Ancient Civilization Mysteries is designed to encourage students in grades 5 through 8 to discover more about the mystery and excitement of ancient peoples and cultures. By learning more about ancient civilizations, students will gain a greater understanding of the roots of all civilizations and an appreciation for the development of:

• languages
• the arts and literature
• government and democratic processes
• religious diversity
• scientific inventions and technologies
• economic concepts

Contents
The mysteries presented cover many disciplines including geography, the arts, literature, history, and architecture. Solving the mysteries and completing the activities are excellent ways for students to learn or improve their research skills using encyclopedia, the Internet, and other reference sources. These activities are also designed to sharpen students' map-reading skills through the use of atlases, globes, and world maps.

The first section, "A World of Mysteries," emphasizes topics that combine many ancient civilizations and includes subjects such as:

• the Fertile Crescent
• the world's great river systems
• great rulers of ancient times
• inventions
• writing systems
• architectural wonders

In the second section, "Mysteries in Special Places," students travel to some of the most important spots where ancient civilization thrived, including:

• Greece
• Rome
• Mesoamerica
• Egypt
• Africa
• China

Special Features
Each mystery in Ancient Civilization Mysteries is followed by two special features:

• Discover More: These are fun, creative, and challenging activities to supplement the theme of the mystery.
• Learn More on the Internet: Students can access the Web sites listed to find maps, pictures, audio selections, further reading, or additional activities that correlate to each of the mystery themes. (Although we are confident that all URLs we recommend are suitable for viewing by children, we cannot guarantee the quality or content of further related links on the Web. Links on most of the sites have been checked, but some sites contain too many links to follow to the end, and of course, links change daily.)

How to Use This Book
Each of the mysteries in this book can be used as:

• a whole-class activity following a lesson or unit on a particular civilization. Call upon individual students to solve the clues. Have reference materials available, if necessary.
• a learning-center activity, where pairs of students or individuals work to solve the mystery. Include reference materials, picture books, and map in the learning center.
• a supplementary activity to a unit of study on ancient civilizations.
• an extra-credit or homework assignment
• a cooperative learning activity, where groups of students work together to complete the mystery.