Ancient Civilizations

Unit 5 Interactive GIS StoryMaps

Unit 5

Activity 1: Dynasties of China

Objective To use GIS and mapping tools to study the cycles of the early Chinese dynasties.

Florida Standard SS.G.2.5

Interpret how geographic boundaries invite or limit interaction with other regions and cultures.

Directions Interact with the GIS map by clicking to explore its components and tools.

Tools and Tips

Click the plus (+) and minus (-) icons in the top left corner of the map to zoom in and zoom out of the map.
Click the home icon to the original view and centering.
Click the double arrows or magnifying glass icon at the end of the search bar to search for a place name or location on the world map.
Click the Legend icon, which looks like a bulleted list and is located in the top left corner, to view the map's different layers.
Click the map layers icon which looks like a stack of papers and is located below the Legend icon to open the list of map layers, or toggle layer list. You can turn each layer on and off by clicking on the eyeball icon next to each layer.
Click the layers icon to collapse the column. Then click the Legend or layers icon to expand the column.
Click an icon or arrow on the map for more information about a place or climate zone.

Geographic Thinking

Use the content in Chapter 14 and this interactive map to complete the following.

Review the map to the right to orient yourself. (Note that the map shows the present-day border of China.
Click on the layers icon in the left column and turn on the Qin Dynasty layer. Click on the area that appears on the map and then read the information in the popup. Record the time period and length of the dynasty. Turn off the highlight by clicking a blank area on the map.
One by one, click on the Sui and Tang dynasties and note the time period and length of these two dynasties. How many years did each dynasty rule? How do their boundaries compare to that of present-day China?
Click on the Tropic of Cancer label on the map and read about the climate of the area. What can you conclude about the climate of the areas where the three dynasties developed? (Hint: You can turn the three dynasty layers on and off to check again where they were located.)
Turn off the three dynasty layers. The natural barriers around China are what made China unique. It is surrounded by the Plateau of Tibet, the Himalaya mountain range, the Taklimakan and Gobi deserts, and the Pacific Ocean. Though there is an arid desert area on the northern border, invaders could still penetrate that border. Click on the Great Wall layer to see what the Chinese built to protect themselves from invaders to the north. How far does the Great Wall extend?
Click on the bookmark icon on the map, turn on Rivers, and close the bookmark window by clicking on the double left arrows. Study the rivers that appear on the map. What do you notice about the general direction that the rivers flow?
Click on the layers icon and open the % of Rice-Cultivated Farmland layer. Click on the Legend icon and scroll down to find out what the colors on the map represent. Where was rice predominantly grown? Why would the Chinese have had trouble transporting the rice grown there to northern China?
Click on the bookmark icon and open Grand Canal. Then click on layers, open the Grand Canal layer, and click on the Grand Canal on the map. Read the popup. Why do you think the Grand Canal helped unite China's economy?

Extension

What More Can We Learn? Click on the layers icon and turn off all of the layers on your map except for the China Border-Current Day and the Temperate Zone layers. Click on the home button and turn on the Languages layer. Click on the Legend icon and view the dialects that are currently spoken in China. Turn on the % of Rice-Cultivated Farmland layer. Then turn it on and off to compare the rice layer with the languages spoken layer. What dialect is primarily spoken in the rice-growing region?

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Activity 2: The Spread of Buddhism

Florida Standard SS.6.G.2.1

Explain how major physical characteristics, natural resources, climate, and absolute and relative locations have influenced settlement, interactions, and the economies of ancient civilizations of the world.

Directions Interact with the GIS map by clicking to explore how Buddhism spread throughout Asia.

Geographic Thinking

Use the content in Chapter 14 and this interactive map to complete the following.

Click on the Early Roots of Buddhism shape on the map and read the popup. From what you know of this geographic region of the world, where did the roots of Buddhism begin?
Click anywhere on the map to turn off the popup and click on the layers icon. Working from the bottom up, turn on the Mahayanan Kingdom of Asoka the Great layer, click on the shape on the map, and read the popup information. Who is Asoka? Who was Asoka? How did he help spread Buddhism?
Continue with the Theravadan Buddhist Roots layer and progress upward through the layer contents, reading the popups or studying the expansions on the map. (Do not turn on the Buddhist Sites of Interest layer yet.) Where did Buddhism spread within the continent of Asia?
Scroll down the Toggle layer list to the Predominantly Buddhist Countries layer and turn it on. Turn off all of the other layers. Click on each of the countries on the map. Click on the details icon in the left column, located beneath the Legend icon, and review the percentage and population of practicing Buddhists in each country today. Which country has the highest percentage of practicing Buddhists and what is that percentage? Which country has the highest number of practicing Buddhists and what is that number? Add up the number of practicing Buddhists in the total global population (approx. 7,400,000,000).
Compare the predominantly Buddhist countries today with the Buddhism expansion layers. What do you notice about India? Why didn't Buddhism take hold in India?

Extension

What More Can We Learn? Turn on the Buddhist Sites of Interest layer and click on each site, noting the image and description. Research one famous or significant Buddhist site in Asia and write a brief essay about it. Be sure to include where it is located and why it's important to Buddhist tradition.

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Answers

Activity 1

Step 2 – Qin Dynasty circa 221 B.C. - 200 B.C. – 21 years
Step 3 - Sui Dynasty 581 – 618 B.C. – 37 years / Tang Dynasty 618 – 907 B.C. – 289 years. Each dynasty was longer than the last but, most importantly, China expanded substantially to the south and west under each of these three dynasties and expanded to the south and to the west.
Step 4 – All three dynasties were mostly located north of the Tropic of Cancer, so the climate where the dynasties developed would have been temperate.
Step 5 – The Great Wall extended roughly 2,400 miles.
Step 6 – The rivers mostly flow from west to east.
Step 7 – Rice was predominantly grown in the south. Since the rivers flowed from west to east, the Chinese wouldn't have been able to use the river to transport rice to the north.
Step 8 – The Grand Canal connected the southern Chang Jiang with the northern Huang He. The waterway had a road alongside of it and became a vital communication link. It united China's economy, allowing southern China's plentiful resources to flow north.

Activity 1 Extension

Cantonese is primarily spoken in the rice-growing region.

Activity 2

Buddhism began in India.
Asoka was a Maurya king who spread Buddhism by ruling using Buddhist principles, making pilgrimages to Buddhist holy places, and sending Buddhist missionaries to preach abroad.
Buddhism spread to Sri Lanka, the Kushan Empire, China, Japan, Korea, and much of southeast Asia.
Cambodia has the highest percentage at 97.9% [13,690,000]. China has the highest number of practicing Buddhists at 244,000,000 [18.2%].
Buddhism didn't take hold in India because Hinduism had long been India's predominant religion.

Activity 2 Extension

The responses will vary but should include the location of the Buddhist site of interest and explain why it's important to Buddhist tradition.