Mesopotamia Research Project/WebQuest

Task: You are an anthropology student hoping to get a summer job at the British Museum. As part of the application process, you must provide a brief report on one of the World's ancient civilizations, Mesopotamia. A throughly written report will enhance your chances of getting employment. The content of the report is listed below.
While your report is to be brief, it must be accurate and informative. It may be no more than four to five pages in length. Several websites have been provided, but you are encouraged to search other sites. Your note-taking must be attached to the completed project. You may not begin your project until your notes have been seen by either Ms. Wilson or Mr. MacQuarrie.
Your report will consist of well-structured paragraphs as well as images and captions, graphs, tables, timelines, titles, headings, and information boxes with terms and definitions.
Do not plagiarize. Copying another person's work and putting your name would result in your application for employment being rejected and may also jeopardize your ability to graduate with your degree in anthropology. If you plagiarize, you will be asked to redo the assignment.

Report Givens:
Student Name, Date, and Project Title (e.g. The Birthplace of Civilization - Mesopotamia)
Maximum Length - 4-5 Pages
Word-process and 1.5 - 2.0 Spacing


Bibliography (See the link below)
Cite sources of all information including images, graphs, etc.
Writing Bibliographies using EasyBib

Mesopotamia Report Content

Introduction
Provide the English translation of the Greek word Mesopotamia. Explain why Mesopotamia is considered the "Cradle of Civilization" Make mention of the three main empires (Sumerian, Babylonian, and Assyrian). Include a map showing the location of the individual empires and a rudimentary timeline showing the approximate dates of each one.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesopotamia#Geography
http://i-cias.com/e.o/mesopotamia.htm
http://www.ancient.eu.com/Mesopotamia/ 
http://mesopotamia.mrdonn.org/index.html 

Geography

 
Key Question: What made this region a desirable place to start a civilization?
Provide information about Mesopotamia's physical location (present day countries, water bodies, deserts, etc), climate, and natural resources. Include maps, climate graphs, chart or table of natural resources.
http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/geography/home_set.html
http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/geography/explore/exp_set.html

Evolution of Writing: Pictographs to Cuneiform

Key Questions: What is Cuneiform? Why was writing an important innovation? Which empire is credited for its development?
http://i-cias.com/e.o/cuneiform.htm
http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/writing/home_set.html
http://mesopotamia.mrdonn.org/cuneiform.html


Laws

Key Questions: What was the Code of Hammurabi? Who created the code? Give an example of a law.
http://i-cias.com/e.o/hammurabi_code.htm
http://mesopotamia.mrdonn.org/hammurabi.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_of_Hammurabi


Religion

Key Questions: What things did the people of Mesopotamia believe in? What God(s) did they worship? Where did they worship?
http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/gods/home_set.html
http://i-cias.com/e.o/mesop_rl.htm
http://i-cias.com/e.o/ziggurat.htm
http://mesopotamia.mrdonn.org/gods.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesopotamia#Religion

Achievement and Innovations in Science

Key Question: What developments did the people of Mesopotamia make in the areas of astronomy, mathmematics, medicine, technology? (If possible, reference the empire responsible for the innovation or achievement.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesopotamia#Science_and_technology
http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/astronomer/index.html

Agriculture

Key Questions: What types of farming took place?What kinds of tools and innovations allowed for improvements in agriculture?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesopotamia#Agriculture
http://mesopotamia.mrdonn.org/agriculture.html

Architecture

Key Question: What did the houses, palaces, ziggurats (temples) look like? How were they constructed?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesopotamia#Architecture
http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/palaces/home_set.html
http://mesopotamia.mrdonn.org/ziggurats.html
http://i-cias.com/e.o/ziggurat.htm

Collapse of a Civilization

Key Question: What factors led to the end of Mesopotamia? If possible, explain what the factors were behind each of the four empires' rise to power and eventual fall.
http://www.learner.org/interactives/collapse/mesopotamia.html
Credits:
Site created by D. MacQuarrie using information and images from the following sites:
Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia - The British Museum - http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/
Ancient Mesopotamia for Kids - http://mesopotamia.mrdonn.org/
Mesopotamia - LookLex Encyclopaedia - http://i-cias.com/e.o/mesopotamia.htm