy/moundbuilders/adena.html

605-562 BC
Nebuchadnezzar II restores Babylon
587 captures Jerusalem, conquers Phoenicia
builds Hanging Gardens of Babylon

c. 600-300 bC
Scythian nomads live on the shores of the Black Sea

c. 560-480 bC
Siddhartha Gautama, an Indian prince
left his home to meditate on the suffering in the world and became enlightened. He taught his followers to be unselfish and to live simply. His teaching was rejected in India because it threatened the Hindu caste system there (priests didn’t want to lose their high prestige), but it was accepted in China. Later people who followed his teachings called him “the Buddha” and added rituals and dogma to his original teachings. http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhistworld/buddha.htm


c. 551-479 BC
Confucius the great philosopher in China

c. 400-300 BC - Lao Tza – founder of Daoism
Yin and Yang

c. 539 bC
Cyrus the Great absorbs Babylon, frees the Jews to return and rebuild
the temple at Jerusalem, as prophecied by Isaiah 40 years earlier
conquers all but Greece
Grandson of the Median king, raised by Persian shepherds who rebelled against the Medes
A popular leader considering the times



c. 509 BC
Rome overthrows its last king, Tarquin the Proud, and becomes a republic


c. 490 BC
Persian King Darius invades Greece but is driven out
480 BC Darius’ son Xerxes invades Greece and is defeated
461 BC Pericles becomes ruler of Athens

The Lion in the Gateway (Persian Wars) by Mary Renault
Captivating history of the Persian Wars. Join the Greeks at Marathon & Thermopylae as they battle for the future of the world.

C. 490 BC - Herodotus of Halicarnassus – the father of history
http://www.livius.org/he-hg/herodotus/herodotus02.html

460 BC – Hippocrates, the father of medicine
http://www2.sjsu.edu/depts/Museum/hippoc.html


450-350 BC the Golden Age of Greece
City States each had own form of government, some ruled by families, others by rich men
Athens democracy, citizens expected to take part in law-making

c. 356 BC
Alexander the Great born in Macedonia
Tutored by Aristotle
Becomes king in 336 after Philip assassinated
Conquers Darius III of Persia (end of the Persian Empire),
Invades India, CONQUERS EGYPT
dies in 323 BC-possibly murdered

c. 312 BC
Romans build network of roads linking rome with conquered lands (Etruscans in the north)
250 BC Rome controls all of Italy
elected consuls govern Rome

c. 300 bC
Yayoi (people from Korea and Northern China)
in Japan
Bronze age
Villages formed
Growing rice

c. 221 BC-220 AD
221-206 BC Qin Dynasty suppresses Confucianism, Taoism
202 BC -220 AD Han Dynasty restores philosophers

c. 220 BC-618 AD
China divided into 3 kingdoms
constant warring and upheaval

287 BC – Archimedes
Archimedes and the Door of Science (287-212 BC) by Jeanne Bendick****

"Give me a lever long enough and a place to stand, and I will move the world."-Archimedes 230 BC.
Archimedes was born in Syracuse, a little island off of Sicily, where he gave fame to the exclamation, “Eureka!” as he ran from the bath to test his new discovery of how water displacement could help him find the volume of the king’s new crown. Like all the great minds of his day, he studied in Alexandria. His scientific prowess helped to defend the city from attacks, and when in 212 BC the Romans finally broke in, they wanted him kept alive. However, a proud soldier killed him when he refused to stop his mathematical figuring to allow himself to be captured.


C. 270 BC – Eratosthenes
The Librarian Who Measured the Earth (276-194 BC) by Kathryn Lasky****

http://geography.about.com/od/historyofgeography/a/eratosthenes.htm
http://www.k12science2.org/noonday/lesson.html
Eratosthenes grew up during the 270-80’s BC in Cyrene, a Greek city on the coast of present-day Libya. He was sent to Athens with other scholars where he studied math, philosophy, and science, and wrote books. When Eratosthenes was 30, Ptolemy III of Egypt asked him to come to Alexandria and tutor the king’s son. All the great minds could gather and study together there at the museum. Eratosthenes became good friends with Archimedes. The museum had a library with 700,000 “books.” Eratosthenes was appointed head librarian.

His research led him to a tremendous interest in geography, and he decided to find out how far it was around the earth so he could write the world’s first complete geography book. He used the sun’s rays and his knowledge of angles to “measure” the circumference of the earth. A picture book to pique your interest—be sure to see the websites.

64 BC – birth of Augustus Caesar
Augustus Caesar’s World (44 BC – 14 AD) by Genevieve Foster****
Cleopatra (1st Century BC) by Diane Stanley***
Julius Caesar (1st Century BC) by William Shakespeare****
Ushering in the Pax Romana, 50 years of peace after years of civil wars, Augustus as father of his country brought about the Golden Age of Rome. This book includes information about the entire world and is easy to enjoy.


1 AD – Jesus Christ is born in the meridian of time -
the world will never be the same.

The Bronze Bow (30 AD) by Elizabeth George Speare ****
What was it like in Roman-occupied Galilee? Was the only hope a revolution? This book will take you there and help you to decide.


54-68 AD – Nero rules (and burns?) Rome
Persecutes Christians

306 AD – Constantine
He stopped the persecution of Christians after he had a dream that he would be victorious over a competing Roman emperor if he would fight under the name of Christ. He won and later spent lots of money to increase the prestige and improve the churches of Christians. Slowly Christianity became the state religion, and Constantine called together educated and respected churchmen to consolidate and formalize the rules and beliefs and decide which writings should be canonized. He made Byzantium the new capital and renamed it Constantinople.

395 AD - The Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire dates to 395 AD when the Roman Empire was definitively split into two spheres, east and west. From then each part's fate became more and more separate. The Byzantine Empire lasted for more than 1,000 years after Rome was finally overthrown.
The idea of dividing the Roman Empire may be traced back to the end of the 3rd Century. Disorder had plagued Rome for years. Emperor Constantine eventually won over his last rival, Diocletian. The latter had divided the empire in such a way that it was governed by two "Augustuses" and two "Caesars," two main rulers and their assistants. Constantine reinstated the unity of the empire, but rivalries between his sons led again to the division of the empire until 350 AD. The few remaining years of unity were the years of the German tribes' threat, and the Empire was eventually definitively divided into its eastern and western parts in 395.

434-453 AD - Attila the Hun terrorizes the world

As Rome slowly decayed from within due to corruption and intrigue, more and more legions were called away from the frontiers to settle domestic disputes. Emperors were assassinated so quickly they had no time to think up or execute any reasonable defense. As Huns from the Far East brought their murderous lances on horseback into eastern Europe, the terrorized people pushed south and west, forcing their own neighbors out. People formerly outside the Roman boundary pushed across the Danube and Rhine rivers. Some were allowed to stay to help buffer the frontier. As borders weakened, Rome began to abandon some of its provinces, and the Goths poured in.
Many legionaries of Rome by this time were from the very tribes that threatened Rome's existence. A Visigoth named Alaric attacked Rome three times and then headed for North Africa before his ships were wrecked and he died of illness. Atilla the Hun led his barbarian tribe into France in 451 and later Northern Italy, burning and pillaging, before he died and the menace of the Huns faded. In 455 Vandals sacked Rome. In 476 when the last “emperor” was deposed, the western Roman Empire ceased to exist.

476 AD - End of Rome & the Classical World
Last emperor deposed

C. 570 ad – Muhammad born in Mecca
He started the Islamic religion, and within 150 years of his death Muslim Caliphs ruled over an area stretching from Spain to the Chinese border.

742 AD - Charlemagne Born
The Frankish King ruled the greatest European civilization of the Medieval period.
http://www.chronique.com/Library/MedHistory/charlemagne.htm Charlemagne the King:
A biography from Will Durant's STORY OF CIVILIZATION

900-1000 AD – Seljuk Turks
(nomads of Central Asia) settle in Muslim lands and take control of many countries. Converted to Islam, they infuse their own traditions into the religion and the government.

1066 AD – The Norman Conquest of England
William the Conqueror was a descendant of Vikings who had settled in Western France.

1138 AD – Saladin the Saracen is born
1138: Born in Tikrit in Iraq as son of the Kurdish chief Ayyub. Islamic leader who conquered much of the Middle East and captured Jerusalem and kept it against the Crusades, made a treaty with the king of England, Richard the Lionheart.
Saladin, Noble Prince of Islaam by Diane Stanley

1189-1199 AD – Richard I Rules England
Known as “the absent king” due to his only being in England for 6 months of his 10 year reign.
On his way home from the 3rd Crusade he was imprisoned by Leopold of Austria, sold to the German king, and ransomed by England. Died of infection caused by an arrow wound during a siege of a Lord’s property.
Robin Hood and Ivanhoe stories come from this period.

1254 AD – Marco Polo
at 17 he traveled with his father to the court of the great Kublai Khan, serving there for years and learning of the East. Marco’s accounts opened Europe’s eyes to the riches of Cathay (China)

1394 – 1460 Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal
starts exploration of the world

C. 1412 AD - Joan of Arc
Born a peasant girl during years of Civil War and war with the English, Joan felt called to help the French crown prince, Charles VII, against the duke of Burgundy who had essentially handed over France by treaty to the English king, Henry V, and Charles’ sister Catherine. With Joan’s help, Charles VII was properly crowned, but Joan was captured by the Burgundies and sold to the English who gave her to the Inquisition to “try” her for heresy. She was burned at the stake in 1431, and in 1920 she was made a saint by the Catholic Church. The Hundred Years War between England and France ended in the 1450s.
Joan of Arc (1200s) by Diane Stanley***


1440-1505 Ivan III, Duke of Muscovy unifies Russia
and kicks out Mongol rulers
The Trumpeter of Krakow (15th Century Poland) by Eric P. Kelly***

1452-1519 AD – Leonardo da Vinci works in Florence under Medici patronage
Leonardo da Vinci (1400s) by Diane Stanley***
1453 AD – Mohammed II captures Constantinople and controls trade routes to the east

1475-1564 AD – Michelangelo
From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (modern kids in a fiction story concerning art of Michelangelo) by E.L. Konigsberg***


1478-1535
Sir Thomas More
Lord Chancellor from 1529-32 under Henry VIII
Published Utopia in 1516
Executed in 1535 for refusing to accept Henry as head of the Church
or sanction his divorce

1481 AD - “Holy War” against Muslims and other “heretics”
begins in Seville, Spain under the rule of Isabella and Ferdinand
The Inquisition is revived. Within 10 years 300 burned to death “for the good of their souls.” Ten years later the number is 3,000.

1483 – 1546 AD - Martin Luther leads the great reformation.

1485 AD – Henry VII wins the War of the Roses
and founds Tudor royal family
The Prince and the Pauper (fiction) by Mark Twain****

1488 AD – Bartholomew Dias discovers and rounds cape of Good Hope

1492 AD – Columbus sails to Hispaniola for Spain
under Ferdinand & Isabella. They expel Jews from Spain.
The World of Columbus and Sons (1400s+) by Genevieve Foster

c. 1494 – 1536 - William Tyndale translates the Bible from Greek & Latin to English, is burned at the stake as a heretic.

1500’s – Japan
The Samurai’s Tale (1500s) by Erik Christian Haugaard
“I shall begin my tale on that day when I lost not only my father, but my mother and my two older brothers as well…In the morning of that day my name had been Murakami; I was a bushi, a knight’s son whom every woman in the village would spoil. Before the sun set I had been given the name ‘Taro,’ a servant’s name, and I was of no more importance than that name implied.”

1513
BalBoa Finds the Pacific

1530-1584
Ivan IV “the Terrible”
makes himself tsar

1548-1600 – Giordano Bruno
Free thinking Italian who was burned at the stake for believing the universe is infinite and that the Catholic Church is not infallible. Believed the earth is not the center of the universe. His parting words to his accusers -
“Maybe you who condemn me are in greater fear than I who am condemned.”
(which indicates that perhaps he did believe in a higher power)
http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/brunoiuw0.htm


1553-1558 AD – Queen “Bloody” Mary
Born in 1516 to England's King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, Mary lived a quiet life as a royal princess until about 1527 when the king began to seek annulment of his marriage to her mother.
Edward VI followed his father as king in 1547, but died in 1553. Mary became queen only after a faction of Protestant nobles tried to put Lady Jane Grey, or the "nine day queen," on the throne.
1558-1603 AD – Queen Elizabeth Rules
Good Queen Bess: the Story of Elizabeth I of England by Diane Stanley***
Elizabeth the Great by Elizabeth Jenkins (for older teens)


1564-1616 AD – William Shakespeare Writes
An Introduction to Shakespeare by Marchette Chute****
The Shakespeare Stealer & others in the series (fiction) by Gary Blackwood****
Bard of Avon: the Story of William Shakespeare by Diane Stanley***

1519-20 AD - Cortez conquers the Aztecs
This is a great time to study chocolate. Possible topics – history of human use (from the Mayans to the present); plant science (pollination, photosynthesis, etc); biodiversity, ecosystems, & food webs; unfair labor practices & human trafficking; rainforests; making chocolate
Cocoa Ice (picture book) by Diana Applebaum****
The Emperors of Chocolate: Inside the Secret World of Hershey and Mars by Joel Brenner (older teens)
The Great Kapok Tree (picture book) by Lynn Cherry
Watch Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the Gene Wilder version) for fun.
http://www.exploratorium.edu/exploring/exploring_chocolate/index.html


1564-1642
Galileo Galilei
The earth is not the center of the universe
and the sun does not revolve around it
The physics of falling bodies
Starry Messenger (picture book) by Peter Sis***
Galileo’s Daughter (letters from his daughter) by Dava Sobel*** (for adults and older teens)

1607 - English Colonists found Jamestown, Virginia
John Smith becomes its leader; Pocahontas, daughter of the Great Powhatan, becomes an ambassador between the English and the Powhatan people.

The World of Captain John Smith by Genevieve Foster***
The Double Life of Pocahontas by Jean Fritz****

1620 – Pilgrims from England settle at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts
Seeking freedom to practice their own religion, more follow, including many Puritans.
Who’s That Stepping on Plymouth Rock? by Jean Fritz***
Squanto, Friend of the Pilgrim (1600s) by Clyde Bulla***


1632-1704 – John Locke
http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/B/locke/locke.htm
(so far we have not found any good biographies for kids, but you can read his works online)

1636 – Roger Williams founds Rhode Island
and establishes freedom of worship
Finding Providence: the Story of Roger Williams (1600s) by Avi****
The Witch of Blackbird Pond (fiction - 1687) by Elizabeth George Speare****


1672-1725 – Peter The Great
He taxed the people to the hilt and worked them to death in his insatiable desire to bring Russia into the modern age. He built St. Petersburg from scratch almost overnight on the swampy strip of land he captured on the Gulf of Finland. One of the customs he changed was that of fathers handing over their daughters along with a whip to their new husbands (the whip symbolized the transfer of absolute power).
Peter the Great (1600s) by Diane Stanley***

1786-1828 – Shaka, King of the Zulus (1800s) by Diane Stanley

1796 – Edward Jenner finds vaccine for smallpox
Dr. Jenner and the Speckled Monster (1796) by Albert Marrin****

1812-1870 AD – Charles Dickens

1770-1827 - Ludwig Van Beethoven’s life
Probably born 16 December 1770
The Pastoral (#6) Symphony


1830 AD – Gospel of Jesus Christ restored
to the earth through Joseph Smith the Prophet
ushering in the dispensation of the fullness of times.
Truth and light still spreading across the world.

The Revolutionary John Adams (1735-1826) by Cheryl Harness****
Beethoven Lives Upstairs (fiction – later life to his death in 1827) by Barbara Nichol****

RESOURCES

Literature is within the interest level of 8-12 year olds & younger unless otherwise stated.
Since we read most of our books aloud, we have not differentiated between reading and listening levels.

Our books listed in historical order
Chased by Sea Monsters: Prehistoric Predators of the Deep by Nigel Marven****
The Golden Goblet (fiction - ancient Egypt) by Elouise Jarvis McGraws****
Gilgamesh the King and others in series (2700 BC?), retold & illus. by Ludmila Zeman***
Hittite Warrior (fiction - 1200s BC) by Joanne S. Williamson****
Black ships before Troy : the story of the Iliad retold by Rosemary Sutcliff***
Archimedes and the Door to Science (287-212 BC) by Jeanne Bendick****
The Librarian Who Measured the Earth (276-194 BC) by Kathryn Lasky****
Augustus Caesar’s World (44 BC – 14 AD) by Genevieve Foster ****
Cleopatra (1st Century BC) by Diane Stanley***
Julius Caesar (1st Century BC) by William Shakespeare****
The Bronze Bow (fiction - 30 AD) by Elizabeth George Speare****
Detectives in Togas (fiction set in imperial Rome) by Henry Winterfeld****
Mystery of the Roman Ransom (fiction set in imperial Rome) by Henry Winterfeld****
Eagle of the Ninth (fiction – 130s AD) by Rosemary Sutcliff****
The Silver Branch (fiction – 290s AD) by Rosemary Sutcliff****
The Lantern Bearers (fiction – 400s AD) by Rosemary Sutcliff****
Saladin, Noble Prince of Islaam (1100s) by Diane Stanley
Joan of Arc (1400s) by Diane Stanley***
The World of Columbus and Sons (1400s+) by Genevieve Foster***
The Trumpeter of Krakow (fiction - 15th Century Poland) by Eric P. Kelly****
Starry Messenger (picture book about Galileo) by Peter Sis***
Galileo’s Daughter (letters from his daughter – 1500s) by Dava Sobel*** (for adults and older teens)
The Prince and the Pauper (fiction - 1500s) by Mark Twain****
Good Queen Bess: the Story of Elizabeth I of England (1500s) by Diane Stanley***
An Introduction to Shakespeare (late 1500s) by Marchette Chute****
The Shakespeare Stealer & others in the series (fiction -1500s) by Gary Blackwood****
Bard of Avon: the Story of William Shakespeare (1500s) by Diane Stanley***
From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (modern kids in a fiction story concerning art of Michelangelo) by E.L. Konigsberg***
The Samurai’s Tale (fiction – 1500s) by Erik Christian Haugaard***
The World of Captain John Smith (late 1500s+) by Genevieve Foster***
The Double Life of Pocahontas (1600s) by Jean Fritz****
Squanto, Friend of the Pilgrim (1600s) by Clyde Bulla***
Who’s That Stepping on Plymouth Rock? (1620) by Jean Fritz***
Finding Providence: the Story of Roger Williams (1600s) by Avi****
The Witch of Blackbird Pond (fiction - 1687) by Elizabeth George Speare****
What’s the Big Idea, Ben Franklin? (1700s) by Jean Fritz****
George Washington’s Mother (1700s) by Jean Fritz****
The Sign of the Beaver (fiction - 1767) by Elizabeth George Speare****
Why Don’t You Get a Horse, Sam Adams? (1776ish) by Jean Fritz****
The Revolutionary John Adams (1735-1826) by Cheryl Harness****
Can’t You Make Them Behave, King George? (1776ish) by Jean Fritz****
Where Was Patrick Henry on the 29th of May? (1776ish) by Jean Fritz****
Will You Sign Here, John Hancock? (1776ish) by Jean Fritz****
George Washington’s Breakfast (1776ish) by Jean Fritz****
Johnny Tremain (fiction - 1776ish) by Esther Forbes****
Shhhh! They’re Writing the Constitution (1787) by Jean Fritz****
Dr. Jenner and the Speckled Monster (1796) by Albert Marrin****
Charles Darwin and Evolution (1809 - 1882) by Steve Parker***
Beethoven Lives Upstairs (fiction – later life to his death in 1827) by Barbara Nichol****
Pudd’nhead Wilson (fiction -1800s) by Mark Twain****
Abraham Lincoln-a Photobiography (1800s) by Russell Freedman****
Little House in the Big Woods (fiction based on her life, 1800s) by Laura Ingalls Wilder****
The Hiding Place (WWII) by Cory Ten Boom****

Our “educational” books that span history in setting or theme
Guns, Germs, and Steele (for adults and older teens) by Jared Diamond***
Oxford First Ancient History by Roy Burrell***
The Life and Times of the Apple by Charles Micucci***
The History of US series by Joy Hakim****
A Symphony of Whales (based on a true story) by Steve Schuch****
Cocoa Ice (cross-cultural fiction, chocolate) by Diana Applebaum****

Movies & more
Finding Nemo - fun for studying the ocean or coral reefs***
March of the Penguins – amazing animals!****
Ice Age – fun for studying prehistory***
The Crossing – (TV movie) Washington leads the Continental Army across the Delaware to Trenton (advisory: language)****
Gettysburg – American Civil War****
To Kill a Mockingbird – disturbing themes (racism, etc.) presented by our hero, Atticus Finch, in a way suitable for kids**** (If your kids are ready, read the book to them. It’s even better.)
Anything by Bill Nye****

ancient world booklist - http://www.uky.edu/AS/Classics/kidsklassics.html