AMK

http://www.sword-and-dagger.com/images/sword.jpghttp://www.stenudd.com/myth/enumaelish/images/Marduk.jpghttp://mesopotamia.mrdonn.org/meso08.gifhttp://ftp.aa.edu/lydon/egypt/matton1egypt/water%20clock.gif (water clock) plow~ http://www.olsonsinperu.com/My%20Albums/New%20Day%202%20in%20Peru/album/slides/Oxen%20pulling%20a%20wooden%20plow.JPG​​​ ​ abhinav~ Sorry I am entering this so late! Here's the info though. I love how you organized the page. Very easy to work with. That's OK Melanie, as long as it's here. Also, please feel free to edit my script (I sometimes make it too boring). Also, in class Wednesday, we can discuss who will say what in the podcast ~ Abhinav ~ . ** Distinct Religeous Structure~ ** **New Social Structure Based on Economic Power~**
 * Urban focus and Food supply~ ** ​
 * irrigation systems were used to water crops.
 * levees held back flood water.
 * Tigris and Euphrates rivers were used for trade routes.
 * consists of beleifs with forms of **worship**
 * people believed that if they pleased the god, thay would get a good life.
 * kings were in charge of maintaining the **ziggurats**, or worshiping temples, where they believed the gods lived.
 * there were many statues of people worshiping the gods, with their gaze toward the heavens.
 * there were also ceremonies with music and human sacrafice.
 * New Political and Military Structures~**
 * city states ruled by **kings**. Kings enforced laws and collected taxes. the people believed kings were chosen by gods.
 * a military was needed because of constant fighting over land. The armies were made up of professional **soldiers** and temporary citizen soldiers. They used swords and chariots pulled by horses.
 * **Scribes** recorded laws
 * **Officials** patroll canals to look for damage and make sure farmers didn't take water illegally. (police)
 * **Upperclass**- preists, land owners, government officials
 * **Middle class**- merchants, crafts people (metal workers who made plows, swords, jewelery, and arrows)
 * **common or lower class**- farmers, fishermen
 * **women** were allowed to buy and sell property and handle husband's affairs while he was away *
 * Development of writing~**
 * Called **cuneiform**. comes from latin word "wedge" and was wedge shaped (ironic huh? :] )
 * developed 2400 b.c. earliest known was used to record goods sold. used to be 2000 symbols, over time reduced to 700.
 * based on pictographs which stand for real objects { ex. snake or water}
 * drew on wet clay with sharpened reeds. when clay dries, becomes permanant record
 * Significant Artistic, technological, and intelectual activity~**
 * **pottery** was made by invention of the wheel (horizontal) and clay
 * sledges were flat bottom carts dug on the ground. wheels were added to make transporting easier
 * **sailboa**t was created for trade with other countries
 * **Metal workers** made weapons, cups, and jewelery
 * **architects** designed temples and ziggurats
 * **musicians** played drums, pipes and lyres (harp-like instruments)

I will highlight anything that is confusing in pink

** SCRIPT : **

​Abhinav: Hi! Were coming to you live from Einstein Jr.'s lab where he has invented the worlds first time machine. (sound when action news starts)

Melanie: That's right, and me and Abhinav  will be the first ones to go inside. We have decided to go back to the Mesopotamian Age, where civilization began and flourished!

Abhinav: Here we go! (warping sound effect)

Melanie :   I can't believe it! It actually worked! Were in the Golden Age.

Melanie:  Now that were here, lets give our viewers a few facts about this great civilization.

Melanie:  Mesopotamia was the world's first civilization, beginning in 3500 B.C. It was called the "cradle of civilization."

Abhinav: Mesopotamia was made up of a group of city states. C ity states ruled by kings. Kings enforced laws and collected taxes. The people believed kings were chosen by gods, and therefore treated him like one.

Abhinav: Hey, did you know that there were over 3,000 Sumerian gods! And on top of that each city state had a main god!

Melanie:  But why and where would they worship so many gods?

Abhinav: Good question. Whenever something happened that they could not explain, thay said that it was the work of a god. Also, people believed that if they pleased the gods, they would get a good life. People worshiped in ziggurats or a temple of worship.The ziggurat was in the center of the city. There were many statues of people worshiping the gods, with their gaze toward the heavens. People would even go to such lengh that they would preform ceremonies with music and human sacrifice.

Melanie: Wow! That seems a little extreme.

Abhinav: To us maybe, but to them it was normal.

Abhinav: I'm glad I didn't live there. With my luck, I would be the next one dead. (laughing sound effect)

Melanie: Anyway, besides worship, the Mesopotamians were very intelligent. They invented the first plow that was made of wood, and many other things such as a clock that keeps time using water, the wheel, and a sailboat (which replaced manpower with wind power). Architects designed temples and  ziggurats while  Metal workers made weapons, cups, and jewelery. Musicians played drums, pipes and lyres (harp-like instruments) as modern day musicians play the violin and viola.

Abhinav: And, they invented a type of writing called cuneiform. It comes from Latin word "wedge" and was wedge shaped. D eveloped 2400 B.C. it was the earliest known writing and was used to record business deals. It used 2000 symbols but over time, reduced to 700. It was based on pictographs which stand for real objects and they drew on wet clay with sharpened reeds. As the clay dries, it becomes a permanent record. Now, you may be asking could everybody write cuneiform, or just a few? The answer to that is that scribes were the only ones that could write cuneiform. Unfortunately, only men were allowed to go to school and school was where you learned cuneiform. After you learned cuneiform, you could work for the king to write down laws, write messages for people, and much more! So as you see education was very important back then for a well function   al society... just like today.

Melanie :  Hey, what's that in the distance?

Abhinav: It looks like the royal palace.

Melanie :  Let's go check it out! (footsteps hitting the floor sound)

(knock on a door sound)

Keaun: Come in.

Abhinav: Hi Hammurabi. Were reporters from AMK News. We were wondering if we could have a word with you.

Keaun: Certainly.

Melanie :  So, a few basic questions. How do you grow and trade crops?

Keaun: Well, we use levees to hold back the flood waters from Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Then, we use a complex irrigation systems to water the crops.We even have o fficials patr ol the canals to look for damage and make sure farmers don't take water illegally. We use the  Tigris and Euphrates rivers as trade routes. We only trade our surplus though because our people would starve if we sold everything.

Abhinav: Very interesting. You know, I was just admiring your beautiful house that you have.

Keaun: Thank you.

Abhinav: Then it got me thinking about why do you have such a beatiful house while people a few miles back don't have as good houses?

Keaun: Well, different people do different things for a living and therefore have different qualities of life. Here is how you determine where people are "ranked" in this city. If they they are upperclass they will either be preists, land owners or government officials. Merchants, crafts people (metal workers who made plows, swords, jewelery, and arrows) are middle class. Finally, common or lower class people are farmers and fisherman. Melanie: I have a question. If women weren't allowed to go to school, then what could thay do?

Keaun: Women are allowed to buy and sell property and handle their husband's affairs while he is away.

Melanie: I have heard that you have a military. Why do you need one?

Keaun: A military is needed because of constant fighting over land. My army is made up of professional soldiers and temporary citizen soldiers. They use swords and chariots pulled by horses.

Abhinav: Final question Hammurabi. What have you accomplished as a ruler?

Keaun: Well, I have written a universal code of law, created a government housing program, improved irrigation and put the Babyloain God above everyone else's. Abhinav:Thanks for your time Hammurabi.

Keaun: My pleasure. (footsteps walking out)

Abhinav: Well that was an interesting interview, wasn't it?

Melanie: It certainly was. I guess we should be heading back home now.

Abhinav: The time machine is over there. Lets go! (warping sound effect)

Great script melanie and abhinav. I like it a lot. from Keaun.

Who's Doing What...   Melanie : Typing up the information. Abhinav : Typing up the script. Keaun : Getting all the images.

Keaun, please get the following images (and any more you can think of): ~ Abhinav ​ =URL'S=
 * ziggurat
 * Hammurabi
 * Sargon I
 * wheel (wooden one)
 * old plow
 * pictures of a lot of Mesopotamian gods
 * Hanging Gardens of Babylon
 * Canals
 * Leves
 * Clay tablet with cuneiform on it
 * Sumerian city with a wall around it
 * People watching over the wall for intruders (something along those lines)
 * Social structure triangle as it was back then
 * Court (ancient one)
 * Mud dried bricks
 * Tigris and Euphrates rivers
 * Mesopotamian artwork
 * farmland
 * Trading of surplus
 * Guy falling into a volcano

[|http://www.uh.edu/engines/timewarp.jpghttp://etc.usf.edu/clipart/4700/4709/harp_1_lg.gif] http://www.historyofscience.com/G2I/timeline/images/hammurabi.jpg [] [] [] [] [] [|http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://scrapetv.com/News/News%2520Pages/Everyone%2520Else/images-2/hanging-gardens-of-babylon.jpg&imgrefurl=http://scrapetv.com/News/News%2520Pages/Everyone%2520Else/pages-2/Iraqi-officials-claim-Abu-Gharib-Scrape-TV-The-World-on-your-side.html&usg=__Rh26q57kNZuRb1zJeqNkrTWt0F0=&h=298&w=461&sz=70&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=dZKfXGfFTeXB7M:&tbnh=83&tbnw=128&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhanging%2Bgardens%2Bof%2Bbabylon%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26um%3D1] [] [] [|http://faculty.maxwell.syr.edu/gaddis/HST210/Sept4/Cuneiform.jpghttp://gauss.unh.edu/~kay73/CS%20Pictures/sailboat%5B1%5D.jpghttp://www.khulsey.com/jewelry/history_jewelry_ancient_mesopotamia2.jpeghttp://www.historywiz.com/images/neareast/gilgamesh1.jpg]