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How To Make A Craft Of The Golden Bull: A Mesopotamian Adventure & Review

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Explore ancient history with your kids. The Golden Bull: A Mesopotamian Adventure is a wonderful story to pair with a hands-on study of early civilizations. Also, look at my page Ancient Mesopotamia Fun Facts For Kids Who Love History for more hands-on history ideas.

Set in the land of Mesopotamia, the book blends storytelling with real historical themes, helping children imagine what life may have been like thousands of years ago between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.

How To Make A Craft Of The Golden Bull: A Mesopotamian Adventure & Review

 In The Golden Bull: A Mesopotamian Adventure, readers follow a young hero on a journey filled with danger, mystery, and discovery.

The treasured golden bull is more than just an object; it represents power, protection, and connection to the gods.

As the character travels through cities, temples, and marketplaces, children are introduced to important features of Mesopotamian life such as:

  • Worship in grand temples and ziggurats.
  • Trade and craftsmanship in busy city centers.
  • Belief in powerful gods who influenced everyday life.

The adventure format keeps kids engaged while quietly teaching history, culture, and values like courage, loyalty, and wisdom.

BOOKS ABOUT MESOPOTAMIA FOR KIDS

Next, look at these books about Mesopotamia.

7 Books to Read About Ancient Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia is a region situated within the Tigris–Euphrates River system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia occupies modern Iraq.  In the broader sense, the historical region included present-day Iraq and parts of present-day Iran, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey.

Next, look at more activities.

ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA FUN FACTS

The bull was one of the most meaningful animals in ancient Mesopotamia.

WHY BULLS WERE IMPORTANT IN MESOPOTAMIAN CULTURE

Far from being just livestock, bulls symbolized strength, fertility, protection, and divine power.

1. A Symbol of Strength and Kingship- Because bulls were large and powerful, they became natural symbols of royal authority and protection. Kings wanted to be seen as strong guardians of their people—just like a mighty bull guarding the herd.

2. Sacred Connections to the Gods- Bulls often appeared in myths and religious art. One famous example is the Bull of Heaven from the Epic of Gilgamesh, where a divine bull is sent by the gods as a sign of their power. Stories like this showed children and adults alike that the gods controlled nature, strength, and even the fate of cities.

3. Protective Temple Guardians- In Mesopotamian art, massive winged bull statues guarded palace and temple entrances. These figures were meant to protect sacred spaces from evil and remind visitors of the ruler’s might. Similar protective imagery could be seen near important places such as the Ishtar Gate, where animal symbols decorated the walls of the great city.

4. Fertility and Farming Life- Agriculture was the heart of Mesopotamian survival, and bulls helped plow fields and support farming. Because of this, they also symbolized fertility, growth, and abundance—all essential for a thriving civilization.

How To Make A Craft Of The Golden Bull: A Mesopotamian Adventure & Review

THE GOLDEN BULL: A MESOPOTAMIAN ADVENTURE REVIEW

This is an engaging historical children’s story that introduces young readers to the world of ancient Mesopotamia, often called the cradle of civilization. Through an exciting storyline and relatable characters, the book brings to life the culture, beliefs, and daily life of one of the world’s earliest societies.

One of the strongest aspects of The Golden Bull is its blend of adventure and history. Instead of presenting facts in a textbook style, the story immerses readers in an unfolding quest centered around a mysterious and valuable golden bull.

From an educational standpoint, the story provides a gentle introduction to Mesopotamian culture. It touches on themes that were very real to people living thousands of years ago, including respect for the gods, loyalty to family, and the importance of courage.

The symbolism of the bull connects well with real historical ideas. In Mesopotamian mythology and art, bulls often represented strength and divine power. Stories like the Epic of Gilgamesh even feature the legendary Bull of Heaven, showing how deeply this symbol was woven into the culture.

Because of this, the book works well as a companion to history lessons about early civilizations. Children can read the story and then explore the real history behind the symbols, cities, and traditions mentioned.

The book is best suited for elementary and middle-grade readers, especially those interested in adventure stories set in historical times.

For families studying ancient civilizations, this book is a great bridge between literature and history, making the ancient world feel vivid, exciting, and worth exploring.

HOW TO MAKE A CRAFT OF THE GOLDEN BULL

To recreate the Golden Bull, I decided to go with pulp paper mache to form it, and with a little paint, we had a cool recreation from the book.

You will need:

  • 1 roll of toilet paper
  • Large bowl’
  • 2 Tablespoons of school glue
  • Water
  • Craft paints
  • Paintbrushes
  • Cardboard scrap
  • Strainer
How To Make A Craft Of The Golden Bull: A Mesopotamian Adventure & Review

Cut a small scrap of cardboard a little larger than you want to make your bull to act as a base.

How To Make A Craft Of The Golden Bull: A Mesopotamian Adventure & Review

Soak the entire roll of toilet paper in a large bowl of water until it is thoroughly wet throughout.

How To Make A Craft Of The Golden Bull: A Mesopotamian Adventure & Review

Slide out the center of the roll and tear the wet paper into small pieces.

How To Make A Craft Of The Golden Bull: A Mesopotamian Adventure & Review

Transfer the wet pulp to a strainer and allow to drain, squeezing out most of the excess water with your hands.

How To Make A Craft Of The Golden Bull: A Mesopotamian Adventure & Review

Return pulp to the empty bowl(dump out the excess water first) and mix the glue into the wet pulp with your hands.

How To Make A Craft Of The Golden Bull: A Mesopotamian Adventure & Review

Begin forming your bulls shape by molding the mixture onto your cardboard base.

How To Make A Craft Of The Golden Bull: A Mesopotamian Adventure & Review

Continue adding the mixture and shaping until you are satisfied with the design.

Allow to dry 24-48 hours, we put ours out in the sun during daylight hours to help it dry faster.

How To Make A Craft Of The Golden Bull: A Mesopotamian Adventure & Review

Use gold and teal paint to cover the first layer.

How To Make A Craft Of The Golden Bull: A Mesopotamian Adventure & Review

Add details with a small paintbrush or paint pen/marker.

Babylon Activities & How To Make The Gate Of Ishtar Craft

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Hands-on Babylon activities like this cardboard Gate of Ishtar are a wonderful way to travel back in time and learn about the ancient world. Also, look at my page Ancient Mesopotamia Fun Facts For Kids Who Love History for more hands-on history ideas.

If you’re studying Ancient Mesopotamia, you simply can’t skip Babylon. Few cities in the ancient world were as powerful, beautiful, and influential as Babylon, especially during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II.

One of its most breathtaking landmarks was the legendary Ishtar Gate- a massive, bright blue entrance covered in animals and rich symbolism.

Babylon Activities & How To Make The Gate Of Ishtar Craft

Today, we’ll explore hands-on Babylon activities and then create a Gate of Ishtar craft to bring history to life.

Babylon was located in ancient Mesopotamia, in what is now modern-day Iraq. It rose to great power around 1800 BC and became famous under King Hammurabi, who created one of the earliest written law codes.

Later, under Nebuchadnezzar II, who reigned from  605–562 BC, Babylon became one of the most magnificent cities in the ancient world. He rebuilt temples, palaces, and city walls, and constructed the incredible Ishtar Gate around 575 BC.

BOOKS ABOUT MESOPOTAMIA FOR KIDS

Next, look at these books about Mesopotamia.

7 Books to Read About Ancient Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia is a region situated within the Tigris–Euphrates River system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia occupies modern Iraq.  In the broader sense, the historical region included present-day Iraq and parts of present-day Iran, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey.

Next, look at more activities.

ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA FUN FACTS

The gate was part of a grand ceremonial road used for religious festivals, especially those honoring the goddess Ishtar.

5 FACTS ABOUT THE ISHTAR GATE

  1. It was made of kiln-fired bricks.
  2. Bricks were then coated with a deep cobalt blue glaze.
  3. Then decorated with rows of animals in raised relief.
  4. It was one of eight gates around the inner city of Babylon
  5. The animals were not random decorations. Each had meaning. For example, lions represented the goddess Ishtar. Bulls symbolized the storm god Adad. Mushhushshu, dragon-like creatures, represented the god Marduk, Babylon’s chief deity.

Today, a reconstructed version of the Ishtar Gate can be seen at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. Archaeologists excavated the original gate in the early 1900s and transported much of it to Germany for preservation.

Babylon Activities & How To Make The Gate Of Ishtar Craft

Also, look at the parts of the gate.

PARTS OF THE ISHTAR GATE

The Double Gate Structure

This is important: it was two gates, not one.

  • Front Gate (Outer Gate)Smaller entrance.
  • Main Gate (Inner Gate) Much larger and more elaborate.

The double design created depth and made the entrance feel even more powerful. For your craft, you could create two layers instead of a single flat panel.

The Central Arched Passageway

  • At the center was a tall arched opening where people, chariots, and animals passed through.
  • Rounded arch shape.
  • Was very tall compared to the width.
  • Heavy wooden doors were likely reinforced with metal.

Flanking Towers

On both sides of the gate were massive towers. These towers:

  • The towers made the gate feel imposing and protected.
  • Extended higher than the arch.
  • Had decorative crenellations (tooth-like shapes) at the top, which made the gate look fortified.

Also, look at more Babylon activities.

HANDS- ON BABYLON ACTIVITIES

Finally, look at how to make the Gate of Ishtar.

HOW TO MAKE THE GATE OF ISHTAR CRAFT

You will need:

Babylon Activities & How To Make The Gate Of Ishtar Craft

I love using crafts like this to upcycle all those Amazon boxes around the house. They are free, sturdy, and make a great art medium.

Sketch out the basic outlines of the gate to get an idea of where to cut. I took advantage of the box’s flaps and used them for the flanking towers.

Draw a large rectangular gate with a rounded arch at the top, and outline the towers and gate opening as well. The real gate had a tall, majestic shape that was bold and symmetrical.

Babylon Activities & How To Make The Gate Of Ishtar Craft

Use a box cutter or sturdy scissors to cut out the gate opening and the top shapes.

Babylon Activities & How To Make The Gate Of Ishtar Craft

Paint the entire gate deep blue. Let dry completely. Explain that the Babylonians used glazed bricks to achieve that brilliant blue color, a sign of wealth and power.

Babylon Activities & How To Make The Gate Of Ishtar Craft

Use a pencil and ruler to lightly draw horizontal brick lines across the gate.

Use a gold paint pen or paint and a very small detail brush to add the gold embellishment to the gate.

Babylon Activities & How To Make The Gate Of Ishtar Craft

Continue adding details to resemble the gate.

Babylon Activities & How To Make The Gate Of Ishtar Craft

Make repeated rows of lions, bulls, and dragons. Paint them gold or yellow to stand out against the blue background. Allow this paint to dry.

Babylon Activities & How To Make The Gate Of Ishtar Craft

You can put your beautiful Gate of Ishtar on display for the entirety of your unit study.

Ancient Mesopotamia Games & How To Make The Royal Game Of Ur

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Ancient Mesopotamia games were more than just entertainment; they were a meaningful part of culture, blending strategy, social interaction, and religious beliefs within one of the first great civilizations. Also, look at my page Ancient Mesopotamia Fun Facts For Kids Who Love History for more hands-on history ideas.

Too, grab more history game ideas on my page Kids History Games Boosts Learning & Promotes Critical Thinking.

When we think about Ancient Mesopotamia, we often picture ziggurats, cuneiform writing, and mighty rivers like the Tigris and Euphrates. But the people of Mesopotamia also enjoyed something very familiar to us today: games

Ancient Mesopotamia Games & How To Make The Royal Game Of Ur

Board games were a popular form of entertainment over 4,500 years ago, bringing families together for fun, strategy, and even spiritual reflection.

One of the most famous ancient games ever discovered is the Royal Game of Ur.

We’ll explore how games fit into Mesopotamian daily life, learn about the Royal Game of Ur, and then make our own playable version.

Of course, I have some resources, facts, and more to share with you.

BOOKS ABOUT MESOPOTAMIA FOR KIDS

Next, look at these books about Mesopotamia.

7 Books to Read About Ancient Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia is a region situated within the Tigris–Euphrates River system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia occupies modern Iraq.  In the broader sense, the historical region included present-day Iraq and parts of present-day Iran, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey.

Next, look at more activities.

ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA FUN FACTS

Games were an important part of Mesopotamian culture for both children and adults.

GAMES IN ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA

Archaeologists have found game boards, dice, and playing pieces in homes, temples, and even royal tombs. This tells us that people of all social classes enjoyed games.

The games were usually made out of clay, and the pieces were either thrown or moved around the board. The Sumerians are credited with the invention of checkers.

Mesopotamians believed games were more than entertainment. Many thought games were connected to fate, luck, and the will of the gods.

Dice rolls were sometimes seen as messages from the divine, and winning or losing a game could carry symbolic meaning.

A few other games that originated in Mesopotamia

  • Tavla- A version of Backgammon very popular in Turkey.
  • Dogs and pigs game was found in the Basur Mound.
  • XXII Scripta- Similar to modern-day backgammon.
  • Mangala- The Turkish version of Mancala.
Ancient Mesopotamia Games & How To Make The Royal Game Of Ur

The Royal Game of Ur is one of the oldest known board games, dating back to around 2600 B.C.E.

WHAT IS THE ROYAL GAME OF UR

It was discovered in the 1920s by archaeologist Sir Leonard Woolley in the Royal Tombs of Ur (in modern-day Iraq).

The original boards were beautifully decorated with lapis lazuli, shell inlays, and red limestone, showing that this game was highly valued.

Basic Structure of Ur

  • It is a two-player race game.
  • Each player has seven pieces.
  • Players race their pieces along a set path.
  • Dice rolls determine movement.
  • Certain spaces give bonuses or protection.
  • Some spaces are marked with rosettes, which were considered lucky. Landing on one might give you an extra turn or protect your piece from being sent back.

HOW TO MAKE THE ROYAL GAME OF UR

Materials:

  • Cardboard or cardstock
  • Ruler
  • Pencil
  • Markers or paint pens
  • Craft paint/paintbrush
  • 14 small tokens (beans, beads, LEGO studs, coins)
  • 4 small tetrahedron dice or homemade pyramid dice
Ancient Mesopotamia Games & How To Make The Royal Game Of Ur

First, cut a piece of cardboard a little larger than the size of the game you want to make.

Paint a solid color and set aside to dry, or leave it unpainted.

Ancient Mesopotamia Games & How To Make The Royal Game Of Ur

Once the paint is dry, mark spots with a ruler and pencil, one end has two rows of three, then a “hallway” of two single squares that join to a section of 3×4 squares.

Ancient Mesopotamia Games & How To Make The Royal Game Of Ur

When your squares are as you like them, go back over the pencil lines with a permanent marker or paint pen.

Ancient Mesopotamia Games & How To Make The Royal Game Of Ur

Use a straight edge to cut the board around the outer borders you made.

Ancient Mesopotamia Games & How To Make The Royal Game Of Ur

For our pieces, we are going to use air-dry clay, but you can cut circles out of the cardboard or use other game pieces. Shape 7 for each color, making sure they are smaller than the squares they will occupy.

Leave half white and paint the other half black. Once the paint dries, mark them with 5 dots in the center in the opposite color.

Ancient Mesopotamia Games & How To Make The Royal Game Of Ur

Use tetrahedron dice and color 3 of the points black, as in the original game, or make your own from clay or paper.

THE ROYAL GAME OF UR CRAFT FOR KIDS

You will need to determine before the game which side of the dice represents 0,1,2, 3, 4.

Ancient Mesopotamia Games & How To Make The Royal Game Of Ur

To fill in the squares, this page All About Fun and Games gives a good image of the game, including its rosette and dice shapes, for you to recreate on your own board using paint pens.

It also gives a good overview of the game.

Once you have all the squares filled in and dry, you are ready to play the Royal Game of Ur.

Rules of Ur:

  • Begin on opposite sides in a rosette square.
  • Take turns rolling. Moves are 0,1,2,3, and 4 depending on the dice throw.
  • Move one piece forward along the path.
  • Only one piece at a time may occupy a square.
  • New pieces may enter on any throw.
  • If you land on a square occupied by an opponent’s piece, you remove the opponent’s piece.
  • Moving a piece by ‘jumping’ over other pieces does not affect those pieces.
  • Pieces are also safe from capture in the outside squares on each player’s side of the board.
  • Landing on a rosette square gives the player another throw; you can move any piece with this extra throw.
  • Exiting requires an exact throw, so to exit from the final square, you must throw a 1.
  • Landing on an opponent’s piece sends it back to the start.
  • An opponent can land on and capture a piece in the central long section (except on the rosette square). This knocks the captured piece off the board to start over.
  • Rosette spaces are safe and give an extra turn.
  • The first player to move all pieces off the board wins.

Easy Mesopotamian Art: Make Your Own Clay Relief Masterpiece

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

We are making easy Mesopotamian art that comes out looking just like something from a museum.Also, look at my page Ancient Mesopotamia Fun Facts For Kids Who Love History for more hands-on history ideas.

Too, you’ll love my Free Mesopotamia Lapbook For Kids Who Love Hands-On Learning. Ancient Mesopotamia, often called the “cradle of civilization,” was home to some of the earliest cities, writing systems, and art traditions in human history.

Easy Mesopotamian Art: Make Your Own Clay Relief Masterpiece

It was located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in what is now modern-day Iraq and surrounding regions. Mesopotamia included powerful groups such as the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, and Assyrians.

Art played an important role in their daily life, religion, storytelling, and even government. One of the most common artistic materials they used was clay.

Because stone and wood were hard to come by in the region, Mesopotamian artists became masters of shaping, carving, and decorating earth-based materials. From tiny cylinder seals to massive palace wall carvings, clay relief artwork helped preserve stories that are still studied thousands of years later.

BOOKS ABOUT MESOPOTAMIA FOR KIDS

Next, look at these books about Mesopotamia.

7 Books to Read About Ancient Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia is a region situated within the Tigris–Euphrates River system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia occupies modern Iraq.  In the broader sense, the historical region included present-day Iraq and parts of present-day Iran, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey.

Next, look at more activities.

ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA FUN FACTS

Mesopotamian art was very much connected to religion, kingship, and storytelling. Artists did not usually create artwork just for decoration.

Instead, art served clear purposes- honoring their gods, recording history, and adorning palace entryways to symbolize strength.

COMMON MATERIALS USED IN MESOPOTAMIAN ART

Clay- the most important and widely available material.

Mud brick- used for buildings and architectural decoration.

Stone- reserved for special sculptures or royal carvings.

Metal and precious stones- used in jewelry and ceremonial objects.

Clay was everywhere; the river valleys provided endless mud that could be shaped, dried, and sometimes baked into durable pieces.

Before paper existed, clay tablets and relief carvings recorded laws, myths, trade records, and royal victories.

Easy Mesopotamian Art: Make Your Own Clay Relief Masterpiece

Made from clay, relief-covered bricks and panels were used on temples, palaces, and gates, turning entire buildings into storytelling surfaces.

WHAT IS A CLAY RELIEF

A relief is a sculpture that is raised from a flat background surface instead of being fully three-dimensional. Mesopotamian artists carved or pressed images into clay tablets or bricks, creating scenes that could be either Low relief (bas-relief), slightly raised shapes, or High relief – deeper carvings with stronger shadows.

The artwork on these relief pieces was things like:

  • Kings hunting lions
  • Soldiers marching in rows
  • Mythical creatures
  • Religious rituals
  • Everyday life activities

Figures were usually drawn in a side view with large eyes and detailed clothing. Size in the artwork often showed importance, not distance, so kings appeared much larger than servants or enemies.

One famous example is the Ishtar Gate of Babylon, decorated with rows of raised animal figures glazed in brilliant blue.

The Burney Relief (Queen of the Night)- A detailed clay plaque showing a winged goddess standing on lions, surrounded by owls. It demonstrates the Mesopotamian skill of shaping fine details in clay.

Assyrian Palace Reliefs- Large carved wall panels showing lion hunts, battles, and royal ceremonies. These told powerful visual stories about the king’s strength.

Cylinder Seals- Tiny carved cylinders rolled across wet clay to create repeating relief images like ancient signatures or stamps.

Creating a simple clay relief helps children experience history the way ancient artists did. As they press shapes into clay or build raised designs, they are using the same basic techniques practiced over 4,000 years ago by the Mesopotamians.

MAKE YOUR OWN CLAY RELIEF MASTERPIECE

First decide what image you will be recreating with your clay relief. A quick Google search or a peek into a reference book will give you loads of ideas.

You will need:

Easy Mesopotamian Art: Make Your Own Clay Relief Masterpiece

First, work the clay in your hands for a few minutes to warm and soften it. This makes it easier to work with.

Roll out your clay to between ¼” and ½” thickness. To keep it uniform, put a pencil or something similar on either side, and be sure they are under the rollers.

Easy Mesopotamian Art: Make Your Own Clay Relief Masterpiece

Roll out a second, smaller piece, or several to use to build your design.

Easy Mesopotamian Art: Make Your Own Clay Relief Masterpiece

From the basic shape of what you are creating, for me, it was the lion’s body and head

To help the form adhere better to the larger piece, scratch up both the base and the back of your pieces, lightly wet with water using your fingers.

Easy Mesopotamian Art: Make Your Own Clay Relief Masterpiece

Tap into place and gently mold the edges into the background.

Easy Mesopotamian Art: Make Your Own Clay Relief Masterpiece

Now you can layer on more pieces to complete your relief, and use clay tools to add details and more dimension. Scratch, scrape, poke, and make the details.

Clay tools are marvelous for adding details to clay, but you can also just use what you have on hand- butter knives, wooden craft sticks, toothpicks, etc., to scrape away and shape your clay.

Easy Mesopotamian Art: Make Your Own Clay Relief Masterpiece

Allow the piece to dry overnight, flip it, and repeat flipping it back and forth every 12 hours or so until the piece is dry.

Easy Mesopotamian Art: Make Your Own Clay Relief Masterpiece

Mix up some paint to create a clay color and paint the entire piece. Set aside to dry.

How to Make a Reed Sailboat: Ancient Mesopotamia Sailboat Facts

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Let’s make a reed sailboat from pipe cleaners and learn amazing Mesopotamia sailboat facts while we are at it. Also, look at my page Ancient Mesopotamia Fun Facts For Kids Who Love History for more hands-on history ideas.

Too, you’ll love my Free Mesopotamia Lapbook For Kids Who Love Hands-On Learning.

Long before engines or metal ships existed, the people of ancient Mesopotamia built clever boats using the natural resources around them.

How to Make a Reed Sailboat: Ancient Mesopotamia Sailboat Facts

These Mesopotamian reed boats were an important part of daily life and helped early civilizations grow and thrive along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.

Mesopotamia means “land between two rivers.” It was located in what is now modern-day Iraq and parts of the surrounding region. The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers provided water for farming, trade routes, and transportation.

Because traveling by land was slow and difficult, boats became essential to several areas of life…

  • Trade- Farmers and merchants transported grain, pottery, and tools along the rivers.
  • Fishing- Fish were an important food source.
  • Farming- Boats helped move crops from fields to storage areas.
  • Communication- Travel between cities was faster by river than by land.

Without reed boats, Mesopotamian cities would have been much more isolated and perhaps not have advanced as quickly.

BOOKS ABOUT MESOPOTAMIA FOR KIDS

Next, look at these books about Mesopotamia.

7 Books to Read About Ancient Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia is a region situated within the Tigris–Euphrates River system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia occupies modern Iraq.  In the broader sense, the historical region included present-day Iraq and parts of present-day Iran, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey.

Next, look at more activities.

ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA FUN FACTS

Then, look at these sailboat facts.

5 MESOPOTAMIA SAILBOAT FACTS

  1. Mesopotamian reed boats were built from bundles of reeds, which are tall, grass-like plants that grow along riverbanks. The reeds were lightweight, flexible, easy to gather, and naturally buoyant.
  2. Skilled builders could construct a small reed boat in a short amount of time because the materials were easy to gather and did not require metal tools.
  3. Boat builders tightly bound the reeds together using rope made from plant fibers. Then, to make the boats waterproof, they coated them with bitumen, a thick, sticky natural tar. This helped seal gaps and kept water from soaking into the reeds.
  4. Even though reeds seem fragile, when bundled tightly, they trap air and float extremely well. The curved shape of the boats helped them glide over the water while staying stable.
  5. Some reed boats were small and used for fishing or crossing the river, while others were large enough to carry people, animals, and cargo.
How to Make a Reed Sailboat: Ancient Mesopotamia Sailboat Facts

And look at these hands-on activities.

HANDS-ON MESOPOTAMIA ACTIVITIES

HOW TO MAKE A REED SAILBOAT

You Will Need:

How to Make a Reed Sailboat: Ancient Mesopotamia Sailboat Facts

Lay 3 pipe cleaners side by side so their ends line up. Tie yarn or string around each end, approximately one inch from each end, and one in the center.

Repeat this step until you have 12 bundled groups. These represent the reed bundles used in ancient boats.

How to Make a Reed Sailboat: Ancient Mesopotamia Sailboat Facts

Place 6 bundles side by side. Wrap another pipe cleaner around the center of all bundles and curve firmly at the bends to hold flat. Add another binding near the front and back of the boat.

How to Make a Reed Sailboat: Ancient Mesopotamia Sailboat Facts

Repeat with bundles of 3 to form the sides of the boat

How to Make a Reed Sailboat: Ancient Mesopotamia Sailboat Facts

Attach the side pieces by threading a pipe cleaner in and out the length of the side and bottom on each side to anchor them to the base.

How to Make a Reed Sailboat: Ancient Mesopotamia Sailboat Facts

Gently twist and press the front and back ends upward to form a shallow bowl or canoe shape.Wrap each end in another pipe cleaner to secure it.

How to Make a Reed Sailboat: Ancient Mesopotamia Sailboat Facts

“Paint” the boat with slightly watered down white glue and set aside to dry. This will represent the bitumen that they used to seal the reed boats.

How to Make a Reed Sailboat: Ancient Mesopotamia Sailboat Facts

To form the sail cut 4 pipe cleaners in half and twist to wrap around another pipe cleaner, just once but tightly one below the other at the top.

How to Make a Reed Sailboat: Ancient Mesopotamia Sailboat Facts

Flatten and wrap each end in another half a pipe cleaner to hold in place.

How to Make a Reed Sailboat: Ancient Mesopotamia Sailboat Facts

Fold up the bottom half of the long pipe cleaner and twist around itself to make it stronger.

How to Make a Reed Sailboat: Ancient Mesopotamia Sailboat Facts

Push through the bottom center of the boat and wrap around a few times to secure it in place.