Defining civilization: What features of civilization, described in Chapter 2, do these documents illustrate?
Making comparisons: What similarities and differences between ancient Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations can you infer from these documents? How might you account for the differences?
Considering past and present: What elements of thought and practice from these early pieces of written literature resonate still in the twenty-first century? What elements remain strange or unfamiliar to modern sensibilities?
Seeking further evidence: What dimensions of these civilizations’ social life and religious thinking are not addressed in these documents? What other perspectives might you want to seek out?
Reading between the lines: Historians often use documents to obtain insights or information that the authors did not intend to convey. How might these documents be used in this fashion? What are the advantages and dangers in this use of ancient texts?