Download Religion Packet Answer Key - Hewlett

Name: _________________________
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Date: __________________
Essential Questions:
 What was the religion of Mesopotamia?
Why were ziggurats such important buildings in Mesopotamia?
Vocabulary
Ziggurat: A temple in Mesopotamia with stairs and a shrine at the top.
Polytheism: The belief in more than one god.
First, we will be exploring an interactive model of a ziggurat in small groups. As you click
through the model, answer the following questions:
http://eduplace.com/kids/socsci/ca/books/bkf3/igraphics/AC_03_093_ziggurat/AC_03_0
93_ziggurat.html
The largest and most important building was the
Why were ziggurats built to look like a mountain? They were built like a mountain to be
closer to the gods.
The ziggurats were considered to be the home of the gods.
Were ziggurats a place of public worship? No
Who were the only people allowed to enter the ziggurat? The priests were the only people
permitted in the ziggurat.
Next, read the short article on the Sumerian ziggurat and answer the questions with a
partner.
The Sumerian Ziggurat
Sumerians lived in city-states around 3000 B.C.E. Each city-state had its own god to
honor. Since religion was the center of Sumerian life, it was appropriate that the center of
each Sumerian city-state contained a temple which was located in the center of the city.
This temple, called a ziggurat, was shaped like a pyramid with a large number of steps. It
was made of white washed mud bricks. At the very top of the ziggurat was a shrine to the
main god of the city-state. The shrine contained a statue of the god. The only people
allowed to enter the shrine were priests and priestesses. Ziggurats were often used as
storage and distribution centers for surplus crops. This was convenient for religious
leaders, who often controlled the crops of the city-state. These storehouses allowed the
religious leaders the opportunity to feed poor people as well as the many people who
specialized in areas other than farming, such as craft workers.
Each city in Mesopotamia had a primary god. For example, Murdock, Enlil, and
Shamash were gods of various cities within Mesopotamia. People believed that they had
control over parts of life, such as the sun and water. The ziggurat in each city-state was
usually dedicated to a god to show their appreciation for all that they did for their
civilization.
1. Describe the architecture of the ziggurat It had a large number of steps made of white
washed mud bricks. It also has a shrine on top to honor gods.
2. What activities took place at the ziggurat? Ziggurats were often used as storage and
distribution centers for surplus crops. It was also used as a temple to pray at.
3. Why do you think the ziggurat was typically built at the center of the city? It was
built in the center of the city so that everyone had fair access to it. Religion is at the
center of people’s lives, so they thought it would be important for the ziggurat to be in
the center of the city.
4. Was Mesopotamian society polytheistic? How do you know? It was polytheistic
because they believed in many gods. Each ziggurat dedicated their temple to a
specific, special god. However, they believed in multiple gods.
5. How is a ziggurat and Mesopotamian religion similar to and different from temples,
churches, and other places of worship with which you are familiar? Ziggurats are
different because they are only open to priests, however today places of worship are
public.
If you have extra time, click on to the British Museum website to explore archaeologists
and evidence that they found to learn more about ziggurats in Mesopotamia.
Click on three interesting pictures or photographs about the ziggurat of Ur
 Picture one:
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 Picture two:
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 Picture three:
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Essential Questions:
What was the religion of Mesopotamia? The religion of Mesopotamia was polytheistic. The
people believed in many gods.
Why was the ziggurat such an important building in Mesopotamia? The ziggurat was an
important building because it was a place where people could worship the gods and store
their extra crops.
Name: _________________________
Date: __________________________
C. Leonard Woolley: Archaeologist of the Ziggurat of Ur
In September 1922, C. Leonard Woolley packed his bags and with his team of
assistants, boarded a steamship. He was on his way to Basrah in southern Iraq to lead the
excavations at the ancient site of Ur.
Woolley arrived at Ur on November 2, 1922 and explored the local landscape. By 1923
he had decided which places to excavate and dug the first trenches near the ruined
ziggurat.
Woolley’s men dug two large trenches. Within a week they had found many objects. In
Trench A, the team found evidence of burials and jewelry made of gold and precious stones.
They called this the “gold trench”. In Trench B, the workers found evidence of a large wall,
and the ruins of several ancient buildings. While everyone was excited by the finds from
Trench A, Woolley knew that they did not yet have enough experience to excavate burials.
It must have been disappointing for the workers when Woolley told them that trench A
would have to wait until everybody was more experienced at digging burials. However, they
turned all their efforts to trench B where they had discovered a temple called E-nun-mah.
Close by they also found part of a massive wall. The season in early spring as the
temperature became too hot to dig and Woolley returned to England. After all his exciting
discoveries he was keen to return in the autumn.
In the autumn of 1923, the excavations continued. Most of the team began to clear
away the rubble around the ziggurat. However, Woolley had decided to explore a site not far
from Ur called Tell al-Ubaid. Although part of it had been excavated, Woolley believed there
was still much to discover. His finds were amazing!
Back at Ur they uncovered a courtyard surrounded by rooms. It was not long before
they began to uncover buildings called 'E-dub-lal-mah' and 'E-gi-par'. The first had been built
on the orders of a king and the other was where the high priestess lived. In the spring of
1925 they stopped work and Woolley headed home. He spent the next few months writing
up his notes from the third season.
The fourth season began in November. The next project was to excavate another
temple building called E-hur-sag to the east of the ziggurat. Woolley also turned his
attention to buildings outside the temple area. He revealed a large number of houses and
discovered a great deal about everyday life in Ur. By now, he and his team had discovered so
many objects that much of their time was spent on recording. This continued when the
season ended in March 1926. In the middle of the season, they returned to the 'gold trench'.
At last they were experienced enough.
They dug two new trenches near trench A. Nothing was found in one trench. However,
in the other, they began to find burials. Alongside the bodies were stone and clay pots,
combs, weapons and some jewelry.
By the end of the season, Woolley's team had found over six hundred burials. In midFebruary, digging stopped and Woolley returned to England to study the exciting finds.
In autumn 1927 Woolley's team continued excavating the burial ground. Two months later
they began to find astonishing things. Another three hundred graves were revealed but four
were very different from the rest. These were not just pits but tombs, often with several
rooms. There were many bodies buried in them surrounded by spectacular objects. Woolley
called these the 'Royal tombs'.
Woolley's discovery made headlines all over the world. It was the first time that so
many objects like this had been found in Mesopotamia. The discoveries changed the public
view of Mesopotamian archaeology and culture.
Describe three artifacts that Woolley and his team found at the ziggurat of Ur.
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Artifact #1:
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What does this artifact tell us about life in Mesopotamia? Why is it important?
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Artifact #2:
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What does this artifact tell us about life in Mesopotamia? Why is it important?
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Artifact #3:
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What does this artifact tell us about life in Mesopotamia? Why is it important?
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