A Marriage Made in Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia is proof human and physical geography are wedded to each other. It is not called the Cradle of Civilization for nothing! Begin your classroom exploration of the relationship between geography and civilization by distributing copies of this map of Iraq. Introduce students to Elizabeth Stone, an archaeologist who has examined the ruins of several ancient cities in modern-day Iraq. Iraq is part of a region historically known as Mesopotamia, where the world’s earliest cities—and civilizations—arose. Describe the locations of the cities where Professor Stone has done fieldwork—Ur, Uruk, Eridu, and Mashkan-Shapir—using present day cities and landmarks as guides. (Teachers may find the maps accompanying Stone’s field work here useful in providing reference points.) Have students mark the location of each city on their maps. Next, students will learn about the geography of Iraq with this article. Ask students: What geographical features define southern Iraq, where Ur, Eridu, and Uruk are located? Which of these features might have encouraged the development of early cities in this area? What about the landscape would have facilitated trade, farming, and the rise of government? Encourage students to develop a hypothesis. Have students select one of the following ancient cities for further research in pairs or groups: Ur, Uruk, Eridu, Assur, Babylon, Nippur, or Nineveh. After identifying the geographical characteristics of the area around their cities and researching the historical importance of each city, students will present their findings to the class. Class discussion should focus on the influence of the different geographic regions within Iraq and the cities and civilizations that emerged there.