The following apps and websites on ancient history help present old information through a new lens, and may just pique students' interest in an ancient culture or civilization.
WEBSITES:
Ancient History Encyclopedia
www.ancient.eu
Free Grades 7 and up
The AHE cites itself as a small nonprofit dedicated to providing high-quality history content to enthusiasts, teachers, and students for free. Students can explore topics using a time line, a geographical search, and natural language searches. The site is well designed and organized and contains information in many formats-videos, photos, maps, and text.
news.nationalgeographic.com/ancient-world
Free Grades 6 and up
Part of the greater National Geographic site, AWN is of the quality one would expect for NatGeo. Highlighting contemporary news concerning discoveries about the ancient world and ancient artifacts, this site connects current events with ancient history. Some recent examples include the destruction of ancient sites by ISIS, an in-depth look at the life of Bronze Age women, and the Shroud of Turin. Since AWN is a part of the larger NatGeo site, natural language searches aren't as fruitful as on a dedicated site.
www.ushistory.org/civ
Free Grade 5 and up
Truly an online version of a textbook, the site features information about major aspects of prehistoric world an takes readers through Egypt, the early Middle East, ancient Greece, ancient Rome, Africa, South Asia, China, Japan, and South and Central America. Accessible language is used to describe the time periods and major events; sidebars contain links that lead to external websites on the topic. While some of these links may be broken from time to time, they do provide additional information on most subjects.
APPS
Timeline Eons (iOS)
http://ow.ly/YnERg
Free version; $5.99 paid version Grades 4-8
This powerful app features a time line of the history of the universe, complete with images, photos, and clean, explanatory text. Though the app itself doesn't provide many options for interaction-save for scrolling through the history of the Earth (and the universe)-teachers and librarians could use it to challenge students to find a historical event and unearth an unusual fact. A good resource that offers a clear, visual representation of the history of the planet, which might just blow some kids away when they see the vast amount of time Earth has been around.
Mummy (iOS)
http://ow.ly/YnFea
$1.99 Grades 6-8
A powerful, in-depth look into the preservation of the dead in ancient Egypt. Hortesnakht, a priestess who lived sometime in the third century BCE, is a well-preserved mummy, which has been studied by researchers at the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest. The app includes a slew of facts about Horesnakht's life and death, including photos of her mummified body-wrapped and un-wrapped. Photos of her body being transported and examined and the resulting CT scans are included, but perhaps the most compelling illustrations are the facial reconstruction images.
Britannica Kids Ancient Egypt (iOS)
http://ow.ly/YnFpl
$4.99 Grades 5-8
Essentially an interactive textbook on Egyptian history, Britannica Kids Ancient Egypt is a rich resource with detailed information. The all includes sections on hieroglyphics, gods and the afterlife, dynasties of Egypt, a sampling of photos, and an interesting section on everyday life. The app even has few games that will appeal to users seeking a history-themed break from what can become monotonous reading in some of the other sections.
Fun Twitter accounts to follow
@historyancient (History of the Ancient)
Fun quizzes and punchy pictures serve as reminders of yesteryear.
@bennu (Talking Pyramids)
Peruse daily postings of "breaking news" about ancient history. An original platform for hearing about new academic projects centered on history.
Enjoy!!!
WEBSITES:
Ancient History Encyclopedia
www.ancient.eu
Free Grades 7 and up
The AHE cites itself as a small nonprofit dedicated to providing high-quality history content to enthusiasts, teachers, and students for free. Students can explore topics using a time line, a geographical search, and natural language searches. The site is well designed and organized and contains information in many formats-videos, photos, maps, and text.
news.nationalgeographic.com/ancient-world
Free Grades 6 and up
Part of the greater National Geographic site, AWN is of the quality one would expect for NatGeo. Highlighting contemporary news concerning discoveries about the ancient world and ancient artifacts, this site connects current events with ancient history. Some recent examples include the destruction of ancient sites by ISIS, an in-depth look at the life of Bronze Age women, and the Shroud of Turin. Since AWN is a part of the larger NatGeo site, natural language searches aren't as fruitful as on a dedicated site.
www.ushistory.org/civ
Free Grade 5 and up
Truly an online version of a textbook, the site features information about major aspects of prehistoric world an takes readers through Egypt, the early Middle East, ancient Greece, ancient Rome, Africa, South Asia, China, Japan, and South and Central America. Accessible language is used to describe the time periods and major events; sidebars contain links that lead to external websites on the topic. While some of these links may be broken from time to time, they do provide additional information on most subjects.
APPS
Timeline Eons (iOS)
http://ow.ly/YnERg
Free version; $5.99 paid version Grades 4-8
This powerful app features a time line of the history of the universe, complete with images, photos, and clean, explanatory text. Though the app itself doesn't provide many options for interaction-save for scrolling through the history of the Earth (and the universe)-teachers and librarians could use it to challenge students to find a historical event and unearth an unusual fact. A good resource that offers a clear, visual representation of the history of the planet, which might just blow some kids away when they see the vast amount of time Earth has been around.
Mummy (iOS)
http://ow.ly/YnFea
$1.99 Grades 6-8
A powerful, in-depth look into the preservation of the dead in ancient Egypt. Hortesnakht, a priestess who lived sometime in the third century BCE, is a well-preserved mummy, which has been studied by researchers at the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest. The app includes a slew of facts about Horesnakht's life and death, including photos of her mummified body-wrapped and un-wrapped. Photos of her body being transported and examined and the resulting CT scans are included, but perhaps the most compelling illustrations are the facial reconstruction images.
Britannica Kids Ancient Egypt (iOS)
http://ow.ly/YnFpl
$4.99 Grades 5-8
Essentially an interactive textbook on Egyptian history, Britannica Kids Ancient Egypt is a rich resource with detailed information. The all includes sections on hieroglyphics, gods and the afterlife, dynasties of Egypt, a sampling of photos, and an interesting section on everyday life. The app even has few games that will appeal to users seeking a history-themed break from what can become monotonous reading in some of the other sections.
Fun Twitter accounts to follow
@historyancient (History of the Ancient)
Fun quizzes and punchy pictures serve as reminders of yesteryear.
@bennu (Talking Pyramids)
Peruse daily postings of "breaking news" about ancient history. An original platform for hearing about new academic projects centered on history.
Enjoy!!!
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