Ancient History Resources for Homeschool and Personal Study. This weeks topics: Ancient Egyptians, Sumerians, Eridu, Ancient Cairns, Ancient Hebrews and Flood stories.

Ancient History is studied through the collection of archeological evidence, written records and oral stories or myths. Just because evidence shows a particular belief or custom was common at a particular time does not mean that everyone in that civilization shared that belief. When you study the topics for this week, you can either go deep on one topic for the week and skip the others or you can do a new topic each day. This outline is just a suggested pace, you can go slower or faster as needed. This outline is intended to provide you with a place to start. You will still need to do your own research.

Burial Object - Ancient Boat - Naqada 3400 BC

Homeschool Topics for Week 2

Ancient Egyptians

Sumerians

Eridu: The First City in Mesopotamia

Ancient Cairns

Ancient Hebrews

Flood Stories

Discussion Questions

Ancient Egyptians

The first ships were made of papyrus reeds bundled together to form a simple raft. Often they had a mast and a shelter on deck. They were cheap to make until Papyrus became extinct in Egypt. This ancient ship construction method was investigated in the PBS special called Secrets of Noah's Ark (linked below)
Later ships were made of Cedar wood, imported from Lebanon, without the use of nails. The wood was made of thick planks lashed together by rope fed through mortises. See History Channel Documentary on Ancient Egyptian shipbuilding (linked below)

"Ginger" the Red-haired Egyptian
Several red-haired mummies were found in Egypt buried in about 3400 BC. One was "named Ginger." See a close up of this mummy in the video links below.

Sumerians

Sumer was divided into a dozen independent city-states divided by canals and other natural boundary. At each city center stood a temple dedicated to the particular patron god or goddess of the city. Priestly governors ruled over these temples and were intimately tied to the city's religious rites.

Writing: The Sumerian civilization developed cuneiform. This style of writing was used on clay tablets which could be used to prove ownership, transferred to others and archived.

Adapa is a Sumerian myth that has similarities to the Biblical story of Adam where a mortal refuses to eat of a deadly food. If he eats it, he is summoned before God to answer for his transgressions

Eridu: The First City in Mesopotamia

Eridu is one of five cities where a king ruled before the "Great Flood." Three cultures, the Ubaidian farmers, the Semitic nomads and the marsh-folk, cooperated to build the city. The location on the intersection of the Euphrates River at the coast of the Persian Gulf created a surplus of food so that a city could be constructed. The buildings were made of mud bricks.

The Marsh Arabs or "Swamp People"
The Marsh Arabs live in arched reed houses. They used poisoned spear tips to fish for food. While there is the argument that these people are not ancient, the area has been inhabited for thousands of years and the method of living and finding food has not changed over time.
The Ma'dan villages are built of communities of homes built on artificial islands made of layers of mud and reeds. Each island is surrounded by water and constitutes a single dwelling. Furniture and blankets are made from woven reeds. Reed boats are used to ferry people and animals between the islands.

Ancient Cairns

Stone Henge is a cairn of rocks oriented towards the sunrise on the Summer Solstice. The people who built Stone Henge left no written records so nothing is known of this early civilization. There were multiple phases of construction. In the third phase, carved mortis and tenon joints held the stones in place. Some of the rocks have unusual acoustic properties and may have been used for their musical properties. (See link below to hear the acoustic properties of volcanic rock)

Carnac is a cairn of rocks in Northwest France similar to Stone Henge. These rocks were transported to the site by boat which is evidence of widespread shipbuilding technology explored above. This cairn is assumed to be a sacred burial monument because of the 358 dolmens associated with the site.

Ancient Hebrews

The Biblical story of Abraham talks about his use of domesticated camels. The original wild camels are now extinct. All camels today are linked to domesticated camels or are feral camels escaped from domesticity. Challenge your assumptions by watching this Ted Talk about Camels

Terracotta Camel Figurine

Abraham's story of Isaac was handed down for centuries. To view an ancient Egyptian papyrus that retells the story see this link at Archeology, a publication of the Archeological Institute of America.

The story of Adam and Eve found in the Bible contains an ancient account of creation. The snake tempts Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit. The snake or serpent in the form of a dragon is found in the mythologies many countries and may originate from Adam and Eve's nemesis. The hand-copied records handed down from generation to generation by the Ancient Hebrews became the Bible. Videos about some ancient Hebrew pictographs are linked below.

Flood Stories

This flood story is translated from Ancient Sumer

Segment A
1-10. ...... sets up ....... "I will ...... the perishing of my mankind; for Nintur, I will stop the annihilation of my creatures, and I will return the people from their dwelling grounds. Let them build many cities so that I can refresh myself in their shade. Let them lay the bricks of many cities in pure places, let them establish places of divination in pure places, and when the fire-quenching ...... is arranged, the divine rites and exalted powers are perfected and the earth is irrigated, I will establish well-being there."

10-14. After An, Enlil, Enki and Ninhursaja had fashioned the black-headed people, they also made animals multiply everywhere, and made herds of four-legged animals exist on the plains, as is befitting.

Segment C
A flood will sweep over the ...... in all the ....... A decision that the seed of mankind is to be destroyed has been made. The verdict, the word of the divine assembly, cannot be revoked. The order announced by An and Enlil cannot be overturned. Their kingship, their term has been cut off; their heart should be rested about this. Now ....... What ......."

Segment D
All the windstorms and gales arose together, and the flood swept over the ....... After the flood had swept over the land, and waves and windstorms had rocked the huge boat for seven days and seven nights, Utu the sun god came out, illuminating heaven and earth. Zi-ud-sura could drill an opening in the huge boat and the hero Utu entered the huge boat with his rays. Zi-ud-sura the king prostrated himself before Utu. The king sacrificed oxen and offered innumerable sheep.

Segment E

1-2. "They have made you swear by heaven and earth, ....... An and Enlil have made you swear by heaven and earth, ......."

3-11. More and more animals disembarked onto the earth. Zi-ud-sura the king prostrated himself before An and Enlil. An and Enlil treated Zi-ud-sura kindly ......, they granted him life like a god, they brought down to him eternal life. At that time, because of preserving the animals and the seed of mankind, they settled Zi-ud-sura the king in an overseas country, in the land Dilmun, where the sun rises.

An Ojibwa Flood Story

Waynaboozhoo and the Great Flood

Flood Legend of the Nootka Indians

Unktehi and the Flood

Index of Flood Stories from Around the World

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