1. Mesopotamia Mr. Pentzak Level One Humanities Fall 2013

2. Bell Ringer #14  Take out a sheet of paper  Number it 1-12 (skip AT LEAST TWO LINES in between each number)  Write “Quick Summary of the Epic of Gilgamesh” on the top line  On each numbered line write “Tablet # (whatever number you are on)”  Example below:  1. Tablet #1  2. Tablet #2  3. Tablet #3

3. Sit with your group members  Take out your scripts, macbooks, and a writing utensil  You will have twenty five minutes to wrap up your skits, rehearse and make props (ONLY IF YOUR SCRIPTS ARE COMPLETE)

4. Directions-Reflection Sheet  Write YOUR NAME on the slip of paper I hand you  Write each of your team members’ name on the lines provided  Rate them 0-3 and fill in any comments you have.  Flip your slip over and answer the short response question on the back.  Sample response: “Based on the text, I can infer that in ancient Mesopotamia they valued character trait, character trait, character trait because Gilgamesh/Enkidu… or “Women were described as… while men were described as… Based on this, Mesopotamia was probably matriarchal/patriarchal”

5. Bell Ringer #15  Give me the basic PLOT (First, Next, Then, Last) of the Epic of Gilgamesh  Describe the main characters of the story

6. Bell Ringer #16 10/20 & 10/21  What did Mesopotamians build their houses out of? Why?  What our houses made out of in the United States? Why?

7. Homework: Vocab List One  Define the following words using a dictionary or online resource.  These MUST BE HAND WRITTEN in order to receive credit  Fertile  Irrigation  Silt  Ziggurat  Scribe  Monotheism  Polytheism  City-state  Alliance  Arid

8. Problem Based Learning Question  Look around the room.  Select one object.  Measure it with a ruler and record it’s dimensions (height, width, depth)  In your mind, clone it infinitely.  How many of those objects would you need in order to construct a home that was ten feet tall, ten feet wide, and ten feet deep?

9. Pre-Test  What does “Mesopotamia” mean?  Name two natural boundaries of Mesopotamia.  Where is Mesopotamia?  Name one of the major gods of Mesopotamia.  Name at least one civilization that ruled in Mesopotamia.  Name one invention of the Sumerians we still use today.  What is the Epic of Gilgamesh?  What is a ziggurat?

10. Bell Ringer #17 10/22 & 10/23  Explain the process/steps of making a mud brick using the PLOT formula  Include AT LEAST five adjectives!  Imagine yourself in ancient Mesopotamia. What do you think the life of a brick maker was like? Is it a job you would want to have? Why or why not?

11. Vocab List One: Standardized Definitions  Fertile- producing or capable of producing abundant vegetation or crops  Irrigation-a system of supplying land with water by means of artificial canals, ditches, etc., esp. to promote the growth of food crops  Silt-fine sand, clay, or other material carried by running water and deposited as a sediment  Ziggurat-a rectangular stepped tower, sometimes surmounted by a temple  Scribe-a person who copies out documents, especially one employed to do this before printing was invented  Monotheism- the belief in one god  Polytheism- the belief in many gods  City-state-a city that with its surrounding territory forms an independent state  Alliance-a union between people, groups, countries, etc. : a relationship in which people agree to work together  Arid-(of land or a climate) having little or no rain; too dry or barren to support vegetation

13. Cornell Notes (Topic on top line)NameDate NOTES  Here is where you write brief notes  Use abbreviations  Draw yourself pictures  Invent your own shortcuts, don’t focus on writing the entire slide word for word  Skip a line between new ideas or topics to keep information seperated. CUE COLUMN Fill this section in after you are finished taking notes. Use key words, main ideas, or sub topics to give you clues about what you wrote down. When you study, cover up your notes and try to recall info only from the ideas in the Cue Column Summary of the entire lesson goes here (Leave the last 5-7 Lines of your paper for this section).

15. Bell Ringer #18 10/24 & 10/27  What is a creation story?  What are they used for?  What can they tell us about culture?

16. Bell Ringer #19 10/30 & 10/31  Who were the main characters of the Mesopotamian Creation story?  Based on what was included in the creation story, what were some things Mesopotamians valued? (What does it say about their culture?)  Pick one god, goddess, or demon from your foldable. Who are they? What are their powers? What other gods were they connected to?

17. Belling Ringer #20 11/5 & 11/6  Write your name, dates, and block on the top line of your index card  Text Talk Time on the Code of Hammurabi  Use the index card to write three questions and a comment about the Code of Hammurabi  If you don’t have any questions (“pffft, like I believe that one…” write a question to ask someone else)  Standard TTT rules apply!

18. Cuneiform Carving  Use the simplified cuneiform alphabet key provided to create an inscription in cuneiform on your clay tablet  Pens, pencils, and paper clips seem to work best  Your inscription must be at least 5 letters and school appropriate  Use the plastic wrap around your clay to work on (so in other words, no mess on the desks please)  Take them home and bake them (with permission!) for about half an hour (I cooked french fries in my toaster oven with my example)  If your clay gets too cold it may get too sticky to work with  Recipe for those who want it: 2 parts flour, 1 part salt, 1 part water, knead with hands until smooth and pliable.

19. Decipher Mr. Pentzak’s example

20. Mesopotamia  Means “Between the Rivers”  Tigris & Euphrates  A region, not a country!  Controlled by various societies/civilizations over time.  Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, etc.

21. Geography  Natural Boundaries: -Zagros Mnts.-Taurus Mnts. -Persian Gulf-Mediterranean Sea -Red Sea-Arabian & Syrian Desert  Isolated  Fertile flood plain

22. Fertile Crescent  “Fertile Crescent”- A boomerang shaped region in the middle east  The first civilizations begin here  Arid= (of land or a climate) having little or no rain; too dry or barren to support vegetation  Annual flooding of Tigris and Euphrates deposits silt  Silt= fine sand, clay, or other material carried by running water and deposited as a sediment

23. Rise of Civilization  Agriculture develops about 10,000 years ago  Hunter-Gatherers previously!  Neolithic farmers settle in Fertile Crescent around 6000 BCE  Agriculture becomes increasingly complex which in turn makes society more complex  Villages → Towns → Cities → City-States  Division of labor & specialization (jobs), surplus!

24. Sumerians  Settle in the region around 5000 BCE  A distinct and flourishing culture emerges  Later civilizations will borrow heavily from them  Develop irrigation= a system of supplying land with water by means of artificial canals, ditches, etc., esp. to promote the growth of food crops  Inventions: plow, wheeled vehicles, sailboat, mathematics, astronomy, the arch, writing, potter’s wheel, and the frying pan  Bring us out of Neolithic age, Bronze Age! (c. 3100 BCE)  Iron will replace bronze c. 1200 BCE

25. Sargon the Great  Akkadian (North of Sumer, South of Assur)  Conquers most of Mesopotamia  First Empire  Ruled c. 2334 BCE – 2279 BCE  Subsequent kings tried to emulate  Cultural blending as empire spreads

26. Babylon

27.  Possibly built by Sargon the Great  Major political, cultural, and religious center of Mesopotamia  Highly prized-attacked often  Tower of Babel, Hanging Gardens

28. City Life  Ur & Uruk  First cities  Walled  Mud brick cities  Narrow, crowded streets  Buildings several stories high  Ziggurat in center of town

29. Economy  Extensive trade networks develop  Needs/wants- timber, metal ore/alloys, precious stones, spices  Traded for agricultural products and textiles  Wheat, beans, grapes, olives, flax  Contracts and debts recorded by scribes on cuneiform tablets  Several laws enacted regarding trade, wages, and prices

30. Religion  Polytheistic  Over 3,000 gods. Each city had a patron god  Statues would be placed in temples so there would always be something praying to the gods  Daily sacrifices  beer, bread, fruit, wine, meat  Same gods, names change over time depending on the culture in power

31. Religion cont.  Ziggurat- a rectangular stepped tower, sometimes surmounted by a temple  Every city had one, and rulers used them to display their wealth and devotion to the gods  Marduk was the most important god  Tiamat (salt water)  Apsu (fresh water)

32. Women  Not equal to men, but had rights  See shift in view of Tiamat  Able to own property, navigate legal issues, buy and sell goods, operate businesses  Upper class/religious class were literate  Married young  Dowries  Divorce

33. Culture  Similar throughout Mesopotamia, borrow heavily from one another  Cuneiform  One of the earliest forms of written languages  Clay tablets, reed styluses  cuneus "wedge” forma "shape"  Epic of Gilgamesh  Gilgamesh c. 2500 BCE, written text c. 1700 BCE

34. Hammurabi  Babylonian, lived c. 1750 BCE  Expanded the empire and controlled all of Mesopotamia  Nicknamed “Law Giver,” creator of Hammurabi’s code, one of the first written law codes in history  Written in Cuneiform on large stele (pillars)  Strict punishments- discourage crime!  Different penalties depending on social status

35. Ashurbanipal  Lived 685 BCE- 627 BCE  Assyrian (pretty much the last successful Assyrian king)  Patron of the arts, highly educated  World’s first library filled with over 30,000 cuneiform tablets  Financial records, agricultural records, Epic of Gilgamesh, creation story

36. Five Themes of Geography  Movement- Boats and caravans moved trade goods, Sumerians invented wheeled vehicles, cuneiform tablets and steles circulated ideas, laws, etc.  Region- “Between the Rivers” isolated by mountains and deserts.  Location- Middle East, present day Iraq, Tigris and Euphrates River.  Interaction- Arid climate, fertile flood plan. Dams and canals for irrigation. Agriculture.  Place- Borrows Sumerian culture, mud bricks, city- states, cuneiform, polytheism, ruled by different peoples over time

37. GRAPES  Geography  Religion  Achievements  Politics  Economy  Social Structures

38.  http://history-world.org/sumeria.htm http://history-world.org/sumeria.htm  http://mesopotamia.mrdonn.org/sumer.html http://mesopotamia.mrdonn.org/sumer.html  http://www.mitchellteachers.net/WorldHistory/MrMEar lyHumansProject/PDFs/SumerAchieveBlurbs.pdf http://www.mitchellteachers.net/WorldHistory/MrMEar lyHumansProject/PDFs/SumerAchieveBlurbs.pdf