A team of archaeologists has announced the discovery of a monumental stone relief in Iraq depicting King Ashurbanipal, along with Ishtar, Ashur, and other religious figures. “This find is a rare and invaluable window into the spiritual and political world of one of history’s most powerful empires.”
#archaeology #assyrian #Nineveh #ishtar #pagan #ashur #shamash #science
#archaeology #assyrian #mesopotamia
Archaeologists have found a rare carving depicting an Assyrian emperor surrounded by deities. The slab was found in the throne room of the North palace near Mosul. The slab was not only remarkable for its size, but also for the depictions. the fact that the slab was buried has probably helped it to survive. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/assyrian-king-stone-carving-gods-b2751495.html
It's Autumnal Equinox day for us here in the southern hemisphere (and the vernal equinox for friends in the north).
We will reach the equinox at exactly 20:01 AEDT this evening, where the Sun will be directly over the equator crossing from south to north.
The March Equinox has its roots in ancient astronomy, which helped people like my ancient Assyrian ancestors who lived in Mesopotamia to build their calendars and farm their lands.
As it's the spring equinox in the north, it meant it was the time of 'rebirth', and was the start of their new year.
This was only possible because many ancient cultures studied the position of objects like the Sun in the sky, and measured how long their day was. The collection of data, interpreting it, and recording it for future generations is very good science (even though it was tied to paganism/mythology).
Today, Assyrians celebrate NYE like most others, but some continue the tradition of celebrating NYE around this time of the year too. We call it “Resha-d-Sheta” which means “head of the year”. Here is how we write it:
ܪܫܐ ܕܫܢܬܐ
It ties into an ancient 12-day NYE celebration known as 'Akitu'.
So, when you think about the equinox today, think about how the calendars we use today, how we measure time passing, and how our base understanding of astronomy is connected in a very deep and long line of humans that stretches back thousands of years and will do so far into the future too.
📸 time and date
https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/611-ancient-dms
Les histoires de #bibliotheque qui brûle c'est toujours super intéressant
Shurbanipal’s #library was burned to the ground and buried under rubble when the Neo #Assyrian’s vassal states rose up and destroyed Nineveh in 612 BCE But in a further irony the burning of the city might have been precisely what saved the library’s contents in the long run, burning the tablets, far from destroying them, baked the tablets’ soft clay into something more like terracotta
#conservation
Monday Miscellany!
This week:
- False dichotomy
- #John 12
- #Ezekiel 34
- #Assyrian warfare
- Book reviews: celebrating #sex, not celebrating#Communism
Please read, share, and subscribe!
An #Assyrian artifact held in police storage in London for 22 years has (finally) been returned to #iraq
#heritage
https://archaeology.org/news/2024/09/17/assyrian-relief-returned-to-iraq/
The city of #Madyat in #Türkiye has a whole other city under it, dating back to #Assyrian times
#archaeology #Assyria #Mesopotamia
https://www.newarab.com/features/ancient-secrets-unearthed-vast-turkish-cave-city
Assyrian military camp found, potentially supporting biblical account of angels killing 185,000 soldiers
Recent archaeological discoveries may lend credence to a Biblical story recounting a divine intervention that saved Jerusalem from an Assyrian invasion approximately 2,700 years ago...
More information: https://archaeologymag.com/2024/06/assyrian-camp-biblical-account-of-angels-killing-soldiers/
Follow @archaeology
#archaeology #archeology #archaeologynews #assyria #Sennacherib #oldtestament #biblical #assyrian
Assyrian conquest and ruralization: unveiling territorial dynamics in the provinces of Magiddû and Samerina
“This study has illustrated that the Assyrian territorial strategy implemented in the provinces of Magiddû and Samerina, established upon the remnants of the Kingdom of Israel, manifested as clusters of sites, termed ‘islands of control’. These ‘islands’ comprised a rural landscape overseen by the principal cities of Tel Dan, Megiddo and Samaria. This territorial approach mirrors a broader modus operandi adopted by the Assyrians across their empire to manage agricultural production.”
Squitieri, A. (2024) ‘Assyrian conquest and ruralization: unveiling territorial dynamics in the provinces of Magiddû and Samerina’, Levant, pp. 1–20. doi: https://www.doi.org/10.1080/00758914.2024.2351677.
#OpenAccess #OA #Research #Article #DOI #History #Histodon #Histodons #Ancient #Antiquity #Antiquiodons #Assyria #Assyrian #Empire #Imperialism #Colonisation #Colonization #Levant #MiddleEast #NearEast #Asia #Agriculture @histodon @histodons @antiquiodons
Exploring the city of Gezer: a meeting point for radiocarbon, egyptology, and the Bible
Researchers have unveiled new radiocarbon dates that provide detailed insights into the ancient city of Gezer. Gezer, a southern Levantine city mentioned in Egyptian, Assyrian, and Biblical texts, has long been associated with power struggles, conquests, and historical figures such as Joshua and Solomon..
More information: https://archaeologymag.com/2023/11/the-city-of-gezer-a-meeting-point-for-radiocarbon-egyptology-and-the-bible/
Follow @archaeology
@gemsofindology Thanks for sharing. It is a Neo-Assyrian clay tablet from 7th century BC with Akkadian cuneiform inscription
#akkadian #assyrian #iraq #archaeology #britishmuseum
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_K-251
Eclipses were once associated with the death of kings — attempting to predict this played a key role in the birth of astronomy
#Astronomy #Space #History #SolarEclipse #Babylon #Assyrian #Mesopotamia #EclipsePredictions #AncientBeliefs #ScienceHistory
https://the-14.com/eclipses-were-once-associated-with-the-death-of-kings-attempting-to-predict-this-played-a-key-role-in-the-birth-of-astronomy/
But before that, there was and is #Akitu, the #Assyrian and #Babylonian equinox celebration (which also seems to have a counterpart in #Sumer). Modern #Assyrians celebrate Akitu on 1 April to coïncide with the beginning of a Gregorian month, but in ancient times, it was on the day of the actual equinox. My understanding is that the civil year officially began on the day of the new moon close to the equinox, but I might be wrong about that.
4/
I'm not a massive fan, as i said before they're a band i vaguely remembered finding last time i was looking for Middle Eastern metal bands.
But this is an interesting little educational case study for me to explore … and I'm wondering why #spotify moved them?
#Wikipedia describes #Melechesh as "an ethnically #Assyrian #BlackMetal band that originated in #Jerusalem and is currently based in Amsterdam" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melechesh
They seem to currently be based in Greece https://www.facebook.com/melechesh
and #EncyclopaediaMetallum list as assortment of locations in Europe https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Melechesh/424#band_tab_members
So… a #European #BlackMetal band who formed in Palestine and have Middle Eastern heritage? #IsraeliMetal seems like an odd label for them?
#Assyrians don't generally identify as Arabs https://www.middleeasteye.net/discover/assyrian-people-not-muslim-arab-asian-jenan-younis-meet
https://www.middleeasteye.net/discover/assyrian-people-not-muslim-arab-asian-jenan-younis-meet
So the #ArabMetal designation seems inaccurate, but I think it's a slightly odd label to use in general. The theme seems to be "metal from the Arab world" https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DXaqykGqi6KX8
…but identity is a foggy thing…
cc @kirt@mastodon.social @kirt@newsie.social @kirt@sauropods.win
(side note - infosec.exchange seems to have a lot more #metal related tags chiming up as suggestions than mastodon.social did? i think i like this server) #MetalHead #MetalBands #MiddleEasternMetal
#Catholicos Patriarch of the #Assyrian #Church to Archbishop of #Athens: There is more that unites us than what divides us: https://orthodoxtimes.com/catholicos-patriarch-of-the-assyrian-church-to-archbishop-of-athens-there-is-more-that-unites-us-than-what-divides-us/
Some missionaries' lives are too tangentially connected with #Wales to be considered for inclusion in the #Bywgraffiadur. That said, their lives are not less worthy of recognising, but may need a different format or place for publication. Such as the case of Issac Khamis. From what I can piece together, he was born c.1859 into an #Assyrian Christian family. He spent some time preaching and acting as a missionary when he decided in the late 1880s to walk across Europe to London to enroll at a college and learn English to improve his chance at collecting financial support for the Christian mission in the #MiddleEast. As part of this journey, he also spent considerable time in Wales, speaking to many congregations about the #EasternChurch and his own life. In the early 1890s then he returned home to continue his work.
