C ULTURE OF M ESOPOTAMIA SILENTLY 1) Put Homework On Desk 2) Agenda open 3) Notes paper/notebook out 4) Start Do Now

O BJECTIVES WWBAT observe the culture of Ancient Mesopotamia WWBAT restate the way Mesopotamians communicated through writing 1) Notes on Writing, Religion, and Technology 2) Problem – Solution Discussion 3) Cuneiform Letter 4) Exit Ticket

W HAT IS CULTURE Traditions, beliefs, art, religion, lifestyle Describe your own culture. What makes your lifestyle unique?

R ELIGION OF M ESOPOTAMIA Polytheism The belief in more than one god Each city state had a god they thought protected their territory Success or failure in life was seen as making the Gods happy or upset Working hard to please the gods of the Mesopotamia religion influenced every part of daily life.

W HAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DIE ? Your body and soul traveled to the “land of no return” so you were buried with supplies for your travels. What types of things do you think your family would send you with for your journey? “My god, the day shines bright over the Land, but for me the day is black, My god, you who are my father who begot me, lift up my face.”

A Ziggurat was an ancient building that the Mesopotamian people thought was the home of the gods. The ziggurat had staircases from the top to the bottom for gods to go from heaven down to earth.

W RITING Cuneiform Used to press symbols into clay tablets Pictograph- pictures of the object Scribes- would write down records of events and were used to keep track of items that were traded.

C UNEIFORM : L ATIN FOR ‘W EDGE ’ HOW: Used a wedge-shaped sharp tool made from a reed (bamboo-type plant that grows in rivers) to etch their writing in clay tablets. WHY: Developed cuneiform to record information about trading and business. WHAT: At first they used over 2000 symbols though over time they were able to reduce that number to 700. WHEN: Cuneiform was based on an earlier form of writing that used pictographs. Pictographs are symbols that stand for real objects such as a snake or water.

T ECHNOLOGY Wheel Plow

MATH AND SCIENCE Started writing numbers 1-60 around 3100 BCE (timeline anyone?) Do we still use any part of this system? Used sundials, basic telescope tubes, and shadows to mark time and make observations about planets (Venus specifically) and stars. They were so accurate and detailed with writing down their observations of the moon they made the first….

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS Metal: Specifically mixing copper and tin to make bronze, then by 1500 BC, they mixed figured out how to melt a rock hot enough to get a new type of metal, iron. What things could they make out of metal?

O THER D ISCOVERIES Thought illness was caused by angering the gods, so there were two different kinds of doctors: Ashipus: relied on magic and prayers to drive away demons and punishment from the gods. Asus: sought to find practical solutions to symptoms with ointment and plant-based medicines to drive away headaches, infections, etc. “Sift and knead together turtle- shell, the sprouting naga plant and mustard; wash the sick spot with quality beer and hot water; scrub the sick spot with all of the kneaded mixture; after scrubbing, rub with vegetable oil and cover with pulverized fur.”

DIRECTIONS: W RITE TO A FRIEND IN CUNEIFORM AND TELL THEM ABOUT A RECENT INVENTION OR DISCOVERY, AND WHY YOU ARE EXCITED ABOUT THIS NEW THING ’ USING YOUR LIST OF GODS AND SAMPLE CUNEIFORM SHEET TO HELP