New
New
Year 6

What made the Maya so distinctive?

I can describe the similarities between the Maya and other early civilisations alongside the things that made them so distinctive.

New
New
Year 6

What made the Maya so distinctive?

I can describe the similarities between the Maya and other early civilisations alongside the things that made them so distinctive.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The Maya have a lot in common with other early civilisations from around the world.
  2. They farmed, built great cities and temples, had rulers, worshipped gods and wrote things down.
  3. However, they were also distinctive compared with other early civilisations e.g. they were a stone age society.
  4. The Maya's advanced understanding of maths and astronomy and bloodletting was very important in their religion.
  5. A good description of what made the Maya both similar and different will use knowledge from across this unit

Common misconception

The Maya were a single, unified empire.

They were organised into independent city-states with their own rulers, languages, and alliances. While they shared cultural traits and religious beliefs, they were politically fragmented entities that sometimes engaged in conflicts with each other.

Keywords

  • Distinctive - distinctive means something that is special, unique or different from everything else around it

  • Astronomy - astronomy is the science that studies everything in space, such as stars, planets, moons, comets, and galaxies

Compare Egyptian hieroglyphs to Maya hieroglyphs. Write your name in each writing system.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Loading...

6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following were considered early civilisations?
Correct answer: Sumer
Great Britain
Correct answer: Mesopotamia
United States of America
Correct answer: ancient Egypt
Q2.
What is meant by 'bloodletting'?
the practice of amputating a limb
Correct answer: the practice of cutting part of the body to release blood
the practice of donating blood
the practice of settling feuds with combat
Q3.
Match the word to its meaning.
Correct Answer:Maya,an ancient civilisation that lived in Central America

an ancient civilisation that lived in Central America

Correct Answer:Mesoamerica,modern-day Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador

modern-day Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador

Correct Answer:Copan,an ancient city complex in Honduras

an ancient city complex in Honduras

Q4.
Why did the Maya believe that maize was sacred?
Eating maize made people strong and healthy.
The yellow kernels were gifts from the sun god.
Eating maize gave people the gift of prophecy.
Correct answer: The gods created humans from maize.
Q5.
Match the word to its meaning.
Correct Answer:calendar,a chart that's used to keep track of days, weeks, months and years

a chart that's used to keep track of days, weeks, months and years

Correct Answer:celestial body,an object in space, like a star, planet, moon, or comet

an object in space, like a star, planet, moon, or comet

Correct Answer:cacao,the seeds from which cocoa and chocolate products are made

the seeds from which cocoa and chocolate products are made

Q6.
The period in history where people created and used tools made from stone is known as the Age.
Correct answer: Stone
Bronze
Iron
Ice

6 Questions

Q1.
What does 'distinctive' mean?
something that is common and ordinary
Correct answer: something that is special, unique or different from everything else around it
something that is difficult and challenging
something that is new and innovative
Q2.
The science that studies everything in space, such as stars, planets, moons, comets, and galaxies is called .
astrology
quantum physics
astronomy
stargazing
Q3.
What did the Maya have in common with other early civilisations from around the world?
farming
used electricity
worshipped gods
had mobile phones
built great cities
Q4.
Like the Egyptians, the Maya used as their writing system.
Correct answer: hieroglyphs
calligraphy
the alphabet
runes
Q5.
Match the feature of the Maya to the reason it made them distinctive.
Correct Answer:Stone Age society,they primarily used tools and objects made from stone

they primarily used tools and objects made from stone

Correct Answer:skilled mathematicians and astronomers,they created precise calendars and predicted astronomical events

they created precise calendars and predicted astronomical events

Correct Answer:bloodletting,a religious act that connected them to the divine world

a religious act that connected them to the divine world

Q6.
What is a city-state?
a large country with many cities
a small country with only one city
a country ruled by a king or queen
Correct answer: an independent city with its own laws and ruler

Additional material

Download additional material
We're sorry, but preview is not currently available. Download to see additional material.