I had been sent back to the year 10,000 BC to the place that would later become Mesopotamia (which is now modern day Iraq). I met some very interesting people that I will tell you about. The first person I met was an old woman wearing an animal-skin skirt. She told me that when she was a little girl her father hunted and fished, and her mother gathered plants and berries. They were called nomads. With a good supply of game and a nearby water source, she and her children and grandchildren were able to settle in one place. As soon as the people settled in their village, they were able to begin specializing in certain things such as taming animals, building shelters, making pottery, weaving, using metal, and hunting. Later that evening, I met a farmer and a potter. The farmer told me that his father realized that when you drop a seed on the ground it grows into a plant. Later on he learned to choose the best seeds to grow a bigger harvest. I also met a girl about my age. She said her name was Uganaga, their word for flower. Uganaga made cooking pots. She learned from her mother who made pots for storage. Uganaga invited me to stay with her until I left.
Example of Pottery Seen at an Early Settlement |
That night I ate berries and grain by the fire because I am a vegetarian. Instead of knives, they used stone axes to cut their fish and meat. I helped them prepare the fish and accidentally cut myself! They helped me clean my wound with water that they carried over in a clay pot. I also saw pots that were used to store seeds and grains. I got to help scratch a design into one of the pots that they were making. Uganaga traded a pot for a woven blanket made by another girl. We slept on her blanket together. Luckily I had a jacket since I thought I would be getting on a plane, so I used that for a pillow. In the morning I left before breakfast since I didn’t feel like eating berries again. After everyone said goodbye, Uganaga and I walked away from the settlement. We found a nice shady tree, and I pulled my Mac out of my backpack. Uganaga was curious and a little shy about it. I let her look at some of my photos. She was amazed. I said goodbye to my new (ancient!) friend. I opened the time portal link that I had bookmarked and soon I was back at home. The first thing I did was to eat a waffle with chocolate chips! I plan to time travel again soon. The next time, I plan to go with Ace and pack some food.
By: Adele Wells
Sources Used:
Millard, Dr. Anne, and Vanags, Patricia The Usborne Book of World History. London: Usborne, 2008. Print.
Bauer, Susan Wise, The Story of the World: Ancient Times. Charles City: Peace Hill Press, 2006. Print.
Horwich, Steven David, Connect the Thoughts: Early Civilizations. 2009. Print.
(Pottery example photo courtesy of Google Images.)
Adele, what a great adventure! I was so relieved to hear you had your jacket and that you got a waffle--berries, bleh! I mean, they're okay, but not for every meal.
ReplyDeleteYou are so lucky to be able to time travel to places like this! I'm glad you were able to bookmark the link to the portal, otherwise you'd be stuck in Mesopotamia eating berries forever!
ReplyDeleteVery well written. I hope you will be able to revisit Mesopotamia in other times. I am fascinated by the legendary Hanging Gardens of Babylon. And did you know there is a song called "Mesopotamia" by the B 52s?
ReplyDeleteIt is always interesting to see pots like that, similar to ours these days but different too. Like, a rounded bottom---they did not have a counter to set things on, or a table, maybe they would just sit in sand? And the type of shoulders, neck and lip--the shoulders and neck are very narrow and the lip wide, so maybe a piece of cloth could be tied over the top, to keep the contents inside, and further, attached with string to either a pack or an animal to be carried :) You also look at them and wonder how they were fired. It looks like simple unglazed river clay. Pots like this were probably fired in a pile of straw and sticks and ....dung! Like, dried goat poo and camel poo, not having kilns in their society yet .Thanks for sharing all this!
ReplyDeleteHey, that is so awesome Adele. I think that nomad that you met... the old lady wearing the animal skin skirt was my great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, grandmother. If you ever go back, tell her I said hi! What a wonderful adventure. Can I borrow your Mac? I wanna go back too!
ReplyDeleteExcellent! I wish I could have gone!
ReplyDeleteI'm behind on my Google Reader, but I couldn't wait to catch up on these adventures. This one is fantastic! I wish I could travel with you some or Ace some time. Thank you for educating me. I have a place in my house for those pots...
ReplyDeleteBe sure to keep that bookmark for your time travel...that sure is going to come in handy again!
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