Grade 7:
Ancient and Classical Civilizations in the Mediterranean
to the Fall of the Roman Empire: Ideas that Shaped History
Seventh graders study the origins of human beings in Africa and the early
civilizations that flourished in the Mediterranean area. They study the
religions, governments, trade, philosophies, and art of these civilizations as
well as the powerful ideas that arose in the ancient world and profoundly
shaped the course of world history. These ideas include monotheism, democracy,
the rule of law, individual worth, personal responsibility, the alphabetic
principle for a writing system, and scientific reasoning.
Note: The grade 7 MCAS will cover the world geography, history, economics,
and civics standards, concepts, and skills of grades 6 and 7.
Grade 7 Concepts and Skills
Students should be able to:
Apply concepts and skills learned in previous grades.
History and Geography
1. Compare information shown on modern and historical maps of the same region. (G)
2. Use correctly the words or abbreviations for identifying time periods or
dates in historical narratives (decade, age, era, century, millennium, AD/CE,
BC/BCE, c., and circa). Identify in BC/BCE dates the higher number as
indicating the older year (that is, 3000 BC/BCE is earlier than 2000 BC/BCE) (H)
3. Construct and interpret timelines of events and civilizations studied. (H)
4. Distinguish between primary and secondary sources and describe how each
kind of source is used in interpreting history. (H)
5. Identify multiple causes and effects when explaining historical events. (H)
6. Describe ways of interpreting archaeological evidence from societies
leaving no written records. (H)
Civics and Government
7. Define and use correctly words and terms relating to government such as
city-state, dynasty, kingdom, empire, republic, separation of powers, civic
duty, rule of law, and military. (C)
Economics
8. Define and apply economic concepts learned in prekindergarten through grade 6:
producers, consumers, goods, services, buyers, sellers, natural resources,
taxes, specialization, savings, entrepreneur, prices, markets, scarcity,
trade, barter, money, medium of exchange, supply, and demand. (E)
Grade 7 Learning Standards
Building on knowledge from previous years, students should be able to:
Human Origins in Africa through the Neolithic Age
7.1 Describe the great climatic and environmental changes that shaped the
earth and eventually permitted the growth of human life. (H)
7.2 Identify sites in Africa where archaeologists have found evidence of the
origins of modern human beings and describe what the archaeologists found. (G, H)
7.3 Describe the characteristics of the hunter-gatherer societies of the
Paleolithic Age (their
use of tools and fire, basic hunting weapons, beads and other jewelry). (H)
7.4 Explain the importance of the invention of metallurgy and agriculture (the
growing of crops and the domestication of animals). (H)
7.5 Describe how the invention of agriculture related to settlement,
population growth, and the emergence of civilization. (H)
7.6 Identify the characteristics of civilizations. (H, G, E)
A. the presence of geographic boundaries and political institutions
B. an economy that produces food surpluses
C. a concentration of population in distinct areas or cities
D. the existence of social classes
E. developed systems of religion, learning, art, and architecture
F. a system of record keeping
Mesopotamia: Site of Several Ancient River Civilizations, c. 3500-1200 BC/BCE
7.7 On a historical map, locate the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and identify
Sumer, Babylon, and Assyria as successive civilizations and empires in this
region, and explain why the region is sometimes called “the Fertile Crescent.”
On a modern map of western Asia, identify the modern countries in the region
(Iraq, Iran, and Turkey). (H, G, E)
7.8 Identify polytheism (the belief that there are many gods) as the religious
belief of the people in Mesopotamian civilizations. (H)
7.9 Describe how irrigation, metalsmithing, slavery, the domestication of
animals, and inventions such as the wheel, the sail, and the plow contributed
to the growth of Mesopotamian civilizations. (H, E)
7.10 Describe the important achievements of Mesopotamian civilization. (H, C, E)
a. its system of writing (and its importance in record keeping and tax
collection)
b. monumental architecture (the ziggurat)
c. art (large relief sculpture, mosaics, and cylinder seals)
7.11 Describe who Hammurabi was and explain the basic principle of justice in
Hammurabi’s Code (“an eye for an eye”). (H, C, E)
Egypt: An Ancient River Civilization, c. 3000-1200 BC/BCE
7.12 On a historical map of the Mediterranean region, locate the Mediterranean
and Red Seas, the Nile River and Delta, and the areas of ancient Nubia and
Egypt. Identify the locations of ancient Upper and Lower Egypt and explain
what the terms mean. On a modern map, identify the modern countries of Egypt
and Sudan. (G)
7.13 Describe the kinds of evidence that have been used by archaeologists and
historians to draw conclusions about the social and economic characteristics
of Ancient Nubia (the Kingdom of Kush) and their relationship to the social
and economic characteristics of Ancient Egypt. (H, G)
7.14 Describe the role of the pharaoh as god/king, the concept of dynasties,
the importance of at least one Egyptian ruler, the relationship of pharaohs to
peasants, and the role of slaves in ancient Egypt. (H, C)
7.15 Describe the polytheistic religion of ancient Egypt with respect to
beliefs about death, the afterlife, mummification, and the roles of different
deities. (H)
7.16 Summarize important achievements of Egyptian civilization. (H)
a. the agricultural system
b. the invention of a calendar
c. monumental architecture and art such as the Pyramids and Sphinx at Giza
d. hieroglyphic writing
e. the invention of papyrus
Phoenicia, c. 1000-300 BC/BCE
7.17 On a map of the ancient Mediterranean world, locate Greece, Asia Minor,
Crete, Phoenicia, the Aegean, and the Red Sea. On a modern map, locate Greece,
Crete, Turkey, Lebanon, and Syria. (G)
7.18 Identify the Phoenicians as the successors to the Minoans in dominating
maritime trade in the Mediterranean from c. 1000-300 BC/BCE. Describe how the
Phoenician writing system was the first alphabet (with 22 symbols for
consonants) and the precursor of the first complete alphabet developed by the
ancient Greeks (with symbols representing both consonants and vowels). (H, E)
The Roots of Western Civilization: Ancient Israel, c. 2000 BC/BCE-70 AD/CE
7.19 On a historical map of the Mediterranean, locate Asia Minor, Greece and
Mesopotamia, the kingdoms of the Hittites and ancient Israel, and Egypt. On a
modern map, locate Egypt, Greece, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, the area governed
by the Palestinian Authority, Syria, and Turkey. (G)
7.20 Identify the ancient Israelites, or Hebrews, and trace their migrations
from Mesopotamia to the land called Canaan, and explain the role of Abraham
and Moses in their history. (H, G)
7.21 Describe the monotheistic religion of the Israelites. (H)
a. the belief that there is one God
b. the Ten Commandments
c. the emphasis on individual worth and personal responsibility
d. the belief that all people must adhere to the same moral obligations,
whether ruler or ruled
e. the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) as part of the history of early Israel.
7.22 Describe the unification of the tribes of Israel under Kings Saul, David,
and Solomon, including David’s founding of Jerusalem as his capital city in
1000 BC/BCE and the building of the first temple by Solomon. (H)
7.23 Explain the expulsion/dispersion of the Jews to other lands (referred to
as the Diaspora) after the destruction of the second temple in Jerusalem in 70
AD/CE, and the renaming of the country by the Romans. (H)
The Roots of Western Civilization: Ancient Greece, c. 800-300 BC/BCE
7.24 On a historical map of the Mediterranean area, locate Greece and trace
the extent of its influence to 300 BC/BCE. On a modern map of the
Mediterranean area, Europe, England, the Middle East, and the Indian
subcontinent, locate England, France, Greece, Italy, Spain, and other
countries in the Balkan peninsula, Crete, Egypt, India, the Middle East,
Pakistan, and Turkey.
(H, G)
7.25 Explain how the geographical location of ancient Athens and other
city-states contributed to their role in maritime trade, their colonies in the
Mediterranean, and the expansion of their cultural influence. (H, G, E)
7.26 Explain why the government of ancient Athens is considered the beginning
of democracy and explain the democratic political concepts developed in
ancient Greece. (H, C)
A. the “polis” or city-state
B. civic participation and voting rights
C. legislative bodies
D. constitution writing
E. rule of law
7.27 Compare and contrast life in Athens and Sparta. (H)
7.28 Describe the status of women and the functions of slaves in ancient
Athens. (H)
7.29 Analyze the causes, course, and consequences of the Persian Wars,
including the origins of marathons. (H)
7.30 Analyze the causes, course, and consequences of the Peloponnesian Wars
between Athens and Sparta. (H)
7.31 Describe the rise of Alexander the Great and the spread of Greek culture. (H)
7.32 Describe the myths and stories of classical Greece; give examples of
Greek gods and goddesses, heroes, and events, and where and how we see their
names used today. (H)
7.33 Explain why the city-states of Greece instituted a tradition of athletic
competitions and describe the kinds of sports they featured. (H)
7.34 Describe the purposes and functions of the lyceum, the gymnasium, and
the Library of Alexandria, and identify the major accomplishments of the
ancient Greeks. (H)
a. Thales (science)
b. Pythagoras and Euclid (mathematics)
c. Hippocrates (medicine)
d. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle (philosophy)
e. Herodotus, Thucydides, Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Aristophanes, and
Euripides (history, poetry, and drama)
f. the Parthenon, the Acropolis, and the Temple of Apollo (architecture)
g. the development of the first complete alphabet with symbols for consonants
and vowels
The Roots of Western Civilization: Ancient Rome, c. 500 BC/BCE-500 AD/CE
7.35 On a historical map, identify ancient Rome and trace the extent of the
Roman Empire to 500 AD/CE. (H, G)
7.36 Explain how the geographical location of ancient Rome contributed to the
shaping of Roman society and the expansion of its political power in the
Mediterranean region and beyond.
(H, G, E)
7.37 Explain the rise of the Roman Republic and the role of mythical and
historical figures in
Roman history. (H)
A. Romulus and Remus
B. Hannibal and the Carthaginian Wars
C. Cicero
D. Julius Caesar and Augustus
E. Hadrian
7.38 Describe the government of the Roman Republic and its contribution to the
development of democratic principles, including separation of powers, rule of
law, representative government, and the notion of civic duty. (H, C)
7.39 Describe the influence of Julius Caesar and Augustus in Rome’s transition
from a republic to an empire and explain the reasons for the growth and long
life of the Roman Empire. (H, E)
A. Military organization, tactics, and conquests; and decentralized
administration
B. the purpose and functions of taxes
C. the promotion of economic growth through the use of a standard currency,
road construction, and the protection of trade routes
D. the benefits of a Pax Romana
7.40 Describe the characteristics of slavery under the Romans. (H)
7.41 Describe the origins of Christianity and its central features. (H)
A. monotheism
B. the belief in Jesus as the Messiah and God’s son who redeemed humans from sin
C. the concept of salvation
D. belief in the Old and New Testament
E. the lives and teachings of Jesus and Saint Paul
F. the relationship of early Christians to officials of the Roman Empire
7.42 Explain how inner forces (including the rise of autonomous military
powers, political corruption, and economic and political instability) and
external forces (shrinking trade, attacks, and invasions) led to the
disintegration of the Roman Empire. (H, E)
7.43 Describe the contribution of Roman civilization to law, literature,
poetry, architecture, engineering, and technology (e.g., roads, bridges,
arenas, baths, aqueducts, central heating, plumbing, and sanitation). (H)
7.44 Explain the spread and influence of the Roman alphabet and the Latin
language, the use of Latin as the language of education for more than 1,000
years, and the role of Latin and Greek in scientific and academic vocabulary. (H)
