Full Ancient History Curriculum (Young Adult Edition): A Hands-On, Thoughtful Exploration of the Ancient World

Give your high school students a creative and critical journey through the ancient world from Stone Age Japan to the powerful empires of Rome and Ghana with our Ancient History Full Curriculum (Young Adult Edition).

This year-long, stand-alone program includes all eighteen themed boxes, each packed with immersive, hands-on activities, advanced lesson plans, mature discussion prompts, reading lists, and educator resources. With the Welcome Box included, you’ll have everything you need to guide students through a meaningful exploration of the people, cultures, and stories that shaped history. Perfect for homeschool families, independent study, or classrooms earning high school credit, this curriculum invites learners to engage thoughtfully with the past.

What’s Inside?

This package includes eighteen engaging boxes, each with creative projects, deeper historical context, and prompts designed to help students ages 16+ think critically about history:

1. Jomon: Visit the Jomon people of stone age Japan! Weave a basket, decorate a clay pot, own your own stone arrowhead, and enjoy a tasty snack of chestnuts.
2. Uruk: Visit King Gilgamesh in the first city in the world. Enjoy Sumerian mythology, bake cuneiform cookies, make a personal seal, and learn about the art and history of Ancient Uruk.
3. Indus Valley: Tour the cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro in Ancient India. Learn an ancient dice game, make beautiful bird calls using a 3,500 year old toy, discover the fun of henna tattoos, and see the first unicorns in history!
4. Egypt: Enjoy Egypt at the time of the Pyramid of Giza! Mummify an apple, decorate a sarcophagus, play the world’s first board game, read a 4000 year old Cinderella story, and make an ancient dessert.
5. Australia: Enjoy a sweet, six-legged snack as you learn about the Aboriginal people of Ancient Australia. Decorate a returning boomerang, read an aboriginal creation story, mix paint from ancient pigments, and recreate 40,000 year old cave art.
6. Babylon: Visit Hammurabi’s Court in Ancient Babylon! Choose your own adventure as you explore Hammurabi’s Code, make your own soap, and learn how to create a cylinder seal.
7. Pharaohs: Meet the “heretic king” Ahkanaten and his son Tutankhamun in ancient Egypt. Make a working sundial, paint a papyrus scroll, and have fun exploring the Egyptian Gods’ family tree.
8. Israelites: Enjoy daily life with the Israelites under King David’s rule. Craft and light an olive oil lamp, blow a ram’s horn trumpet, learn the historic significance of cheese and then make some to enjoy!
9. Olmecs: Meet the Olmec people of Ancient Mesoamerica. Carve an animal out of soapstone, make a ceremonial mask, whip up some ancient hot chocolate, and learn more about the world’s first organized sport.
10. Phoenicia: Sail to the merchant civilization of the Phoenicians! Make papyrus, learn the art of dyeing fabric, and write your name in an ancient script.
11. Scythians: Ride the steppes of Ancient Russia and Asia with the Scythians! Sew a warm wool hat, learn the art of gold leaf, and discover the origins of Amazon warriors and centaur monsters.
12. Alexander the Great: Watercolor Alexander’s empire, own your own action figure, and find out why you’re glad we have modern medicine!
13. Athens: Study with Plato in ancient Greece, learn the allegory of The Cave, construct a mobile with Plato’s geometric solids, and enjoy stickers featuring some of Plato’s most quotable quotes.
14. Mauryan Empire: Meet the man whose change of heart brought peace to the Mauryan empire in Ancient India! Make your own stick incense, decorate with rangoli stencils, own your own hand-carved wooden stamp, and read from Ashoka the Great’s writings.
15. China: See the beginning of The Great Wall in Ancient China, paint a terracotta warrior, fly an ancient style of kite, relax with a cup of tea, and make a magnetic compass.
16. Julius Caesar: Find out why so many people loved or hated this notorious individual. Listen to a perfectly abridged version of Shakespeare’s play, weave a laurel wreath, and own your own replica Roman coin.
17. Pompeii: Visit the Roman resort of Pompeii… just don’t stay for too long! Learn to tile a mosaic, make a Roman wax tablet, explore the ancient graffiti of Pompeii, bake bread from a 2000 year old recipe, and own your own volcanic rock.
18. Ghana Empire: Visit the richest kingdom in the ancient world: Ancient Ghana! Practice the art of oral storytelling, weave on a circle loom, and find out why salt was worth its weight in gold and how to use it to preserve food!

Each box encourages students to go beyond crafting and actively reflect on the stories, ethics, and ideas that shaped these civilizations.

Why Choose our Young Adult Ancient History Curriculum?

This secular, high school-level curriculum engages students with meaningful, hands-on projects alongside mature, thought-provoking content. Activities encourage learners to consider multiple perspectives, analyze complex narratives, and connect the ancient world to the present.

It’s an ideal choice for high school credit, enrichment, or independent study by offering students both creativity and critical thinking.

Product Details

• Includes eighteen themed boxes with advanced lesson plans, reading lists, and educator resources

• Welcome Box with introductory materials included

• Covers a full academic year of ancient history at the high school level

• Designed for students ages 16+ / grades 10–12

• Secular, inclusive, and adaptable for homeschool, classroom, or independent learning

• Please see our FAQs for additional information

Help your students discover the ancient world through a thoughtful, hands-on lens with the Young Adult Ancient History Full Curriculum. Order today and inspire their love of history!

Complimentary Welcome Packet