This section is primarily aimed at university teachers. It makes a variety of suggestions for lectures, small group teaching, and student work based on our own experience of teaching these topics to history undergraduates who have no specialist knowledge of ancient Assyria or its languages.
As always, we welcome feedback and suggested additions and improvements.
In addition, whether you are a student or a teacher,you will find much more about cuneiform script and the Akkadian language with the Cuneiform Revealed section of the site, including a wide variety of lessons and exercises.
Here are some links to downloadable images and Google Earth and Google Sky content (KMZ files) used elsewhere on the website. For instructions on downloading Google Earth (including Google Sky) and installing KMZ files, see the External Resources page.
- Family tree of the Assyrian royal family [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/saao/knpp/downloads/assyrian-royal-family.gif] (black and white GIF file, 44KB)
- Provinces of the Assyrian empire, with labels [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/saao/knpp/downloads/assyrian-provinces.gif] (colour GIF file, 68KB)
- Provinces of the Assyrian empire, without labels [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/saao/knpp/downloads/assyrian-provinces-nolabels.gif] (black and white GIF file, 56KB)
- Large map of all the places mentioned in the letters, queries and reports from the reigns of Esarhaddon and Assurbanipal, by Karen Radner (colour JPG file, 4.1MB).
- Sheep's liver, with the zones considered ominous in Neo-Assyrian royal extispicy [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/saao/knpp/downloads/liver.gif] (colour GIF file, 52KB)
- All Google Earth content (KMZ files) used in People, Gods, and Places (8KB) [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/saao/knpp/downloads/k_and_p.kmz]
- All Google Sky content (KMZ files) showing Assyrian stars and constellations (8KB) [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/saao/knpp/downloads/k_and_p_sky.kmz]
The identification of ancient places with modern sites is not always certain. We have followed the certainty codes 1-4 in Parpola and Porter, Helsinki atlas (2001), and coloured the pins in the Google Earth (KMZ) files accordingly:
- Yellow: definitely known location (no "probably/perhaps/possibly" in People, Gods, and Places)
- Green: "probably" known to be a modern location
- Aqua: "perhaps" known to be a modern location
- White: "possibly" known to be a modern location