WEEK 1 DISCUSSION OPTION A
“Writing and Record Keeping in Mesopotamia” Please respond to the following, using sources under the Explore heading as the basis of your response:
Describe the “envelope, seal, and the early Mesopotamian writing process, and discuss expectations of record-keeping. Identify the issue being kept “on file, and comment on what this reveals about Mesopotamian society in 1500 BC and the primary ways it compares to modern society in these respects.
Explore
Mesopotamia
Chapter 2 (pp. 34, 38-42), early Mesopotamian writing; seal
University of Chicagos Oriental Institute: Tablet and envelope at .uchicago.edu/museum/highlights/meso.html”>http://oi.uchicago.edu/museum/highlights/meso.html; scroll down to the item called Clay Tablet and Envelope. Click on the color and black and white images and read the captions and information.
WEEK 1 DISS OPTION B
“Egyptian Love Poetry and Mummies” Please respond to the following, using sources under the Explore heading as the basis of your response:
From the samples of Egyptian love poetry, identify one (1) or two (2) lines that you especially enjoy or find interesting, and compare this poetry to some aspect of modern life. Next, describe two (2) aspects of Egyptian mummification and the early Egyptians beliefs related to mummification that you find surprising or intriguing. These funerary practices were driven by certain Egyptian ideas of the afterlife; compare these to modern beliefs and practices.
Explore
Egypt
Chapter 3 (p. 84), Egyptian music
Egyptian love poetry at .fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/2000egypt-love.asp”>http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/2000egypt-love.asp and .humanistictexts.org/egyptlov.htm”>http://www.humanistictexts.org/egyptlov.htm; as in the Old Testaments Song of Solomon, the terms brother and sister are terms of affection and do not refer to a biological relationship
Chapter 3 (pp. 72-3, 84, 87-9), Egyptian mummification and beliefs about afterlife
Egyptian mummification and burial at .ancientegypt.co.uk/mummies/explore/main.html”>http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/mummies/explore/main.html
Atlanta Michael Carlos Museum at .emory.edu/COLLECTION/EGYPT/egypt01.html”>http://carlos.emory.edu/COLLECTION/EGYPT/egypt01.html
Egyptologist explains mummification at .pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/afterlife-ancient-egypt.html”>http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/afterlife-ancient-egypt.html