READINGS ON MESOPOTAMIA AND THE FERTILE CRESCENT
Readings for children aged 4-8 / early grammar stage on Mesopotamia 1500-500BC::
Science in Ancient Mesopotamia by Carol Moss (ages 4-8) Science of the Past series. A brief pictorial book examining in 4- pages the Mesopotamians’ knowledge of medicine, mathematics, astronomy and metallurgy and includes a glossary and a list of Internet sites. The pictures are excellent. $8.95
Step Into…Mesopotamia by Lorna Oakes, Nicola Baxter, Rob Ashby $11.96
Ancient Mythologies: India, Persia, Babylon, Egypt by Charles Kovacs (Waldorf) oop?
Kid’s Discover: Mesopotamia (magazine)
Readings for children aged 9-12/ middle graders/logic stage:
The First Civilizations (History of Everyday Things) by Giovanni Caselli Traces the early history of civilization from the first toolmakers of four million years ago through the Greeks of the fifth century B.C. (9-12) $15.16/$8.76
Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent (Looking Back) by Mavis Pilbeam, John Malham. Well written and illustrated book with maps and attractive color photos.. The text addresses many aspects of the lives of the region’s diverse inhabitants, including government, laws, food, science and technology, arts and crafts, religion, and the impact of war on everyday life. Important areas are expanded upon in color coded boxes called “A Closer Look.” Written on a level which elementary age children will understand, yet it will still hold the interest of older students. $28.55
The Sumerians /The Babylonians /The Assyrians.. (The Cradle of Civilization) three in a series on Mesopotamia by Elaine Landau (9-12) Gr 5-7 or 9-12 year olds Traces prehistoric tribal origins that led to the rise of more powerful, organized city-states and cultures during the early history of the Middle East. Topics covered include daily life and customs of different classes; social roles; notable rulers and their accomplishments; advances made in law, the arts, agriculture, and sciences. Introduces the history and culture of an empire that was influential in the development of Mesopotamia and then outlines the factors for the rise and demise of the specific empire. Hammurabi, his rule and legal code, Kassite rule, the Elamite and Assyrian plundering of Babylon, and Nebuchadnezzar II’s rise to power are also covered. Clearly written texts, readable, with large type; open pages; 14 illustrations including one map, photos of artifacts, photos of present day sites related to the Babylonians, and several colored drawings. Each $22.99
A good complement to these books is Clarice Swisher’s The Ancient Near East (Lucent, 1995), which does a commendable job of tying these Mesopotamian cultures together, giving readers better insight into the development of early Middle Eastern civilization up to the conquest by Alexander the Great.
Gilgamesh the King by Ludmiler Zeman “In this retelling of the ancient Sumerian epic, Gilgamesh, part man and part god, fights Enkidu, a wild man from the forest. After Enkidu saves him, Gilgamesh learns what it means to be human. Zeman tells this complicated story in a simple, straightforward manner. Her stylized illustrations create the sense of ancient paintings but sometimes border on being cartoonlike” — Copyright © 1993 The Horn Book, Inc.” First book in the series, followed by The Revenge of Ishtar and The Last Quest of Gilgamesh $9.99
Gilgamesh by David Ferry An ancient pagan alternative view of how the world came to be. Poetic, fun and witty. A great starting point for ancient literature and history Seventh graders onwards (VP) $11.00
Myths from Mesopotamia : Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others (Oxford World’s Classics) by C.J. Fordyce, Stephanie Dalley (Editor), Collection of ancient stories from the ancient civilizations of the “fertile crescent” — myths of the Creation and of the Flood, as well as the Epic of Gilgamesh, a story of heroic quest for fame and immortality and failure in a moment of human weakness. $8.76
The Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East (The Cultural Atlas Series) by Michael Roaf Clear text examines key aspects and phases in the development of “the cradle of civilization” from prehistory to 330 B.C. Fifty original four-color maps and 300 photographs (two-thirds in color), glossary, chronological table, and gazetteer, as well as bibliography and index. $31.50
The Three Brothers of Ur by Jennifer Grace Fyson (Logic to Rhetoric stage) Gripping fiction of three brothers whose father, Teresh the stern, is a great merchant of Ur: Haran, the youngest son dreams of following in his father’s footsteps, and begins his merchant career by trading his best blanket for a lump of gold, which he has formed into a statuette which his eldest brother, Naychor can then trade during his first merchant journey. The author weaves a story of the interaction between the two races of Mesopotamia (the Sumerians and the Semitic Akkadians). Entertaining gateway to an understanding of the land and its cultures, eg of the experience of attending a Sumerian school, the weather, the conditions of slaves, and more. $4.95
Readings for Jr.High-High School / rhetoric stage on the Land of the Fertile Crescent:
Mesopotamia : The Mighty Kings (Lost Civilizations) by Dale M. Brown Gr 9 Up Well illustrated book excellent for a survey of the history, culture and the achievements of ancient Mesopotamia -from the rise of Hammurabi to the conquest of Babylon in 539 B.C. Well told stories of the Babylonian and Assyrian empires including quotations from ancient texts and facts from recent archaeological findings from sites dug over the last 30 years right up to 1990. Also available in the same series are Sumer: Cities of Eden; Ancient India: Land of Mystery and Pompeii: Vanished City $20.96
Myths from Mesopotamia : Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others (Oxford World’s Classics) by C.J. Fordyce, Stephanie Dalley (Editor), Collection of ancient stories from the ancient civilizations of the “fertile crescent” — myths of the Creation and of the Flood, as well as the Epic of Gilgamesh, a story of heroic quest for fame and immortality and failure in a moment of human weakness. $8.76
The Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East (The Cultural Atlas Series) by Michael Roaf Clear text examines key aspects and phases in the development of “the cradle of civilization” from prehistory to 330 B.C. Fifty original four-color maps and 300 photographs (two-thirds in color), glossary, chronological table, and gazetteer, as well as bibliography and index. $31.50
The Three Brothers of Ur by Jennifer Grace Fyson (Logic to Rhetoric stage) Gripping fiction of three brothers whose father, Teresh the stern, is a great merchant of Ur: Haran, the youngest son dreams of following in his father’s footsteps, and begins his merchant career by trading his best blanket for a lump of gold, which he has formed into a statuette which his eldest brother, Naychor can then trade during his first merchant journey. The author weaves a story of the interaction between the two races of Mesopotamia (the Sumerians and the Semitic Akkadians). Entertaining gateway to an understanding of the land and its cultures, eg of the experience of attending a Sumerian school, the weather, the conditions of slaves, and more. $4.95
The Church of the East by Steward / John Holzmann The inspiring, tragic, almost universally untold story of the church begun by the “Parthians, Medes, Elamites, [and] residents of Mesopotamia” who were in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:9); a church whose missionary enterprise swept across Asia, reaching India, China, and possibly even Japan by the mid-700s. Fascinating. Historically and spiritually challenging. A SL8 review $5.96
Sumer and Babylonia / Ancient Egypt / Hebrews, Phoenicians & Hittites (Milliken Transparency/Reproducibles) Worksheet or transparency reproducibles of mapwork, illustrations covering everything from warfare to the arts and everyday life. A highly useful resource or supplement to project approaches. From www.rainbowresource.com $11.95
Ancient Civilizations for Children: Mesopotamia (video)
Ancient Egyptians and Their Neighbors:An Activity Guide Hittites, Nubians, Mesopotamians, Egyptians by Marian Broida A concise matter-of-fact summary of the middleeastern ancient civilizations with sections on Nubians/ Mesopotamians/ Hittites/ Egyptians Each sections has details on architecture, clothing, food, and religion as well as activities and projects – ranging from a model boat to learning hieroglyphics and cuneiform to fashioning a royal headdress. All projects require only “household or easily found materials.” Almost the ONLY children’s resource on the Egyptians’ neighbors in print. paperback, (GP) $16.95
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