The First Empires
After analyzing a lesson on "The First Empires" from a sixth grade history book, I noticed that the textbook does state the correct facts, but it does not go into depth. I think that because this is a lesson designed for sixth graders, the most important facts are stated, so that the young students get a sense of the general idea. The vocabulary used is straightforward and simple. In fact, the lesson includes a small vocabulary list at the beginning. These words are later written in bold and defined within the actual text. The lesson provides a fair presentation of the subject, but it only gives a brief overview of the events or people presented. In it's entirety, although the lesson on "The First Empires" doesn't go into depth, it presents its sixth grade audience with a fair general overview on the subject with language and content that is to their level of understanding.
The lesson starts with a brief story on an invasion against the city of Uruk led by Sargon. It is written so that the reader can get the feeling that they are there at the moment the invasion is occurring. Then the lesson goes into describing Sargon of Akkad and his many conquests. The section ends with a reason as to why and how the empire ended. There is a map at the bottom of the page which shows where the Akkadian, the Assyrian, and the Babylonian Empire were located, and the years in which they each started. There is a side note which says that sometimes sources will give different dates for an event or person because "historians are constantly finding and interpreting new evidence" (text, 169). The next page is titled "Rival Empires" and it basically talks about the Assyrian and the Babylonian Empires in two separate columns. Their rulers and the way in which they ruled their kingdoms are mentioned. The following page is titled "A Moment in Time", it is a picture of a Mesopotamian scribe. The picture has labels pointing to each part of the picture, from her hands, to the skirt she is wearing, to the pot that is set by her side. Next, is a page on Hammurabi's Code, describing what the codes were designed for and there are even some codes listed. There is another page that continues a bit on the codes, and then talks about how the city of Babylonia was conquered and by whom. The lesson then ends with a set of questions for review of the chapter. The page that follows the lesson is about understanding timelines, and gives tips on how to look at a timeline and understand it better.
In order to analyze the lesson, I took each important event and researched it separately. I started with Sargon of Akkad. The lesson gives a small two-paragraph inroduction of who Sargon was or where he came from. It states that "his parents were probably herders on the north edge of Sumer near the Euphrates River" (text, 169). The use of the word "probably" makes it seem as if the whole idea may not be true, but instead a simple guess. Though this may be true about Sargon, there may be more to that story, leaving its readers without the entire picture. In his book about Mesopotamia, Michael Roaf describes how "[Sargon] was placed in a reed basket sealed with bitumen and like Moses allowed to float down the Euphrates. He was rescued and trained as a gardener" (96). The lesson then mentions that "historians believe he later killed the king and usurped his throne" (169). This sentence gives the idea that Sargon was an evil person that took over the throne by force. But, Roaf says that by "winning the love of Ishtar, [Sargon] became king" (96). These are two contrasting stories that can affect the way in which the reader will perceive Sargon. Even another source states that "when the king of Kish was overthrown by a Sumerian ruler from farther south, Sargon took over the reins of government and gained control of the whole land later known as Babylonia" (Saggs, 30). Whichever the case, Sargon ended up taking over the throne and ruling for the next couple of years. The lesson gives somewhat of a list of the many cities he conquered throughout the time of his reign, giving the impression that Sargon was basically a ruler who conquered many lands and that is it. Saggs states that "Sargon's economic and political control of this unprecedentedly large area produced a marked rise in the standard of living of Babylonia, so that this period was remembered in tradition as a golden age" (31). Besides being the great conqueror that he was, Sargon did other acts which were important to the growth of his kingdom. In another account on Mesopotamia by Pamela Service, Sargon is given the credit for "the tribute and trade [which] poured into Sumer [and] brought times of high prosperity" (13). If the lesson would explain about the good benefits that was brought up during the fifty-five years of his reign, Sargon may be seen as a great ruler, instead of a usurper who became a great conqueror.
When I researched about the year in which Gutians invaded the Akkadian Empire and left it in ruins, I found a different year for that event. According to Service, the empire "collapsed with the invasion of the Gutians. . . around 2220 bce" (13). This date is much later than the "2250 bce" (169) date given in the lesson, and can make much of a difference. Also, the date presented om Shamshi-Adad's reign, Assyria's ruler, is stated to have begun "about 1813" (170). Service, on the other hand, says that around "1810 bce, [Shamshi-Adad] made himself king of Assyria and came to control most of northern Mesopotamia" (16). This date isn't much different since there is only a couple of years that differ. But, the lesson should explain how Shamshi-Adad came about to becoming king of Assyria. The lesson mentions nothing about his death or what was going on with his empire. According to Service, "after [Shamshi-Adad's] death the empire dwindled, and with the rise of Hammurabi to the South, Assyria fell briefly under Babylonian rule" (16). This is a very important piece of information, since it tells about the future of his kingdom and what became of it. It also tells the reader of the great power that Hammurabi had, since he took over Assyria.
The section on Hammurabi describes how he "defeated other armies and added new lands. . .[and] kept tight control. . .and maintained a strong central government" (170). However, there is a lot more to Hammurabi's accomplishments than the conquering of lands. Hammurabi "made sure the city's irrigation canals worked well, an he improved the calendar in order to keep it synchronized with the seasons" (29). By mentioning these great accomplishments, the young reader can see what great benefits Hammurabi brought to his kingdom, and not just give him the title of a "great military leader" (170). Instead, the lesson focuses on "one of his achievements --the Code of Hammurabi" (170). The laws are certainly one of the major reasons why Hammurabi is remembered. The reason as to why Hammurabi came up with such a code, "Hammurabi defined the purpose of his law code as 'to cause justice to prevail in the land, to destroy the wicked and the evil, that the strong may not opress the weak" (Roaf, 121). By giving an explanation as to why these codes are important, the reader can understand why they "helped to establish the kind of life that people should live" (173). The people followed the laws or suffered the punishment that was expected for disobeying. According to Roaf, "the laws of Hammurabi presented an idealized view of Old Babylonian society. At the top, who could and did intervene in all the affairs of his kingdom" (121). The lesson does not include any information about the social classes in the Babylonian empire, and how Hammurabi's code could affect each and every one of its citizens. For this reason, teachers must look for other sources which can help to explain this point. I think that the codes of Hammurabi that were chosen to be discussed are the ones that are not so harsh. There are many codes that give very harsh punishments for disobeying. For example, "if a son has struck his father, his hands shall be cut off. . . If a builder has built a house for a man, and his work is not strong, and if the house he has built falls in and kills the householder, the builder shall be slain" (Andrea & Overfield, 13-14). The author may have chosen to leave those out because of its young audience. It may also take away from the credit that Hammurabi was given for being such a "wise king" (170) and make him seem as a strict and mean ruler.
The lesson then mentions the Hittites, who "invaded Mesopotamia and conquered the city of Babylon" (173). There is not even a brief explanation as to why the Hittites would want to invade the Babylonian empire. Jim Hicks explains that "perhaps their drive for power was instigated by envy and a desire to possess the wealth and to control the trade routes of the rich communities around them" (12). Their ambition for wealth and power drove them to invade the great Babylonian empire. The text states that the Hittites conquered Babylon, but Saggs mentions in his book of Babylonia that "political developments in his capital made the Hittite king return as suddenly as he had come, but Babylon was left powerless to resist a further aggressor" (40). Although this contradicts what the lesson states, it would be helpful to give a more detailed description of the Hittites. The lesson then ends by mentioning how Babylonia was later invaded and conquered by Kassites who "ruled the city for four centuries" (173). But Roaf says that when the Hittites invaded Babylonia, they put "an end to the first dynasty of Babylon and ushering in a dark age of some 150 years for which almost no information has so far emerged" (121). The lesson should go into depth and mention that this Dark Age occurred right after they were conquered.
The lesson includes one whole page in which the picture of a Mesopotamian scribe is labeled and explained (171). The lesson only makes a small comment about "trade agreements [being] prepared by scribes" (170), but no further explanation is given. As one flips through the pages of the lesson and comes up to the page about the scribe, which is in the middle of the lesson, I may add, it is a bit confusing as to why it is there. The picture and labels are interesting to look at and learn from, but it is difficult to make a connection with the rest of the text. If there were more information on the scribes in the lesson itself, it would not be as confusing to the reader.
The simple language used in the lesson has not distorted the ideas that are being presented, but makes it easier for their sixth grade readers to comprehend. This may also be the reason as to why most events are only discussed briefly and not in to much depth. There doesn't seem to be ommissions of a group of people, the ones mentioned are not fully explained or described. The lesson presents enough information for its young sixth graders to learn about what went on during the time period presented. Though it would be a lot more educational to go into depth and include more information, the young audience is receiving the general idea.
References:
Andrea, Alfred J., and James H. Overfield. The Human Record: Sources of Global History. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 2001.
Hicks, Jim. The Empire Builders: The Emergence of Man. New York, Ny: Time-LifeBooks, 1974.
Malam, John. Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent. Austin, TX: Steck-Vaughn, 1999.
Roaf, Michael. Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East. Oxford,England: Equinox Ltd., 1990.
Saggs, H.W.F. Everyday Life in Babylonia and Assyria. Great Britain, Jarrold and Sons,1965.
Service, Pamela F. Cultures of the Past: Mesopotamia. Tarrytown, NY;MarshallCavendish Co., 1999.
Woodard, JoAnn A. The Code of Hammurabi: Law of Mesopotamia: a unit of study for grades 9-12. Los Angeles, CA: National Center for History in the SchoolsUniversityof California, 1991.
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Goodspeed, George Stephen. A History of the Babylonians and Assyrians. Folcroft, PA: Folcroft Library Ed., 1902.
Rogers, Robert William. A History of Babylonia and Assyria. New York, NY: The Abingdon Press, 1915.
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