Mesopotamia - Gilgamesh analysis

Each book is posted under the Assigned Work page, as assigned.  Click on the links.                  

http://www.openculture.com/2015/10/20-new-lines-from-the-epic-of-gilgamesh-discovered-in-iraq-adding-new-dimensions-to-the-story.html

Mesopotamia Civilizations: Sumerians

Yesterday in class, you analyzed the article the Sumerians within the following groups: (1) geography; (2) economic system; (3) technology; (4) political system; (5) arts, ideas, religion; (6) social structure; and (7) transfer.  How do the GET PAST analytical categories overlap?  Below is a picture of your summary of the historical context in which we should place the Gilgamesh story.

Here is a short, 12 minute video on the Ancient Mesopotamians by John Green, Crash Course World History:

And for fun: the music video by the band They Might Be Giants song, the Mesopotamians, with lyrics below it:

Essay Exam Rubric

Unit II: Mesopotamia

Today, we will move to our second unit on Mesopotamia.  Every unit this year will begin with a day devoted to geography.  You will have a quiz on geography during each unit, and and in the spring, you will have a cumulative geography exam (pass/fail only).  The best online game to learn the geographic features of the Middle East is http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/Middle-east_Geography.htm

     

Source: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east_and_asia/middle_east_pol_2013.pdf

Today, you will read about the geographic features of the Middle East and, using the ones listed below, complete this blank map:

COUNTRIES	CITIES	LANDMARKS
Bahrain Iran Iraq Israel Jordan Kuwait Lebanon Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia Syria Turkey United Arab Emirates Yemen	Mecca Tehran Damascus Jerusalem Baghdad Mosul	Mediterranean Sea Red Sea Arabian Sea Persian Gulf Gulf of Aden Tigris River Euphrates River

However, realize that political map boundaries (the black lines) are artificial and of "modern" construction.  Also, they are ephemeral (lasting for a very short time) in the "Big History" of the world. After World War I, they were first set like this by the victors at the peace conferences that followed.

League of Nations Mandates, 1920 

And changes occurred thereafter as well. Take, for instance, the nation-states of Syria and Iraq today.  

September 2015 

   

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-27838034

September 2016 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-27838034

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-27838034

Sophomore Return from Retreat

Please make sure to finish the Jared Diamond Guns, Germs & Steel documentary below and fill in your viewing guide.

First Test on Monday

https://drive.google.com/a/ucls.uchicago.edu/file/d/0BznLwNoYB267NXNVUHNlMUFtN0k/view?usp=sharing

Activate Your Turnitin.com Account Before Monday Class

Neolithic Age - Guns, Germs & Steel: Out of Eden

This week, as we complete our overview of historical skills, we will use the Neolithic Age (8000 B.C.E. to 3000 B.C.E.) as a case study to practice those skills.  What is living the Neolithic way?  Was it the "worse mistake?" 

• Why since ancient times have some societies progressed faster than others? What allowed the Egyptians to build great pyramids while most of the world was still scratching out a living?  How did the Greeks ever develop such an advanced civilization? Or the Romans?  Or the Maya?  (Minutes 8:25-end). 

Draw out the step-by-step process that answers Jared Diamond's question, Why since ancient times have some societies progressed faster than others? What allowed the Egyptians to build great pyramids while most of the world was still scratching out a living?  What steps did early humans have to take in order to end as wealthier civilizations characterized by high levels of technology?  Step 1 =, Step 2 =, etc.   You could also think of this as a "recipe," meaning what ingredients did some early humans take that allowed them to progress more quickly than others, according to Diamond.

The Danger Of A Single Story

http://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story#t-938861

GET PAST Slides

Today we recalibrated our minds toward our "world" of 194 countries and 7000 languages. We looked at the "All-American" teenager reading discussing different interpretations.  We then looked at global factoids from the Population Reference Bureau.  We played the shoe game to create patterns from available data/evidence. I lectured on the GET PAST (patterns common in Early World) and you began to classify the global factoids using the GET PAST categories of analysis. Here are the SLIDES.

World's Most Typical Person