A-exercises

1. Look at a map of the world. Where was Mesopotamia?   2.1 What different names has this region had in history? What is this area called today? 2.2 Make a timeline with major events on it. 2.3 How can you see that religion played an important role in Babylonian everyday life? 2.4 Find what the codes of Hammurabi were and describe a few of them. 2.5 What were the characteristics of Babylonian class society? 2.6 Briefly describe what daily life was like in Babylon (religion, culture, art, the role of women and men, the educational system, etc.)   3.1 Make a "family tree" of the gods that are mentioned in the creation myth. 3.2 Describe the war between the gods. Make a list of who belonged to what side. What caused this war? 3.3 In the pantheon and the creation story there is a different god who is responsible for the creation of mankind. Why is that? 3.4 Make a list of Marduk's deeds. 3.5 Why did Marduk create people?   4. What similarities do you see between the Babylonian creation myth and those of other cultures?

B-exercises

Look at a few websites that deal with this culture and choose one or two that have images, sounds or text that you think are useful for preparing your presentation. Make a summary or a sketch of the Babylonian creation myth on a piece of flip chart paper. As much as possible, try to use the illustrations and images you found on the internet. Choose one of the following exercises: 1. Choose a god and make a temple to honor this god. When making the temple try to find examples of Babylonian architecture. During your presentation tell what happened in such a temple. or 2. Create a pantomime about the moment that humans were created. Try to make some props or costumes to go with the pantomime.

C-exercises

What characteristics does Marduk have? To what extent do you like him or dislike him?

LANGUAGES FORUM OWN LINKS TEACHER'S HOME

"The Big Myth" © Distant Train 2002