Stories About Mesopotamia, Part 2

The Best Day of My Life

By Davis

I was at home working on something that my parents had always wanted me to do. Scribing.

Scribing is one of my least favorite things to do in the whole entire world! I only do it because my parents make me, and because Mama and Papa say that one day if I continue scribing I could have a very important job for the King.

I could also get loads of silver and make my family very proud of me. I still hate it, though.

I was looking down and focusing on a very important letter to my teacher, to tell her about Papa. I was telling her that Papa was a part of a hunter-gatherer group, and I told her the very exciting news about the mammoth that Papa had caught. Ahh! So boring. I threw the clay on the ground.

All of a sudden Papa came in. I quickly hid the broken clay. I would have to tell him later.

Hi Dad.

Oh hi, Muha. I was just wondering if you would want to come out of the city with me.

I froze.

Wait, you actually mean out of the city?

A smile curled his lips.

Yes I do, Muha.

I was so happy that my feet almost jumped out of my thick wooly boots. I instantly forgot about the broken clay.

You ready?

I realized that I was dazing off. I jerked my head back up quickly.

Oh yeah, Dad, you bet I am.

Irrigation In Ur: How It All Began

By Gabriel

My name is Akiya. I only wish that my father would get me educated. He always says, “No you need to stay home and learn to farm."

But I have an idea. I have been thinking about ways to stop the flooding.

You see, every year Ur is filled with water. Killing cattle, ruining crops, and sometimes flooding homes. Maybe if I show father my idea, he might let me apply for school.

I had gone outside to play in the dirt when I noticed a small ditch filled with water. “That looks like the river,” I thought.

I then built a small Ur out of sticks and stones. I went to the real river and got some more water to make it rain. The small town flooded.

Then I built another town, but I dropped the stone I was digging with. It created a smaller, thinner ditch. Then an idea struck.

What if the flood waters are drained into a smaller riverbed?! We could also redirect the waters, to make farming easier. 

Akiya then experimented with different techniques and methods, until he found the most effective system. 

I’ll call it irrigation We can grow more food and prevent dangerous flooding. 

The Scribe

By Isabel

Aea looked up from her work to wipe her brow. It was sweltering in the classroom, but it was worth it, if she would one day become a scribe for the king. The highest honor…

Aea was snapped out of her reverie by Mr. Lugulbanda saying, “Aea? For the last time, pay attention to your work! This has happened too many times. I will have to speak with your parents.”

“Please don’t, Mr. Lugulbanda! I’ll work harder! I just want to be a scribe!”

“Maybe you’re not cut out for being a scribe. I’m sorry Aea.” From his expression, Aea could tell he couldn’t care less, but she had to try.

“Please! Maybe there’s something I can do for extra credit?”

“I’ll let you continue in school if you can memorize Hammurabi's Code by the end of the week,” Mr. Lugulbanda said with a smirk.

Aea decided right then and there that she disliked Mr. Lugulbanda immensely. “But sir, that’s impossible! There are 282 laws!”

“Then you better get started,” said Mr. Lugulbanda, clearly enjoying this. “Class dismissed,” he called, and there was a mad rush for the door ...

Aea scurried out of the school and down the dusty roads until she came to the center of the city. The rocks loomed over her menacingly, but Aea wasn’t daunted. She started copying. By lunchtime, she had copied exactly 100 laws. She was proud of her accomplishment, and skipped all the way home.

When she got home, she constructed a quick meal for herself, inhaled it, and ran back to the rocks, her feet slapping the dirt. She sat down, and resumed writing.

By the time she had written the last law, the sun had just set and dusk was approaching rapidly. She slowly walked home, enjoying the city views by the light of the stars. Aea flopped down on her bed, and fell asleep the instant her head hit the pillow.

She dreamed great dreams, where she became the first female writer in history. Suddenly she was falling falling… She awoke with a start, feeling ready to look at Hammurabi’s Code again.

The next day, time seemed to crawl along at a snail’s pace. Aea said the laws over and over in her head, until she had memorized at least 150 laws. At that point, her brain felt like a wrung out sponge, and she couldn’t continue. She was more than halfway done! She would show that Mr. Lugulbanda ...

And finally, thanks to Grace for coming up with a fantastic metaphor during class today: 

"Ancient Mesopotamia is as old as the air."