Describe the physical geography of Mesopotamia. Get the pupils to think about the difficulties of travelling in the different regions.
- What will affect how far you decide to travel?
- What will stop you easily travelling east and west?
- How would you quickly travel from north to south?
- What would be the problem of travelling by boat up the rivers?
Explore other problems of travel in Mesopotamia such as bandits and wild animals.
- What might attack you as you travelled?
Describe the different forms of transport available at different times. Discuss what differences these would make in how far people could travel and at what speed. Consider if the different forms of transport would allow people to transport different materials.
- Could you carry more by boat than donkey?
- What sorts of things could a donkey carry that would be difficult for a person?
Get the pupils to draw spider diagrams of the advantages and disadvantages of travelling by each of the forms of transport.
Think about how distance of transport would make materials more expensive.
- Would you charge the same if you carried some dried fish to your neighbour or to the other end of Mesopotamia?
Finish by discussing how most of the forms of transport were used in Mesopotamia until a few years ago and are still used in many parts of the world today.
see: Travel, Geography and Environment
