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- The
Topic:
- Mesopotamia
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- Easier -
Mesopotamia is the Greek word meaning "land between
the rivers." Ancient civilization developed in this
area because of the Tigris and the Euphrates
Rivers. The land was fertile, the nearby rivers
provided water, and settled farming was practiced.
These early farming communities grew to became
independent city states. In addition to developing
the first plows and irrigation canals, Mesopotamia
developed the first form of writing, mathematics,
astronomy, and complex architecture. Mesopotamians
were probably the first peoples to use the
wheel.
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- Harder -
Mesopotamia, called the "cradle of civilization",
was the site of early river valley settlement.
Conditions in the area led to people constructing
permanent communities, practicing sustained farming
methods, and evolving from a hunter-gatherer
society into agriculture communities. Housing
evolved into walled cities. Similar river valley
civilizations soon followed in the Indus and Nile
River regions. Today Mesopotamia is part of Iraq.
This river-valley region was the site of a series
of city-state kingdoms including Sumer, Babylon,
and Assyria, that thrived from about 5,000 B.C. to
500 B.C.
-
- Fertile
Crescent from Mr. Dowling
- http://www.mrdowling.com/603mesopotamia.html
- As early civilization began to develop, people
began to settle in areas of abundant physical
resources. Such a location was in the Middle
East.
- Related Websites:
- 2) Ancient Mesopotamia by M. Snyder
- http://www.ed.psu.edu/k-12/edpgs/su96/meso/mesopotamia.html#home
- 3) Ancient Mesopotamia http://www2.hawaii.edu/~edaniel/outlines/mesopot.htm
- 4) Explore the Land of Ur from Maricopa
College, Arizona
- http://www2.mc.maricopa.edu/anthro/lost_tribes/ur/mesopo_explor.html
- 5) Mesopotamia (Links-site) by N.B. Mautz
http://history.evansville.net/meso.html
- 7) Mesopotamia A Place to Start
- http://ragz-international.com/mesopotamia_a_place_to_start.htm
- 8) Mesopotamian History http://home.swipnet.se/~w-63448/mesopotam.htl
- 9) Sumeria and Mesopotamia http://members.tripod.com/~mr_sedivy/pho_mes.html
-
- Hammurabi's
Code of Laws translated by L. W. King
- http://eawc.evansville.edu/anthology/hammurabi.htm
- Although Hammurabi was a successful military
leader and administrator, he is primarily
remembered for his codification of the laws
governing Babylonian life
- Similar Websites:
- 2) Code of Hammurabi, c.1780 BCE from Ancient
History Sourcebook
- http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/hamcode.html
- 3) Code of Hammurabi from Avalon Project,
Yale Law School
- http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/medieval/hammenu.htm
- 4) Hammurabi and His Code http://www3.sympatico.ca/aal/private/hamurab.html
- 5) Hammurabi's Code of Laws http://www.duhaime.org/hamm1.htm
-
- Mesopotamia
by R. Dawson
- http://www.becunited.co.uk/mesopotamia/
- The purpose of the site, published for the
British History National Curriculum, is to be a
resource for primary school teachers choosing to
teach a unit on ancient Mesopotamia.
-
- Near
East from Michael C. Carlos Museum,
Emory University
- http://carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/NEAREAST/homepg.html
- Have you ever heard the ancient Near East
called "The Cradle of Civilization?" What does that
mean?
- Other Online Museum Sites for
Mesopotamia:
- 2) Ancient Mesopotamia: Royal Tombs of Ur from
University of Pennsylvania Museum
- of Archaeology and Anthropology
- http://www.upenn.edu/museum/Collections/mesopotamia.html
- 3) Fertile Cresent from Mankoto E-Museum,
Minnesota State University
- http://emuseum.mankato.msus.edu/prehistory/middle_east/index.shtml
- 4) Highlights of the Collections by Region from
Oriental Institute, University of
Chicago
- http://asmar.uchicago.edu/OI/MUS/HIGH/OI_Museum_Mesopotamia.html
- 5) Mesopotamia from Detroit Institute of
Arts
- http://www.dia.org/collections/ancient/mesopotamia/mesopotamia.html
- 6) Mesopotamia from The British Museum
http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/menu.html
- 7) Treasures from the Royal Tombs of Ur from
McClung Museum
- http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/specex/ur/ur.htm
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- After visiting several of the websites
related to Mesopotamia, complete one or
more of the following projects:
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- Write in Cuneiform Pictographs.
Use the Ugaritic
Cuneiform Translator (Requires Java
Applet Download) and Write
Like a Babylonian to transform your
name or a message into Cuneiform symbols.
Afterwards, you may also want to use the
Cuneiform
Calculator to complete mathematical
processes.
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- Complete A Mesopotamia
WebQuest. Follow or adapt the
procedures found at one of the following
webQuest sites:
- 1) Exploring Mesopotamia by J.
Weinshel http://cte.jhu.edu/techacademy/fellows/Weinshel/webquest/jrwindex.htm
- 2) Mesopotamia Or Bust!! (Grade 7) by.
A. Mosdell
- http://www.sd68.bc.ca/ed611/mosdell/MesoBoring.htm
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- Make A Poster that Illustrates the
Inventions/Innovations in Mesopotamia.
After exploring the resources on
Mesopotamia found at the websites and the
library media center, decide what major
contributions were made by ancient
civilizations in Mesopotamia. Create an
original poster that shows those
innovations and improvements. Another good
activity is to create a model that
illustrates a specific technological
achievement. Display your project.
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- Create An Ancient Mesopotamia
Journal. Pretend that you are living
in ancient Mesopotamia. Imagine what your
daily life would have been. Describe your
'pretend' life in a series of journal
entries. Decide if you want to cover all
the days in a week or less frequent
stories over a longer time frame.
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- Was there a Hanging Gardens of
Babylon? Use the online resources and
your library to investigate what is known
and believed about this 'wonder of the
ancient world.' Then decide if you think
the gardens did exist. What evidence has
been found? Could this have been a myth or
story that was told and repeated until it
was believed to be real? You decide, then
present your ideas in a position paper,
debate presentation, or multimedia
presentation. Explain your views and back
them up with as much evidence that you
find. Explain where the facts end and
conjecture begin. What do you
believe?
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- Illustrate the Causes and Effects
of Cultural and Technological Changes in
Mesopotamia. To get the idea for this
project, first visit a 'beginning' concept
map at Innerconnections
Illustrating the the Nature of Sumer.
Expand this idea to encompass other
changes and innovations and their causes
and effects. The example at the website
was created using the Inspiration software
package.
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- Identify the Positive and Negative
Aspects of Mesopotamian Civilization.
The 'cradle of civilization' was not
necessarily all 'sunshine and roses.'
Identify the major components of their
civilization. Then identify both the
positive and negative aspects of those
developments.
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- Websites By Kids For Kids
- Ancient
Mesopotamia (Grade 6) William Penn
Charter School, Philadelphia, PA
- http://www.penncharter.com/Student/meso/index.html
- This project on Mesopotamia includes gods and
writing in Mesopotamia, clothing and pottery,
geography of the region, government and law,
inventions, and social organization.
-
- Ancient
Mesopotamia (Grade 4) Spring Street
School, Shrewsbury, Massachusetts
- http://www.ci.shrewsbury.ma.us/Sps/Schools/Central/Curriculum/ELEMENTARY/SOCI
- ALSTUDIES/Mesopotamia%20html/ancient_mesopotamia.htm
- This is another student project site on
Mesopotamia.
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- Ancient
Sumer History
- http://www.vnc.qld.edu.au/et8se01.htm
- This website contains historical information,
an online quiz, links, and more.
-
- Light
of People Cultures: Mesopotamia (2001
ThinkQuest Project)
- http://library.thinkquest.org/C0119205/main.htm
- This informative site contains information,
activities, links and more on Mesopotamia.
-
- Mesopotamia
from Urbana Middle School, an Illinois Museum In
the Classroom Project
- http://www.cmi.k12.il.us/Urbana/projects/AncientCiv/Meso/meso.html
- This site shows several student projects
related to the study of the the daily life and
inventions of ancient Mesopotamia.
-
- Mesopotamians
(A section of Time and Time Again, a 2000
ThinkQuest Junior Project)
- http://library.thinkquest.org/J002807/Time%20and%20Time%20Again/Time%20and%20
- Time%20Again/mesopotamians.html
- The site shows the growth of civilizations in
Mesopotamia.
-
- More Websites on Mesopotamia
- About
Cuneiform Writing. . . from
University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology
and
- Anthropology
- http://www.upenn.edu/museum/Games/cuneiform.html
- Sumerians created cuneiform script over 5000
years ago. It was the world's first written
language.
- Related Websites:
- 2) Cuneiform http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/GLOSSARY/CUNEI.HTM
- 3) Cuneiform Numbers http://it.stlawu.edu/~dmelvill/mesomath/Numbers.html
- 4) Cuneiform Tablet
- http://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/wsrp/educational_site/ancient_texts/Cuneiform.shtml
- 5) Cuneiform Writing http://ragz-international.com/cuneiform_writing.htm
- 6) Dubsar, the Cuneiform Scribe Welcomes You to
Ancient Nippur
- http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/stone/319/
- 7) First Known Writer of World Literature
http://www.angelfire.com/mi/enheduanna/
-
- Accessing
Women's Lives in Mesopotamia from Women
In World History Curriculum
- http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/lesson2.html
- This site provides excerpts gleaned from
Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets and artifacts that
explore these aspects of women's lives.
-
- Akkadians
- http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/MESO/AKKAD.HTM
- Learn about early Akkadian history and culture
from 2340 to 2125 BC.
- Related Websites:
- 2) Akkadians http://ragz-international.com/akkadians.htm
- 3) Curse of Akkad http://www.personal.eunet.fi/pp/tilmari/tilmari2.htm#akkad
- 4) Legend of Sargon of Akkadê, c. 2300
BCE
- http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/2300sargon1.html
- 5) Sargon of Akkad http://www.freehomepages.com/zhason/school/sargon.html
- 6) Sargon's Eighth Campaign by A. Garia
http://www.nineveh.com/sargon.htm
-
- Babylonia
from the Catholic Encyclopedia
- http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02179b.htm
- This site provides a detailed account of
Babylonia including the early history and first and
second empires plus Babylonian religion,
civilization, and literature.
- Related Websites:
- 2) Babylon from DiscoverySchool
- http://school.discovery.com/homeworkhelp/worldbook/atozhistory/b/040960.html
- 3) Babylon http://www.wwco.com/religion/believe/babylon.html
- 4) Babylon http://emuseum.mnsu.edu/archaeology/sites/middle_east/babylon.html
- 5) Babylonia http://ragz-international.com/babylonia.htm
- 6) Writing on the Wall: The Fall of
Babylon
- http://coco.essortment.com/writingwallfal_rghs.htm
-
- Brief
History of Assyrians by P. BetBasoo
- http://www.aina.org/aol/peter/brief.htm
- Here you can read a summary of the Assyrian
culture.
- Related Websites:
- 2) Assyra from About.com http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa032100a.htm
- 3) Assyria from the Catholic
Encyclopedia http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02007c.htm
- 4) Assyria from DiscoverySchool
- http://school.discovery.com/homeworkhelp/worldbook/atozhistory/a/034460.html
- 5) Assyrian Treasures from the City of Kalhu
(Nimrud)
- http://www.aina.org/aol/nimrud/
- 6) Assyrians http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/MESO/ASSYRIA.HTM
- 7) Assyrians http://ragz-international.com/assyrians.htm
- 8) End of Assyrian Empire http://members.tripod.com/historel/orient/06mesop.htm
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- Chaldeans
- http://ragz-international.com/chaldeans.htm
- After the fall of Assyrian power in
Mesopotamia, the last great group of Semitic
peoples dominated the area.
- Related Websites:
- 2) Chaldean Empire http://members.aol.com/chaldeans7/history/chaldean_empire.html
- 3) Chaldeans http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/History/Chaldeans.html
- 4) Chaldeans http://www.wsu.edu/%7Edee/MESO/CHALDEAN.HTM
- 5) Introduction (to Chaldeans)
- http://www-personal.umd.umich.edu/%7Esdkjr/casa/intro.html
-
- Collapse:
Why Do Civilizations Fall from
Annenberg/CPB
- http://www2.learner.org/exhibits/collapse/mesopotamia.html
- Here you find supporting materials to a
televised series which tries to explain the sudden
decline of at least one major ancient Mesopotamian
city.
-
- Collection
of Contracts from Mesopotamia, c. 2300 - 428
BCE
- http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/mesopotamia-contracts.html
- Here are a number of contracts from: G.A.
Barton, "Contracts" in Assyrian and Babylonian
Literature: Selected Transactions, Harper (New
York: D. Appleton & Company, 1904).
- Related Websites:
- 2) Code of the Assura, c. 1075 BCE
- http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/1075assyriancode.html
- 3) Ethics of Sumer, Babylon, and Hittites by S.
Beck
- http://www.san.beck.org/EC3-Sumer.html
- 4) Laws of Ancient Society http://bwscampus.com/school/Hist/WKSHP/kusspaper.html
-
- Copper
in Ancient Times: The Sumerians and
Chaldeans
- http://60centuries.copper.org/ancient1_a.htm
- Copper probably first came into use as the
earliest non-precious metal employed by the
Sumerians and Chaldeans of Mesopotamia, after they
had established their thriving cities of Sumer and
Accad, Ur, al'Ubaid and others, somewhere between
5,000 and 6,000 years ago.
-
- Early
Civilizations and the Emergence of Pastoral
Peoples, 4000-1000 BCE
- http://w3.iac.net/~pfilio/era2.htm
- This website summarizes the importance of
Mesopotamian civilization in the history of our
world.
- Related Articles:
- 2) Ancient Civilizations http://ragz-international.com/ancient_civilization.htm
- 3) Rise of Civilizations and Empires in
Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus Valley
- http://ragz-international.com/rise_of_civilizations.htm
-
- Fertile
Crescent and the Eastern Aegean by B.
Clardy
- http://www.jlc.net/~brian/art/fertile_crescent.html
- Thousands upon thousands of artifacts have been
found. However in relative terms, very little is
known about the art from this primitive bronze age
civilization.
-
- Hanging
Gardens of Babylon from Museum of
Unnatural Mystery
- http://www.unmuseum.org/hangg.htm
- Some stories indicate the Hanging Gardens
towered hundreds of feet into the air, but
archaeological explorations indicate a more modest,
but still impressive, height.
- Related Websites:
- 2) Hanging Gardens of Babylon
- http://www.cleveleys.co.uk/wonders/gardensofbabylon.htm
- 3) Hanging Gardens of Babylon http://www.sd83.bc.ca/stu/9711/jlk2w2.htm
- 4) Hanging Gardens of Babylon
- http://www.wonderclub.com/WorldWonders/GardenHistory.html
-
- History
of Plumbing - Babylonia
- http://www.theplumber.com/history.html
- Learn about the location where water management
evolved into irrigation dams, drains and basins,
and personal bathrooms for their era's rich and
famous.
-
- Map
of Mesopotamia from Oriental Institute,
University of Chicago
- http://www-oi.uchicago.edu/OI/PROJ/NIP/PUB93/NSC/NSCFIG1.html
- Here you find a map of ancient
Mesopotamia.
- Another Map Site:
- 2) Map of Sumer and The Akkadian Empire
- http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/maptext_n2/sumer.html
-
- Medicine
in Ancient Mesopotamia by N. Demand,
Indiana University Bloomington
- http://www.indiana.edu/~ancmed/meso.HTM
- A few of the cuneiform tablets that have
survived from ancient Mesopotamia provide an
understanding of their medical knowledge.
-
- Mesopotamia
from the Encyclopaedia of the Orient
- http://lexicorient.com/cgi-bin/eo-direct-frame.pl?http://i-cias.com/e.o/mesopotamia.htm
- This article and timeline summarizes the main
civilizations of Mesopotamia. There are also links
to several other related articles.
-
- Mesopotamia
- http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/MESO/MESO.HTM
- Tour the mysteries of this foundational
civilization: it's life, it's words, it's gods, and
it's writing; browse through the dust and heat of
one of first cultures to inscribe for the future
the story of its existence. This website was
designed as resource for a college-level
course.
- Other College Websites:
- 2) Ancient Western Asia and the Civilization of
Mesopotamia (Lecture Summary) by S.
- Kreis http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/lecture2b.html
- 2) Mespopotamia (Lecture Summary)
- http://www.ualberta.ca/~csmackay/CLASS_110/Sumer.html
-
- Mesopotamia
9000 - 500 B.C
- http://www.usfca.edu/westciv/Mesochro.html
- Here is a timeline of Mesopotamian
history.
- Similar Website:
- 2) Mesopotamian Timeline http://www.wsu.edu/%7Edee/MESO/TIMELINE.HTM
-
- Mesopotamiam
Landscapes
- http://www.umma.lsa.umich.edu/Oldworld/Deh_Luran/II/Landscapes.html
- This brief page contains photos and description
of Mesopotamia today.
-
- Mesopotamian
Mathematics
- http://it.stlawu.edu/~dmelvill/mesomath/index.html
- The purpose of this page is to provide a source
of information on all aspects of Mesopotamian
mathematics.
- Related Websites:
- 2) Babylonian Mathematics
- http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Indexes/Babylonians.html
- 3) Babylonian Months http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/bl/bl_babylonian_months.htm
- 4) Counting in Babylon by M. Fowler,
University of Virginia
- http://www.phys.virginia.edu/classes/109N/lectures/babylon.html
- 5) First Mathematicians http://members.aol.com/bbyars1/first.html
- 6) Sumerian Metrological Numeration
Systems
- http://it.stlawu.edu/%7Edmelvill/mesomath/sumerian.html
-
- Royal
Game of Ur by C. Soubeyrand from The
Game Cabinet
- http://www.gamecabinet.com/history/Ur.html
- Learn about the most ancient board game known.
It was very popular among the Sumerian rulers and
spread from Sumer to sites throughout the ancient
world from India to the Mediterranean.
-
- Spiritual
Systems of Mesopotamia
- http://www.hist.unt.edu/ane-07.htm
- Much of the information for this site is based
in an old Babylonian document called "Enuma
Elish," or "The Babylonian Genesis."
- Related Websites:
- 2) Assyro-Babylonian Mythology FAQ by C.
Siren
- http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze33gpz/assyrbabyl-faq.html
- 3) Sumerian Gods and Goddesses
- http://www.usfca.edu/westciv/Sumerian.html
- 4) Sumerian Mythology FAQ by C. Siren
- http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze33gpz/sumer-faq.html
-
- Storytelling,
the Meaning of Life, and The Epic of
Gilgamesh by A.A. Brown
- http://eawc.evansville.edu/essays/brown.htm
- Gilgamesh is one of the oldest recorded stories
in the world. It's about an ancient King of Uruk
who may have actually existed and whose name -
Gilgamesh - is on the Sumerian King List.
- Related Websites:
- 2) Epic of Gilgamesh: An Outline with
Bibliography and Links
- http://www.hist.unt.edu/ane-09.htm
- 3) Gilgamesh http://ragz-international.com/gilgamesh.htm
- 4) Gilgamesh Summary http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/MESO/GILG.HTM
- 5) Gilgamesh Study Guide by D. Thompson
- http://novaonline.nv.cc.va.us/eli/eng251/gilgameshstudy.htm
- 6) Proverbs from Ki-en-gir (Sumer), c. 2000
BCE
- http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/2000sumer-proverbs.html
-
- Sumer
from DiscoverySchool
- http://school.discovery.com/homeworkhelp/worldbook/atozhistory/s/539160.html
- This article summarizes the world's first
civilization that began about 3500 B.C. and
flourished until about 2000 B.C.
- Related websites:
- 2) History of Ancient Sumeria http://ragz-international.com/sumeria.htm
- 3) History of Sumer http://www.theology.edu/sumer.htm
- 4) Sumeria: The History http://www.wiu.edu/users/muems6/the_history.html
- 5) Sumerian http://www.crystalinks.com/sumer.html
- 6) Sumerians http://www.wsu.edu/%7Edee/MESO/SUMER.HTM
-
- Ziggurats
- http://www-lib.haifa.ac.il/www/art/list_Ziggurat.html
- This site helps you understand what these
ancient buildings looked like and how they were
constructed.
- Related Website:
- 2) Ziggurat http://www.crystalinks.com/ziggurat.html
-
- Websites For Teachers
- Ancient
Mesopotamia by D. Donn (Grade 6)
- http://members.aol.com/MrDonnUnits/Mesopotamia.html
- Here is a unit plan for studying the ancient
civilization of Mesopotamia.
- Related Webpage by D. Donn:
- 2) Ancient Mesopotamia (Activities) http://members.aol.com/Donnpages/Ideas.html#MESO
-
- Ancient
Mesopotamia from P. Brians
- http://www.wsu.edu/~wldciv/brians_syllabus/maps/maplabels1.html
- Here is a map that can printed out for
classroom use.
-
- Celebrations
from Social Studies School Service
- http://socialstudies.com/c/%40SjU2Y1iQG7t2Y/Pages/article.html?article@FG211B+af
- @donn
- This activity has students planning a
celebration that honors the marriage of a Sumerian
king.
- Other Lesson Plans from the Social Studies
School Service:
- 2) Akbar's Dilemma http://socialstudies.com/c/%40_q6P1BMuSIDlc/Pages/article.html?article@TCM251A+a
- f@donn
-
- Close-up
Look at Mesopotamian and Sumerian
Inventions by E. Stone
- http://tlc.ousd.k12.ca.us/cv/projects/sumeria/sumeria.html
- As a final project, the students researched
Mesopotamian inventions on the Internet, and wrote
scripts advertising these inventions.
-
- Gilgamesh
the Hero
- http://www.wsu.edu:8000/%7Edee/110/3.HTM
- In this writing assignment, the student
examines a summary of Gilgamesh. Their job is to
come up with a Mesopotamian definition of a
hero--and by extension a human being--using both
aspects of the concept.
-
- You
Be the Judge of Hammurabi's Code (Grades
4-8) by P. Martin from © Ed's
Oasis
- http://www.classroom.com/edsoasis/TGuild/Lessons/Hammurabi.html
- Students decide upon the same situations faced
by Hammurabi of ancient Mesopotamia when he
established his laws. Then, they write a letter to
the editor of the Babylonian Times newspaper
stating their opinion of his decrees.
- Related Lesson Plans:
- 2) Hammurabi and His Law Code (Mini-play) from
the Social Studies School Service
- http://socialstudies.com/c/%405nR.ui9.NU3JM/Pages/article.html?article@JWW951A+af
- @donn
- 3) Understanding Primary Sources: Hammurabi's
Code of Laws from Houghton Mifflin
- http://www.eduplace.com/ss/hmss/6/unit/act3.1.html
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-
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- Created by
Annette
Lamb and
Larry
Johnson,
11/01
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