Event banner with text on green background; photo of textile depicting a man riding a horse

Depiction of man riding a horse on the Pazyryk Carpet, 5th-4th century BCE, Mongolian Altai; Creative Commons

Expanding the Ancient World Workshop

Nomads in World History: How Human Mobility Shapes Society

Organized by the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World

This workshop will take place online; a Zoom link will be provided via email to registered participants.

Registration is required at THIS LINK.

Expanding the Ancient World is a series of professional development workshops and online resources for teachers. Keyed to the NYC Department of Education Social Studies Scope and Sequence, this program is designed to offer K-12 educators opportunities to develop their knowledge of the ancient world and to provide classroom-ready strategies for teaching the past with reliable sources. Featuring inquiry-based workshops, flexible lesson plans, and up-to-date research, Expanding the Ancient World aims to equip teachers with information and skills that they can share with their students. CTLE credits will be offered to New York State teachers.

It is difficult to teach nomadic history for several reasons: many nomadic cultures did not leave textual records of their own history, nomadic settlement patterns diverge from those of "Classical Cultures" such as the ancient Greeks or Egyptians, and most students today do not have first-hand experience of traditional nomadic lifeways. This workshop will equip educators with primary and secondary sources for teaching students about several important historical nomadic cultures, such as the Scythian and Comanche groups, which might be compared and contrasted with each other and with other cultures under study. Questions include: how do distinct forms of mobility (running, horseback riding, automobile driving) vary between different groups of people? Why do these practices become emblematic of a culture? Are nomadic cultures "unchanging"? Why do historians so often disparage nomads in the written record? How does movement shape cities?

Workshop led by Shannon Monroe (Institute for the Study of the Ancient World)

Participants will receive 1 CTLE hour.

Expanding the Ancient World is made possible by generous support from ISAW and an NYU Teaching Advancement Grant.

If you have any questions regarding the Expanding the Ancient World program please email ETAW@nyu.edu.

Please check isaw.nyu.edu for event updates.

ISAW is committed to providing a positive and educational experience for all guests and participants who attend our public programming. We ask that all attendees follow the guidelines listed in our community standards policy.