The Ancient World in the News Today

Why do we study ancient civilizations when we live in the 21st century?  I'm glad that you asked.  We are going to formulate that answer together in the first week of school, then I will put your answers on my site.  If you take a look at the two maps below and turn on the news, you can start to understand the importance of this region to our world today. 

The first map is the Assyrian empire, nearly 3000 years ago.  The second map includes southeastern Europe, Northeast Africa,and the Middle East.  If you turn on the news or read a newspaper or website, you will find much of this region at the top of the news EVERY day.  If you have some time this summer, look into what's going on in the region and why it is still very relevant to our world today.

The lands that the Assyrians fought to conquer 3000 years ago, are still being fought over today, and the United States is involved in most if not all of the conflicts.  The second map is the same region (from Google Maps) and it includes Egypt, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.  The tip of the Crimean Peninsula is even present in this picture.  While you have been on summer vacation, all of these places have been in news (A LOT).