Social Studies Information
From The Walnut Hills High School Library

Government

FirstGov- A general search engine of U.S. government information.

Biographical Directory of U.S. Members of Congress-
Biographical information on all member of the U.S. Congress, from the present going back in time to the Continental Congress.

The White House- Information on the White House and its history.

American President Web Resources- Collection of links organized by the president's name. Leads to Web pages related to each president.

Demographics of the House and Senate- The breakdown of the Congress according to race, sex, etc. including the relative power of each House and Senate member.

Public Agenda – A great deal of statistical information on various current issues is available here. "Drawing on its research, Public Agenda prepares a broad array of educational materials that help explain policy issues to the public in a balanced and easy-to-understand way. Citizens can use this information to weigh various choices and make educated decisions."


World History

Student Resource Center-Gold
http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/cinc48953
Biographical and historical information; use the "World History" search under "Classroom Topics"
for good overview articles on world history

HyperHistory- 3,000 years of history in an online timeline of events and people.

Internet History Sourcebook- Collections of fulltext original documents for a wide variety of areas of history (Ancient, Medieval, Women's, Islamic, etc.).

Early Italian Renaissance- From Washington State University, is an exploration of the Italian Renaissance. It includes sections on the idea of the Renaissance, backgrounds, humanism, Neo-Platonism, important Renaissance figures such as Pico della Mirandola and Leonardo da Vinci, visual arts, architecture, and public space.

Discovery and Reformation- An overview of the Reformation and its role in England and Europe

Martin Luther and the Reformation- An overview of the events in Luther's life and the times in which he lived.

French Revolution- Chronology of Events In timeline format, this site is from Prof. Gwynne Lewis, Department of History, University of Warwick, Coventry, England. There is also a Glossary to terms, events and people that goes with this.

France during the Revolution and under Napoleon- A Chronology of major events during this period

Historical Map Website- Historical maps from all eras of human history, provided by the Perry-Casteneda Library at the University of Texas-Austin. Please do not print these off in the WHHS Library!

Library of Congress: Country Studies- Library of Congress offers this series of online books which provide extensive information on all aspects of the country, its society, natural resources, economy, history, and international relationships.

U.S. State Department Background Notes- Information on countries of the world. Select a geographic region, and then the country, to find specific information on it. This website also contains warnings for travelers on dangerous areas of the world.

African Countries Information- Links to information on the countries of Africa. Provides data on social, political and cultural affairs.

Human Rights Watch World Report- Information on the status of human rights in many countries of the world and how its negatively affects the people there.

Islam 622 A.D.-Present- An historical outline of the Muslim world from 622 A.D. to the present, complete with maps and tables. One particularly usefule section is on the history of Afganistan from 1747-1973, introducing the complete history of that country. Use the drop down menu to find what you want in this very informative, but very long article. Also be sure to cut and paste the information you need before printing.

Global Connections: The Middle East
This site provides background information for events in the Middle East. There is a timeline of key events from 1900; a thematic section viewing "events through the lens of politics, science, economics, and more"; and a section of "big picture" questions with accompanying essays and lesson plans. From the PBS station WGBH in Boston.

American History

Student Resource Center-Gold
http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/cinc48953
Biographical and historical information; use the "World History" search under "Classroom Topics"
for good overview articles on American history.

The American Memory Project- A collection of images and information from the Library of Congress collections. The collections of 19th century photographs are particularly good.

Today in History and the Today in History Archives tell you about famous events in American history, day by day through the calendar year.

Homework Center-Multnomah County (Oregon) Public Library has wonderful subject organized guide to websites in American History.

Ancient History

If you are looking for ancient Rome, check under Latin.

General Information

Ur or Sumer

Mohenjo Daro or Harappa

Memphis, Thebes, or Karnak

Babylon

Tyre or Sidon

Nineveh or Assur

Knossos or Phaestos

Troy

Ancient Greece (Bronze Age)

Ancient Greece (Classical)

General Information

Ancient History Online- All about the cultures of major ancient civilizations. You will need a password from home. User name: walnut ; password: hills.

Internet Ancient History Sourcebook- Contemporary accounts and documents about life in ancient Mesopotamian cultures.

Ancient Mesopotamia- General information about these cultures.

Religion in the Ancient New East- Information about the religions of these
cultures

Ancient History- Links to hundreds of websites on all aspects of ancient civilization, from the Open Directory Project

Major Cities of the Ancient World- Timeline of the major cities of ancient times.

History of Plumbing- Since many of these civilizations had great plumbing (better than any that would be available until the Romans), this is a site with lots of interesting (and funny) information about sanitary facilities of ancient times.

Mesopotamia and the Ancient Middle East- This is a collection of VERY good links about ancient civilizations and their cultures that is put together by the staff of the Multnomah County library in Portland OR. There are fun as well as serious sites listed here. Don't miss the site that teaches you how to write in cuneiform!

Ur or Sumer

Sumerian Mythology

Sumer and Ancient Mesopotamia

Ancient Sumer

Sumer

Mohenjo Daro or Harappa

Mohenjo-Daro

Mohenjo-Daro- Information about the ancient city and current archeologial investigations there.

Treasures of a Lost Civilization- The website for a museum exhibition of the art of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa.

Harappan Civilization

Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa

Memphis, Thebes, or Karnak

Death in Ancient Egypt

Ancient Eygpt- information on life in ancient Eygpt from the British Museum. Many very good pictures

Tour of Ancient Eygpt- Pictures and information about archeological sites in Eygpt.

Mysteries of the Nile- The website for a NOVA special on Eygpt with good cultural information.

Ancient Eygptian Art

Discovering Ancient Eygpt- Lnks to many other good sites on the culture of Eygpt

Ancient Eygpt- Historical and cultural information about Eygpt.

Ancient Egypt

Nineveh or Assur

Ancient Assyria and Babylonian Mythology

Assyrian History- Website sponsored by Assyria Online, a group of modern Assyrian, or people from the regions that made up ancient Assyria. Good information, but tends to emphasize the positive aspects of Assyrian civilization.

Nimrud and Nineveh- Assyrian art from the British Museum

Knossos or Phaestos

Knossos

Palace of Knossos- Description of the ruins of the palace of Knossos

Ancient Crete- A beautifully illustrated site with good information about the civilization of Knossos and Phaestos

Ancient Greece

The Prehistoric Archeology of the Aegean

Bronze Age Sites- Minoan and Mycenaean Civilizations- Information, pictures, and maps of the major archeological sites for these cultures.

Chloris- An Aegean Bronze Age Bibliography- This is a searchable database of websites and information about the archeology of the Aegean Bronze age. Some of these are very specific; make sure you have exact search terms to look for things (i.e. Tiryns instead of sculpture)

Bronze Age Greece

The Collapse of Mycenaen Civilization- This is a section from a longer book on the civilization of Bronze age Greece.

Bronze Age Jewelry- A site sponsored by the Greek Ministry of Culture with good pictures and information.

Ancient Greece- Links to MANY websites on ancient Greece.

Bronze Age Greece- About.com's collection of links on Greece in the Bronze Age.

Perseus Project Encyclopedia- An online encyclopedia of the classical world (especially Greece) with links to both secondary and primary sources on its subjects.

Ancient Greece (Classical)

Ancient Greece- A general site with information on classical Greece from the BBC.

Ancient Greece- This site is from History for Kids, so as you might expect, it's pretty basic. A good place to start if you know very little about ancient Greece.

The Ancient Greek World- A site from the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Art and Archeology; more information on art and architecture and less on everyday life.

The Ancient Greek Olympics- A multimedia tour of the ancient Olympic games from the Perseus Project.

The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization- The companion website for the PBS television series.

The Odyssey of Ancient Greece-An introduction to Greek civilization from the Michael Carlos Museum at Emory University.

 

Medieval History

There is a large collection of books on all aspects of medieval life and culture on reserve in the Walnut Hills HS Library. Remember: as with other projects, the Web has wonderful visuals for your projects but the factual information in books is still much more complete!

Websites About the Middle Ages

Click on the section that interests you

General Information

The Black Death

Castles

The Crusades

Knights

Monasteries, Orders, and Cathedrals

General Information About the Middle Ages

Student Resource Center-Gold
http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/cinc48953
Biographical and historical information; use the "World History" search under "Classroom Topics"
for good overview articles on life in the Middle ages.
 
Encyclopedia Britannica
http:// www.infohio.org (Choose off the Infohio Homepage)
Biographical and historical overview articles from the most authoritative online encyclopedia.

Footwear of the Middle Ages
http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/carlson/
This site provides historical context for footwear in the Middle Ages, with special
emphasis on Britain and Denmark.

Internet Medieval Sourcebook
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook.html
Medieval resources all in one.

Medieval Technology Pages
http://scholar.chem.nyu.edu/technology.html
This site provides information on technological innovations and related subjects in
western Europe during the Middle Ages, by subejct or by timeline.

Middle Ages
http://www.learner.org/exhibits/middleages/
Everyday life in medieval times including feudal life, religion, clothes, the arts and
more.

Medieval Architecture
http://www1.pitt.edu/~medart/index.html
Images and plans for medieval buildings in England and France.

Medieval Europe
http://www.ibiscom.com/mefrm.htm
The murder of Thomas Beckett and the Norman Invasion of 1066.

Medieval History Web Page
http://www.foxberry.net/rbutler/
The rise and fall of Rome, the Byzantine empire, the rise of Islam, the age of
Charlemagne, the medieval church, the Crusades and more. From Robert Butler, Social
Studies Consultant for Monroe Public Schools.

Medieval Timeline Reference
http://www.btinternet.com/~timeref/
"A database of medieval events, people and places." Inlcudes a timeline, people,
places, maps, family trees and more.

Middle English Lyrics
http://www.luminarium.org/medlit/lyrics.htm
Read Middle English lyrics with translations next to them!

The Black Death

The Black Death
http://www.discovery.com/stories/history/blackdeath/blackdeath.html
From the Discovery Channel Online, this site makes extensive use of graphics and
RealAudio to provide a vivid and compelling guide to the way the Black Death made its
way through Europe. Follow the rat. Do this one at home: the audio is great!

Castles

The Castle through the Ages
http://historymedren.miningco.com/education/historymedren/library/weekly/aa071098.htm
Discover walled cities, warriors, mottes, and more.

Castles of the World
http://www.castles.org
A great castle page by Jaime J. Fernandez.

The Fortification of Castle Walls and Gates
http://library.advanced.org/10949/fief/hicastlegate.html
Learn about the sizes of castles, towers, gatehouses here.

The Crusades

Crusades: A Guide to Online Resources
http://orb.rhodes.edu/encyclop/religion/crusades/crusade.html
Military and political background, first crusade, later crusades, and more.

Crusades: Catholic Encyclopedia
http://www.knight.org/advent/cathen/04543c.htm
Includes click definitions, origins through the final loss of eastern colonies.

Islam and Islamic History in Arabia and The Middle East: The Crusaders
http://islam.org/mosque/ihame/Sec10.htm
With an Arab perspective, this site explains the Crusades.

Knights

Knight Life
http://historymedren.miningco.com/education/historymedren/library/blknighttoc.htm
How did one become a knight? What was their purpose? What are the origins of
knighthood in Europe? Check this site to find out.

The Medieval Knight
http://hyperion.advanced.org/10949/fief/medknight.html
Find out at this site what a knight is, how one becomes a knight, what chivalry is,
what types of armoe and weapons were used.

Monasteries, Orders & Cathedrals

Abbey
http://www.knight.org/advent/cathen/01010a.htm
Learn about the history of abbeys and view a floor plan online.

Collapsed Cathedral
http://www.learner.org/exhibits/middleages/rel_act.html
Which famous cathedral collapsed? Find out here.

Glastonbury Abbey & the Legends of Joseph and Arthur

http://britannia.com/history/abbey.html
The history of this abbey and the legends surrounding it.

The Hall of Church History
http://www.gty.org/~phil/medieval.htm
Overview of church in medieval times.

Images of Medieval Art and Architecture
http://www1.pitt.edu/~medart/menuengl/maineng.html
Discover drawings and photographs of several churches, abbeys and cathedrals in
England.

Men of God: Bishops, Priests and Monks
http://library.advanced.org/10949/fief/higod.html
Learn about the different roles of medieval clergymen.

Monasticism
http://www.utah.edu/umfa/intropart2.html#monas
What is a monastery? Find out at this page.

Monasticism
http://www.knight.org/advent/cathen/10459a.htm
Learn about the origins of monasticism, the different orders, and more.

Religion
http://www.learner.org/exhibits/middleages/morelign.html
This site describes the roles of monks and nuns in medieval times.

Tour of Durham Cathedral & Castle
http://www.dur.ac.uk/~dla0www/c_tour/tour.html
Take a tour of the castle and the cathedral.

Westminster Abbey
http://www.westminster-abbey.org/
Take a tour of the abbey.