Mesopotamia Webquest
Here is a list of instructions for each task and clickable links.
Task #1:
Cuneiform
Make a Cover for Your
Project
Your first task is to write your name in
cuneiform. If you are working in a group, this task must be completed
individually. To do this you will go to the site Write Like A Babylonian
http://www.penn.museum/cgi/cuneiform.cgi
On this page, you will type your name and
initials in the appropriate location. Your monogram in cuneiform should appear.
Your task is to copy the wedge-shaped writing onto a piece of paper. Be careful to accurately copy your cuneiform
monogram as neatly and clearly as possible. You are going to use this
monogram to create a cover page for your web quest project. You will design
your monogram to fill the page. You should use color and make your cuneiform
monogram large enough to fill the space provided. Quality, color, creativity,
and accuracy are important. On
the backside of the paper you must print your whole name.
Next
go to the web site About Cuneiform Writing…
http://www.penn.museum/games/cuneiform.shtml
Answer the following questions.
1. Who created the first cuneiform over 5000
years ago?
2. What was cuneiform written on?
3. What were the two characteristics
necessary to becoming a successful scribe?
4. Write a paragraph in which you speculate
what the importance of written language is to civilization. How did it preserve
knowledge, improve communication, and help improve
government?
Task #2: Mesopotamian
Achievements
Go to "Why Ancient Iraq was so important" http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/world/newsid_2955000/2955531.stm
In this article are a number of “firsts” that
Mesopotamians achieved. Select two of these and DESIGN (do not make) a visual
that depicts each of the achievements and how each could have been used. Your
visual should have labels, be colorful, and be accurate. Add this page to your
packet of information with the cuneiform
cover.
Task #3: Daily Life
For this task you are to use the following
website to research Daily Life in Ancient Mesopotamia. You are to create a venn diagram
with the 3 groups listed below, describing how they are similar and different.
http://mesopotamia.mrdonn.org/classes.htmlDesign a chart of the three social classes in Sumeria. Include
example of occupations for each class.
-Aristocracy
-Working Class
-Slaves
Task 4: Work of a Scribe
Go to http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/writing/home_set.html
Click on story. Read all the pages. Click on the
word Explore. Read all the pages. Be sure to click on the colored words to
understand the terms. Click on the word Challenge. Read all the pages and
colored terms.
Define the following terms:
Pictogram:
Cuneiform:
Scribe:
Archaeological Excavation: ( You may have to search in Google for this one)
Task #5: Mesopotamian
Government
As people began moving towards bigger cities and
the population in Mesopotamia was growing, the
need for structure was evident. Using the following website, research the
origins of Mesopotamian governmental systems and why they were necessary.
http://www.crystalinks.com/sumereligion.html
Define the following words:
Ziggurat:
priests:
lugal:
For each major role of Mesopotamian government leaders, describe their
major responsibilities.
Priest-Bureaucrats (Government officials, also known as regular priests)- ______________
https://www.reference.com/history/role-kings-ancient-mesopotamia-9377a712504c0564#
Priest-King- ___________________
After completing Task #5, go to the
following website and finish one archaeological dig site.
http://mesopotamia.lib.uchicago.edu/interactives/DigIntoHistory.html
Task #6: King Hammurabi
Hammurabi was a great king of the Babylonian
Empire. He was responsible for leading Babylonto many military victories, but was more
well known for another great accomplishment. You will learn about it in Task #6.
You are to play the role of King Hammurabi's Council of Advisors.
Hammurabi has many issues to address now that cities in Babylonare growing, and he
needs your help.
Click on the following link and
work together with your table to come up with
solutions for Hammurabi's dilemmas.
http://edsitement.neh.gov/sites/edsitement.neh.gov/files/worksheets/HammurabiDeclare.pdf
Task #7: King Hammurabi Part II
Activity 1: Do a image search for Hammurabi's Stele. The original is housed in Paris in the Louvre Museum. Some people believe there are
others in existence that were placed at the entry roads to the kingdom. It is made of basalt, a hard volcanic rock, and is more
than 7 feet tall.
While examining the stele, discuss and
answer the questions from the following site with the people in your
group. Hint: Take special note of how large the sitting man would be if he stood up. Also, look carefully at the markings below the two people. All the cross-hatched marking under the carved picture is a LOT of writing that contains the law of Hammurabi.
Activity 2: Hammurabi’s Code as an Object: Stele, Stele,
Stele
1. Describe the stele, being sure to include the shape, carvings,
figures, and any additional distinctive
features.
2. What is the relative size of the two
figures?
3. Why make one figure significantly larger than the
other?
4. Describe the posture of the smaller figure. Which figure appears to
be more important?
5. What could be the purpose of the wavy lines coming from the
shoulders of the seated figure?
6. The larger figure is handing something to the smaller figure. What
could that mean?
7. What could one hypothesize might be happening in the
scene?
8. The markings under the graphic have been translated. What do
students hypothesize the writing might say?
9. Assume that King Hammurabi composed the inscription on the stela
after hearing the students’recommendations as his advisors in Activity #1. What
might the inscription say?
Final Task #8: Work Through Learnsmart on Connected and Take the Test
After you have finished the
entire quest, go to the teacher to ask to take the Mesopotamia test on ConnectEd.
You may use your research, but you will be sent to a quiet room to take
the test alone.
Task #1:
Cuneiform
Make a Cover for Your
Project
Your first task is to write your name in
cuneiform. If you are working in a group, this task must be completed
individually. To do this you will go to the site Write Like A Babylonian
http://www.penn.museum/cgi/cuneiform.cgi
On this page, you will type your name and
initials in the appropriate location. Your monogram in cuneiform should appear.
Your task is to copy the wedge-shaped writing onto a piece of paper. Be careful to accurately copy your cuneiform
monogram as neatly and clearly as possible. You are going to use this
monogram to create a cover page for your web quest project. You will design
your monogram to fill the page. You should use color and make your cuneiform
monogram large enough to fill the space provided. Quality, color, creativity,
and accuracy are important. On
the backside of the paper you must print your whole name.
Next
go to the web site About Cuneiform Writing…
http://www.penn.museum/games/cuneiform.shtml
Answer the following questions.
1. Who created the first cuneiform over 5000
years ago?
2. What was cuneiform written on?
3. What were the two characteristics
necessary to becoming a successful scribe?
4. Write a paragraph in which you speculate
what the importance of written language is to civilization. How did it preserve
knowledge, improve communication, and help improve
government?
Task #2: Mesopotamian
Achievements
Go to "Why Ancient Iraq was so important" http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/world/newsid_2955000/2955531.stm
In this article are a number of “firsts” that
Mesopotamians achieved. Select two of these and DESIGN (do not make) a visual
that depicts each of the achievements and how each could have been used. Your
visual should have labels, be colorful, and be accurate. Add this page to your
packet of information with the cuneiform
cover.
Task #3: Daily Life
For this task you are to use the following
website to research Daily Life in Ancient Mesopotamia. You are to create a venn diagram
with the 3 groups listed below, describing how they are similar and different.
http://mesopotamia.mrdonn.org/classes.htmlDesign a chart of the three social classes in Sumeria. Include
example of occupations for each class.
-Aristocracy
-Working Class
-Slaves
Task 4: Work of a Scribe
Go to http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/writing/home_set.html
Click on story. Read all the pages. Click on the
word Explore. Read all the pages. Be sure to click on the colored words to
understand the terms. Click on the word Challenge. Read all the pages and
colored terms.
Define the following terms:
Pictogram:
Cuneiform:
Scribe:
Archaeological Excavation: ( You may have to search in Google for this one)
Task #5: Mesopotamian
Government
As people began moving towards bigger cities and
the population in Mesopotamia was growing, the
need for structure was evident. Using the following website, research the
origins of Mesopotamian governmental systems and why they were necessary.
http://www.crystalinks.com/sumereligion.html
Define the following words:
Ziggurat:
priests:
lugal:
For each major role of Mesopotamian government leaders, describe their
major responsibilities.
Priest-Bureaucrats (Government officials, also known as regular priests)- ______________
https://www.reference.com/history/role-kings-ancient-mesopotamia-9377a712504c0564#
Priest-King- ___________________
After completing Task #5, go to the
following website and finish one archaeological dig site.
http://mesopotamia.lib.uchicago.edu/interactives/DigIntoHistory.html
Task #6: King Hammurabi
Hammurabi was a great king of the Babylonian
Empire. He was responsible for leading Babylonto many military victories, but was more
well known for another great accomplishment. You will learn about it in Task #6.
You are to play the role of King Hammurabi's Council of Advisors.
Hammurabi has many issues to address now that cities in Babylonare growing, and he
needs your help.
Click on the following link and
work together with your table to come up with
solutions for Hammurabi's dilemmas.
http://edsitement.neh.gov/sites/edsitement.neh.gov/files/worksheets/HammurabiDeclare.pdf
Task #7: King Hammurabi Part II
Activity 1: Do a image search for Hammurabi's Stele. The original is housed in Paris in the Louvre Museum. Some people believe there are
others in existence that were placed at the entry roads to the kingdom. It is made of basalt, a hard volcanic rock, and is more
than 7 feet tall.
While examining the stele, discuss and
answer the questions from the following site with the people in your
group. Hint: Take special note of how large the sitting man would be if he stood up. Also, look carefully at the markings below the two people. All the cross-hatched marking under the carved picture is a LOT of writing that contains the law of Hammurabi.
Activity 2: Hammurabi’s Code as an Object: Stele, Stele,
Stele
1. Describe the stele, being sure to include the shape, carvings,
figures, and any additional distinctive
features.
2. What is the relative size of the two
figures?
3. Why make one figure significantly larger than the
other?
4. Describe the posture of the smaller figure. Which figure appears to
be more important?
5. What could be the purpose of the wavy lines coming from the
shoulders of the seated figure?
6. The larger figure is handing something to the smaller figure. What
could that mean?
7. What could one hypothesize might be happening in the
scene?
8. The markings under the graphic have been translated. What do
students hypothesize the writing might say?
9. Assume that King Hammurabi composed the inscription on the stela
after hearing the students’recommendations as his advisors in Activity #1. What
might the inscription say?
Final Task #8: Work Through Learnsmart on Connected and Take the Test
After you have finished the
entire quest, go to the teacher to ask to take the Mesopotamia test on ConnectEd.
You may use your research, but you will be sent to a quiet room to take
the test alone.