Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt: Ancient Cultures, Gilgamesh, and Egyptian Mythology

 

What better place to start your study of world literature than at the beginning? The Sumerians from Mesopotamia and the ancient Egyptians are two of the oldest cultures around and also two of the most fascinating! With the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh clocking in as the oldest written hero story and Egyptian mythology displaying some of the oddest gods and goddesses out there, your students are bound to be hooked by the creativity of these ancient cultures!

Below are some resources that will help you teach Mesopotamian civilization, The Epic of Gilgamesh, Egyptian mythology, and Egyptian culture in your own classroom.

MOVE TO SUNNY MESOPOTAMIA This tongue-in-cheek worksheet presents factual information on Mesopotamia in a humorous manner while giving students a great example of satire. The citizens of Mesopotamia encourage outsiders to take advantage of the new comforts of "civilization." Also teaches the five elements of civilization.

CROWDED CITY-STATE PRINT-AND-PLAY CLASSROOM GAME  Engage your entire class with this print-and-play game for 1-35+ players. Build a Mesopotamian city-state and fill it to the brim with canals, fields, oxen, chariots, houses, and, of course, ziggurats. But build wisely! The more crowded your city grows, the more important every decision becomes. Some items only score points in certain arrangements or by touching other items. Design your city-state in such a way that it will gain maximum points. Welcome to Crowded Kingdom: Ancient Civilization Edition! To see a preview video, click here:  https://youtu.be/tkCoKR18gZI

THE CODE OF HAMMURABI  Use this worksheet to teach your students the statues of one of the ancient world's most famous lawgivers.

"THE MAKING OF ENKIDU" FROM THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH (SCRIPT-STORY) This sample from The Epic of Gilgamesh script-story tells how the Mesopotamian king Gilgamesh angered the gods to the point that they created a new creature who could rival his strength: Enkidu, a beast-like man.

THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH (SCRIPT-STORY COLLECTION) This collection of three script-stories covers the entire Epic of Gilgamesh including Gilgamesh's contest against Enkidu, his struggle against Ishtar and the Bull of Heaven, and his quest for immortality. Introduce your students to the granddaddy of all epic heroes, Gilgamesh the warrior-king of Uruk. Bring The Epic of Gilgamesh, the world’s oldest known epic poem, to life with three student-friendly Reader’s Theater script-stories. Follow Gilgamesh as he develops from a cruel tyrant to a wise ruler through his adventures with his friend, Enkidu. Relive Gilgamesh’s epic feats—facing down Humbaba the giant protector of the cedar forest, taming the Bull of Heaven, resisting Ishtar the goddess of love and beauty, and journeying afar in search of immortality.

GILGAMESH END-OF-EPIC ANALYSIS QUESTIONS  Use these questions to get your students thinking deep about this most-ancient of epics!

LIFE IN ANCIENT EGYPT (PDF) This handout gives a basic overview of Egyptian culture. This packet is available in the website store with student questions and a key! For the student questions and key click here.

 "HYMN TO THE NILE" (PDF) This worksheet asks students to analyze an ancient poem composed in honor of the Nile River.

TALES FROM EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY: A SCRIPT-STORY COLLECTION This collection features three script-stories that adapt the popular story of the god Osiris, his devoted wife, Isis, and their son, Horus. Along the way, you will meet several of Egypt's most interesting characters:  Ra the falcon-headed sun god, the deceptive and beast-like Set, Sobek the crocodile-headed Nile god, and Anubis the jackal-headed judge of the dead. For a free preview of these stories, "The Creation of the World," click here.

EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY ANALYSIS QUESTIONS (PDF) You can use these deep-thinking questions as writing prompts or class discussion questions. They ask students to think deeply about the themes and characters of Egyptian mythology.

ESCAPE FROM THE MUMMY'S TOMB (CLASSROOM GAME) In this print-and-play game, students design a trap-filled tomb for intrepid adventurers to explore. Mix the excitement of a video game with critical thinking in this easy-to-set-up classroom game. Inspired by ancient Egypt and legends of the Mummy's curse, students play in pairs (one as the Mummy and one as a Tomb Explorer). The Mummy player designs a maze-like tomb full of booby traps while the Explorer plans where in the maze to leave his special items of assistance. Then moving one space at a time through the darkness, the Explorer makes his way to the center of the tomb, where he will face off against the Mummy.

HIEROGLYPHICS HUSTLE (CLASSROOM GAME) In this escape-room-style activity, students must use a hieroglyphics code to translate twelve tablets before the mummy's tomb collapses around them. YOU ARE TRAPPED IN THE MUMMY’S TOMB! Everything was going so well. You had discovered the long-lost tomb of some forgotten Pharaoh. Just as you and your team had expected, it was filled with treasure, stacks of papyrus records, and, of course, sarcophagi. But all of a sudden, you heard laughter fill the room, a deep boom rang out, and the walls begin closing in. Now your only chance to escape is to decipher the mysterious messages hidden in the chamber and trigger the door switch before time runs out and this becomes your tomb as well.

THE EGYPTIAN CINDERELLA: FACT OR FRAUD? ACTIVITY This research activity analyzes the claim of the Egyptian Cinderella. “Cinderella” is an European fairy tale first recorded in 1697 by French author Charles Perrault. You probably know the story—evil stepsisters, fairy godmother, prince charming, glass slipper. But what if you heard that this classic story actually began as a far-older legend—one from ancient Egypt? This is a claim that appears many places online. But it is a fact—or a fraud?

"OZYMANDIAS" BY PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY  Use this worksheet to teach your students "Ozymandias," a famous poem which references a real-life Egyptian leader and chronicles the temporality of power.

"OZYMANDIAS" BY ZEN PENCILS This amazing illustrated version of the poem captures the spirit of Shelley's imagery wonderfully.

And finally a ziggurat...