Royal Courier, Start the journey!

Sending Letters Home in Ancient Mesopotamia
Activity Leader: Jennifer Hicks, University College London
Suitable for 7-11 year olds, though younger and older children are welcome

Thousands of years before email and skype, how did the people of ancient Iraq keep in touch with their loved ones when they were away from home? They wrote and sent letters, not on paper but on clay. What sorts of things did they write? How did the letters actually travel, and what was to stop other people reading them? This lively session will look at some translations of ancient Sumerian and Babylonian letters, and there will be a chance to learn how to make, seal and send a letter in a clay envelope.

For more information, please contact the Iraqi Cultural Centre on [email protected] or the BISI on [email protected]/ 020 7969 5274 (voicemail)