The Mesopotamians kept their records and beliefs, but how do we? In ancient Mesopotamia, things were very different than nowadays. The schools and writing have drastically changed throughout the time. For example, it wasn’t in the beginning of the Mesopotamian civilization that the writing system started. So the majority of the parents that had sons or daughters did not know how to read or write. But in our society, all the parents that surround us know how to read and write, also us, and hopefully, so will our sons and daughters. Now, in Mesopotamia, even after writing in cuneiform started, it wasn’t anyone who could learn it. You had to be really lucky, and be very committed, not forgetting the fact that only boys could do it. It wasn’t easy because you studied for many years, and you had hours and more hours of reading and writing because the training was exceedingly strict. At the contrary, schools now, regardless of gender, give the same amount and kind of education. The if it wasn’t for writing, we could communicate by paper, read books, write laptops, or even write a paper like this that you are reading right now.

Between writing in schools, there also is a very important subject, math. Early math started in Mesopotamia as tokens. Each token represented an object and the tokens were used for trade. The early Mesopotamians also had math for a basic form of algebra and geometry. In Mesopotamia the math was a sexagesimal system, which means their math was based on the number six, while our modern day math is a decimal system, math based on the number 10. Back then, for example, they used measurements like *1 finger = 1.65 cm, and another example is *30 fingers = 1 cubit = 49.5 cm. Two examples for measuring area is *1 sar = 36m2, and *100 sar = 1 iku. Today, to measure length we use 1 inch = 2.54 cm, and 1 foot = 12 in. = 30.5 cm. Two ways of measuring area now are 1 square foot = 144 square inches, and 1 acre = 43,560 square feet. From 3000 B C E, the values of the numbers 36,000, 3600, 600, 60 and ten had their own individual symbols. Their mathematics lasted so long that we still use their 60 minute hour and 360 degree circle that Sumerians invented.

Mesopotamia had many ways to travel and for transportation, which could be on land or by sea or ocean. Some of their ways of traveling by ocean and sea, was by small rafts, coracles, river boats, and gulf boats. River boats were the boats that carried goods downstream. It carried grain, logs, wine, bricks, wool and beer. By land, there were only three options, by foot, on donkeys or on carts. On foot you could transport small quantities of small things except bricks and timber. The donkey was the most common way of transporting things. You could trade goods such as textiles, precious metals, wine, grain, lapiz lazuli, and other valuable stones. The last method is the cart. It carried metal, fish, textiles, oils, bricks, and grain. Now, each day technology grows, and more ways of transportation and traveling are made. We travel by air, land and sea. By air, we have helicopters to travel, and planes, which can be used to travel and transport. On land, there’s cars, motorcycles, bicycles and by foot. All of these options by land, can be used to travel and transport. On sea, there are ships, boats, and rafts.As you can see, there are many different ways for both.

So, on the overall, most part of the 2007-2008 Graded students have a positive outlook on their lives. Sometimes it can be hard for them, or us, but they put faith in something that will work out in the end. They feel independent, having big thoughts for their future. But, the majority of the students future can be influenced if he or she plans to be in brazil for the rest of a big time of their lives. But talking about schools and education in Mesopotamia, it depends in your point of view to define if it is positive or negative. But we can mostly assure you that almost all of the people would say it was negative because today it could be called racism, and it depends on your class and gender to see the quality of your education. Well, Phoenicia “survived” 300 years, from 1200 to 800b.c. It has its problems but it was a good civilization. Even though it wasn’t the Phoenicians that created cuneiform, they used it a lot. But one thing that they really changed and influenced today was our alphabet. They created a writing system without being cuneiform that each letter had a sound and didn’t represent a whole word. That was very important even for us, today. Now, you have seen that Mesopotamia and especially Phoenicia was pretty cool itself. The education was harsh and the writings complicated, but if it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t have it today.

By  J.B, P.T.F, and A.I. 

" Writing" 2007. http://images.google.com.br/images?gbv=2&hl=pt-BR&q=writing+in+mesopotamia. April 26, 2008