Trakia Journal of Sciences, Vol. 4, No. 4, 2006 8 Trakia Journal of Sciences, Vol. 4, No. 4, pp 8-19, 2006 Copyright © 2007 Trakia University Available online at: http://www.uni-sz.bg ISSN 1312-1723 Original Contribution THE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE ANCIENT WORLD IN THE EDUCATION OF STUDENTS OF PEDAGOGY Tz. Kasnakova, A. Arnaudova Faculty of Education, Trakia University, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria ABSTRACT Europe is among the leading players in today’s globalisation efforts by its contribution to modern civilisation. The main reason for that is the fact that roots of contemporary values such as freedom, democracy, rational government, science and technology originated first in the Ancient World of which Europe formed a part. In classes and lectures with an emphasis on our cultural heritage, students have the opportunity to reflect upon important issues such as philosophy, science, political structure, art, trade, etc. Disciplines like “Civic Education”, “Interrelationships in the Local Civic Communities”, “Methodology of Education in Man and Society” and English Language Learning relive students interest and motivation to build up their awareness about the world – past and present, and find their place as citizens of Europe and proud carriers of a rich cultural and historical heritage. Key Words: ancient culture, ancient philosophy, historical and cultural heritage, education, foreign language teaching In today’s world of globalisation we often seem to look back to the past in search of support – in history, politics, culture and traditions1 This retrospection inevitably leads us to the ancient world and this is perfectly logical, bearing in mind the rich ancient heritage reflecting upon different aspects in our lives. There are great works of art and architecture, which remain unsurpassed and we still learn from the rhetoric of the ancient philosophers, from the thoughts about political and state government, from the nature-oriented, healthy way of life, etc. The Knowledge about the Ancient World The Ancient world is renown for several great civilizations- those of the Ancient East, Ancient Elada, Ancient Thrace and Ancient Rome. The term “ancient East” was generally used to refer to the lands situated east and southeast of the Greek-Roman world. Those were the lands and the people of Asia, North Africa, India and China where the first countries in the world originated. They were also important because they were the origin * Correspondence to: Tzonka Kasnakova, Faculty of Education, Trakia University, Stara Zagora Bulgaria; Tel.: +35942613742; E-mail: kasnakova@abv.bg countries of the first written language and culture. The ancient world was strongly influenced by the East and undoubtedly any countries, which were in close geographical location and in contact with the Eastern world exceeded the development of other European countries. The Eastern peoples (of Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, China, etc.) were far more successful for several reasons – one of the most important being the fact that they inhabited fertile valleys with high-water rivers enabling irrigation and agriculture. Another significant factor was the discovery of ore and the use of metal for tool manufacturing. Slave labour also played a crucial role. The main sources on the history of the Ancient East until the middle of 19 th century remained the Bible and the compositions written by Greek and Latin historians. The most detailed account was written by the Greek historian Herodotus (5 th century BC) who was also known as “the father of history”. He wrote about the history and culture of Egypt, Mesopotamia and other countries. Since he used translators from the local population to complete his work, some of his accounts were imprecise. 400 years later another historian – Diodor, studied Egypt. The Babylonian priest Beros (3 rd century BC) also described the life of the