The Ancient Middle East
Mesopotamian Literature
Read pgs. 6-10
Answer the following questions:
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9.
What is the meaning of Mesopotamia?
How did the Sumerians use mud?
In your own words describe a city-state and how it was
organized.
Name two things the Sumerians developed.
What is one of the oldest systems of writing the
Sumerians are responsible for creating?
What does Babylon mean and what city known today is
nearby?
What do the Codes of Hammurabi regulate?
What are the names of the two rivers that provided water
to this region?
What was built that caused Babylon to fall into ruins?
Egyptian Literature
Read pgs. 11-14
Answer the following questions
1
List three things the Nile river provided.
2
What is papyrus? What did the Egyptians make with it?
What was this used for?
3
During which years were the Old, Middle, and New
Kingdoms? Which was known for the construction of the
famous pyramids? Which period was known for its love
poems?
4
Draw a pyramid indicating the different levels of Egyptian
society and list the types of people in each level.
5
What system of writing are the Egyptians responsible for
creating?
6
What was The Book of the Dead, and what did it contain?
Brain Break
Everyone stand and raise your
left foot and your right hand,
while saying your name three
times aloud. Now repeat using
opposite side.
Remember: when the bum is numb, the brain is dumb
Brain Break
Everyone stand and Pat your
head and rub your tummy, then
touch your toes twice.
Remember: when the bum is numb, the brain is dumb
Hebrew Literature
Read pgs. 14-18
Answer the following questions:
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6.
7.
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9.
10.
What does the word monotheist mean?
What is the definition of patriarch? Who was the first Hebrew
patriarch?
Who’s name was changed to Israel? What were the Hebrew
people soon called because of this change?
The Book of Genesis tells the story of whom?
The Israelites organized themselves into ________ tribes.
What laid the foundation for Mosaic law?
Who became the first king of Israel?
What is the Hebrew capital city?
What two words come from the word Judah?
What is the name of the god who holds a covenant with the
Hebrew people?
Brain Break
Everyone stand and do five
jumping jacks
Remember: when the bum is numb, the brain is dumb
Ancient Middle East
Poster Competition
Your group must prepare and present a
poster that represents the major influences of
The Ancient Middle Eastern Society. The best
group wins a free “No Homework” pass!
Group Roles are as follows:
Leader gather materials, and clean area when finished
Journalist read notes and help decide what to put on your group’s poster
Editor write facts and draw artwork to design your group’s poster
Presenter-share with the class what is incorporated on your group’s poster
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Mesopotamian Literature
The Epic of Gilgamesh
This oldest surviving epic was written more than four
thousand years ago, and it is at least a thousand
years older than most of the books in the Hebrew
Bible. This tale is of a superhuman Sumerian king
who searches for everlasting life. Gilgamesh who was
two-thirds god and one-third human along with his
friend Enkidu disrespect the gods, who then afflict
Enkidu with a mortal illness. Gilgamesh realizing that
he too must die, sets out to learn the secret of
immortality from Utnapishtim, a survivor of the great
flood.
The Epic of Gilgamesh
An epic hero is an epic’s larger-than-life
main character. The hero is a leader that
stands for the values of his/her society.
An epic hero often goes on a dangerous
journey or quest to achieve a difficult
goal. Although the hero demonstrates
bravery, strength, and knowledge along
the way, an epic hero also has human
weaknesses. Gilgamesh is the earliest
known epic hero and his weakness or
“fatal flaw” takes the form of pride.
Clock Activities
3:00
Think of some larger-than-life heroes.
What are their strengths? What are
their weaknesses? Think of two
heroes and list their strengths and
weaknesses.
Kinesthetic Vocabulary Game:
“I have… who has…”
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Incantation p. 25
Lamented p. 25
Endured p. 26
Felon pg. p. 27
Drawn p. 27
Decree p. 28
Firmament p. 29
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Clamor p. 29
Batten p. 30
Tempest p. 30
Cauldrons p. 31
Embers p. 32
Sluices p. 33
The Epic of Gilgamesh
pg. 23-33
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Who is Gilgamesh?
Describe the man-bird in Enkidu’s dream.
How long does Gilgamesh mourn the death of Enkidu?
What does Gilgamesh hope to find on his quest?
Describe the scorpions that guard the gate of the mountain.
What is the length through the mountain?
Why does Siduri bar her gate when she sees Gilgamesh
approaching?
8. What does Siduri advise Gilgamesh to do?
9. According to Utnapishtim, why did the gods once try to
destroy humanity?
10. What does Ea instruct Utnapishtim to tell the other
Sumerians before the flood?
11. How long did the flood last?
12. According to Utnapishtim, where does the plant grow that gives
everlasting life?
13. Why does Gilgamesh fail to bring the river plant to his
people?
14. What does Gilgamesh do after he returns from his quest?
Homework
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Write a one page essay describing a
person in your life that you consider
a hero. What special attributes make
this person a hero? What are his/her
strengths? What are his/her
weaknesses? Why is this person your
hero?
Egyptian Literature
Egypt
It is in this early civilization that one of the first
forms of writing began. It is called hieroglyphics.
This type of ancient Egyptian writing was in picture
form. Each picture denotes a word or idea rather
than just expressing the sound. There are over
seven hundred hieroglyphics in this ancient form of
writing.
How do you write with
hieroglyphics?
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The symbols always face towards the
beginning of the line so you know which
direction to start reading.
Besides changing direction, hieroglyphics
rarely used vowels, although they were
spoken. In English words are often
abbreviated by leaving out the vowels as
well - bldg = building, ltd = limited and
cm = centimeter.
Where were hieroglyphics
used?
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You can see hieroglyphics on ancient tombs,
pyramid walls, pottery, and ceramics. Scribes
also used hieroglyphics on papyrus to record the
history of Egypt.
Hieroglyphics were extremely hard to learn. Only
scribes learned to write them and they trained for
years, starting school when they were boys.
Girls were not allowed to go to school so they
couldn't become scribes.
Scribes were special royal servants. They didn't
have to go into the military or pay taxes. They
were also well-respected and had their pictures
painted on the walls of houses and monuments.
Papyrus
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One of the major contributions the Egyptians
gave to civilization is the invention of paper,
made from papyrus reeds.
Papyrus is a plant that grows on the banks of the
Nile River in Egypt. (Kind of like we know as a
broadleaf cattail.) Papyrus, can grow up to 15
feet high.
Egyptians used paper made from papyrus for
4000 years until other plants and trees were used
to make paper for economical reasons. Paper
made from papyrus is still made, but normally
only as a tourist attraction.
Assignment: You are in Egypt; create a
post card addressed to a friend or family
member using a combination of words and
symbols.
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One side must
have an illustration
of a scene from
Egypt.
The other side
must contain your
message.
Your message
must be a
minimum of four
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You must add color
Don’t forget the
stamp! (draw one
in the corner)
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In ancient Egypt, burial rites could not be
performed unless a person’s body was whole. In
turn, if burial rites were not performed, the
person’s spirit could not pass to Duat, the Land of
the Dead.
The ancient Egyptians also believed that to be
admitted to the Land of the Dead, a person’s
body had to be preserved. (To keep it from
decaying.) They also believed that a body had to
be reunited with its spirit, which had fled the
body at death. To preserve the body and lure
back its spirit, the ancient Egyptians developed a
practice called embalming.
“It is human to be paralyzed by grief, but it is
heroic to be activated by it.”
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Write a quick-write/journal-entry
paragraph about the above quote.
What do you think the quote means?
What experiences in your life can you
associate with this quote?
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The great goddess of ancient Egypt
was Isis, and her husband was Osiris.
The hero of this ancient Egyptian
myth is a model of love, faithfulness,
and above all, persistence. Follow the
goddess Isis on her unusual quest to
rescue her husband’s body.
World Myths and Folk Tales
Read Isis the Queen pg. 116-120. Record and
answer the following questions:
1. Why does Seth want his brother Osiris to get into a beautiful coffin?
a. Seth wants to kill Osiris and rule Egypt.
b. Seth wants to give Osiris the coffin and needs to be sure it
fits
2. Isis finds the coffin containing Osiris…
a. floating down the Nile
b. In a pyramid
c. encased in a tree in Byblos
3. What does Seth do when he finds the body of Osiris?
a. He encloses it in a beautiful pyramid
b. He cuts it into fourteen pieces and scatters them
4. Who is Horus?
a. the god of the dead
b. the son of Isis and the spirit of Osiris
Hebrew Literature
The most important example of
Hebrew literature is the Jewish
Bible. (Christians refer to this as
the Old Testament).
What is the Bible?
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The word Bible came from the Greek word
biblia, meaning a collection of writings.
The Hebrew Bible can be divided into
three main sections: the Torah (“law,”
the first five books), historical accounts
and narratives (Books of Samuel, Saul,
David, Solomon), and a variety of genres
including poetry (Psalms), short stories
(Book of Ruth), and dialogue (Book of
Job).
Who wrote the Bible?
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Christians believe God gave humans
the message through divine
inspiration.
In the nineteenth century some
scholars began to theorize that
multiple people recorded the Bible
because of the differences in style
and content.
What themes run through the Bible?
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power, goodness, and mercy of ONE
God
God’s covenant with His people
the tendency for humans to stray
from the right path (sin)
the forgiveness humans can receive
from God
“In the Beginning”
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Quickwrite: In a journal entry record
how you believe the world and
humans came to be. This should be
a minimum of (one) paragraph.
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Literary Terms:
repetition: the recurrence of words, phrases, sentences, or passages to
create a particular literary effect
archetypes: symbols and images that appear in literature, music, and history.
Archetypes have universal meanings (snakes, trees, McDonald’s arch, dove,
Star of David, crossroads, etc.)
Vocabulary:
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firmament: the sky
dominion: rule; absolute authority
replenish: refill or make complete again
subdue: conquer; cultivate
beguiled: deceived
enmity: hostility
The word genesis comes from the Greek word
gignesthai, which means to be born.
Read “In the Beginning”
(pages 53-56).
Record and answer the questions on the
following slide.
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In what image was man created?
What did God create on the first day?
What did God say about what He created?
What was the name of the garden holding the first humans?
Name the TWO trees that were mentioned by name in Eden.
Name the FOUR rivers found in Eden.
Name the THREE precious items found in Eden.
Which tree was forbidden?
Draw and label how God created Eve.
What reason does the serpent give Eve to eat of the forbidden tree?
What THREE things about the tree enticed Eve?
What did Adam and Eve realize when their “eyes were opened”?
What did they do when they heard God’s voice?
What excuse does Adam give for eating of the tree?
What excuse does Eve give?
Name TWO punishments given to the serpent.
Name a punishment given to Adam.
Name one punishment given to Eve.
Who is to blame for the wrongdoing of the first humans? WHY?
Create a travel guide for The Garden of Eden;
your work must contain the following items:
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a title page and map and key
a description why Eden is a wonderful tourist
attraction
Tree of Knowledge
Tree of Life
Pison River
Gihon River
Hiddekel River (Tigris)
Euphrates River
gold
Bdellium
onyx
cherubims
flaming swords
animals
“Noah and the Flood”
(pages 60-63)
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vocabulary
Terminate: end.
Covenant: a solemn agreement or
contract.
Subsided: sank; moved to a lower
level.
Reckoning: assignment of rewards or
punishments for actions.
Complete the following journal
entry:
What problems threaten life on our
planet today? Free-write about
environmental issues—damages to the
ozone layer, global warming, pollution,
destruction of rain forests—that affect
every inhabitant of the earth. This
should be in paragraph form.
Read and answer the following questions:
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1) Why was God angry with humans?
2) Who did God find “favor with”?
3) Name the people God said he would spare.
4) How many of each animal was Noah instructed
to bring on the ark?
5) How long would the rain last?
6) How old was Noah when the flood began?
7) Where did the ark finally come to rest?
8) Name the two birds Noah released.
9) What was God’s covenant and symbol given to
the human race?
10) What is a possible theme of the work?
11) Describe how Ham showed disrespect to his
father.
12) How old was Noah when he died?
Illustration of the Ark- You must
create an illustration of the ark by
including the following components:
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Ark made of gopher wood
• length of 300 cubits
(a unit of measurement. about 50 centimeters long or as long as the
king's forearm. I am used for measuring fields so the king knows how much tax people pay.)
•
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width of 50 cubits
height of 30 cubits
window one cubit from the top
three decks
a door in the side of the ark
Noah, Ham, Shem, and Japheth and their wives
7 of the clean animals and 2 of the unclean animals
raven and dove
Mountains of Ararat
Rainbow
40 days and 40 nights of rain
“Deucalion” a Greek myth
“Tata and Nena” an Aztec myth
pg. 64-65
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In “Deucalion, why does Zeus decide to destroy
human kind?
How are Deucalion and his wife saved from the
flood?
How long did it rain?
What do they do when they realize they are the
only survivors?
What does Zeus mean when he says, “cast behind
you the bones of your mother”?
In “Tata & Nena”, who is Tlaloc?
Why do the rain gods decide to save Tata & Nena?
Why are they changed into dogs?
Literary Terms
Parable: a brief narrative that teaches a moral., a lesson
about life.
Allegory: a story in which the characters, setting, and events
stand for, or symbolize, abstract or moral concepts.
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The word parable comes from the
Greek word meaning “comparison”.
The Christian Bible consists of the
Hebrew Bible and the New
Testament, a collection of twentyseven books.
Read “The Prodigal Son & The Talents”
(pages 84-85). Record and answer the questions on the
following slide.
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In “The Prodigal Son,” how does the younger son use his
inheritance?
In “The Prodigal Son,” What causes the younger son to
come to his senses and return home?
What indication is there that the younger son has
undergone a spiritual change?
How do the father and older brother react to the return of
this younger son?
In “The Prodigal Son,” which character is the most
generous and loving?
When considering the term allegory on a symbolic level,
who might the father, the elder son, and the younger son
represent?
In “The Talents,” what do the first two servants do with
their bags of gold?
Why is the master in “The Talents” angry with the
servant who still has only one bag?
What might the bags of gold represent?
Quickly sketch the three men before their master.
Clock Activities
6:00
Discuss with your partner the following
questions:
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What should one do with his/her
talents?
Name two talents that you have.
What do you think will happen to
those talents if they are not used?
Exodus: The Story of Moses
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View The Prince of Egypt
and answer questions
from the viewing guide.
Israel's Exodus from Egypt
and Entry into Canaan
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What is probably the most important legacy of
the ancient Mesopotamians?
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What cultural contributions did the ancient
Egyptians make to civilization?
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How are the Hebrews different from their
neighboring cultures in both their history and
their beliefs?
Review all works and literary
terms for your Ancient Middle
East Unit Test.