Ancient History Homeschool Curriculum

The Mystery of History Volume I: “Creation to the Resurrection”

Volume I covers world history from Creation (c. 4000 B.C.) to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (c. A.D. 33). Where most ancient studies encompass only Egypt, Greece, and Rome, The Mystery of History Volume I goes further to blend secular and sacred events—on one seamless timeline.
Nefertiti in front of a pyramid
"Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel in the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandments of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith-to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen."
(Romans 16:25-27)

Biblical Events Alongside Ancient World History

The Mystery of History Volume I retells the major stories from the Bible and integrates them chronologically with significant ancient history events. Imagine Bible figures and their world famous contemporaries—side by side in your studies!
c. 1200–1184 B.C.

Legend of the Trojan Horse

c. 1200–1184 B.C.
Odysseus schemed to hide Greek soldiers in an enormous horse as a “gift” to the Trojans—thus gaining access to Troy and Helen (a captured Spartan queen!)
c. 1200 B.C.

Ruth and Naomi

c. 1200 B.C.
As a picture of God’s love, Boaz (a kinsman redeemer) married Ruth (a converted Moabite) to provide for her needs and those of her widowed mother–in-law.
776 B.C.

The Olympic Games

776 B.C.
Similar to today, Olympic athletes of ancient Greece were honored with prizes and admired for athletic skill and talent.
c. 760 B.C.

Jonah

c. 760 B.C.
Jonah sailed to Tarshish—to avoid God’s calling to preach to the Ninevites. For his disobedience, Jonah was swallowed by a big fish—and survived to preach!
c. 490 B.C.

The Battle of Marathon

c. 490 B.C.
Darius I of Persia provoked the Battle of Marathon against the Greeks. Pheidippides famously ran the length of a marathon to report the Greek victory—and died of exhaustion!
c. 478 B.C.

Esther

c. 478 B.C.
Xerxes, the son of Darius I, is Ahasuerus in the Bible—the famous Persian king that spared Esther when she pleaded for the protection of her Jewish people.
31 B.C.

Cleopatra’s Defeat at the Battle of Actium

31 B.C.
At the defeat of Marc Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium, Gaius Octavian became the first emperor of Rome—and the Roman Empire was born!
c. 4 B.C.

Mary and Joseph

c. 4 B.C.
Gaius Octavian (a.k.a. Caesar Augustus)—issued a decree that all should be taxed—thus Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem to fulfill prophecy about the birth of Christ.

Imagine lining up such amazing figures and events on one master timeline! Imagine learning their stories back to back in the order they happened! For most of us, it’s an illuminating experience.

Take a Look Inside—The Mystery of History Volume I

Download Lesson Samples (from our Student Reader)

Lesson samples from Week 31 (Hannibal, Elephants, and the Punic Wars; The Han Dynasty; The Maccabean Revolt)

Week 31 (Student Reader)

Free Download

Download Curriculum Samples (from our Companion Guide)

Curriculum samples from Week 31 (Pretest; activities; review)

Week 31 (Companion Guide)

Free Download

Listen to The Mystery of History Audiobook (narrated by the author!)

The following audio sample, both with and without music, is the first lesson from Week 31.

Lesson 91—Hannibal, Elephants, and the Punic Wars (with music)

Lesson 91—Hannibal, Elephants, and the Punic Wars (without music)

Activity Samples

A few of the interactive activities students will participate in.

Activity 73A - Greek Trireme (It floats!)

Activity 75A - Greek Theatre Masks (Pattern Provided.)

Activity 81B - Hoplite Helmet (Easy! Spaghetti & a bike helmet)

Good news! We’ve Done the Hard Work for You!

Each of our four volumes is carefully laid out with interesting lessons in a Student Reader—and optional curriculum in a Companion Guide. (We have it all!) Here’s four easy steps to follow:
Look
Look ahead at what the week holds. (Our Planning Pages will help!)
Book
Turn to our beautiful books to read your lessons. (Or listen by audiobook.)
Choose
Choose age-appropriate activities. (We offer choices for different learning styles!)
Review
Review at the end of the week. (Use any of our retention tools.)
How to Use
washington crossing

Engaging World History—Loved by the Whole Family

  • "One day my mom came home and told me that she got me a new history book and I figured that it was going to be boring but I was in for a big surprise. It was an adventure with the first book and I can't wait to start your next Mystery of History."

    Evan
    14 Years Old

  • "I loooooooove your books about history. At first I hated history but with your books I love it! I am really not bored with it like I used to be. P.S. I am Russian."

    Emma
    10 Years Old

  • "Thank you for the Mystery of History. I love it! You make history interesting and fun."

    Bella

  • "In my homeschooling journey, I have sought out different curricula only to get frustrated and never finish. Yours is different and a God-send."

    Mary J.
    Homeschool Mom

  • "We are and have enjoyed our history, this year. Out of our few years of homeschooling, this is definitely the best. We especially enjoyed all the bible characters and best of all knowing what was going on around the world at the same time."

    Laura and Lisa King
    Homeschool Mom

  • "We tried other curriculum but the student basically reads the text (boring text might I add!) and then spits it back out on a quiz. There was no real learning, just memorizing names & dates. All that changed when we tried MOH and I am thoroughly impressed to this very day. "

    Erika S.
    Homschool Mom

Volume I “Best-Seller Bundle”

Looking for a great deal? This is it! We are offering our best-selling products for The Mystery of History Volume I in one exclusive money-saving bundle.
Includes:
Volume I, Third Edition (Color hardback Student Reader with a code for the Companion Guide PDF)
Student Bible Atlas
Rand McNally’s Historical Atlas
Volume I, Third Edition Audiobook—Quarters 1-4 (Mp3s with music)
Homeschool in the Woods “Creation to Christ” Digital Timeline Figures
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The mystery of history volume I bundle
or
Free MP3 from the Author!

Start Simple!

1. Read the lessons in our beautiful hardback Student Reader.
2. Access the code (in the inside cover of your reader) to download a digital Companion Guide loaded with curriculum for all ages!
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Expand Your Collection

The Mystery of History offers a wealth of information and enrichment. But to make life easier, we offer add-ons!
Volume I Author Exclusive Products

Author Exclusives

To support you, consider exclusive add-on products made by the author.

Atlases

To make mapping exercises easier, check out our atlases (both paper and digital.)
Volume I Audiobook

Audiobook

For history “on-the-go”, listen to audiobooks narrated by the author.

Timeline Products

To save time, see our pre-made timeline products.
All Add-ons

Volume I FAQs

  • Linda Lacour Hobar, the author of The Mystery of History, offers a statement of faith that you can read here. She defines herself as an evangelical Christian and supports a Young Earth interpretation of Genesis. 

  • A historical atlas is unique in that it uses old names of old boundaries to define the land rather than modern names. Example: In Volume I, students are asked to map the boundaries of Alexander the Great’s empire on a blank student map. This is very challenging and students need a historical atlas for the answers. The mapping exercises in all volumes of the MOH range from easy to difficult allowing you to choose those appropriate for your students.

  • Bible maps usually contain the information needed to complete our mapping exercises. However, it is common that those maps have small fonts and are located at the back of the Bible (which easily slams shut while using it!) So, we think our easy-to-read Bible atlas, that lays flat on a table, is a good choice to avoid frustration in any age student. 

  • Yes! If used properly, any one of our four volumes of world history can be counted as a high school world history credit. The key is utilizing the Companion Guide features to their fullest to incorporate research, writing, geography, literature, quizzes, Bible reading, and more.

  • Yes! Many families will occupy little hands with coloring pages while listening to an audiobook, narrated by the author. Furthermore, after each lesson students can choose a hands-on activity to reinforce the story using their god-given senses. They can eat, burn, dye, sculpt, color, write, or build a multitude of projects to stimulate their learning experience. The “fun” stuff will help shape a positive attitude toward school.

  • We feel that students in and around 1st grade are ready to listen to stories of ancient times because even a young child can understand that there was a beginning. We call it Creation. It’s a great place to begin their studies as Volume I addresses who, why, and how the world began as described in Genesis 1:1. Students will additionally read about dinosaurs, mummies, pyramids, plagues, the Trojan Horse, Hannibal’s war elephants, the travels of the wise men, and much more!

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