Staff room

What are ziggurats?

	To teach pupils why and when ziggurats were built and what they were built from. To explore why buildings change through time.
	Photographs/drawings/plans of the ziggurat at Ur. Map of Mesopotamia.
	Whole group discussion / teacher presentation

Individual project

Begin the discussion by showing pupils a picture of the ziggurat.

What is a ziggurat? Describe what you see.

Explain why ziggurats were built, what was used to make them, where and when they were built.

Who can tell me something about ziggurats?
What is unusual about this building?

Point out that although they may look like Egyptian pyramids, ziggurats have a different use.

What do you think may be a difference between a ziggurat and an Egyptian pyramid?

Explain that much information was not known to modern historians about Mesopotamia until cuneiform writing was deciphered. Ask them to imagine what it might be like to see the ziggurat not knowing anything about them or the Mesopotamians.

Show how the ziggurat developed from temples on platforms. Brainstorm how buildings change through time. Ask them to think about the school building and any changes that have been made to it.

Why didn't the builders think about building the additions to begin with?

Chapter and section used

see: Ziggurats, Evidence and Dating