1. Socratic seminar: What is a civilisation?

Nicholas Reynolds

Cuneiform Tablet by Medelhavsmuseet (Europeana) CC BY-NC-ND 2.5

Activity

For this activity, you will work either individually or in small groups in order to research a list of questions revolving around the concept of ‘civilisation’, and the relevance of ancient Mesopotamia on the development of ‘civilisation’ (VCAA 2020: 31). Make sure to write at least several lines in response to each question, citing sources where relevant. While you should utilise the sources given, you are also encouraged to read more broadly.

After the research session, the class will come together and hold a Socratic seminar prompted by a question about the term ‘civilisation’ and Ancient Mesopotamia. Students will facilitate the discussion, and as a group we will ensure that it is a safe, open space is created to explore ideas. Once we finish the seminar, you will reflect on the questions and ideas raised through this process.

Part 1: Preparing for a Socratic seminar

Research prompts:

• Where does our concept of ‘civilisation’ come from?
• What are considered to be the pillars of civilisation?
• What are some problems with the term ‘civilisation’?
• What are the elements of Ancient Mesopotamia that seemingly make it ‘The Cradle of Civilisation’?
• Where is Mesopotamia geographically? How and why is that relevant to its development as a civilisation?
• What are some examples of other ancient societies which may be neglected by these definitions of ‘civilisation’?

Information sources:

• National Geographic: Civilizations
• Kids Britannica: Civilization
• Britannica: Civilization
• The Conversation: The concept of ‘Western civilisation’ is past its use-by date in university humanities departments
• The Conversation: Friday essay: the recovery of cuneiform, the world’s oldest known writing

Part 2: Socratic Seminar

Question prompt: ‘Do you think writing, building and agriculture are the elements that make Mesopotamia a civilisation?’

Further questions to prompt discussion:

• What instead makes a ‘civilisation’?
• Why do you think Western definitions of ‘civilisation’ may be problematic, especially from the perspective of First Nations and other Indigenous societies?
• Do you think that Mesopotamian myths and stories may give us a better insight into ancient Mesopotamian societal perspectives?

2. The Epic of Gilgamesh: Research and develop a creative response

Nicholas Reynolds

 Sculpted scene depicting Gilgamesh wrestling with animals, National Museum of Iraq by Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg)  CC BY-SA 4.0

Activity

Through the study of the ancient Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh this activity asks you to examine how myths, narratives and storytelling give insight into people’s perspectives, societal beliefs and in ancient times. Each small group will be given an excerpt from David Ferry’s translation of either Tablet I or Tablet XI, and asked to answer a list of questions.

Once you have briefly presented your findings to the class, you will be asked to compose a 300-word equivalent creative piece from the perspective of one of the characters from the Epic, accompanied by a 50-150 word rationale explaining what historical aspects and perspectives informed your piece.

Part 1: Research

Working in groups, read the excerpt from David Ferry’s translation of ‘The Epic of Gilgamesh’. Remember that these are recent English translations of the ancient Bablyonian tablets (from circa 1,800 BCE) – try and compare the differences between the two translations. Once you have read them, answer the questions as a group.

Also look at the article Guide to the classics: the Epic of Gilgamesh from The Conversation, it has some great notes about the relevance of these myths in Mesopotamian society to help guide your responses.

1. Tablet One, Excerpts i-iii: translation
2. Tablet One, Excerpt iv: translation
3. Tablet Eleven, Excerpts i-iii: translation
4. Tablet Eleven, Excerpts iv-vi: translation
5. Tablet Eleven, Excerpts vii-ix: translation
6. Alternative translation

Questions

• What is the relevant theme, message or moral of your excerpt?
• What insight does the story give us about Ancient Mesopotamian society and the development of ‘civilisation’? Do you think everyone would have agreed?
• What translational biases might it hold?
• Is there any Mesopotamian art which may help to enrich your understanding of the story? How? (Hint – there are some relevant pictures attached below!)
• Can you think of another story (myth, parable, fable or modern) which shares aspects with this story? Do you think that connection is convergent or divergent?

Research prompt images

Image 1: Gilgamesh Sculpture  by Kadumago, Wikipedia Commons CC-BY-4.0

Image 2: Votive Relief by Royal Museums of Art and History, Brussels, Belgium (Europeana) CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0

Image 3: Tablet V of The Epic of Gilgamesh by Dr. Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin, Wikipedia  CC-BY-SA-4.0

Part 2: Presenting findings

As a group, present a short presentation of your group’s answers to the rest of the class. Remember, you all have different parts of the story, so make sure to give a quick recap of your part of the narrative. Help your classmates by explaining the links and connections to Mesopotamian society – what does your story teach us about the ancient society?

Part 3: Creative response

Now you will compose a short 300-word equivalent creative response (of your choice – story, poem, image, song etc) from the perspective of one of the characters from your excerpt. In the work, utilise the social and cultural understanding of Mesopotamia you have developed, including Ancient Mesopotamian perspectives you’ve utilised. For example, what does your character think of the afterlife? Do they prefer the wilds to the Mesopotamian cities? These findings may be more thematic than literal–utilise your creativity! This should be accompanied by a 50-150 word rationale in which you explain how you’ve used your research to present realistic ancient perspectives of Mesopotamian society.

3. Religion, power, and the pharaohs: A timeline of change

Brittany Bell

Procession from the Temple of Amun by Metropolitan Museum of Art, picryl Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication.

Activity

Individual activity:

Find out about and build a timeline of important people, events, and change. Your focus is on religion, religious practices, and the role of the Pharaohs during the following two Egyptian periods:

• Middle Kingdom Egypt 2040 – 1782 BCE
• Second Intermediate Period 1782 – 1570 BCE

Your timeline can be on paper or created digitally. For each point on the timeline, you need to include:

• Heading
• Dates or date range
• Source of evidence (try using the following sources for pictures)
  • Resources at Digital Egypt for Universities
    • Middle Kingdom (2025-1700 BC)
    • Egypt in the Second Intermediate Period (about 1700-1550 BC)
  • Online Collections by Penn Museum

Whole class activity:

Once your timeline has been created, you will be working together with the class to make a timeline incorporating everyone’s research. Using the class timeline, update your own with any missing information so you can use it in the next activity.

You could use the following resources as part of your research:

Resources by World History Encyclopedia

Middle Kingdom of Egypt

Middle Kingdom of Egypt Timeline

Second Intermediate Period of Egypt

Second Intermediate Period of Egypt Timeline

An Introduction to the Ancient Egyptian Civilization

Timestamp 2:45 Middle Kingdom Egypt

Timestamp 4:49 Second Intermediate Period

Resources by The Australian Museum

Ancient Egyptian Timeline

Here are some key people and words to get you researching:

Senwosret II (also Senusret II), Senwosret III (also Senusret III), Sesostris, Amenemhat III, Amun, Osiris, Isis, 12th Dynasty, 13th Dynasty, Hyksos, Herakleopolis, Thebes, Iti-tawi, Karnak, Nubia

4. How cause and consequence shaped Middle Kingdom Egypt and the Second Intermediate Period

Brittany Bell

 Apotropaic rod, Egypt, Middle Kingdom, 2040 – 1640 BC by Metropolitan Museum of Art, picryl. Available under Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication.

 Activity

In this activity you will use the timeline you developed in the last activity to analyse cause and consequence of events during Middle Kingdom Egypt and the Second Intermediate Period.

In groups of 3 – 4, you will work together to explain and document the cause between each stage of your timeline and the consequences that occurred for the Ancient Egyptian people. You will need to critically think about each of these points on your timeline and analyse the how, when, where, why and what.

Considering different groups of people during the time will provide examples of consequences shaped by different the perspectives. For example, would a change of religion or religious practice impact the ruling class and slaves differently?

Cause and consequence analysis

As part of your group’s analysis

• Use a fishbone diagram template to consider each stage of your timelines
• You will need to complete 4 fishbone diagrams to analyse different points along your timeline. If you have extra time keep going!
• Write the consequence you identify on the left and ask your questions along the branches.

Group Work

Working in groups is a great opportunity to hear other people’s thoughts and discuss viewpoints you may not have considered. When working in a group it may be helpful for your group to give each member a role to keep everyone on track. Suggested roles for this activity are:

1. Facilitator (keep everyone on track and keep the conversation moving)
2. Recorder (fill in the fishbone diagrams on behalf of your group)
3. Researcher (research additional information to support group discussion)
4. Researcher (research additional information to support group discussion)

See the below prompts to get you started in your discussion:

• The role of the pharaoh
  • Who were the pharaohs of the time? What was their line of succession?
  • What are they remembered for?
  • Did their actions have long or short-term consequences?
• Representation of power
  • How did the pharaohs or ruling class wield their power?
  • Who gained benefits when power changed hands?
  • How did different groups of people respond to changes in power?
• Location of the ruling class
  • Did this change during the periods? Why?
  • What impacts did this have on different groups of people?
• Changes in religion or religious practices
  • Why did religion change? How does this happen and who was involved?
  • Is there any development of a dominant god or gods?
  • How does this change influence the religious practices of the people?

5. Exploring ancient Egypt: A tour of the past

Nicolette Arranga

  Sphinx Pyramid, Egypt. by JMA659, Pixabay License

Activity

PART 1: Research

Locate and research a significant natural or architectural feature of Ancient Egypt. Examples include the Nile delta or specific architectural features of the pyramids of Djoser and Meidum, the Pyramid Texts, pyramid fields at Dashur and the complex of Dynasty VI at Giza, cemeteries of Saqqara, Giza and Dahshur.

Use the following table to guide your note-taking:

Synthesising your research: Drawing on your research, write a response to the following question: To what extent has the historical significance of this feature developed since it was used in the period of the Old Kingdom?

PART 2: Virtual tour

Plan your virtual tour

Now you have done some research you are going to imagine you are a tour guide in Egypt today and your task is to take another person in the class on a virtual tour of this feature. You will guide your visitor around the site using photos and descriptive details. You can include up to two minutes of video footage without audio but you must provide the commentary.

• The sources you use must be questioned for context, content, and authorship. Try your best to locate and use copyright appropriate material that you have permission to reproduce.
• Be sure that the images you are using are linked to a historical context. For example, if there is a photograph of your feature, make sure you list when the photograph was taken.
• Have a look through at Google Arts and Culture example of a Virtual Tour.
• You will have to tell your tourist about the reasons why the feature was religiously, socially, politically, geographically and symbolically significant at the time and the extent that it is considered historically significant today, and by whom.

Take a tour and give a tour

You will have the opportunity to take someone on a tour and go on their tour. When you are taking a tour you need to ask questions that relate to finding out more about the historical significance of the feature.

6. Developing inquiry questions about the Old Kingdom

Remi Donnison

Plate of Horus Netjerkhau (Pepi II), with the mention of the 1st “Heb Sed” (Jubilee feast) of the King, Egyptian Museum, Cairo by Juan R. Lazaro, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

Step 4: Answer your inquiry question.

7. Primary source analysis (part 1): Slavery in ancient Rome

Anna Griffiths

Roman Colosseum by Ichigo121212  Pixabay License

Activity

You have been given one of the primary sources below (an excerpt from a book, play or document) and may choose to work individually, or in pairs or small groups with students allocated the same primary source. There are two tasks to complete to analyse the source.

Task 1:

From your primary source, identify:

• THREE explicit (clearly expressed) ideas
• TWO implicit or inferred (indirectly expressed) ideas
• ONE connection to prior knowledge

Task 2:

• You may need to research your source and its author to complete Task 2.
• You can structure your response to Task 2 using dot points, a table, sentences, subheadings, or another format you prefer.
• You can record your responses in your workbook or digitally.

Analyse your primary source to determine its:

Origin

1. What kind of source is it?
2. Who created this source?
3. What historical events are likely to have influenced the creation of this source? Why and/or how did these events influence the source?

Perspective

1. What point of view does the source present?
2. Why and/or how is that point of view presented?

Context

1. When was the source created?
2. Was the source created during or after the period and events it depicts?

Audience

1. Who is the source’s intended audience?
2. How would the audience have accessed the source?

Motive

1. Why was this source created?
2. What is the author/creator’s motive in creating the source?

Task 3:

Using your ideas from Task 2, write a short response (one paragraph) evaluating the reliability and usefulness of your primary source.

8. Historical Argument Jigsaw (part 2): How were slaves treated in Ancient Rome?

Anna Griffiths

Jigsaw by Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Pixabay License

Activity

1. Gather your primary source and responses from the previous activity: How cause and consequence shaped Middle Kingdom Egypt and the Second Intermediate Period.
2. Form groups of four. Each student must have analysed and evaluated a different primary source in Activity 1.
3. In your groups, take turns to explain your analysis of your source. Take notes during other students’ presentations so you can discuss the analysis and evaluation of all four sources.
4. As a group, synthesise the source information. You will need to consider:
   • How the sources corroborate and/or contradict each other? Why might the sources corroborate and/or contradict each other?
   • What representation of slavery in Ancient Rome is being presented? Is this representation through explicit or implied information? How do the sources’ motives and intended audiences influence this representation?
   • What information or perspectives are missing from this representation
5. Using three of the primary sources and your prior knowledge, develop a historical argument in a response to the question: How were slaves treated in Ancient Rome?