http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/teachingheritage
An Ancient Revolution: The Written Word
Overview:
This lesson plan allows students to appreciate how writing transformed society and to explore
the ways that ancient texts, notably the Hebrew Bible, both reflect and influence a society's
beliefs.
In the same way that the Neolithic revolution in agriculture pushed society forward through
the use of tools and farming, writing altered the economic, social, and political sectors of
ancient civilizations. Students will see how writing enabled a more sophisticated society to
evolve.
Students will examine the Bible - one of the earliest written sources - as a compilation of
narratives, some historical and others reflections of folklore passed down through generations.
They will address such questions as: When was the Bible written? Can we distinguish fact from
fable? Students will search the resources on the HERITAGE DVD-ROM for historical
"proof" as well as create their own stories and scripts based on ancient events.
Students will also examine ancient texts from different civilizations, make conjectures as to
their historical accuracy, and compare texts from polytheistic societies with those of a
monotheistic culture. They will consider how written communication contributes to spiritual
life, and whether the modern day "information/technology revolution" may have the same
impact that the introduction of writing had in its time.
Goal:
Students will learn about the development of writing and its impact on the ancient world,
particularly as it allowed people to record history in permanent, written form. Students will
also study the Bible as a historical text and examine the concept of worshipping one god as
compared with the practice of most ancient Near Eastern societies, which were polytheistic.
Objectives:
Students will:
1. appreciate the way in which the development of writing influenced the evolution of
civilizations;
2. study selections of the Bible as primary source material;
3. create their own writing system;
4. utilize various research methods to compare events recorded in the Bible with events
recorded in non-biblical texts;
5. use their knowledge of the ancient Near East to write their own ancient text.
Subjects Covered:
Biblical History, Ancient Civilization, World History, World Religions
Page 1 of 9
http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/teachingheritage
Suggested Time Frame:
This entire Lesson Plan can be completed in approximately seven 45-minute sessions
(Learning Activity 1, Session 3 may require additional time). Individual learning activities break
down as follows:
The Impact of Writing on Society (3-4 sessions)
The Essence of Judaism: Monotheism and the Bible (2 sessions)
Ancient Civilizations, Ancient Texts (2 sessions)
Learning Activity 1: The Impact of Writing on Society
Session 1
1. Ask students what they know about ancient texts and myths. Consider these questions,
although at this point students may not have enough information to answer them:
• What are some of the ancient texts or myths you have studied?
• What types of stories do they tell? Are they historic? Religious?
• Can they be considered an accurate record of events?
• What are some of the similarities and differences among the myths and stories you
have read?
2. Explain to the class that they will be learning about the development of writing and its
impact on civilization. As an introduction to the lesson, they are going to play the
children's game "Telephone." You will whisper information in the ear of the first student,
who is supposed to whisper the same information to the next student, etc. Students may
not repeat the information after they have whispered it. They are to simply pass on
whatever they have heard to the next student. The last student repeats the information to
the class. The content of the message can pertain to a historical event, i.e., "Germany's
invasion of Poland in 1939 officially began World War II." Or, for younger students it may
take the form of a direction, i.e., "The last person to get this message should walk to my
desk, find the chalk and write their name on the board." You should make note of the time
it takes for the message to go around, and although it rarely completes a cycle intact, it is
fine if it does.
3. Tell the students that you have a picture of a historical event that you are now going to
pass around (you should prepare this prior to class). The picture can be of anything - a war
or a specific battle, a presidential event, etc - but the picture should contain no words,
making it difficult to determine exactly what the image is. Pass this paper around, and ask
students what they think it is. Once the whole class has seen the picture and taken a guess,
discuss how symbols and pictures can mean different things for different people and in
different contexts, making it difficult to determine what someone is trying to convey.
Page 2 of 9
http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/teachingheritage
4. Go through the same process except this time pass around a note that you have
prepared with written words and instruct last person who gets the note to read it aloud.
Again, make note of the time it takes to complete this activity.
5. Discuss the differences in the three procedures. (clarity, time, ease, reliability, etc.)
6. Use the last five minutes of the class to frame the ideas of the lesson: an examination of
the impact of writing on civilization. Ask students to think about how their lives would be
different without written communication.
Session 2
Students will now learn about the Mesopotamian culture in which writing was born and the
ways in which writing significantly affected all spheres of society.
1. Show students the Atlas, 3100 BCE. Go to the Near East and click twice on Sumer.
Explain that this is the time period and location in which the first writing systems
developed. Click on the city of Erech (also known as Uruk) and read the text. Tell
students that they will read a famous ancient text about a king from this city in a future
class. If there are multiple computers, have students explore the other ancient
Sumerian cities (Ur, Lagash, Nippur, Kish, Sippar, Shuruppak, and Eridu) on their
own. If not, you may click on them and read the accompanying texts as a class. (Note:
If students will be doing this activity independently or in small groups, distribute the
handout “Atlas, 3100 BCE,” which includes these instructions.)
Questions for discussion:
• What do we know about ancient Sumerian civilization?
• What do you think was important to their society?
2. Tell students that they will now find out how writing came to be. Distribute the
handout “Writing” to the class. Show the video segment Writing (be sure to stop when
"Gods and Kings" begins). Once it ends, click on "Explore Topic" and show the
multimedia presentation.
Ask students to consider and jot down notes on the following questions from the
handout as they watch the video and multimedia presentation:
• What aspect of society did the earliest writing focus on?
• Explain how cuneiform signs eventually took on additional meanings as well as
sounds and syllables within the Sumerian language.
3. At the end of the multimedia presentation, explore the four sub-topics: Signs,
Scribes, Envelopes, and International Writing. Students may do this independently, in
small groups, or it may be a class activity. The following can also be found on the
“Writing” handout:
Page 3 of 9
http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/teachingheritage
SIGNS: Have students view the cuneiform signs and their early pictographic
ancestors. Questions for students:
• Would you be able to tell what these pictographs (top line) symbolize if
the English translation wasn't given?
• Why do you think the pictographs gradually changed to become more
abstract symbols?
SCRIBES, ENVELOPES, INTERNATIONAL WRITING: If possible, have
students explore these sub-sections individually or in small groups. After all
students have finished viewing the segments, pose the following question to
the class:
• How does the ability to preserve and transmit information impact on a
society's scientific, artistic, political, and economic spheres?
• What purpose did scribes serve in Sumerian society?
4. Show students how to access the historical document A Sumerian School. Distribute
the “Sumerian School” handout, which asks students to consider:
• How does this document demonstrate the value that the ancient Sumerians
placed on the knowledge of written language? Why was this knowledge so
important?
5. Show students the multimedia presentation Canaanite Civilization. Pause the
segment just after the narrator says "Asia Minor." Point out the locations of Ur
(Sumer), Canaan, and Egypt. Ask students if they can see how the geographical
location of Canaan may have caused it to become the location where various
Mesopotamian cultures blended.
6. Continue the Canaanite Civilization presentation, and view the sub-topic The
Alphabet after the presentation. After reading the text, point out how, much like in the
development of cuneiform, pictographs gradually changed to become more abstract
symbols. Also note the similarity of the letters of the modern English alphabet to
Canaanite, early Greek, and early Monumental Latin.
Note to Judaic studies or Hebrew teachers:
You may want to point out the similarities of the early Canaanite letter names and
meanings to modern Hebrew letter names and the meanings of words derived from
those letters.
Additional Activity: Deciphering Ancient Writing
For additional information regarding the discovery of the Behistun inscription (the inscription
in the Zagros mountains that led to the decipherment of cuneiform, mentioned in
International Writing) and the decipherment of cuneiform, consult the following websites:
Page 4 of 9
http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/teachingheritage
Behistun Inscription
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behistun_Inscription
Sir Henry Creswicke Rawlinson
http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/
information/biography/pqrst/rawlinson_henry.html
If you would like to present further on the Rosetta Stone as well, the following may be used:
Probably the most famous of all pictorial writing systems, Egyptian hieroglyphics were a
mystery to scholars for hundreds of years. Explain how the Rosetta Stone became the most
famous "decoding sheet" by deciphering the meaning of Egyptian hieroglyphics. The stone,
discovered in 1799 is on display at the British Museum in London. Its message is written in
Hieroglyphics, Demotic (the ancient Egyptian written language employed for daily use), and
Greek. It is through the Greek and Demotic writing that Jean-François Champollion was able
to unlock the mystery of Egyptian Hieroglyphs.
For more information, direct your students to the following internet sites about the Rosetta
Stone:
The Rosetta Stone
http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/writing/rosetta.html
The Stone of the Rosette
http://www.ba.dlr.de/ne/pe/virtis/stone1.htm
Session 3-4
Students will create their own pictorial writing system in order to further explore how a
codified system of symbols can be used as a method of communication. Note: This activity
calls for clay and clay tools, but you may opt to use paper and pencil instead.
1. Split the students into groups. Give each group a short section of a Mesopotamian text
found in HERITAGE (i.e. a few lines from The Ox That Gored or Law And Order Come
From The Gods). Give all groups the same selection of text, and do not tell the students
that they all have the same text - it will demonstrate even further how symbols can have
different meanings for different people. You may also opt to give each group a different
selection of text.
2. Give each group enough clay to be able to roll out a rectangle of about 8 x 10 x 1. Exact
measurements are not important. Gray clay looks more historically authentic, but any kind
of modeling compound can be substituted (or you may have students use only pen and
paper for this exercise).
Page 5 of 9
http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/teachingheritage
3. Explain to the class that each group is to create a pictorial writing system on paper, and
then use that system to rewrite the text they've been given, either on the clay or with pencil
and paper only. The pictographs from which cuneiform is derived can be used as an
example, or students may devise symbols of their own (you may want to return to the subtopic Signs, which occurs after the multimedia presentation Writing). The symbols may
represent letters, a combination of letters, or ideas. Students also need to create a decoding
key for their writing system.
4. Once the groups have completed their task, have them pass their newly written texts to
the other groups, and have each group try to decipher the "ancient writing."
5. Once students have finished attempting to translate, inform them that they each
received the same text, and note how different groups used different symbols to represent
the same ideas, words, or letters. This will demonstrate the importance of a codified
writing system for a society. If the groups received different selections of text, have them
go around the room and share their "translations" and how they came to their conclusions.
6. Have each group explain why they chose the symbols they did, and compare the
symbols used by the different groups.
7. Clay tablets and their decoding keys can also be displayed so other classes and observers
can have fun learning and translating the different writing systems.
Note to teachers: If students want more inspiration for the clay activity they should watch the
multimedia presentation Voices of Babylon and navigate to four authentic letters found on
tablets.
Additional Activity: Reporting Today's News
You can begin a discussion asking how we get our information now that clay tablets are
obsolete. You may want to extend your discussion to how electronic media differ from written
sources such as daily newspapers, weekly magazines, and monthly journals. Is one medium
more reliable, more engaging, more accessible? Ask your students what their criteria are for
choosing the manner in which they get their news. How does having an established writing
system affect a society's knowledge of current events?
For additional web research:
The History of Writing
http://www.historian.net/hxwrite.htm
A brief look at the beginning of written expression from cave painting to the Phoenician
alphabet.
Page 6 of 9
http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/teachingheritage
Learning Activity 2: The Essence of Judaism: Monotheism and the Torah
Session 1 - The Concept of Monotheism
1. Explain to students that while most religions today believe in only one god, ancient
civilizations believed in many gods. The introduction of monotheism, the worship of a
single god, was a revolution in religious thought. Ask the students for their hypotheses as
to why most ancient civilizations believed in many gods while most modern religions
believe only in one god.
2. OPTIONAL: Show the multimedia presentation Universal God (the short text in
"Explore Topic"), which explains the development of the concept of a single, all-powerful
god (monotheism). Show the historical document The Universal God and its
accompanying text to help demonstrate this, and discuss how this document portrays a
god that has power over all peoples rather than just the Jewish people alone.
3. Have students read the historical document A Prophecy Of Exile. Tell them that this is
a prophecy of the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem and the Babylonian Exile, when most
of the Jewish population was forced to spend seventy years in Babylon. Make them aware
that this is the "tragedy" that Abba Eban speaks of in the next video segment.
Distribute the handout “Universal God.” Show the video segment Universal God and ask
students to consider the questions on the handout as they watch:
• What were the circumstances that led the ancient Hebrews to believe that there
was a single god of all mankind?
• What standard of morality accompanied belief in the Hebrew god?
• How did early Israelites, or "Yehudim" in Hebrew, become known as the "Jews"?
Session 2 - The Bible and History
Tell students that we have now covered the belief that is central to the Jewish faith monotheism. Now we will cover the text that is central to Judaism - the Torah, which also
developed during the Babylonian Exile of the Israelites. The Torah was and is still the
foundation of the identity and continuity of the Jewish people throughout history.
1. Ask the class what Bible stories they believe might have a historical basis and which they
think are legends. Suggest such Biblical stories as Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah's
Ark, and the Exodus from Egypt. Allow for a brief discussion to give voice to a variety of
ideas.
2. Distribute the handout “The Torah.” As a class, read the text in "Explore Topic" for the
video segment Torah. Then show the video segment Torah (be sure to stop when
"Universal God" begins (after Abba Eban says "a new and larger vision of life"). Then
show the video segment Judean Sacred Texts. Have the students form small groups and
ask them to consider the following questions from the handout:
Page 7 of 9
http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/teachingheritage
•
•
What different sources went into the creation of the first five books of the Bible
(known to Jews as the Torah)?
The video segment Torah emphasizes that the Jews were in exile in Babylon when
the Torah was written down. Why would it have been so important for the Jews to
record their beliefs, history, and legends at that particular time?
3. Have the students explore the multimedia presentation Archaeology and the Bible in
their groups. Ask them to read and discuss the Archaeology and the Bible sub-topics at the
end of the presentation and consider:
• How has archaeology shed new light on the historical validity of stories in the
Bible? Ask a representative from each group to share their group's ideas with the
rest of the class.
4. Ask students to choose a part of the Bible and write about whether they believe it to be
an accurate description of a historical event or a mythologized version of something that
might have happened. Students should be as detailed as possible about what they think
might have really occurred. They should be sure to support each hypothesis by using
supporting evidence based on their prior knowledge as well as the material on the
HERITAGE DVD-ROM. This assignment can be completed in class, or assigned as
homework.
Learning Activity 3: Ancient Civilizations, Ancient Texts
Session 1
Tell students that they will now compare two texts from the ancient world - one from a
polytheistic society, and one from a monotheistic society.
1. Tell students that they will be reading a portion of the Epic of Gilgamesh, thought by
scholars to be the oldest written story. It was authored by the Sumerians, a civilization that
believed in many gods. You may want to remind students that this is the same civilization
that first developed writing.
2. Have students read the synopsis of the story of Gilgamesh and the accompanying
background information at http://fajardo-acosta.com/worldlit/gilgamesh/. Point out that
Gilgamesh was a king of Uruk, and remind students that they saw the location of and read
about this city (also known as Erech) in the first Learning Activity. You can go back to the
Atlas, 3100 BCE, click twice on Sumer, and click on Erech to jog their memories.
3. Distribute the “Epic of Gilgamesh” handout to students. Have students read the
portion of the Gilgamesh story in which Utanapishtim tells the flood story (Tablet XI on
the website http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/ mesopotamian/gilgamesh/). You
Page 8 of 9
http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/teachingheritage
should print out/photocopy the story (you can end the story when Enlil arrives - "Just
then Enlil arrived.") Once they have finished reading, pose the following questions:
• Can you summarize what happened in this story?
• What does this story tell us about Sumerian religion - about their gods and beliefs?
• Does this sound like another story you may have heard before?
4. Have students read Genesis chapters 6-9, the story of Noah and the flood. Once
students have finished reading, pose the following questions:
• Can you summarize what happened in this story?
• Can you describe some of the parallels between the story of Noah and the flood
and the story that Utanapishtim tells in the Epic of Gilgamesh?
• What are some of the differences between the two stories? Are the differing belief
structures - one polytheistic, one monotheistic - the cause of some of the
differences?
• Why do you think two different cultures, one polytheistic, one monotheistic, would
have had and preserved such similar stories?
Culminating Activity
The goal of this activity is for students to create their own religious text or ancient myth that
has historical feasibility relative to a civilization that the students studied in this lesson (e.g.
Canaanite, Sumerian, Israelite, etc).
1. Divide students into small groups and distribute the culminating activity handout. Ask
each group to develop their own religious text or myth based upon one of the civilizations,
texts, and/or situations studied in this lesson. Students should use the following questions
to guide their work:
• What are the sources for your ancient text?
• How does the text reflect its society's religious beliefs, political situation, culture, or
another aspect of the society?
• Why would this society have generated such a text? What was its purpose?
2. After completion, display the students' work and enjoy their success as burgeoning
anthropologists.
Page 9 of 9