A key role of diplomats is to gather and analyze intelligence. In this lesson, students acting as diplomats will present a short "intelligence briefing" to the representatives of the other Early Modern empires.

In this lesson, students read about the powerful West African empires that rose and fell between AD 400 and 1600. A set of discussion questions is provided. In an associated activity, the class will reflect on the life of Kunta Kinte (born in one of the Mandinka kingdoms) and imagine how his life would have been different if he had never been taken as a slave to Africa.

In this DBQ Project lesson plan, students will examine ten documents to explore the Mongols and determine how barbaric the barbarians actually were.

In this lesson, students review the events associated with the rise and fall of the Muslim and Ottoman Empires. A set of discussion questions is provided. In an associated activity, students will conduct research to create a report on a significant person in the Muslim world in medieval times.

This article explains the origins of writing in Ancient Mesopotamia. It also discusses its uses and cultural impact.

This article traces the history of the Northern and Southern Dynasties. This period was when North China, under the control of the Tuoba clan of the Xianbei tribe (a proto-Mongol people), was politically separated from, yet culturally connected with, the Chinese dynasties established in Jiankang (Nanking).

This article examines the development and legacy of the Qin Dynasty from 221-206 B.C.E.

In this lesson students will: -create a poster comparing two "Renaissance Men," one of them being the Sultan Suleiman -research a Renaissance man from the 15th century Ottoman Empire and from 15th century Italy (such as Leonardo da Vinci) -present their comparison in the form of a poster of their design. *This is lesson 5 in unit on Islam entitled: Islam-Empires of Faith.

This interactive map shows the spread of Islam over a period of time.

With this digital collection, students will examine documents that develop the context for Shakespeare’s Roman plays. They include excerpts from his primary source on classical Rome, representations of Rome by other Renaissance writers, and, finally, interpretations of Shakespeare’s characters by artists from later centuries. Students will consider the following questions as they review the documents: 1. How did Shakespeare’s contemporaries represent classical Rome? What relationships do they suggest between ancient Rome and Renaissance England? Which issues does Rome seem to raise for Renaissance writers or allow them to explore? 2. In what ways do Shakespeare’s plays reinforce or differ from other Renaissance representations of Rome? Which issues does he call attention to, revise, or adapt in his retelling of Roman history? 3. How did artists portray Shakespeare’s characters in the centuries that followed the original staging of Julius Caesar and Coriolanus? What about these plays seems to have mattered most to subsequent audiences?

This inquiry leads students through an investigation of the complex trade networks throughout Eurasia, collectively know as the "Silk Road." By investigating the compelling question, students evaluate the descriptor "Silk Road" by considering its accuracy and determining whether or not this label should continue to be used or if there is a more appropriate title that better reflects the network's historical, sociocultural, and economic role.

This map view shows the spread of Christianity. From this map, additional maps can be accessed: The Roman Empire, The Jewish Disapora, The Communities of the Gospels.

This article examines the Tang Dynasty of China. Marked by strong and benevolent rule, successful diplomatic relationships, economic expansion, and a cultural efflorescence of cosmopolitan style, Tang China emerged as one of the greatest empires in the medieval world.

In this lesson, students will research the various interpretations that explain the end of the Roman Empire and evaluate the factors that seem to contribute to the end of the empire. The module overview, from which the supplemental resources can be accessed, is located at http://teachmiddleeast.lib.uchicago.edu/historical-perspectives/empires-to-nation-states/late-antiquity/index.html

In this lesson, students will conduct research in order to create a map that shows the many different groups that migrated to the Mesopotamian region in ancient times. The module overview, from which the supplemental resources can be accessed, is located at http://teachmiddleeast.lib.uchicago.edu/historical-perspectives/the-question-of-identity/before-islam-mesopotamia/index.html

In these lessons, students learn a traditional Chinese folktale and examine a contemporary artwork that’s based on it. The work, Xu Bing’s Monkeys Grasp for the Moon, is an installation made up of the word monkey in more than a dozen languages. Students create their own word-based works. This set of four lessons is divided into grades K–2, 3–5, 6–8, and 9–12. Younger students arrange cut-out letters into a picture. Older students create an animation.

Students will watch a short set of videos and respond to questions set provided on the Umayyad and Abbasid Dynasties. 

This unit brings together multimedia resources describing major world religions. Multiple documents are available for examining the origins and cultural impact of religions including Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism and Christianity.

This unit brings together multimedia resources describing the Greek and Roman civilizations. Multiple documents are available for examining the origins and cultural impact of City-States, empires and governments of the Mediterranean region.

This inquiry leads students through an investigation of the Aztec Empire through the study of its capital city. Students will learn about the geographic characteristics of Tenochtitlan, the cultural siginificance of artifacts excavated from the Templo Mayor (Great Temple), the economic factors involved in sustaining the Aztec Empire, and ultimately the reasons for the empire's demise.