Ancient Thanksgivings Social Studies Grade 6

Name: _____________ Due Date: November 22, 2016

Ancient Thanksgivings Today we feast to celebrate all things happy, from holidays, weddings, birthdays and more! The people of the ancient civilizations were no different. They too celebrated important occasions with feasts, dancing, games, competitions, and gifts/offerings. Your task: Read about the following Harvest Festivals and festivals of thanks celebrated by some of the ancient cultures we have studied, and those we will continue to study throughout the year. You will write a compare/contrast essay comparing the Harvest Festivals of two of the ancient civilizations (one that we have studied, and one that we have not yet studied) to our modern day Thanksgiving. Mesopotamian Feasts: In Ancient Mesopotamia, the Sumerians and Babylonians celebrated a festival to celebrate the return of the rain in autumn. Sacrifices were made to the gods in the form of grain and other foods at the ziggurat. The people participated in feasting, dancing, and music. These festivals usually lasted about 5 days. The agricultural festivals were usually celebrated twice a year. The Spring Equinox marked the important time where the people would wash the land to remove impurities such as too much salt, ensure the softening of the soil, and the Autumn Equinox marked the beginning of the harvest and the planting season. During the festivals people would sing different types of hymns and songs, host competitions, and play games. The main crop of the ancient Mesopotamian farmers was barley, which grew easily in the fertile soil. From barley the people made bread and beer which were staples of their diet. Many other foods included grains such as wheat, lentils, chickpeas, beans, onions, garlic, leeks, melons, eggplants, turnips, lettuce, cucumbers, apples, grapes, plums, figs, pears, dates, pomegranates, apricots, pistachios, and a variety of herbs and spices. Meat was often eaten at festivals because it was not something the people had the ability to eat regularly. They would boil the meat into stew with spices

and other ingredients. Some of these recipes were vegetarian, or just included chicken or fish. Garlic, coriander, and mint appear in these recipes alongside cumin- a spice that has had the same name since ancient times. Large numbers of animals were slaughtered as an offering to a god, and the meat would be presented to the statute at the ziggurat. After a certain time the priests would take what remained- considering statues could not eat much, the priests must have ate very well.

Ancient Greek Thesmophoria: In ancient Greece when the underworld god Hades abducted the young maiden Persephone, her mother Demeter (goddess of grain) was upset and wouldn’t use her powers to help grow crops or feed the world until the other gods helped with her conflict. Winter came upon the land and nothing could grow. When Persephone was returned to her mother, a happy Demeter gave the gift of agriculture to mankind. Nevertheless, the gods granted Persephone release for half the year, and each year she spends half in the underworld with Hades. Every year when Persephone is in the underworld there is winter, and when she is on the earth there is spring and summer. The Greeks believed that because of Demeter the earth provided the gifts it did to the people. By honoring the goddess Demeter with offerings and ceremonies, the people would be given a new and fresh harvest each year. This holiday of thanks in honor of Demeter was called Thesmophoria. This festival was held in the fall around our modern months of October/November when we host Thanksgiving. A feast would be held on the third day, and offerings to Demeter would be made in the form of seed corn, cakes, fruit, and pigs. They hoped that Demeter’s gratitude would grant them a good harvest.

Ancient Egypt: Harvest Festival Due to the mild climate in Egypt, crops could be planted almost any time, but the height of the floods usually the harvest occurred in late March/early April. The first cereal grains would be harvested and while other crops were also planted, this marked the most important harvest of the year- also a time of celebration if the crops were good. The Egyptians celebrated their harvest festival in honor of Min, the god of vegetation and fertility. The festival of Min was held in the springtime. One of

the highlights of the festival was the parade in which the Pharaoh participated. The Pharaoh would sit on a canopied litter, his court, soldiers, standard bearers, fan bearers, dancers, and musicians, would form a great procession all the way to his temple. The priests of Min formed a huge group in the procession, burning incense and carrying shrines and images of the Pharaoh and his ancestors. The parade also contained floats that were similar to modern day parades. Offerings were made to Min in the form of bouquets of flowers and lettuce. Following the parade a huge feast was held that included dancing, music, and sports games. Once the Egyptian farmers harvested their corn, they cried and pretended to be devastated with grief in order to trick the spirit they believed lived within the corn. They were afraid if they did not do this, that the spirit would be angry when the farmers cut down the corn. Although extremely rich ancient Egyptians could eat meat on a regular basis, it was typically a food reserved for festivals and special occasions for most of society. Meat was valuable and was mostly saved for the feasts and festivals at private homes. Meat options included goat, sheep, antelope, ostrich, fish, duck, quail, goose, mutton, gazelle, and beef. Fresh fruit and vegetables were also common during festival celebrations and festival guests would pick at pomegranates, grapes, squash, dates, figs, cucumbers, radishes, and lentils. Figs were often prepared in honeyed form as well. Desserts were quite popular in Egyptian festivals but without sugar. The sweet taste in these desserts came from honey or dates, and included sweet bread, raisin bread, fried pastries, sweetmeats and honey cakes. Cheese was also something that was frequently found alongside desserts at these festivals.

Ancient Rome: Cerelia The Roman celebration of Cerelia was a harvest festival in honor of Ceres, the goddess of corn. This was also an autumn festival that was held on October 4th. Some believe this festival may have been held in April. The people made offerings to Ceres using the first fruits of the harvest, and pigs.. The celebration included music, parades, games, sports, chariot races, and a thanksgiving feast.

Some believe this festival lasted about eight days, and that the great chariot races were saved as the concluding activity. White robes were worn at the games. The Roman banquets would last for hours due to entertaining and the wide variety of foods being served. People did not need to wear shoes at the tables, nor did they use utensils as we do today. They may use a spoon or knife if necessary, but forks were not something they used. Meals would include meats, vegetables, eggs, and fruit. The Romans typically drank watered down wine with their meals. Many times lettuce (salad) and egg courses were served first as the appetizer, and were a standard part of the dinner. Many seafood options such as sea urchins, raw oysters, and mussels appeared on the Roman table as well. Desserts often included apples, figs, dates, nuts, pears, grapes, cakes, cheese, and honey. Bread was a staple at any meal. For the upper class banquets, the Romans would serve many exotic foods, often with sauces that made their food more interesting. Garum was a type of sauce made from fish waste mixed with salt water, and was very popular. Sauces made from vinegar, honey, salt, pepper, and other herbs/spices were popular.

Ancient Thanksgivings Choose one ancient culture we have studied, and one we have not. You will be writing a compare/contrast essay comparing two ancient cultures and their feasts of thanks to the American Thanksgiving we celebrate. Your task: 1. Choose two ancient festivals 2. Fill out the compare/contrast Venn Diagrams below 3. Begin your rough draft of the essay 4. Type your essay

Compare/Contrast the two ancient festivals below. Be sure to label which is which!

Compare/Contrast one ancient festival and modern thanksgiving. Be sure to label which is which!

Compare/Contrast one ancient festival and modern thanksgiving. Be sure to label which is which!

What did they eat? Culture Ancient Mesopotamia

Ancient Egypt

Ancient Greece

Ancient Rome

Foods at festival

Modern Thanksgiving

5 Paragraph essay: Rough Draft Introduction:

What is this essay about?

__________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ Body paragraph 1: Compare/contrast the two ancient festivals __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ Body paragraph 2: Compare the festivals to modern Thanksgiving __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ Body paragraph 3: Contrast the festivals to modern Thanksgiving __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________

__________________________________________ __________________________________________ Conclusion: Summarize what you’ve discussed in your essay. Do not introduce any new information!

__________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________

Part 2: Ancient Thanksgivings: On Tuesday November 22, 2016, bring in a sample of food from one of your ancient cultures or modern thanksgiving to share with the class for our ancient thanksgiving feast. You will be able to experience a thanksgiving feast similar to that of the ancient cultures.

(Please sign up with Miss Mallon so we do not have multiple of the same thing!)

The following pages will be completed in class on November 22, 2016

What were the people of each culture thankful for? Ancient Mesopotamians

Ancient Egyptians

Ancient Greeks

Ancient Romans

You (and other modern Americans)

How can we be sure that we give thanks this Thanksgiving? __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ _________________________________________

Compare/Contrast how we (or you!) give thanks today and how the two ancient cultures you studied gave thanks: Be sure to label each! Mesopotamians and You

______________ & You

Give thanks! What are you thankful for? Why? __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ _________________________________________ How does your family celebrate thanksgiving? Are there any similar traditions to the ancient people? __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________