Welcome to The Ancient World Scavenger Hunt! Okay, I know you're not scavengers, but I do hope that you'll be willing to dig around and journey through time to get the "low-down" on what happened back in Mesopotamian times. You have many little kernels of knowledge to gather, and hopefully by the end of your journey, you will have found enough kernels to fill your page and your mind. Have fun!
Your first stop takes you to the virtual
classroom called Mesopotamia. Click on this site to meet Mr. Dowling and find
all his useful information.
Mesopotamia Virtual Classroom
web page
There are a lot of facts about Mesopotamia, but for right now,
just refresh your memory by telling what "Mesopotamia" means.
Also, find another name for Mesopotamia. WRITE these down on
your paper.
Now, go back up to the top of the page to the heading Civilization. Time to see
what you remember. We decided that there were really four elements necessary
for a civilization to start. Write down what those four elements are and
explain each one. Once you've done that, go back up to the top of the page and
click on the term "The Sumerians".
You'll notice that Mr. Dowling uses the term Sumerians.
We've used that term too, but let's find out more about these first people to
form a civilization. Find out:
- when this
civilization began,
- around
what two rivers the people settled,
- what
important invention these people made,
- what type
of religion these people had,
- what the
term "polytheistic" means,
- how
Sumerians were able to produce more crops,
- what a
city-state was.
WHEW! Did you get all that? Good! Now go back up to the top of
the page and you'll find that Mr. Dowling has an interesting picture mixed in
with his facts. Describe this building and then draw it on a separate piece of
paper.
Are you lost
yet? I hope not.
OKAY! Time for some brainstorming. List three reasons why the
development of writing was so important. Have you done that? Good! Now go back up to the
top of the page, and click on the word "writing". Answer these
questions:
- What type
of writing did the Sumerians develop?
- What does
this word mean? Why?
- Give Mr.
Dowling's three reasons for why writing was important.
Speaking of writing, go to the Web page listed below and answer some
more questions.
When you have done this, go back to the Mesopotamian Virtual Classroom. Look at the top of the page and click on "The Assyrians." Please answer the following questions.
- Where did
the Assyrians live?
- For what
were the Assyrians known? (Name at least three things.)
- Who
conquered the Assyrians?
When you have finished these questions, scroll down to the
bottom of the page and click on "Hammurabi." In
Mesopotamian times, there was a famous lawmaker whose name was Hammurabi. Skim
down Mr. D's page to find out some information about Hammurabi. Answer these
questions:
- Who was
Hammurabi?
- What did
he do that is still remembered today?
- On what
principle are his laws based?
- Why is
there no 13th law?
Read over the first 20 laws, then write a
paragraph to tell who you think Hammurabi favored when he made
up his laws. Give three reasons or examples which will support your point of
view.l Just because Hammurabi was famous doesn't mean you have to agree with
him. Be sure you support your ideas.
Now it's time for you to be the judge! Click on the site below, then on the stone tablet that says "Sove Some Problems Hammurabi Faced" to find some problems to solve.
On this page, there are eight possible situations that Hammurabi
(that's you) can rule on. Choose three of the situations and explain what you would
do in each case. List your answers on your paper.
Congratulations! You've found your way to the end of the hunt.
What do you get for this? The joy of knowing you survived? A happy teacher?
Preparation for, well you know, the "T" word. Hope you had fun and
are not lost in cyberspace. If you have some time, try some of the sites listed
below, especially the Gilgamesh Interactive site.
Extra Resources
Mr. Donn's Ancient History Page
http://www.aina.org/aol/kinglist
This activity designed by Emily Rubinfield for the sixth grade students of Germantown Academy .
November 16, 2009