Climbing the Cultural Hill in Mesopotamia

Mrs. Shepherd's Web quest
Background:

Your father's culture was as a hunter and gatherer in Western Asia, but you are all together different from him. You have been born during an exciting time and people are changing the way they live. Why? Your great grandfather dropped a seed. As a result, your grandfather decided to settle down with his family and farm. By the time your father was an adult, he had been joined by several relatives and their community had become a village. You  have been exploring the land beyond your village with your friends and have made a startling discovery. Just over the line of hills that are in the horizon, you spy another community, more advanced than your own. You watch them, and you can't wait to get back to the village to tell your father what you saw! Will your father believe you? You decide to write a letter to your father to give your information more credibility.

 

Instructions: 

What may you have seen looking over the hillside into the Summerian city-state of Ur? Follow the steps listed below, and keep good notes. Just click on the pictures to go into specific sites that will help you answers to the questions.

  1. You notice a big structure in the middle. What is it? What is going on there? 
Describe it. 
  1. You see some one has been hurt.  What kind of help is available when things like that happens? 
  1.  How are people communicating? You might not be able to understand how they speak.
              Do they use written communication? Describe it. 
Can you understand it?
  1.   Look at the artifacts found in these tombs. What do they tell you about what you may have seen that day? Describe at least three activities.
Concluding Task: 

Now you have all the information you need to write a really strong letter to your father. As you travel back, you realize that what you have just seen can change the future for your village. If you provide a lot of detail about what you saw, he might be persuaded to make some changes in your community. What would you like him to do? Tell him why you think it is important to do that. Be convincing!!!