AncientCivilizationsMesopotamia-1.PDF Version 1

ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS:

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Table of Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................... 1
Overview ......................................................................................................... 3
Basic Facts ...................................................................................................... 5
Buildings and Structures .................................................................................. 7
Government .................................................................................................. 11
Class System ................................................................................................. 13
Clothing ........................................................................................................ 14
Food ............................................................................................................. 15
Written Language .......................................................................................... 16
Contributions ................................................................................................ 17
Book Cover .................................................................................................... 38
© World Adventures Kids 9/4/2017

INTRODUCTION
Welcome to World Adventures Kids’ newest program – Ancient Mesopotamia!
This program has been developed to provide your students with the
information and resources for a complete lesson about Ancient Mesopotamia.
As part of your virtual trip to Ancient Mesopotamia, students will explore the
world’s first cities, the type of government they developed, architecture, trade
and the contributions that impact us to this day.
We have gathered the information you will need including resources that will
enhance your student's experience. We strongly believe that an important part
of learning is giving students the opportunity to research, dig a little deeper
and go after what they are interested in. With that in mind, we have
intentionally left some things for students to discover on their own.
We have created an engaging program that is well rounded, informative, and

fun.
Once your students have completed this program, they will be familiar with the
people, culture and contributions of Ancient Mesopotamia.
1
Ancient Mesopotamia is the first in our Ancient Civilizations Series which
includes:
• Ancient Egypt
• Ancient Greece
• Ancient Rome
• Ancient China
• Ancient Aztec
World Adventures Kids invites you and your students to join us in this
wonderful adventure!
2
Old Babylonian Cylinder Seal, hematite,
the king makes an animal offering to Shamash.
OVERVIEW
Ancient Civilizations - Mesopotamia is an interactive program that will enhance
the learning experience. The purpose of this program is for the student to
acquire a strong understanding of Ancient Mesopotamian society, and its
important contributions to life today.
This program was developed for students from early elementary to middle
school. You can easily adapt the activities and projects for younger or older
students accordingly.
Everything you need is included in this lesson plan, although we do encourage

teachers/parents and students to go beyond what is in this program. The
internet and the library are great resources that offer endless information and
provide another facet to learning.
Ancient Civilizations - Mesopotamia is divided into the following categories:
• Buildings and Structures

• Government
• Shelter
3
• Clothing
• Food
• Contributions
• Activities
• Words to Know
For more activities and ideas, check out our Pinterest page!
4
BASIC FACTS
Widely considered to be one of the cradles of civilization, Ancient Mesopotamia
included Sumer and the Akkadian, Babylonian, and Assyrian empires.
• Ancient Mesopotamia was located in modern day Iraq in the Middle East.
• Mesopotamia was made up of individual city-states controlled by priest-
kings.
• The word Mesopotamia means “land between the rivers”.
• Mesopotamia was built along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers because the
land along the rivers was fertile.
• Mesopotamia's major cities included Nineveh, Babylon and Akkad, Assur
and Uruk.
5
• Babylon was the capital of Mesopotamia.
• Mesopotamians developed glass, the Pythagorean Theorem, and ancient
sanitation techniques.
• Mesopotamians invented the wheel in approximately 3500 BC, changing
transportation forever.
• The Mesopotamians invented the seeder plow which made it possible for
farmers to plow and seed at the same time, saving time and energy.
• Every city in Mesopotamia had its own god and Mesopotamians had
different gods for different professions.
• The first form of ancient writing was invented by the Sumerians. They
wrote on tablets and drew pictures which represented ideas or objects.
• Ancient Mesopotamians were masters of brick and mud construction, and
brick-making became a major industry in Mesopotamia.
• Mesopotamians were the first to grasp the concept of the number zero,
and the first to begin experimenting with mathematical problems.
• Money did not exist in Mesopotamia so they used weight to buy and sell
items.
6
BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES
An important achievement from Mesopotamia is the development of urban
planning.
Urban planning is the process of creating an area for citizens to live in which
takes in consideration housing, transportation and safety for the inhabitants.
Some of the structures designed in Mesopotamia included the courtyard house

and ziggurats made of dried mud and clay.
WEBQUEST!
Find pictures of Mesopotamian
buildings and structures
7
The reconstructed facade of the Neo-Sumerian Great Ziggurat of Ur
The Ziggurat
A ziggurat was a structure built in ancient Mesopotamia in the form of a step
pyramid. Ziggurats had up to 7 levels, each smaller than the previous.
It is believed that ziggurats were built by the ancient Sumerians, Babylonians,

Akkadians, and Assyrians as temples for worshipping the local Gods.
Mesopotamians believed that the taller the structure, the closer they were to
God.
Did You
Know? Each city-state had its
own God that the people
worshipped.
8
The Courtyard House
The courtyard house was a structure where all of the rooms of the house face
inward to the courtyard, with a single opening to the outside.
This type of structure allowed for lots of light throughout as well as good
ventilation.
WEBQUEST!
How many levels did a typical house in
Mesopotamia have? Describe each level.
9
Hanging Gardens of Babylon
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient
World. Although their location has never been confirmed, they were said to
have been built in the ancient city of Babylon, near present day Hillah in Iraq.
According to legend, Nebuchadnezzar II built the Hanging Gardens for his wife,
Queen Amytis, because she missed the green hills and valleys of her homeland.
The Babylonian priest Berossus wrote about the Gardens in about 290 BC,
however there is no significant archaeological evidence of its existence.
Some people believe that the gardens were mythical and descriptions found in
Ancient Greek and Roman writings are just a representation of an ideal garden.
10
GOVERNMENT
City-states
City-states were independent cities built around a temple and within fortified
walls. Each city-state had a priest-king who was responsible for protecting its
citizens.
City-states were built near the Tigris and Euphrates rivers because the land was
very fertile. This was important because people were able to use the water from
the rivers for farming, irrigation, as a source of drinking water, and transport
system.
Another reason cities were built near rivers was for trade. Merchants would use
boats to take their products to sell in other cities along the river.
11
Hammurabi
Hammurabi was the sixth ruler of Babylon. He is known for creating laws that
brought order and safety to the city. His laws have been remembered as the
"an eye for an eye" laws that were graded based on social status. Hammurabi
emphasized punishment that fit the crime. He was extremely strict but
managed the city well.
Nearly half of the code deals with matters of contract and wages. Other codes
set the terms of a transaction, for example, establishing the liability of a builder
for a house that collapses, or property that is damaged while left in the care of
another. Another portion of the code
addresses issues concerning household Did You
Know? Hammurabi’s code of laws
and family relationships such as
was carved into a single
inheritance and divorce.
stone.
12
CLASS SYSTEM
As city-states were being established, a hierarchical structure was forming and
society was dividing into different classes of people for the first time depending
on a person’s job or wealth.
At the top of society was the king and his family, as well as priests and
government officials.
Below the upper class was the middle class made up of scribes, craftsman,
merchants, and civil servants. The lower class was made up of artisans, laborers
and farmers. At the bottom were the slaves who were owned by the king or
bought and sold among the upper class.
13
CLOTHING
People of Mesopotamia used clothing
made out of animal skins or wool.
Men and women usually wore a skirt or

tunic with a shawl over it.
Cloth production was an important

industry in Mesopotamia.
By about 2,500 BC, Sumerians had

learned the art of spinning and weaving
sheep's wool and had started making it
into skirts and cloaks.
Discussion Point
What do you think it was like to dress in
this way?
14
FOOD
The people of Mesopotamia were one of the first people to move from a
hunting and gathering society to a farming society. They began to cultivate
plants.
They grew lots of fruits such as apples, figs, pears, grapes and apricots.
Lentils, chickpeas, beans, onions, garlic, eggplants,

lettuce, cucumbers were also grown and eaten by the
Mesopotamians. Their main crop was barley which they
used to make bread.
For the average person, meat was

very expensive. Instead, many people
ate lots of vegetable stews and bread.
15
WRITTEN LANGUAGE
The Sumerians developed the first form of writing. They used picture symbols
carved into clay tablets using a tool made from reeds, known as a stylus.
The symbols would be carved into soft clay and left to harden to have a
permanent record.
This ancient writing form is known as “cuneiform”. Cuneiform refers to the way
a language is written, it is not a particular language.
Initially, the writing was very simple and described concrete things. For
example, a drawing of a cow for the word “cow”. Over time, the writing became
more sophisticated to include
complex and intangible ideas. For Did You Cuneiform writing was around
example, the idea and meaning of Know?
for thousands of years until it
the word “honor”. was replaced by the Phoenician
Archeologists have found many of alphabet.

these tablets which is how we know
a lot about life in Ancient
Mesopotamia. Although, most of the tablets contain government or financial
records, some tablets have shown poetry, music, and heroic stories about their
Gods.
16
CONTRIBUTIONS
Sewers
The Mesopotamians were the first to create a drainage system in the streets.
Drains were made of sun baked brick or stone. They were also the first to mold
clay into pipes.
Wheel
Based on diagrams on ancient clay tablets, the earliest known use of the wheel
was a potter’s wheel that was used in Mesopotamia as early as 3500 BC. The
first use of the wheel for transportation was likely on Mesopotamian chariots in
3200 BC. It is interesting to note that wheels may have been used for
manufacturing before they were used on vehicles.
17
Plow
Mesopotamians invented the stone plow to help
make trenches in the soil for planting seeds.
They used the stone plow until 2,300 B.C. when
the seed plow was invented. The seed plow
featured a similar design but included a funnel
that dropped seeds into the trenches.
Checkers
Historians believe that the oldest form of checkers was a game discovered by
archeologists at an ancient city called Ur. Carbon dating of that game revealed
that it was probably played around 3,000 B.C.
WEBQUEST!
Find out what carbon dating is.
18
Sailboat
As civilization developed, Mesopotamians realized the need for trade with
nearby cities. At that time, travel by land was very difficult. So the
Mesopotamians invented a sailboat so they could take people and goods up
and down the river.
The design was simple, made of wood, with square sails made of cloth. The
direction of the sails could not be changed.
Discussion Point
What would happen if the winds blew in
a different direction than the people
wanted to go?
19
Irrigation systems
The climate of Mesopotamia was generally dry and there was very little rainfall
which contributed to unsuccessful farming in this region.
Mesopotamians could not solely rely on rain or the river to flood their fields
when they needed it to.
To overcome these issues, they invented a system of irrigation.
They dug a maze of ditches and waterways to redirect the water from the rivers
to their fields, creating a dependable source of water for their crops.
Regulators were then used to raise and lower the water levels in the canals and
ditches so the water could be used by the farmers. During the growing season,
each farmer was allowed only a certain amount of water.
20
Activity: Mesopotamian Class System
Instructions
Create a pyramid of the Mesopotamian class system.
Using card stock, cut out the pyramid shape below. Then cut out the figures
and words on the next page. Glue each figure on a different level of the
pyramid. Label each figure with the words included.
21
Priest-king Merchant Farmer
Scribe Artisan Slave
22
Activity: Ziggurat
Option 1: Draw a ziggurat in the space below.
Option 2: Create a ziggurat out of Lego bricks.
23
Activity: Building a city-state
Imagine that you lived in Ancient Mesopotamia and were responsible for
creating a city-state. Consider that city-states were usually built on the river’s
edge to help with farming, trade and transportation.
Option 1:
Use the space below to draw a river, farms, courtyard homes, a ziggurat and
anything else you think should be included.
Option 2:
Create your city-state in PowerPoint.
24
Activity: Where in the World?
Map activity. Outline the area where Ancient Mesopotamia was located. Find
major cities on the map. Find the Euphrates and Tigris rivers.
25
Activity: Vocabulary Bingo
Write the vocabulary words randomly on your own bingo board. Bingo caller
uses the Answer Key (included) to randomly call out a definition. If your bingo
board has the word that matches the definition, place a small object on the
word.
B I N G O
26
Word Bank
Priest-king Uruk
Cuneiform Ziggurat
City-state Scribe
Hammurabi Hierarchy
Tablet Plow
Mesopotamia Tigris
Babylon Irrigation
Euphrates Sailboats
Nebuchadnezzar II
27
Word Definition
Priest-king The highest ranked people in honor and power. He ruled the
land and its people and was responsible for communicating
with the Gods
Cuneiform A system of writing first developed by the ancient Sumerians of
Mesopotamia
City-state An independent city in ancient Mesopotamia.
Hammurabi King of Mesopotamia known for one of the earliest and most
complete legal codes in history
Tablet In ancient civilizations, clay tablets were used for writing
Mesopotamia An ancient civilization situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river

system
Babylon A kingdom in Mesopotamia
Euphrates The longest and one of the most historically important rivers of
the Middle East
Uruk Ancient city of Sumer and later Babylonia
Ziggurat A massive structure built in ancient Mesopotamia. It has the

form of a terraced compound of successively receding stories or
levels
Scribe Very important people in Mesopotamia. Scribes were
responsible for writing about everyday life, writing documents
and events that took place
Hierarchy A system in which people are ranked according to status or
authority
Plow Large farming implement used for cutting furrows in the soil and
turning it over, especially to prepare for the planting of seeds
Tigris River of great importance in Mesopotamia along with the
Euphrates
Irrigation A system of bringing water to crops and controlling flooding
28
Sailboats Mesopotamian invention that allowed merchants to take their
products up and down the river to other areas to sel
Nebuchadnezzar Longest reigning king of Babylon
II
29
Activity: Hammurabi’s Code of Laws
Decide if you think these laws are fair, put a checkmark in the space to the right
of each law. Explain your reasons.
FAIR UNFAIR
If a judge tries a case and reaches a decision, then later, an error in
the case is found to be the judge’s fault, he shall pay twelve times
the fine set by him in the case, and he shall be publicly removed
from the judge's bench, and never again shall he sit there to render
judgment.
If anyone steals the property of a temple or of the court, he shall be
put to death, and also the one who receives the stolen thing from
him shall be put to death.
If anyone brings an accusation against a man, and the accused
leaps into the river, if he sinks, his accuser shall take possession of
his house. But if the river proves that the accused is not guilty, and
he escapes unhurt, the one who had brought the accusation shall
be put to death, while the accused shall take possession of the
house that had belonged to his accuser.
If anyone steals cattle, sheep, a pig or a goat:
A) If it belongs to a god or to the court, the thief shall pay thirty
times its worth.
B) If it belongs to a free man he shall pay ten times its worth.
C) If the thief has nothing with which to pay he shall be put to
death.
If a fire breaks out in a house, and someone who comes to put it
out steals property of the master of the house, he shall be thrown
into that same fire.
If anyone opens his ditches to water his crop, but is careless, and
the water floods the field of his neighbor, then he shall pay his
neighbor corn for his loss.
If anyone stores corn in another man's house he shall pay him
storage fees.
If a son strikes his father, his hands shall be cut off.
30
If a man puts out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out.
If he breaks another man's bone, his bone shall be broken.
If a physician kills his patient his hands shall be cut off. But if the
patient was a slave, he shall replace him with another slave.
31
Activity: Write like a Mesopotamian
Option 1: Using the chart of symbols, let’s write a message in cuneiform.
Option 2: Use a toothpick to carve symbols into soft clay.
Word 3000 BC 2800 BC 600 BC

God, heaven
Earth
Man
Woman
Mountain,
land
Head
Mouth
Bread
Bird
32
Fish
Donkey
Ox
Sun
Grain
Orchard
Plough
Boomerang
Foot
Water
Drink
Go
Barley
33
Activity: Match Game
God, heaven
Earth
Man
Woman
Mountain, land
34
Head
Mouth
Bread
Bird
Fish
35
Donkey
Ox
Sun
Grain
Orchard
36
Activity: Inventions
Choose an invention from Ancient Mesopotamia and in the space below draw
the invention and explain its importance.
Invention:
How it changed the world:
37
BOOK COVER
By: _________________
38
Instructions for making your Country Book
Materials:
Construction paper
Glue
Hole puncher
Yarn or string
As you complete the activities in this program, cut each one out and glue to a
piece of construction paper.
Make sure you color and glue the cover for your book. That will be your first
page.
Once all your tasks are completed and each one glued to a piece of
construction paper, put them together in any order you'd like.
Make two holes with the hole-puncher and tie everything together with yarn.
Items which can be added to your Mesopotamia book:
Completed Map Building a City-state Activity
Vocabulary list Writing Activity
Inventions Activity Ziggurat Activity
Hammurabi’s Code Activity Class system Activity
Anything else you want to include
39

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ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS:

You can also find these fun Scavenger Hunts!

© 2017 World Adventures All Rights Reserved.

Basic Facts ...................................................................................................... 5

Buildings and Structures .................................................................................. 7

Class System ................................................................................................. 13

Written Language .......................................................................................... 16

Book Cover .................................................................................................... 38

© World Adventures Kids 9/4/2017

We have created an engaging program that is well rounded, informative, and

Everything you need is included in this lesson plan, although we do encourage

Ancient Civilizations - Mesopotamia is divided into the following categories:

• Buildings and Structures

• Mesopotamia was made up of individual city-states controlled by priest-

• The word Mesopotamia means “land between the rivers”.

land along the rivers was fertile.

• Mesopotamia's major cities included Nineveh, Babylon and Akkad, Assur

• Mesopotamians developed glass, the Pythagorean Theorem, and ancient

• Mesopotamians invented the wheel in approximately 3500 BC, changing

different gods for different professions.

wrote on tablets and drew pictures which represented ideas or objects.

• Ancient Mesopotamians were masters of brick and mud construction, and

brick-making became a major industry in Mesopotamia.

and the first to begin experimenting with mathematical problems.

Some of the structures designed in Mesopotamia included the courtyard house

It is believed that ziggurats were built by the ancient Sumerians, Babylonians,

Men and women usually wore a skirt or

Cloth production was an important

By about 2,500 BC, Sumerians had

Lentils, chickpeas, beans, onions, garlic, eggplants,

For the average person, meat was

Archeologists have found many of alphabet.

To overcome these issues, they invented a system of irrigation.

Scribe Artisan Slave

Option 2: Create a ziggurat out of Lego bricks.

Mesopotamia An ancient civilization situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river

Ziggurat A massive structure built in ancient Mesopotamia. It has the

Option 2: Use a toothpick to carve symbols into soft clay.

Word 3000 BC 2800 BC 600 BC

How it changed the world:

piece of construction paper.

construction paper, put them together in any order you'd like.

Items which can be added to your Mesopotamia book:

Completed Map Building a City-state Activity

Vocabulary list Writing Activity

Inventions Activity Ziggurat Activity

Hammurabi’s Code Activity Class system Activity

Anything else you want to include

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