Hittites 2018
Marist School's
Museum of Ancient Cultures
The Museum of Ancient Cultures needs artifacts from the Hittites!
Because of your expertise in ancient civilizations
you have been chosen as curators of the museum.
The new museum only has space for a limited number of artifacts, so the Board of Directors has arranged a competition for its new curators. You must locate an artifact, research it, and present your findings. If you're successful, your artifact will go on display.
What's a curator?
Museum curators acquire artifacts for the museum. They know enough about the artifacts' construction to insure that they are displayed in a manner that preserves them. Curators also research cultural information about artifacts and interpret that information into displays that help the public understand the people who made them.
YOUR CHALLENGE
Fill the Museum with replicas of Hittite artifacts from the years 1600 BC to 1200 BC.
Research your artifact, its culture, and major events that happened in the area during that time.
Create a portfolio with a picture of your artifact, a map showing where it was found, a timeline, information on your culture, a list of works you consulted and pictures of your progress.
Create a museum card that describes your artifact and why it was important.
Present your artifact to the class, Mr. Martin, and Mr. Collier.
Complete Your Project in 5 Easy Steps
1
First you need to decide on an item that you think will make it into the museum.
Use the resources at the bottom of this page to find an artifact. Get at least one good picture of it.
FIRST WEEK TASKS:
1. Save a picture of your artifact to your network space or photocopy a picture from a book.
2. Write a citation for the picture like this:
"Title of the Artifact." Title of Website, URL. Date of Access.
3. Write down what your artifact is called, when and where it was found, and when it was made.
4. Begin planning your replica.
5. Document your progress--take pictures while you work.
You need to research your artifact's background so visitors to the museum will know more about it. If you're lucky, the source where you found your picture (in step 1) will also have detailed information about the item. If not, think about what your artifact represents--religious icon, food, game, tool--and look for information in the books.
SECOND WEEK TASKS:
1. Write about your artifact. Describe what it represents, how it was made, where it was found, and why an ancient person would think it was important.
2. Write citations for your sources of information like this:
Book - Author's last name, first name. Title of Book. City of publication, Publisher, copyright date. Print.
Web page - Author’s last name, first name (if given). “Page Title.” Title of Site, copyright date, URL.
Museum visitors will want to know more about your culture. Search the books and web sites for information about what was happening in the area when your item was made.
THIRD WEEK TASKS:
1. Use the Timeliner program to make a timeline of the period when your artifact was made and add five major points (migration periods, wars, important people's births and deaths, disasters, ruler's reigns, founding of cities, etc).
2. Write at least 3 paragraphs about the people who made your artifact.
3. Hand-draw a map of the area where your artifact was found.
Put the most interesting and important information from step 2 and 3 into a museum card.
2
3
4
FOURTH WEEK TASK:
Type your information into a Word document.
Put the name of your artifact, its culture, when it was made
and your name(s) at the top.
Print out a copy to use for your presentation and bring it to class.
E-mail a copy to Mr. Collier collierb@marist.com
(Mr. Collier will use it to mount a card for your artifact.)
This information will hang in the museum alongside your artifact,
so be professional and make it interesting.
Example:
Spedis Owls
600 B.C.
Lucy Kalbas, Lily Mauriello, Louise Richens
The Spedis owl petroglyph was created in Columbia hills state park, Washington and was first discovered in 1956 right before the Dalles Dam flooded. The petroglyph was carved in the side of a rock with the sharp edge of a smaller rock. Native American Indians were a deeply spiritual people and they communicated their history, thoughts, ideas and dreams from generation to generation through symbols and totems such as this owl. Native American bird and animal totems are believed to represent the physical form of a spirit helper and guide. Owls were also believed to be messengers from beyond the grave who deliver warnings to people who had broken tribal taboos.
5
Put all your work together for your presentation.
1. Bring your artifact and your information to class.
2. Present the information you gathered in your research.
3. On the map, point out where your artifact was found.
4. Tell us about one or two important things on your timeline.
5. Show pictures of how you created your artifact.
You will have 3 to 5 minutes to present, so stick to the interesting stuff.
YOUR SOURCES:
WEBSITES WITH ARTIFACTS
Many of these links include items outside your culture or time period, so choose carefully.
Small collection with very little information, so you will need to do additional research.
There isn't much info with these artifacts, so you will need to do additional research.
Small but detailed collection. Site is a little slow, so be patient.
Oriental Institute at University of Chicago
WEBSITES WITH MAPS, CULTURES and DATES
Type in the name of your culture to find articles, maps, and timelines.
BOOKS
with maps, cultural information and important dates for your timeline
The Ancient Near East 935 STE
Ancient Civilizations of Western Asia and the Mediterranean 936 AND
Ancient Civilizations Almanac REF 930 KNI
Encyclopedia of the Ancient World REF 930.03 ENC
Historical Atlas of Ancient Mesopotamia REF 935 BAN
The Ancient Near East Gale Virtual Reference
Many of these books are about multiple cultures, so you will need to use the index.
Grading:
You will be evaluated on four aspects of this project: your presentation to the Board, the quality of your information, your cultural essay, and your artifact itself. Mr. Martin will grade each part of your project according to the handout given to you at the beginning of the project.
Conclusion:
Consider these questions:
Why was it important to use so many different sources of information?
Did creating a representation of your artifact help you better understand the people who wore it?
What did you learn about your civilization during this task?
What did you learn from your classmates' presentations?
Even though you may not become a museum curator, hopefully you will see where things you learn in Ancient Civ might apply in the "real world". You should have a better understanding of the ancient artist and a sense of style from the earliest cultures on earth. You will also exercise your ability to locate information in different forms and put it together so you can share your knowledge with others.