About Unit 5

💭 Essential Question: To what extent were the causes of the collapse of empires similar across different regions from 800 BCE to 700 CE?

The Empires of Europe: Glory and Collapse unit explores how powerful states in Europe expanded, governed diverse populations, and eventually declined. Building on prior learning about classical civilizations and global trade networks, students will examine how political authority, economic systems, social structures, and cultural beliefs shaped the Roman Empire, the Han Dynasty, and other major powers. Through close analysis of primary and secondary sources such as maps of invasions, historical writings, and visual evidence, students will investigate how internal challenges like corruption, inequality, and rebellion combined with external pressures such as migration, war, and environmental stress to weaken even the strongest empires. The unit culminates in a curated research paper and collaborative reflection, where students construct and compare evidence-based arguments about the causes, consequences, and lasting legacies of imperial collapse.