End of Year Reflection

Fun, Ancient Tour

“Hurray! I have completed my time machine! I believe this will work by tomorrow, hopefully it won’t make any trouble while my sleep.” While I was walking out the door, I saw this light shine on my hand just when I was about to open the door. I turned around in a slow-motion movement and something very strange scooped me in a black hole, where I was dragged to this tremendous place. I saw a couple of trees, and I couldn’t see anything because I was apparently stuck among long, thick grass. I looked at the time and it was exactly 10:00 AM. I heard something grinning- oh boy, I was frightened. It approached me. It was extremely short and it didn’t walk on two feet. In my history class I’ve learned that about 1.8 million years ago homo erectus existed. They hunted for animals and developed as time passed by. Since I’ve created a time machine, I I’d stay here for an hour. So, I decided to talk to him. “So, what’s up? Are you chillin’?” I was crazy. There was no way he could understand that. Homo erectus looked at me weirdly and started giving me these sharp tools to help create a fire. I took a look at the tools, and they looked dusty and some edges were torn apart. One of the tools looked like a knife, because it was covered with blood- which smelled like he had killed an already dead animal. About an hour later, I realized that I had to go, so I waved goodbye to so called Homo erectus.

My next stop was Ancient Sumeria. I’ve seen a really, really old place- and the houses were just, reckless compared to my 2011 city! However, I thought for a minute… A cave which I was in as old as 2 million years during the Paeolothic period to look like this? Well, I was surely amazed by their great work to unite Mesopotamia. In my 2011 history classes I’ve learned some pre-historic facts about what the people did here. When Homo erectus spread rapidly throughout the Near East and then into Europe and Southeast Asia, they built these caves and developed more and more- they then started disappearing and humans replaced them. During most times, humans lived in open-air campsites in small natural caves. They hunted wild animals and fished, gathered wild plants, and wandered over a large geographic area. Their daily life was really interesting- but since I had learnt somewhat information in school, I wanted to learn more about the pictographs and Mesopotamian writing. So I headed down to check out their walls. These early humans (Sumerians) first created pictographs to symbolize what they wanted to teach their sons and daughters. After some time, they created a script of their own called cuneiform. This script had 22 letters and was used at Byblos in the 15 century BC. What was also interesting was the Trade. Some of the Trade they had was also quite surprising. Mesopotamians travelled by boat to carry their foods, drinks, jewelry, and all the other useful material, and some travelled by foot, for example, the Assyrians who lived in northern Mesopotamia. They themselves didn’t have what they really wanted, so, to obtain the things they wanted, they came up with Trade. They traded their things for other goods to keep them satisfied. While thinking about all these amazing facts and interesting stories, I thought to myself, wow, I could never go through such a hard life. I mean, sitting at home with an Iphone, computer, and TV is good enough. I wouldn’t want to be a slave, or trader- and I’d certainly want to keep the alphabet that we have today.

While I was daydreaming about these ancient civilizations, an hour already passed and I had arrived to Ancient Egypt! I took a glance at Ancient Egypt, and I found myself sitting on top of a camel. Good enough, I get an hour ride in Ancient Egypt! I looked around and saw really, really soft, dark yellow- ish rich soil that felt like flower. The wind was strong, it blew on my face. However, I was actually sweating because of the heat- it wasn’t cold at all! I then looked up and saw Ancient Egyptians building the Pyramids. They were huge, and much bigger than I expected. I then decided to take a look at the art that the Ancient Egyptians had made. I tried to visualize what they were trying to explain- but I couldn’t. It was too hard. In modern days in 2011, nobody would draw pictures like these. The Ancient Egyptian pictures of people on walls were always sideways, and there were a lot of circles next to them, I guess the circles represented that they were gods. Then I saw jewelry all around the art- I wondered what all these things could mean. Anyhow, I decided to go next to the Nile River and sail on a boat. I hopped off the camel, and started sailing down the Nile. I tried to reach the end, but I couldn’t because the river was too long. About an hour later, the time machine started pulling me away again. I was kind of tired of it, because it kept interrupting my wonderful moments.

Finally, I arrived to Ancient India. I was quite cold though, since the mountains with snowcapped peaks were right behind me. However, they weren’t just mountains, they were the Himalayas. I was surprised how big they were; they extend from west to east about 2,500 km in a curve, and their width is 100 – 400 km. The Himalayas were characterized by their great height, snowcapped peaks, and rich vegetation. I felt like I had shrunk next to them. After some time, I had decided to go see the TAJ MAHAL that we’ve been studying in 2011. It had a huge pass way toward the actual entrance, it took me forever to reach the gate- It wasted 15 minutes of my Ancient tour. When I got there, there were a lot of amazing things I could see. My favorite part of the Taj Mahal was the reflection pool by the Mosque. This is because I had a chance to swim in it without anyone knowing. In the meantime, I decided to head back to visit Mohenjo-Daro, but it was too late. I felt really bad not seeing the largest city settlement of the Indus Valley Civilization.

The time machine scooped me in the black whole instantly and I returned to the modern day; 2011 in an archaeological dig! I saw people around me searching for evidence of cities, and ancient humans, who weren’t really humans. I’m so glad to be back home with lots of knowledge of my previous Ancient trips as a tourist! I never knew I’d learn this much!

8 Fold Path

Choose one practice from the Buddhist Eightfold Path and describe how you could incorporate it in your life:

.To have a right understanding.

To have an understanding means to know something very clearly without any problems. To have a RIGHT understanding is even bigger. There is a difference. If you don't have a right understanding, there would be a possibility you will do some kind of wrong action, or make a small mistake that could mean a lot. To have a right understanding, you will succeed in life much more than you think. However, to have a right understanding may mean something else too. For example, you have to understand your friends in a right way to know how to help them when they need somebody by their side. Also, having a right understanding about your family is very important as well. Your siblings, parents, cousins, grandparents all know they can count on YOU. So, you might as well understand THEM and help them out in any bad situation.

I could incorporate this in my life by having a right understanding in any topic in school, a right understanding when it comes to friends and families too.

The Taj Mahal

THE TAJ MAHAL

The Taj Mahal is one of the most recognizable monuments of India. Protected by UNESCO as a site of World Heritage, the Taj Mahal represents a monument of true love. My summarization will give a short summary of the story that is behind this majestic building of Agra, India.

The love of Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan to his third wife Muftaz Mahal, according to the chroniclers, was thousand times greater than to any other. In order to commemorate the death of his beloved wife, Shah Jahan has decided to build something for his empire, which has been known for its forts. Therefore, he decided to build a complex of buildings, with a white domed mausoleum as its central part. Today, the mausoleum is a widely recognizable building, and one of the symbols of India.

Being a significant example of architectural example of its era, the Taj Mahal has been a major interest for the historians. Although the mausoleum is its central and most well known structure, the Taj Mahal complex consists of many more buildings. First of all, one of the largest parts of the complex is bazaar, which is in front of the gardens of where the mausoleum is located. At the end of the bazaar, there is an entrance to the gardens, which is called Paradise Gardens. One of the most important features of the garden is the Celestial Pool of Abundance, at the centre of the garden. At the end of the garden, stands the majestic mausoleum, which Shah Jahan promised on his wife’s deathbed. On the sides of the central structure, lies a mosque and a meeting house.

The most significant features of the interior of the Mausoleum are the calligraphy reliefs decorated by gemstones and semi-precious stones. Calligraphic inscriptions of ninety-nine names of the God decorate the tombs, whereas a “false” dome, which is decorated with a sun motif, covers the interior walls. An interesting fact about the tombs is that the bodies of Shah and his wife are not laid in them, as Muslim tradition forbids decorations of the tomb. Instead, they are buried beneath the inner chamber.

The Taj Mahal is a true monument of the eternal love, as its beauty continues to inspire generations after it was built.

Reference:
http://www.islamicart.com/library/empires/india/shahjahan.html

Saraswati: Hindu God

SARASWATI

Saraswati is a goddess of knowledge, arts, and wisdom. She is the light which fights against darkness of ignorance. She prevents the world from turning into chaos (disorder) and confusion. Saraswati wears white clothes and wears no jewelry. That shows that she rejects all that is materialistic. She is connected with swan and peacock. Swan represents pure knowledge, and peacock symbolizes arts. Schools and libraries are considered as Saraswati’s temples. Her symbols are all the things that people use to get knowledge or to produce pieces of art.

Saraswati was born when Brahma decided to turn Chaos into something better, in order to do that, he needed knowledge. Saraswati is a personification of that knowledge and wisdom. With knowledge and wisdom, people were able to solve different problems and live better.

Since Saraswati was very beautiful, Brahma fell in love with her. And that’s how desire was created and prevented people from being completely happy. Saraswati had to run away from Brahma- Finally, Bhairava and Shiva saved her.

While creating the world, Brahma was helped by two goddesses; Saraswati- the goddess of knowledge, and Lakshmi- the goddess of wealth. So, a question rose: which one was more necessary in that process? Lakshmi said that people needed to eat in order to live. Saraswati replied that there wouldn’t be life without food, but without knowledge life wouldn’t have any meaning.

Saraswati helped the world in many ways. Once, Shiva decided to burn and destroy the world because it was corrupt and impure. Saraswati turned into pure water and didn’t allow Shiva’s fire to burn the world. She said that Shiva had wanted to destroy the world because of its impurity. As long as people kept wisdom and purity, the world would be safe. In that way, Saraswati taught the people to live safely and happily.

The Indus and Ganges River Valleys

Describe the geography of the Indus and Ganges river valleys.

The Indus River crosses the Himalayas and empties into the Arabian Sea.
The Ganges River flows from the Himalayas into the Bay of Bengal.
The Indus and Ganges Rivers cut through mountains. They flow across Northern India and make farming possible in the river valleys.

How do the monsoons affect India and its climate?

India’s climate is dominated by the Monsoon. Monsoons help India become humid in the monsoon season. People of India depend on summer monsoons to provide life-giving rain. If the monsoon is weak, crops die and this can lead to famine. If the monsoon brings to much rain, overflowing rivers can then cause floods.



How did geography influence the building of Mohenjo-Daro?

Mohenjo-Daro was influenced by geography by having all of it planned. They wanted to be protected from incoming floods, so the city was built above the ground level. Canals helped to control flooding by catching overflow from the river. Also, a citadel was built on a hill that was surrounded by the wall. The wall protected the building from floods.

How was Mohenjo-Daro similar to modern cities?

Mohenjo-Daro was somewhat similar to modern cities. Its houses were built on a street grid which sort of looked like neighborhoods in modern cities. Many of the streets were covered with mud brick. Also, It had one of the most sophisticated drainage systems with drains running beneath the streets. Grains and surplus food was stored in big go-downs, properly constructed near Citadels.


Who were the Aryans?

The Aryans were newcomers to Mohenjo-Daro. They migrated from their homelands in central Asia. The Aryans drove horse-drawn chariots that helped them gain power. The word ‘Aryan’ in their language meant ‘noble’ or ‘highborn’. By their name we can guess that they must’ve been quite sophisticated.

How was it possible for the Aryans to spread their influence over the Indus and Ganges river valleys so successfully?

It was possible for the Aryans to spread their influence over the Indus and Ganges river valleys so successfully probably because they were such nomadic people. They spent a short amount of time in one place; spreading their ideas, languages and beliefs to the people, and then moved on to other places.

Reference:
Textbook: The Indus and Ganges River Valleys. Section 1.

Mohenjo-Daro

MOHENJO-DARO

The article by John Roach examines the case of the civilization of the Indus Valley, called Mohenjo Daro. The excavations that have been made in the 1920s give interesting facts about the town and its development.

Mohenjo Daro was a city in present-day Pakistan, discovered by the archaeologists in 1921. The very unique culture existed roughly 4500 years ago, and it became the puzzle for the scientists. One of the most interesting facts about the culture is the fact that the traits of rulers are very vague. There is an absence of the forms, such as a palace or a castle. On the other hand, archaeologists have concluded that cleanliness was one of the key drivers of this ancient society, given the fact that there was a bath in most of the houses, and the Great Bath on top of the hill.

Moreover, the sense of standardization was highly applied to the civilization, since there is a lot of evidence, such as pottery, that is very much the same shape. Furthermore, the city was built in grid-like order, which gives us an impression of tight control.

The National Geographic article by John Roach gives us basic information on the unique culture of the Indus Vally – Mohenjo Daro.

Citation:

"Mohenjo Daro." National Geographics. Ed. John Roach. Randy Olson, May 2011. Web.

Mapping Project

During Humanities classes these past few days we've been working on Mapping Projects in groups of 2. Firstly, we had to draw climate and Elevation maps of India. Maria and I colored in the two maps, and moved on to making elevation clay maps. When we’ve done that, we were assigned to answer the following questions:

1. How do physical features, climate and elevation relate to each other?

Physical features, climate and elevation all relate to each other in many different ways. Firstly, elevation is related to climate because the higher the surface area of a place is, the more it will affect the climate of the place. The physical features will obviously have an effect on the climate and elevation of an area; if it is a mountainous area it will have a high elevation, if it was a rain-forest the climate would be tropical. They are all inter- connecting, because one of them can cause another to change.

2. What conclusions can you draw?

The climate, elevation and physical features have an influence on where humans settle. The main thing about all these things that humans look for is practicality, are there resources nearby? How can certain features be beneficial? Is it safe? Things like climate influences where people settle because we don’t want to settle in a a hot place where water is scarce, and yet neither do we want to settle in a extremely cold place where food is hard to farm. We look at elevation and include things in such as; Is this terrain of the side of the mountain where it will be hard to grow crops and build a house? Also physical features; Physical features can mean resources if they are the important kind. Things such as the river give water to humans who settle there, whereas as people who settle in the desert, the physical features are not as important.

Unit Reflection

Reflection on the Learner Profile:

During this unit, I demonstrated Risk- Taker, Reflective, Inquirer, and Principled

Risk-Taker: Throughout this unit, I answered a lot of questions in groups and I was included in them- this means that I was confident enough to answer something even if I was unsure. However, I think I should be included in class discussions more often- because I get quite nervous when it comes to answering the teachers’ questions- Since teachers are always excellently right, I’m usually afraid and I get the feeling of being wrong.

Reflective: When it comes to reflections, I always see the Rights and the Wrongs in any topic we did in class. I briefly write down the things I need to improve on for the future, and the things I did well and continue doing them well in other topics we will continue doing in class. This might sound weird, but I think I am the only person in my class who likes to write reflections. This is because I get to think-over and actually write down EVERYTHING I want myself to know. However, I think it might be well if I were to share my feelings with my classmates- maybe they would give me tips for the next unit.

Inquirer: I enjoyed learning about Ancient Egypt this unit. I was quite curious- I wanted to find out more. So, I went online at home and researched some well written and reliable facts on my laptop and this enabled me to learn more and get prepared for the test. (This is true!) I think I should have written these facts that I found on the net in my notebook instead of just reading them and trying to memorize every single fact.

Principled: I was good at this skill- because all of my writings are not all made up; I was honest about everything, especially my reflections. During group discussions, I was fair enough, and I let other people talk first to show respect. I was quite tolerant (meaning that I let other people share their ideas and be patient while they talk) and I got along with almost all of the people’s own perspectives.

Reflection on the ATL’s

Organizational: During this unit, I was very organized. I did not lose anything- and I made sure everything was in its place. I collected all papers and gathered them up in my folder to keep them safe and tidy so I would have them at home when it comes to studying for the test. Throughout this unit, I paid more attention to Graphic Organizers than I did before; because before, I thought they were not helpful at all and that my notes are much more useful, but now that our teacher has talked about how good they are quite often, I think I tried using them as useful tools and I stopped rewriting everything at the last minute.

Collaborative: As said in the Risk-Taking section, I was included in group discussions, but not class discussions. This is because in groups, there are only 3 or 4 people, and during class, there are a lot more classmates who might all make fun of you if you say the wrong answer- and this is the reason why I don’t normally talk during class.

Information Literacy: I have changed a lot since the beginning of the year. During this unit, we had to do a lot of research, especially in presentations, Blog Posts, and include facts from the net in posters. I was able to write paragraphs and essays in my own words- and I certainly did not plagiarize. I am able to scan and skim text and then rewrite it; This is better than just rewriting every sentence from the book or from a site on the computer.

Transfer: During this unit, I used a lot of information that I knew and that I found out in my tasks. For example, I included some things I already knew before in my notes. Another example would be my presentation on the Daily Life and Jobs of Ancient Egypt. I used a lot of valid info and made it interesting for my friends during my presentation.

How did the physical environment affect the development of civilizations?

Ancient civilizations were affected by the geography of where they were living. Cities were built near bodies of water (For example; lakes, oceans, rivers, etc.) because it provided them to have fertile soil and sediment, food, and water, leaving the people to hunt more animals and hygiene- more importantly for people and animals to drink in order to survive. Stabled food sources were a very big part of how you lived in an Ancient Civilization. If animals were to have a place to stay stable and calm, the people would too- and this results in them settling down well. In some civilizations, there were areas with average temperature too. In colder places, animals such as birds and monkies would have to adapt to the snow whereas in hot regions, polar bears that live in the Arctic (Although the Arctic barely gets warm) would have to adapt too.

My trip Down the Nile

MY TRIP DOWN THE NILE

I was sailing down the wide area of the beautiful Nile river, catching the wind blowing over my face and feeling my long, soft hair flying through the cold air. It was quite weird how I was the only person sailing with a small- teeny-looking boat, while everyone else was in those Egyptian boats. I saw a lot of tall, thick trees- I figured they were palm trees. on the West side and some huge, tremendous mountains on the North side. I curiously observed the wonderful houses made out of wood, I caught my eye looking at the people walking around. They wore white costumes- I was not quite sure why.

I continued sailing and found myself smelling the beautiful sent of the green grass while I was getting closer to the shore. I left my boat on the side of the wall, and started heading North. I headed my way to the desert, and looked at all the beautiful plants, birds and interesting-looking insects. While getting lost I asked a person in those white-looking costumes where I was, because I was apparently lost. He told me I was walking along the Mediterranean sea, and that I should head back to my boat because it was not safe being next to all those creatures in the desert.I found myself sailing out to sea- not knowing where I was, where I could get food, and in which direction I was going! There was nobody I could ask, and it was getting dark. I couldn't find my way to the shore, because the Nile river was to wide for me to know where I have to turn. That was it. It was very windy, it was amazing how the river hadn't moved from this early morning. I slowly closed my eyes and lay in the boat, feeling the fresh air tingle beside my arm.

How do natural features such as rivers, lakes, and mountains help unite people or keep them isolated from each other?

Natural features were very important in the ancient times. In the early ancient days, it was important to have a river or a lake in order for the city to unite. Being near a river/lake unites the city because the settlers / groups can travel or immigrate to other places in order to get trade. With trade, the city is richer resulting in greater communities.
However, there is also a bad point to it. Mountains, rivers and lakes can isolate people. If one group lives on the north side of the mountain, and the other lives on the south, they become isolated because they are separate- which is very sad. Lakes can be very long, like the Nile, and isolate people because the settlers wouldn’t be able to cross a large lake. If they would try, it could be dangerous and they would probably die on the way.

Mummies

Definitions of Words:

1. Mummification:
Making it into a mummy. To preserve a dead body.

2. Dissect:
To cut open or cut a part. "They dissected the bodies for analysis."

3. Portal:
A grand and imposing entrance. "The portals of the cathedral."

4. Revive:
To bring back to life.

Questions & Answers:

1. Define the word "mummy."
A mummy is an ancient dead body of a human being or animal preserved by the ancient Egyptian process. Basically, a mummy is a dead body dried and preserved by nature.


2. According to current scientific beliefs, what are some reasons people were intentionally mummified?
Ancient Egyptians believed in 'after-life'. When a person or animal dies, Egyptians believed that if they were to mummify the person/animal, there was a possibility it would live in the after-life.


3. What features of the natural environment can cause bodies to be mummified unintentionally?
Bodies can be mummified unintentionally when they freeze. If a body is frozen, it won't rotten and get disgusting that easily.


4. In what parts of the world have mummies been found?
Mummies were found in all parts of the world such as in North America, South America, Asia, Oceania, Africa, and Europe.
http://kids.summum.us/mummification/world/world.html


5. In what types of places (physical geography & climate) have mummies been found?
Mummies have been found in deserts, and cold areas so it would be easier for them to be mummified.


6. How did Ancient Egyptians preserve their dead?
It takes 70 days to go through mummification because Ancient Egyptians had to dry out the bodies and then they had to wrap linen around the pharaoh. The linen had to be very long which was as long as the Eiffel Tower. Then they would put the wrapped mummy into a coffin. When that was done, they would carry the mummy to the pyramids and put it in a room with their prized possessions.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_ancient_Egyptians_preserve_dead_bodies

My Mummy Questions:

1. Who found the first mummy? Who was the first mummy?

2. Why did it take 70 days for mummification in Ancient Egypt?

3. What is the difference between bog bodies and mummies?

4. Do they still mummify people?

5. Why were mummies wrapped in bandages?

PHOENICIA

Lately we've been working on Early Empires in groups of 3 or 4. My group mates and I were given the empire "Phoenicia," and we had to create a poster about Phoenicia's culture, arts and crafts, government, and perhaps some pictures of maps+boats to signify how the particular empire was famous. To make the poster look older, we decided to draw some brown/black decorations around our information

Unit reflection

UNIT REFLECTION
MESOPOTAMIA: THE FERTILE CRESCENT

1. In 2-3 sentences for each topic, summarize what you learned about the following:

a) The domestication of plants and animals:
Firstly, I learned that domestication means to tame/control/make plants+animals more useful to humans, it determines where they live, die and eat.
The most interesting fact that I learned about domestication of plants and animals during this unit was that domestication came after humans started settling in villages, or cities. Another interesting fact was learning about domestication of plants and animals in Catal Huyuk- stable, consistent and it included a reliable diet. They also had the surplus of food which resulted in the food being stored.

b) The transition from hunter-gatherer communities to the first civilizations:
Humans back then were traveling quite a lot for a short amount of time to follow their food-animals. Over the years when time passed by, they started settling in places for a long period of time, and that was happening in the fertile crescent. That's when everything was becoming more advanced, and that's when civilization existed. HOWEVER, Hunter gatherers DIDN'T have a civilization before, they didn't always have a stable food supply, and they didn't develop much specialization of labor.

c) Early religion and beliefs
This was the most interesting topic to me. Religion and Gods was much more different in earlier days than today. In ancient times, people believed in many Gods and Goddesses, I think of their Gods as mayors and presidents today. Gods back then ruled and protected regions, they also do that today, but in a different manner. However, we also have Gods who we believe in. Some of the people have a different religion in which they are not allowed to believe in a God. But that's in the present days.

2. Imagine someone saying to you, "Learning about the Sumerians isn't very important since they're long gone!" What would you tell them in order to change their mind?

The Sumerians were very successful in many ways, and are very important for many different reasons.
Firstly, I think that their education, communication was very high- their system of writing was called Cunieform, which included pictographs for record-keeping. However later the Phoenicians created their own script which was the alphabet, and I won't go on to that right now. Secondly, I think that their technology is amazing, without their inventions of valuable tools, our lives today would be very different. They created sails (wind power), plows (harnessing animals power) and the wheel (science power), and all that resulted in TRADE. I also thought that their religion and government was excellent too. The priests were very powerful, and they controlled city states, their kingship developed, they had taxes and sacrifices, also the rise of conflicts and wars occurred. The Sumerians had strong army leaders who began to rise to power.
All in all, the Sumerians were not even close to not important. I think that everything they invented is great, I mean imagine taking risks and doing all the things that they did. Creating symbols like Cunieform writing? I don't think anyone could do that now a days.






This is a picture of Enheduana.




















This is how cuneiform writing looked like.

Enheduana of Sumer

http://phoenicia.org/art.html
Enheduana was the first non-anonymous author in the history known by name. I found this quite interesting, who knew the first author in the world would be an intrepid WOMAN?
This short story mainly talks about Enheduana's great experiences while she was a teenager, until her oldest age.
Enheduana's popular writings (in her day) tell us much about herself, the Sumerian religion, and politics. She kept on composing poetry and organizing her duties, even after her Father, Sargon died. Enheduana lived with her two twin brothers, Rimush and Manishtusu, and her father, Sargon the ruler of Mesopotamia, who later became the ruler of Kish and Akkhad.


Questions & Answers:

1. What did books look like during the time that Enheduana was writing? How were these books written?
Books looked like small clay pillows, not paperbacks. In her day, books were written on soft clay with a pointed tool called stylus.

2. Where did Enheduana and her family live? What did her father do?
Enheduana lived with her two twin brothers and her father. They lived in a spanking-new big palace, surrounded by the city-state of Akkhad in Sumer. Her father Sargon was an ambitious boy from a family of Mesopotamian farmers, began his rise to the top as humble cupbearer for the king of Kish, a nearby city-state. He managed to grabed the throne by himself, nobody could imagine how he did this remarkable thing. He then ruled over Kish and Akkhad and made them important cities of Sumer.
3. What was Enheduana’s job? List three of her duties. How did she lose her job?
Enheduana was a poet, and hymn writer and a priestess. Her most important duty was to annual New Year celebration every spring. She lost her job because of her nephew, he fired her and put his daughter in charge.
4. The author says that Enheduana’s poems were so popular that they were like bestsellers today. What evidence does she use to support this claim?
The author is trying to let us know that people today still talk about Enheduana even though she wrote poems and books a very long time ago.
5. Enheduana’s writings are hymns of praise, but they also tell us about the times she lived in. Describe one “current event” that Enheduana wrote about.
Enheduana was writing much about herself, religion and politics. One “current event” that she wrote was about her father, Sargon. It describes the city-states that Sargon had ruled over. They tried to capture Akkhad and banish Inanna from the temples. Sargon won, and Ianna's power new again.

From earliest times, people have changed their environments. How have people today changed their environment? Discuss both the good and the bad.

People today and long ago changed the environment similarly, however in different ways that is, in both good and bad. Today we do lots of things to harm the environment, including cutting down trees for money, eating canned food, and not recycle plastic packages. However, people long ago had different techniques to harm the environment. You know how we see people cut down trees when you pass through the park, with those mechanical machines used for cutting materials? In the earlier ages, they did it differently. They CREATED poorer tools for cutting because they didn’t have the expensive material to create such great machines, and also it was unusual for them to see such a machine even there WERE expensive materials.
Since the question asks me to answer what we do today in order to change the environment in a both negative and positive way, I should stop writing about what they did earlier.
I already mentioned what we did to harm the environment, but now I will go on with explaining what we change in the environment in a positive way. We can grow fruits and vegetables, which increases the population of food, but then it’s gone when we eat it, so it does nothing to the environment, but does something to us- feed us. It all goes in a cycological cycle, over and over until we die.
In conclusion, we change the environment in MANY different ways, even by making the easiest most ridiculous thing, like picking up a flower from its’ original growing place.

Catal Huyuk

Catal Huyuk is now considered to be one of the earliest known ‘cities’ in the world. The city is 8,000 – 10,000 years old, and it had a population of about 6,000.
Houses were made out of brick. They don’t have doors, instead they have entrances on roofs, so it was easier and safer for people to enter that way. In Catal Huyuk the dead were buried inside houses.
Some of the people in Catal Huyuk lived by farming. They grew wheat and barley and they raised sheeps’ fur and herds of goats, they also kept dogs. However, they hunted animals such as aurochs, wolves, foxes and leopards. People in this city wore clothes that were woven from wool, and also wore jewelry made out of stone, bone and shell. They wove baskets of reeds, they also made pottery and used obsidian, a hard volcanic rock to make tools and weapons, as I mentioned in my notebook.
Craftsmen made dishes of wood, they also carved wooden boxes of storage. I’m not quite sure that the textbook mentioned religion, however I think it is still unknown what religion they believed in.
In conclusion, I think it was an amazing discovery and I hope archaeologists today find another fascinating city.