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Assyrian History Teacher Pack
Print six introductory activities, twelve source-reading questions and a separate teacher answer key.
Use your browser’s print dialog to print or save a PDF. Print the pupil sheets separately from the teacher answer key below.
Introductory activities for teachers to adapt to their learners. They do not claim accreditation or a specialist curriculum review.
Pupil sheet 1
Assur: city, river and sacred centre
Name: ____________________ Date: ______________
Make three columns: political life, religious life, daily life. Place palace, temple, house and royal burial in the columns. Explain one overlap.
1. Which river borders Assur?
Tigris / Nile / Euphrates
2. Which evidence helps us study everyday urban life?
Only royal names / Private houses as well as public buildings / Modern national borders
Evidence: UNESCO — Ashur ·
Pupil sheet 2
Capitals changed: Nimrud to Nineveh
Name: ____________________ Date: ______________
Put Nimrud, Dur-Sharrukin and Nineveh in the order of this capital sequence. Explain why a capital change does not prove a city was immediately destroyed.
1. What was Nimrud’s ancient name?
Edessa / Babylon / Kalhu
2. What happened after the capital moved?
Nimrud remained an important centre / Every resident immediately left / It became the capital of Rome
Pupil sheet 3
Cuneiform: a script, not one language
Name: ____________________ Date: ______________
Draw three wedge-shaped marks. Write two sentences explaining script versus language. Do not label your invented marks an authentic ancient translation.
1. Cuneiform is…
A single language / A writing system / A modern alphabet
2. Which material commonly carried cuneiform?
Printed paper / Plastic / Clay
Evidence: British Museum — How to write cuneiform · The Met — Distribution of copper knives tablet ·
Pupil sheet 4
Ashurbanipal’s library: what survives?
Name: ____________________ Date: ______________
Teaching examples, not real objects: card A has a collection label; card B has no label; card C joins A. Which cards offer stronger evidence of collection membership? What remains unknown?
1. Where were these tablets found?
Athens / Nineveh / Originally in London
2. What can a colophon help identify?
Ownership or collection history / The modern auction price / Every city’s exact population
Evidence: British Museum — What was Ashurbanipal’s Library? ·
Pupil sheet 5
Read a royal claim critically
Name: ____________________ Date: ______________
Invented classroom sentence: “I built a splendid palace.” Identify the speaker, claim, purpose and other evidence needed. Which part of the sentence is a value judgement?
1. Whose perspective is foregrounded in a royal inscription?
Every inhabitant equally / A modern journalist / The ruler
2. How should you assess a specific claim?
Assume it is neutral / Compare it with other evidence / Dismiss all ancient texts
Pupil sheet 6
Living language heritage
Name: ____________________ Date: ______________
Design a recording catalogue with speaker permission, preferred variety name, recording date and chosen credit. Do not require a home address or publication of family details.
1. Syriac belongs to which language tradition?
Latin / Aramaic / Sumerian
2. Are all modern Neo-Aramaic varieties identical?
No, they are diverse / Yes, everywhere / They are cuneiform signs
Evidence: Syriaca — About Syriac · University of Cambridge — North-Eastern Neo-Aramaic ·
Teacher answer key
Assur: city, river and sacred centre
Tigris. UNESCO describes the site beside the Tigris.
Private houses as well as public buildings. Ordinary houses can complement the evidence from temples and palaces.
Categories are not mutually exclusive. Accept a reasoned placement rather than one rigid answer.
Capitals changed: Nimrud to Nineveh
Kalhu. Nimrud is the modern name of ancient Kalhu.
Nimrud remained an important centre. The Met describes its continuing importance.
This sequence describes ancient royal centres, not the borders of a modern community.
Cuneiform: a script, not one language
A writing system. Different languages used the cuneiform writing system.
Clay. A reed stylus could impress wedges into clay.
This is a mark-making exercise, not a translation of a pupil’s name. Museum sign-chart reproduction requires its own rights check.
Ashurbanipal’s library: what survives?
Nineveh. The collection was excavated at Nineveh.
Ownership or collection history. A text’s label or concluding note can provide collection evidence.
These fictional cards must never be described as actual ancient tablets. A label and a physical join are different kinds of evidence.
Read a royal claim critically
The ruler. Royal inscriptions communicate a ruler’s achievements and ideology.
Compare it with other evidence. A source’s purpose and corroborating evidence both matter.
Building remains or another dated record may support construction. They do not automatically prove the adjective “splendid.”
Living language heritage
Aramaic. Classical Syriac is an Aramaic variety.
No, they are diverse. The Cambridge project documents diverse place-specific varieties.
Linking to a provider’s recordings does not grant permission to copy its audio.