An Educator's Handbook for Teaching about the Ancient World

With the right methods, studying the ancient world can be as engaging as it is informative. Many K-12 teachers, university instructors, and museum educators use hands-on, project-based, and experiential activities in their classes to increase student engagement and learning. This book aims to bring together such pedagogical methods and teaching activities about the ancient world for any educator to use. The teaching activities in this book are designed in a cookbook format so that educators can replicate these teaching "recipes” (which include materials, budget, preparation time, levels of students) in their ancient art, archaeology, social studies, and history classes. They can be implemented online or in-person, in schools, universities, libraries, museums, or at home. Find out more about the book and the contributors at: https://pinardurgunpd.wixsite.com/teachancientTable of ContentsEditor’s Note and AcknowledgementsSECTION 1: Pedagogical EssaysIntroduction: Why Should We Teach and Learn about the Ancient World? – Pınar DurgunActivating the Ancient World with Museum Collections – Jen ThumDig Doodles: Teaching Archaeology through Accessible Illustration – Hannah M. HerrickOpen Access to Ancient Worlds: Why Open Practices Matter – Alena BuisInspiring Student Motivation through Multimodal Learning – Robyn PriceTools for Digital Pedagogy and the Ancient World – Caroline Arbuckle MacLeodCollaborative Archaeology in the U.S.: Research Experiences from the American Southwest as Pedagogy – Nicholas C. Laluk and Mark R. AgostiniSECTION 2: Teaching ActivitiesFood and AgricultureIdentifying Centers of Domestication – Christopher W. JonesLife on the Farm: How Can We Reconstruct Past Agricultural Choices? – Jennifer BatesArt, Crafts, Materials, and MakersSigned, Sealed, Delivered: Carving and Using Seals – Erhan Tamur and Pınar DurgunCarving Ancient Egyptian Reliefs – Jen ThumMaking Lions at Babylon – Anastasia Amrhein and Elizabeth KnottAncient Greek Vase Painting: Production and Conservation – Maggie Beeler, Sarah Barack, Beth Edelstein, and Chelsea A.M. GardnerRoman Portraiture: #veristic #classicizing – Alena BuisArchitectureHow and Why Did Babylonians use Quicklime? – Sandra Heinsch, Walter Kuntner, and Wilfrid Allinger-Csollich HeinschPlaying Architect: Designing Ancient Structures – Carl WalshThe Iron Age House of Graham Crackers – Cynthia Shafer-ElliottLanguage, Writing, and TextsHow Were Clay Tablets Made and How Does Cuneiform Work? – Sara Mohr and Willis MonroeWriting a Cuneiform Letter – Klaus WagensonnerMulti-lingualism: What Language Should We Choose? – Kathryn McConaughy MedillRosetta Stone – Christian CaseyTabula Rasa: Experiencing the Roman Wax Tablet – Nathalie RoyCreating Personalized Anthologies Using Primary Sources – Victoria PichuginaReligion, Myth, Medicine, and MagicThe Epic of Gilgamesh and the Value of Friendship – Leticia Rovira and Cecilia MollaWhat’s Up Doc? Diagnosing & Treating Illness in Antiquity – Chelsea A.M. Gardner and Maggie BeelerDemon Traps! Making Late Antique Incantation Bowls – Helen DixonCouncil of Nicaea – Nicholas CrossGender and IdentityDolls and Archaeological Interpretation – Tine RassalleFigurine Out Ancient Identities – Anastasia AmrheinBuild Your Own Exhibition: Women at the Dawn of History – Elizabeth Knott, Agnete W. Lassen, and Klaus WagensonnerGames, Warfare, and PoliticsHow and Why Was the Royal Game of Ur Played? – Shane M. ThompsonReenacting the Battle of Kadesh – Stephanie SeloverImperialism and Rebellion on the Roman Frontier: Boudicca’s Revolt – Gabriel Moss and Peter RaleighHow Were Mesoamerican Ball Games Played? – Shane M. Thompson and Carl WalshDeath and BurialPlastered Skulls and Commemoration – Pınar DurgunCurating a Digital Egyptian Necropolis – Caroline Arbuckle MacLeodHumanizing Roman History and Tragedy – Anna AccettolaArchaeological and Digital MethodologiesVessel Forms and Functions – Shannon MartinoEthnographic Boat Recording – Sarah Ward and Ying Ying YANIntroduction to 2D Underwater Survey – Sarah Ward and Peter HoltVirtual Museum Exhibit: Humanizing the Past in the Present – Nadia Ben-MarzoukPodcast for Public Engagement – Nadia Ben-Marzouk and Danielle CandeloraAPPENDIX: Handouts, Translations, Examples, and Extra Materials for PrintingIdentifying the Origins of AgricultureLife on the Farm: How Can We Reconstruct Past Agricultural Choices?Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Carving and Using Seals (activity in Turkish)Carving an Egyptian ReliefMaking Lions at BabylonRoman Portraiture: #veristic #classicizingHow Were Clay Tablets Made and How Does Cuneiform Work?Writing a Cuneiform LetterRosetta StoneThe Epic of Gilgamesh and the Value of Friendship (activity in Spanish)What’s Up Doc? Diagnosing & Treating Illness in AntiquityBuild Your Own Exhibition: Women at the Dawn of HistoryReenacting the Battle of KadeshPlastered Skulls and Commemoration (activity in Turkish)Ethnographic Boat Recording (materials in English and activity in Mandarin)Introduction to 2D Underwater Survey (materials in English and activity in Mandarin)Virtual Museum Exhibit: Humanizing the Past in the PresentPodcast for Public Engagement Read more