Table of Contents How to Use This Product........... 3 Introduction to Primary Sources..... 5 Activities Using Primary Sources... 15 Photographs Dagger and Sheath................15 16 Take a Stab.......................15 Ziggurat........................17 18 Step On Up.......................17 Hanging Gardens of Babylon........19 20 How Does Your Garden Grow?........19 Ishtar Gate......................21 22 Through the Gate..................21 Clay Tablet with Cuneiform..........23 24 Writing with Stylus.................23 Standard of Ur...................25 26 Peace and War.....................25 Queen s Lyre.....................27 28 Play On..........................27 Phoenician Ship..................29 30 What a Ship!......................29 Primary Sources Gilgamesh Image.................31 34 The First Epic.....................31 An Epic Tale!.....................33 Gilgamesh........................34 Stele with Hammurabi s Code........35 38 The Law of the Land................35 Record the Law....................37 Stele of Hammurabi s Code...........38 Sketch of King Darius..............39 42 The King.........................39 King Me.........................41 Sketch of King Darius...............42 Hittite Hunting Relief..............43 46 A Hunting We Will Go..............43 Hooray for Hittities.................45 Hittite Hunting Relief...............46 Sumerian Praying Statuette..........47 50 Say a Prayer......................47 Dear Gods........................49 Sumerian Praying Statuette...........50 Assyrian Stele....................51 54 My Chariot Awaits.................51 Hitching My Ride..................53 Assyrian Stele from Tell Ahamr.......54 Sargon s Head....................55 58 At the Top........................55 Heads Up........................57 Sargon s Head.....................58 Assyrian Relief...................59 62 Look It Up.......................59 Can t Stop Me!....................61 Assyrian Relief....................62 Document Based Assessments...... 63 Battles and Weapons of Ancient Mesopotamia...............63 Mesopotamian Temples................64 Ishtar Gate.........................65 Education in Mesopotamia.............66 Cuneiform..........................67 Mesopotamian Art and Music...........68 Pay Up!...........................69 The Fertile Crescent..................70 Hammurabi s Code...................71 Sumerians..........................72 Mesopotamian Religion...............73 Phoenician Life......................74 Appendix...................... 75 About Your CD-ROM.................75 Suggested Young-Adult Literature and Websites..........................77 Document-Based Assessment Rubric Example....................78 Answer Key........................79 #3934 Exploring History Ancient Mesopotamia 2 Teacher Created Materials, Inc.
Take a Stab Dagger and Sheath Standard/Objective Explain and give examples of how language, literature, the arts, architecture, other artifacts, traditions, beliefs, values, and behaviors contribute to the development and transmission of culture. (NCSS) Students will become familiar with the materials, purposes, technology, and different designs of ancient Mesopotamian weapons. Materials copies of both sides of the Dagger and Sheath photo card; copies of the historical background information (page 16); other reference materials; art supplies Discussion Questions Who do you think may have used this weapon? Name some uses for daggers such as the one pictured. What country do you think was responsible for making this dagger? Why? What kinds of identifying marks, if any, do you see on this weapon? Discuss the access to materials for weapon construction and how this contributed to the war, culture, art, ideas, and behavior of people in this period of history. Using the Primary Source Students should look at the photograph of the dagger and imagine the person who might carry this. Who would he or she be and where would he or she be located? Would he or she have obligations to the Mesopotamian people? What law, if any, existed about carrying such weapons? How does weaponry like the dagger in the picture differ from modern weaponry? Discuss the metal of this dagger. Divide students in small groups to discuss several of the major battles that involved different peoples of ancient Mesopotamia. Have them decide which people were the most ruthless and which were the most peaceful. In small groups, have students describe the geography of ancient Mesopotamia and discuss if this geography was a benefit or a disadvantage to the Mesopotamian people. Were there some people who were better situated than others as to their location? How did their geography affect their trade, farming, and development as city-states? Next, have students pretend to be war correspondents reporting on a major Persian war. Students will give eyewitness accounts of the efforts of the soldiers and of the outcome of the battle. In their reports, students need to mention how the soldiers are dressed, their lifestyles, their hardships, their enemies, their reasons for fighting, and how they are faring in this fight. Further, students should describe the soldier s weapons and transportation. Extension Idea Have students pretend to be good friends to soldiers going to fight in a Mesopotamian battle. They should write historical fictional stories about these friends and the trip into war. Teacher Created Materials, Inc. 15 #3934 Exploring History Ancient Mesopotamia
Dagger and Sheath Take a Stab (cont.) Historical Background Information Daggers and other weapons have histories that date to before the third millennium B.C. The development of weapons parallels the discovery of different metals such as bronze, gold, and silver. Knowledge of different metals allowed the improvement of weapons. The study of the metals, called metallurgy, created a situation where nations wanted to find and use the strongest metals. The nation or city-state that led in this technology was the one most respected at that time. A dagger, a short pointed knife, was a classic weapon during the Mesopotamian era. It would have been used for stabbing or cutting. It might have been taken into a battle, used to kill an animal for food, or taken to the farm to cut crops. The handle would have been made of bone, wood, or metal. A sheath might have accompanied the dagger to act as a guard for the blade. Although gold was used in the Mesopotamian era for things besides weapons, it was especially useful to the soldiers. A soldier might have a golden helmet as well as a golden dagger. Gold was among the first of the metals to be mined. Gold objects have been discovered in the city-state of Ur as early as 3500 B.C. Those using the metal to craft objects in Mesopotamia found it to be beautiful, dense, and resistant to damage. It could also be melted to create tools. The dagger in the picture would have been made by a skilled craftsman thousands of years ago. The gold was probably obtained from deposits in Egypt or Arabia. The Bronze Age improved the weaponry of the Mesopotamia people. There was increased use of bronze at the time of the Sumerian civilization and the rise of Akkad to prominence in Mesopotamia. Babylon reached its height of glory during the middle Bronze Age. The Iron Age followed in 1200 B.C. With the advent of the Iron Age, weapons were often made of iron. The material desired for weapons was always changing. The Hittites had rich iron deposits that they mined. Hittites used the iron for weaponry and successfully used it as a building material. The Hittites built the lightest and fastest chariots of their time, including a three-man chariot. Weapons such as daggers and swords can be identified by the culture and time period in which they were used. The strength and power of the material in the weapon determined its effectiveness. A soldier s weapon or a hunter s tool needed to be efficient and deadly. Metals were used in the construction of other war items as well. Armor, chariots, and hand-held weapons were all needed to defend the homeland at this specific time in history. At the time of Hammurabi, the Babylonian army was making important use of chariots. Babylon also made extensive use of cavalry, especially mounted bowmen. Foot troops used iron weapons and wore iron helmets and some chain mail armor. It was important for the people to have access to the proper materials needed for making jewelry, ornaments, weapons of war (chariots, spears, swords, axes, bows, and arrows), hunting equipment, and farming tools. Silver, gold, bronze, wood, stone, #3934 Exploring History Ancient Mesopotamia 16 Teacher Created Materials, Inc.
ij39
Dagger and Sheath Historical Background Information Daggers and other weapons can be traced back to before the third millennium B.C. The development of different metals such as bronze, gold, and silver allowed for the improvement of the weapons. Gold was among the first metals to be mined. The gold was probably obtained from deposits in Egypt or Arabia. From the Stone Age to the Bronze Age through the Iron Age, materials improved and so did weapons. It was most important for these ancient people to have access to the proper materials needed for making jewelry, ornaments, weapons of war, hunting equipment, and farming tools. Chariots, spears, swords, axes, bows, and arrows were all made from silver, gold, bronze, wood, stone, ivory, and iron. Analyzing History Knowledge What were some of the weapons used during battle by ancient Mesopotamians? Comprehension Describe the materials used to create weapons. Application Why were certain materials used more often at different periods of time? Analysis Name some similarities and differences between the different metals. Historical Writing Fiction Use your imagination and tell this dagger s story in the first person. In other words, write an autobiography from the viewpoint of the dagger. Describe who made you and how you came to be in a museum. Nonfiction Research and describe one of the major metals: iron, bronze, gold, silver, or steel. Tell how the metal is made and describe some ancient and present-day uses for the metal. History Challenge Research, describe, and illustrate a weapon used during the Mesopotamia period of history. Synthesis Draw a detailed and labeled picture of an ancient weapon. Evaluation How many uses can you imagine that these ancient Mesopotamian people had for the different metals? Teacher Created Materials, Inc. #3934 Exploring History Through Primary Sources Ancient Mesopotamia
At the Top Sargon s Head Standard/Objective Analyze examples of conflict, cooperation, and interdependence among groups, societies, and nations. (NCSS) Students will identify the terms city-state and empire as types of government. Materials copies of the facsimile Sargon s Head; copies of the historical background information (page 56); copies of the student activity sheet (page 57); copies of maps of Mesopotamia; modeling clay Discussion Questions What type of man does the carving of Sargon suggest? Would it be hard to be a ruler of such a large area of land and people? Why? What difficulties do you think Sargon faced in holding together his empire? Why do you think that empires often fell after the death of a great king? Which other kings and empires influenced ancient history? Using the Primary Source Have the students begin this lesson by analyzing the carving of Sargon s head. Sargon ruled the Akkadians and lead the world s first empire. Reflect on the type of ruler he was by referring to the historical background information (page 56). Discuss with the students how cities formed, grew into city-states (a city and its king that ruled the surrounding countryside), and then how strong kings like Sargon conquered and governed empires (large areas of land and people under one rule). On maps of Mesopotamia, have students draw the area of the Fertile Crescent. Then, they can research the empire of Sargon and indicate its boundaries on the map. Student should then research other empires of the area (e.g., Chaldeans, Hittites, Babylonians, Phoenicians, Lydians, Assyrians, and Persians) and place them on your map. They should note the years of each of the empires as their map changes. They ll notice the areas that overlap as one empire falls to another. Extension Idea Have the students research the British Empire and list the countries that have been under its rule in the past to see its far-reaching influence. Teacher Created Materials, Inc. 55 #3934 Exploring History Ancient Mesopotamia
Sargon s Head Historical Background Information At the Top (cont.) The people from the ancient Mesopotamian area (Sumerians, Akkadians, Chaldeans, Hittites, Babylonians, Hebrews, Israelites, Phoenicians, Lydians, Assyrians, and Persians) all made their contributions to future civilizations. Sargon ruled Akkad, an ancient region in Mesopotamia, which later became Babylonia under King Nebuchadnezzar. Akkad prospered after Sargon began his reign. The people spoke Akkadian and used the Sumerian cuneiform for writing. When the Sumerian city-states began to lose power, Sargon seized the opportunity and ordered his armies to attack the southern region of Mesopotamia. He ruled from 2334 to 2279 B.C. and built one of the world s first and greatest ancient empires. Sargon (ArtToday) The Early Dynastic period was brought to an end when Sargon created the world s first empire. History describes Sargon as one of the greatest rulers of all time. His military prowess and uncanny ability to organize helped him create and rule an empire that stretched the length and width of the Fertile Crescent. Sargon s unification of Sumer and Akkad affected all Mesopotamian history. His empire lasted for almost 150 years before falling to invaders. Information about Sargon is known almost entirely from legends and tales about him. His exact birth and death dates are not known for certain. According to legends, Sargon was a man of humble origins. Stories explain that a gardener found Sargon as a baby floating in a basket on the river. The gardener took the baby from the river and raised him as his own child. It is said that without royal ties to become king, it was more difficult for Sargon to succeed. It was his defeat of Lugalzaggisi of Uruk as a soldier that clinched his exalted position in life. His ability to lead became apparent and later won him the position of king. There is no evidence to indicate that he was a particularly harsh ruler or that his people disliked him. However, he did experience rebellions toward the end of his reign. Most historians believe that this was probably due to the fact that he was one man trying to control a vast empire without an experienced administration. His troubles weakened his empire. #3934 Exploring History Ancient Mesopotamia 56 Teacher Created Materials, Inc.
Sargon s Head Name Heads Up Background Information When the Sumerian city-states began to lose power, Sargon seized the opportunity and ordered his armies to attack the southern region of Mesopotamia. Sargon of Akkad ruled around 2334 to 2279 B.C. He built one of the world s greatest early empires. History describes Sargon as one of the greatest rulers of all time. Sargon had military prowess and an uncanny ability to organize. He built an empire that stretched the length and width of the Fertile Crescent. Sargon s unification of Sumer and Akkad affected all of the Mesopotamian history. His empire lasted for almost 150 years before falling to invaders. Activity 1. Name some important people who are remembered through statues, carvings, monuments, books, etc. 2. Look at the list you wrote above. What are some common characteristics of the people on your list? 3. Choose one important person in your life that you want to remember. Complete a drawing of that person s head. Try to make the drawing as detailed as possible. 4. Use modeling clay to sculpt a three-dimensional version of your drawing. Again, try to include as much detail as you can. 5. Set up a classroom gallery of finished statues for display. Challenge Write a one- to two-page biography of the person you sculpted. Be sure to include many of the reasons that you chose to honor this person. Teacher Created Materials, Inc. 57 #3934 Exploring History Ancient Mesopotamia
Sargon s Head Sargon s Head Head of an Akkadian Ruler (Gianni Dagli Orti/Corbis) #3934 Exploring History Ancient Mesopotamia 58 Teacher Created Materials, Inc.
Name Hammurabi s Code Document Based Assessments Translated Law #22 If any one is committing a robbery and is caught, then he shall be put to death. 1. After reading this translation of a Mesopotamian law from Hammurabi s Code, explain why you think it was included in the set of laws for the day. 2. Does the United States have a law like this today? Why or why not? 3. How do you think Hammurabi s Code influenced laws in other locations of the world? Teacher Created Materials, Inc. 71 #3934 Exploring History Ancient Mesopotamia