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Mesopotamia Lab

Ancient Mesopotamia by Marilee Lindgren and adapted for the wonderful students of Project Lift by Mr. Landreth

This lab takes you to 10 different sites and asks you 29 questions about the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia. You may work with a partner to complete the worksheet. Don't waste time. If you finish early, I will consider you an expert on Mesopotamia and will feel free to quiz you mercilessly. Seriously, if you finish early, you may work on completing the map we began in class yesterday. (Use the map below)

List of Sites

1. Could You Survive as a Hunter Gatherer?: Site Location: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/~nantiq/foodquiz.html
1. What did hunter gatherers eat?; 2. Would you survive as a hunter gatherer? Take the quiz to find out but don't spend too much time.
2. Development of Agriculture: Site Location: http://www.hcs.ohio-state.edu/hcs/TMI/HCS210/HortOrigins/NEOrigins.html
3. What does "domestication" mean?; 4. What environmental conditions were necessary to domesticate plants?; 5. What were the plants that the Mesopotamians domesticated?
3. Mesopotamia map (see map above): Site Location: http://www.sru.edu/depts/artsci/ges/d-2-2.htm
6. What two rivers run through Mesopotamia?; 7. Why did the Mesopotamians settle near water?; 8. List three geographical features surrounding Mesopotamia.
4. Sumerian City-Ur: Site Location: http://www.cmi.k12.il.us/Urbana/projects/AncientCiv/Meso/cody.html
9. Explain the three social levels of Ur.; 10. What allowed people to learn skills other than farming?; 11. What were ziggurats used for?
5. Chariots, Sailboats, Cuneiform Writing: Site Location: http://www.cmi.k12.il.us/Urbana/projects/AncientCiv/Meso/emily.html
12. What is a chariot?; 13. Why do you think they invented sailboats?; 14. Why did the Mesopotamians have to invent writing?; 15. How did they write?; 16. What is the poem at the bottom about?; 17. What did you learn about Mesopotamia from the poem?
6. Mesopotamia-Artifacts: Site Location: http://www.cmi.k12.il.us/Urbana/projects/AncientCiv/Meso/gallery.html; 18. What is a cylinder seal used for?; 19. What is a "code"?; 20. Choose one of the two laws given. Do you think this law is fair? Why?
7. Sumerian Statuette: Site Location: http://www-oi.uchicago.edu/OI/MUS/HIGH/OIM_A12332.html
** Click on the statue to get a closer look.; 21. What is this a statue of?; 22. What did men look like in ancient Mesopotamia?
8. Cuneiform: Site Location: http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/GLOSSARY/CUNEI.HTM
23. What does cuneiform stand for?; 24. What are some results of the invention of written language?
9. Clay Tablet and Envelope: Site Location: http://www-oi.uchicago.edu/OI/MUS/HIGH/OIM_A11878.html
**Click on the tablet to get a closer look.; 25. What is written on the tablet?; 26. Why was the invention of writing important to this case?; 27. What is the envelope like?
10. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon: Site Location: http://pharos.bu.edu/Egypt/Wonders/gardens.html
** The Hanging Gardens of Babylon was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.; 28. Why did the king create the Hanging Gardens of Babylon?; 29. Why can't scientists trust eyewitness accounts of what the gardens looked like?