Ancient Civilizations: Mesopotamia (a resource list)

Ancient Mesopotamia, from ~3000 b.c.e. to ~1000 b.c.e. (February-March, 2012)

Topics of focus:
Civilization—why it happened, its unique opportunities and problems
Geography
Inventions
Laws
Mythology and religious beliefs
Sumerian cuneiform
Timeline of events and rulers
Ziggurats

Book/reading resources:
Archaeology for Kids (Richard Panchyk)
The Epic of Gilgamesh (pdf)
Gilgamesh the Hero (Geraldine McCaughrean)
Gilgamesh the King (Ludmila Zeman)
The Last Quest of Gilgamesh (Ludmila Zeman)
The Revenge of Ishtar (Ludmila Zeman)
The Story of the World (Susan Wise Bauer)
The Story of the World Activity Book (Susan Wise Bauer)

Websites
Ancient Mesopotamia for Kids (mrdonn.org)
Cooking ancient recipes (Archaeology.org)
The Egyptian creation story (The Big Myth)
Explore Mesopotamia (The British Museum)
Sumerian cuneiform alphabet (Calligraphylearn.com)
Sumerian cuneiform numbers (itstlawu.edu)

Videos online
Ancient Mesopotamia: A Timeline (YouTube)
Ancient Sumerian Civilization, animated (YouTube)
Ancient Ur, part 1 (YouTube)
Ancient Ur, part 2 (YouTube)
The Epic of Gilgamesh, animated (YouTube)
People and Places: Mesopotamia (National Geographic Kids online)


Videos via disc or streaming
Legacy: The Origins of Civilization, Episode one: Iraq (Michael Wood via Netflix)
Michael Wood: In Search of Myths and Heroes, Episode One: The Queen of Sheba  (PBS via Netflix)

Activities/crafts
Building a Ziggurat out of Lego blocks
Geo Puzzles (Africa and the Middle East)
Enjoying exhibits at nearby museum (DIA)
History Pockets: Ancient Civilizations (Evan-Moor activity book)
Making an ancient Mesopotamian feast
Making cuneiform clay tablets
Reading, coloring, reading, drawing, reading, writing, and more reading