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Courtesy photo Fifth-graders at Lakeview Christian School in Lake Placid show some of the ziggurats they made to share with their class.

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published: Sunday, October 07, 2012

Lakeview Christian students learn about ziggurats

Special to the News-Sun

LAKE PLACID - Each year, the fifth-graders at Lakeview Christian School begin their studies in world history by learning about the Sumerians, an ancient people who lived in the southern region of Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia was between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in what is now modern day Iraq.

All the students look forward to building ziggurats and bring them to share with the class. A ziggurat is a Sumerian temple built in layers, with each ascending layer a little smaller than the one below.

Many ancient peoples used this building style all around the world. The students can create ziggurats of any size and out of any material, as long as it is at least four layers tall.

Over the years, the ziggurats have been made out of everything from sugar cubes, to golf balls, to soft drink cans. Some students strive for authenticity and make theirs look like actual temples, and others get creative and try to think of an original idea. Many bring edible ziggurats such as brownies or cakes to share with the class.

This year's fifth-graders used Kleenex boxes, rice crispy treats, plastic cups, and Styrofoam to create their ziggurats. Creating ziggurats is sort of tradition at Lakeview, and the fifth-graders this year all agree that they will always recognize a ziggurat whenever they see one.