Mesopotamia was one of the earliest human civilizations on the planet and among the very first to practice agriculture and develop irrigation. Yet, despite it’s significance and impact on the development of human society, Lincoln Park students are none too knowledgeable on its history.
A poll of Lincoln Park high school students shows that over 80 percent of students consider themselves to be unfamiliar with the irrigation techniques of Ancient Mesopotamia.
The survey, conducted by The SIREN queried students about their knowledge on a variety of critical subjects taught in American schools throughout the country’s history.
Despite the importance of agriculture in American society, there seemed to be a lack of knowledge in agricultural fields. Although this extends to other important landmarks in the history of American Agriculture, the most glaring gap appears in the history beyond American influence in Agriculture.
Located between two major rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates, Ancient Mesopotamia was unusually well positioned to pioneer early irrigation techniques. The redirection of water from the river through canals in order to provide water for the fields is what allowed Ancient Mesopotamia to become as influential as it did, but only 18 percent of students said that they consider themselves familiar with the subject.
For some of the staff at Lincoln Park, this is incredibly disappointing.
“I think it’s important to be connected to our history,” stated Algebra teacher Henry Durgess.
“Ancient Mesopotamia helped develop one of the earliest forms of government and civilization as we know it. The influence it had on humanity as a whole cannot be understated,” said Mr. Durgess. “People need to know about this.”
