Request by a Public School Teacher

[jdustin]

Dear Cartographer's Guild,

I am a middle school social studies teacher, and I am interested in having a map created for my classroom. I'll first tell you what I'm currently doing and then give some details about what I'm looking for.

I am running a game of my own invention that is tied into my world history curriculum. It is a game based on this map - done by one of the guild's members:
https://goo.gl/JbRORw

The students are organized into tribes initially. I teach the students concepts of the Neolithic period and early Antiquity. The tribes choose a location to settle. Then they can take actions, such as build irrigation, develop the plow, etc. Based on their actions and the geography of their location - floodplains, etc. - I adjudicate the results, displaying the population and wealth of the tribes. Every turn I teach more concepts. Their tribes can choose to become states. Social classes develop. Colonization happens. Wars break out. All the while, I am updating the map, using my trusty copy of the Gimp, and a status board.

It is basically a spreadsheet game combined with role playing, with me as the game master. The kids are enthralled with the game. They even meet at lunch to negotiate agreements and to talk over problems in the game.

What I'd like to do in the future is link it even more closely with my world history curriculum. I'd like to have a map of the Mesopotamian/Fertile Crescent/Egyptian region, done in an appealing fantasy art style. It wouldn't need to have any labels. I'd take care of labeling. I'm just interested in a simple fantasy style physical map. The region I'm interested in is here:
http://www.emersonkent.com/map_archi...ia_1450_bc.htm

I am a public school teacher, so I don't have much money, but I could pay something for such a map.

What do you think?

Sincerely,
Dustin Flesher
dustin.flesher@asd20.org

[Diamond]

Hey Dustin, I'm moving your thread to the more appropriate Mapmaking Requests subforum. Good luck in your search!

Side note: why didn't I have cool teachers like you back in the misty days of antiquity (also known as my youth)?

[snodsy]

Dustin;

I would be interested in helping develop these maps, I sent you an email. Look forward to hearing from you.

[johnvanvliet]

for anyone interested the "Fertile Crescent" area
lores 2048x2048 color and normalized heightmap



and the large 5760x5760 images
71 meg zip
the heightmap is in 16 bit SIGNED msb ( intel) format
min. -851 ( every tone is 0.5 Meter)
max. 10259 ( every tone is 0.5 Meter)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6Z...ew?usp=sharing

[snodsy]

Thanks for these, wish I had them when I did the my Oligard map, I definitely download these for future needs. Thanks again.

[AntonioFrade]

e-mail sent dustin!

[jdustin]

The commission has been taken! I'll keep the guild updated with progress on my project.

[arthurnottheking]

@jdustin,
Could you please share the project results? Hope it was successful.

@johnvanvliet,
The Google Drive document is not accessible anymore. I'm currently working on the "Fertile Crescent" area assignment to do my homework project, so it would be great to look at the materials.