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Ancient civilisations: Egypt, Greece, Rome and more A civilisation is a complex society with cities, government, writing and specialised jobs. Several arose independently in river valleys where farming produced extra food.
Ages 7–14 (rough guide)
Level Foundation
Subject History
Time 20 minutes
Format Online + printable
Stage Overview only — curricula choose different civilisations to study in depth 1 Learn it2 See it worked3 Try it online4 Print it5 Check your answerBefore you start
Who it's for and what to know first Understanding BC/AD dates helps.
Mesopotamia (from about 3500 BC, modern Iraq): early cities, cuneiform writing, the wheel used widely. Ancient Egypt (about 3100–30 BC): pharaohs, pyramids, hieroglyphs, depended on the River Nile. Indus Valley (about 2600–1900 BC, modern Pakistan and India): planned cities such as Mohenjo-daro with drains. Ancient China (Shang dynasty from about 1600 BC): oracle-bone writing, bronze; later the Great Wall and paper. Ancient Greece (about 800–146 BC): city-states, democracy in Athens, the Olympic Games, philosophy. Ancient Rome (753 BC legend – AD 476 in the west): republic then empire, roads, aqueducts, Latin. Dates are approximate and historians revise them as evidence is found. Worked example 1
Why did many early civilisations grow beside rivers? Rivers gave water for drinking and crops. Floods left fertile soil. Extra food let people take other jobs and build cities. Answer: Rivers provided water, fertile soil and transport, allowing surplus food and cities.
Try it online · print it · check it
Practice questions Foundation · ages 7–14
Ancient civilisations Name Date
Name the civilisation or answer the question.
1. Which civilisation built pyramids beside the Nile? 2. Which city is known for early democracy? 3. What was Egyptian picture writing called? 4. Which empire built aqueducts and long straight roads? 5. Which ancient Greek event still happens every four years? 6. Mohenjo-daro belonged to which civilisation? Name the civilisation or answer the question.
1. Which civilisation built pyramids beside the Nile? Egypt 2. Which city is known for early democracy? Athens 3. What was Egyptian picture writing called? hieroglyphs 4. Which empire built aqueducts and long straight roads? Rome 5. Which ancient Greek event still happens every four years? Olympic Games 6. Mohenjo-daro belonged to which civilisation? Indus Valley Assuming civilisations followed one after another — many overlapped in time. Assuming all ancient civilisations existed at the same time. Ancient Egypt began over 2,000 years before the Roman Empire. Last reviewed: 25 September 2026
