Weekly Online Lesson Online Lesson Archive Grade Level: 6-10 Subject: Social Studies

The World's First Cities

Archaeologists from the University of Chicago’s Oriental Institute announced on May 23, 2000, that they have uncovered the ruins of a 6,000-year-old city in Syria. The find leads scholars to believe that cities rose earlier than previously thought.

Until the discovery last year, the only cities uncovered by archaeologists dated back to 4000 B.C. in southern Mesopotamia. This area, between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers in what is now Iraq, has often been dubbed the “cradle of civilization.”

The discovery at Hamoukar suggests that some of the fundamental ideas behind cities—including specialization of labor, a system of laws and government, and artistic development—may have predated the Sumerians.

This summer the archaeologists will continue to dig in the hopes of finding structures like royal palaces and temples that might confirm that the existence of a previously unknown early civilization. There is much to learn about this excavation, and about other early civilizations, in this week's online lesson.

The Oriental Institute

Visit the Web site of the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute and read the Hamoukar Expedition Report. This is an electronic republication of the report published by the archaeologist working on the site, Professor McGuire Gibson. Read Gibson's narrative report of the excavation and details about the site. His narrative style makes it easy to learn about the find; it also provides a great first-hand account of the life and daily work of an archaeologist. The report is long, but don't skip the final three paragraphs about the significance of the site.

What does Hamoukar have in common with other sites in Syria and Turkey? What evidence is there that suggests civilization may not have started southern Mesopotamia?

Ancient Mesopotamia

The Hamoukar excavation may soon lead to a revision of the history books. For now, however, history regards Mesopotamia and the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers as the home of the world's first cities. For a simple, student-centered overview of this land, visit the Ancient Mesopotamia student page. In the student area, click on each of the topics listed, from Important Vocabulary to Contributions. What was the Ziggurat? Do any still exist? What is Cuneiform and why was it deemed so important?

Browse the student guide at the end of the page for study questions and a quiz. And while you're reading, don't miss the story of Gilgamesh, the world's oldest written story!

UR

The city of UR, also known as Ur of the Chaldees, was the capital city of Mesopotamia. Its ruins are between the modern city of Baghdad, Iraq, and the head of the Persian Gulf. Ur was the home of the biblical patriarch Abraham (a prophet through whom numerous major world religions trace their early origins), and likely the location of the famed Tower of Babel (the Ziggurat).

Begin your study of the ancient city of Ur by visiting Discovering Archaeology and reading "The Forgotten Glory of Ur." The article tells of C. Leonard Wooley's famous excavation of Ur from 1922 to 1934. What did the discovery of the royal tombs reveal about early Mesopotamian history?

For more about the ancient capital of Mesopotamia, go to the MSU EMuseum and check out the exhibit on Ur. What were the names of some of the smaller cities surrounding Ur? Who was the first king of Ur? What ended the first dynasty?

If you're anxious to see a computerized reconstruction of Ur, visit a site called Ancient Civilizations seen through CG and go to the Mesopotamia (Ur) page. Click each of the three thumbnail images to see computer renderings of the city and the Ziggurat.

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