Considered the first great civilization, Mesopotamia developed around 5000 B.C. in the area located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The word "Mesopotamia" is derived from the Greek words, mesos meaning "middle," and potamos meaning "river," which became known as the "land between two rivers." This area was home to many civilizations including Sumer, Babylonia, and Assyria. Archaeologists and historians consider Mesopotamia the "cradle of civilization." Many believe the people of this region influenced the development of the human race in many ways. Mesopotamia no longer exists today. It is now known as all the land in northern Syria, southern Turkey, through Iraq into the Persian Gulf.
INTRODUCTION
What would life be like if no one ever ventured beyond their neighborhood? What would we know about the world we live in? Well…probably very little! But we don’t have to worry about that, because exploration has played a major role in learning about our Earth for centuries. Now it is your turn to go exploring. You will embark on a cyber journey into ancient Mesopotamia. You will explore this ‘cradle of civilization’ to understand how Mesopotamia has affected the world you live in. You will take on different roles that will ask you to search around Mesopotamia and find out important information. You will come away with the knowledge that Mesopotamia has changed or affected your world in some way.
Good luck and have fun!
TASK
You will journey back in time to ancient Mesopotamia. You are to discover and bring back information, about this ancient civilization. Your final project (a poster) will demonstrate how this ancient civilization contributed to our modern world. You may be as creative as you like when putting together all of the information you uncover.
As part of this Cyber Exploration, you will be asked to take on 4 different roles: Geographer, Historian, Agriculturalist, and Archaeologist.