Uruk

It is hard to tell when the first established communicative signals of mankind started to exist and it is only known that the primitive writing system was developed by 4000 BC in the region of Sumer in southern Babylonia. One thing that hasn’t changed till these days is the fact that language, as a particular human phenomenon, can be divided into two main forms: spoken and written. Even if both languages bear some similarities, such as the status marking of the sentences (is it a question, a…

Fourteen eons ago, in the dominion of Mahismati, every human was supervised by its gods or goddesses, and portrayed the most idyllic mankind; but amidst the many gods materialized a god with the most exquisite virtues of them all. His inner beauty and his sagacious mind provoked the most despondent spirits. Akash Mitra, the god of morality, was picturesque and quintessential, both physically and lustfully. He existed as a purist, as he himself knew that, but plumly, he was a shoddy one. Even the…

The Ramayana There are many differences which separate The Ramayana and Gilgamesh apart from one another. The most significant being the heroes of the epics themselves. Although Rama and Gilgamesh both possess incredible strength, intelligence, and perseverance, their beginnings, ideologies and goals are what set them apart from one another. Rama, throughout the epic is a character who, unlike Gilgamesh, is beloved among everyone. Gilgamesh starts off as a tyrannical ruler who was known to…

The most powerful person was the Pharaoh The Pharaoh represented the gods on earth Many Pharaohs went to war when their land was threatened or when they wanted to control foreign countries If the pharaoh won the battle, the conquered people had to recognize the Egyptian pharaoh as their ruler and offer him there finest goods that they have. Egypt was the first to be ruled by the Pharaoh The pharaoh was the supreme leader of not only the government but also the religion The vizier was the Chief…

Painted on the northern wall of a chapel in a tomb belonging to the New Kingdom Pharaoh Menna, who ruled from 1400 until 1352 B.C.E., lies a very striking piece of Egyptian artwork, known as “Egyptian Hunting in the Marshes.” This relief depicts the owner of the tomb and his family fishing and fowling in the papyrus marshes. While the creative artist of this scene will never be known to history, Menna is seen holding decoy birds in one hand, and raising a spear above his head with the other. On…

Amazing Ancient Civilizations Whenever one thinks about amazing ancient civilizations, Egypt and Mesopotamia may come to mind. Both blossomed into successful realms that exchanged revolutionary ideas. These cultures were important because of the enormous amount of power and influence they had on future technology, due to the advanced inventions they had developed; however, while they maintained similar governments and religions, they were also very distinct in these areas as well. In terms of…

The Spiritual Journey The Epic of Gilgamesh is an ancient piece of Mesopotamia literature that is often considered the oldest inscribed piece of literature on earth. This epic poem tells the story of a grand Mesopotamian King, Gilgamesh, who goes on a spiritual quest seeking the meaning behind life and death. During Gilgamesh’s spiritual journey, there are many events that are like the first book of the bible, Genesis. The Book of Genesis is the first book of the Christian Old Testament, as well…

Topoi of revealed secrets occur in over twenty-five ANE sources, ranging from Sumer, Babylon, and Persia in the east to Egypt and Greece in the west. In the following subsection is three positive-revelation sources possibly holding a parent-child relationship with Second Temple writings. The second subsection contains two for negative revelation. The three most likely sources for parent-child relationships are (1) the Ascent of Enmeduranki, (2) the Assyrian version of the Epic of Gilgamesh, and…

Time is a notion defined by man, dating back 4000 years. It is the most malleable fabrication of the mind. As a result, time is interpreted as memories and flashbacks and happenings. Written by Kurt Vonnegut about his own experiences in World War II, Slaughterhouse-Five distorts the perceived vision of veterans during and after wartime. The novel symbolizes post-traumatic stress disorder and the effect of actions taking place during war. Kurt Vonnegut distorts the novel through his narration and…

In the opening pages of Book I of “The Odyssey” written by Homer and translated by Robert Fagles, the gods are conversing in assembly regarding the death of “handsome” Aegisthus. Similar to the modern-day court system, the gods attempt to justify the fate that Aegisthus, the human, has received. However, the gods - with knowledge of everything happening around the human world - rely not on the testimonies of mere mortals or on evidence received. Instead, the gods recall whether or not they from…