The Mesopotamian Timeline

in Sumerian Academy4 years ago (edited)

Civilization started somewhere around 5000BC

What came earlier is still a mystery, but there were likely multiple cataclysms that wiped out most human populations again and again. Some suggest there may have only been 8000 humans alive during the neolithic, but it is difficult to prove. We will touch on these extinction events later, but for now I want to lay the foundation for the time periods we are focusing on. The mesolithic period was ending and the neolithic began as temperatures rose and glaciers receded. We see evidence of temples and other large structures around the world, but are left without any concrete answers. It was not until the translation of tablets from Mesopotamia during the last century that we begin to learn more about early human civilization, and even then most are just ledgers or fragments of stories. We now have a chance to put the pieces together.

"...power changed hands many times throughout the ancient history of this area. It went from the Sumerians to the Akkadians to the Babylonians to the Assyrians back to the Babylonians back to the Assyrians and finally to the Persians." https://www.ducksters.com/history/mesopotamia/timeline.php

image.png

[Image from Powerpoint presentation in PDF https://www.wlps.org/view/1416.pdf]

The Tablets of Destinies

image.png

From the Enuma Elish:

119 Now Qingu, who had risen to power among them,
120 He bound and reckoned with the Dead Gods.
121 He took from him the Tablet of Destinies, which was not properly his,
122 Sealed it with a seal and fastened it to his own breast.
123 After the warrior Marduk had bound and slain his enemies,
124 Had . . . . the arrogant enemy . . . ,
125 Had established victory for Anšar over all his foes,

image.png

It was "a clay tablet inscribed with cuneiform writing, also impressed with cylinder seals, which, as a permanent legal document, conferred upon the god Enlil his supreme authority as ruler of the universe."

What happened to the Tablet?

'Anzû was "conceived by the pure waters of the Apsu and the wide Earth" and "depicted as a massive bird who can breathe fire and water" or "a lion-headed eagle." This half man and half bird stole the "Tablet of Destinies" from Enlil and hid them on a mountaintop. Anu ordered the other gods to retrieve the tablet, even though they all feared the demon.'

image.png

According to one text, Marduk killed the bird;
in another, it died through the arrows of the god Ninurta.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anz%C3%BB

Other Connections

The weapon held by Ninurta in the above image resembles
a Tibetan Djorje or what is referred to in Sanskrit as Vajra.

image.png

"Symbolically a dorje represents the 'thunderbolt of enlightenment,' that abrupt change in human consciousness which is recognised by all the great religions as a pivotal episode in the lives of mystics and saints. Once "enlightened," the observer can detach from the personal importance of money, romance, food and even life itself. Happiness then comes from inside -- not outside -- of the observer who recognizes that he (or she) is part of the Creation." http://viewzone2.com/dorje.html

#SRA Archive | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06

Sort:  

Source
Copying and pasting previous posts or significant parts of it of could be seen as spam when:

  • Reposting the same content without additional original content or significant changes
  • Reposting content within the same payout window

Spam is discouraged by the community and may result in the account being Blacklisted.

Please refrain from copying and pasting previous posts going forward. If you believe this comment is in error, please contact us in #appeals in Discord.

Thank you for keeping Hive safe. I will increase the commentary and reduce the quotes. Perhaps I may have to create new interpretations of these documents if including links is not enough.

Congratulations @herm3s! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :

You received more than 50 upvotes. Your next target is to reach 100 upvotes.

You can view your badges on your board And compare to others on the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word STOP

To support your work, I also upvoted your post!

Do not miss the last post from @hivebuzz:

HiveBuzz Ranking update - New key indicators