The Last Blog Post

The Sumerian Kinglist

Dear readers,

This is the last blog post. I had started this blog some years ago as a college project. We were asked to create a blog on something, to help us learn about the web. I chose history because I loved the subject and long after the course had finished, I kept writing.

Over the years it has grown and morphed and changed until it is almost unrecognisable from the earlier posts. What was originally a disjointed set of summaries, eventually became a detailed year-by-year recounting of the history of the world. While the quality of the research is certainly not up to proper professional standards, I am nevertheless proud of the work that I have put in over the years. It will be left here and may be of use to readers in the future.

Because I enjoyed writing it so much, I became somewhat obsessed over the last few years and have poured much of my free time into it. I grew intrigued with the idea of writing a history of the world, year-by-year, covering all regions of the globe in as much detail as possible, up to about 1BC. I was going to focus on the Near East, Greece and Rome to begin with and then to backtrack and focus on India and China, as well as other parts of the world that I had neglected.

In retrospect, this was a foolish pipe-dream. There is so much detail in history, that to do this to the extent that I wished would have taken several lifetimes. Perhaps a collaborative effort between friends might have made this a feasible project, but as a solo project it was too much. It was also unclear how much benefit it was to others. I enjoy helping others, but to spend all my free time on something of marginal value to others was not a sensible use of time. The blog was also beginning to take up all free time and was impinging on other activities in life. It was time to appreciate what had been created, and to walk away.

The remains of the city of Eridu, what may have been
the world's first city

I will spend some time cleaning up some of the earlier blogs perhaps, and I will look at cloning the pages so that if this hosting ultimately disappears, that the work is not lost. It is perhaps possible that at some point in the future I will return to this with more limited goals, but we shall see what the future holds.

I do not often ask for comments, but if anyone has read the blog and found it useful, please leave a comment below. It would be heartening to know if this has helped anyone.

I have learned a great deal from researching these blogs. As I have said many times on these pages, I am not a professional historian. I studied Classics many years ago in college, but have never pursued these studies past an undergraduate level.

Perhaps the field of history that is most fascinating to me is the study of Mesopotamian history. There is much that is unknown about them, but they are the first people whose words can still speak to us today. The long chain of history, in many ways, begins with them. Their culture was long-lasting and durable and their system of writing endured for over three millennia. The last dated cuneiform inscription is an astronomical text from around AD75. The knowledge of this script probably died out in the following century. In a similar fashion, the last known Egyptian hieroglyphs date from AD394, with the knowledge of hieroglyphs being lost shortly thereafter.

Graffito of Esmet-Akhom,
The last known hieroglyph
inscription

It is sad to think that the world’s first writing system disappeared in such a manner. However, cuneiform writing had already allowed Sumerian, a language isolate that would have vanished without trace, to survive as a scholarly language for millennia after it had ceased to be a living language.

This is part of what it means to be human. We remember. We strive to know. The story of the past has shaped what we are and is part of who we are.

But sometimes things are lost. Sumerian, cuneiform, hieroglyphics, and so much of what once was that we cannot even fathom, has been lost to human knowledge. Chance, war, ignorance, carelessness, the inevitable passage of time and the slow falling apart of all things, mean that we will always lose more than we remember. Ultimately, on this earth, all will be forgotten.

But for all that is lost, sometimes we rediscover. In the 19th century, scholars were able to reach back and decipher these ancient scripts. The lost millennia began to speak to us again. It is a rare privilege to live in a time and place where we can know these things.

Outside the Solar System, flying through the interstellar medium, are the Voyager spacecraft. They are the fastest man-made objects and they are the farthest from this cosmic speck we call Earth; this mote of dust suspended in a sun-beam that we call home. Soon their communications systems will fail and they will travel silently through the void. It is unknown if they will ever be seen again, by humans or by civilisations yet unknown.

Voyager spacecraft

These spacecraft carry messages, golden records, which could be played by any who find these objects. On these records are images and sounds of our planet, recorded before the launching of these ships.

Among the sounds sent out on this message to the stars are greetings recorded in various languages. Efforts were made by the compilers to include languages that had once been important, but which were now no longer spoken. The very first greetings on our interstellar message are in Sumerian, which is fitting in so many ways. The greeting says “šilim-ma hé-me-en”, meaning, “May all be well”.

As I bid farewell to the blog I can think of no better way to leave it than to thank my readers and to say, may all indeed be well. 

Lego and Ancient Technology

Antikythera Fragment

Sometimes a video catches your attention so dramatically that you feel you just have to share it.

This one is about the famous Antikythera Mechanism, which was recovered from a 1st Century BC shipwreck near the Greek island of Antikythera. The ship bearing the device probably sank in a storm en route from Rhodes to Rome and carried a number of other artifacts, such as bronze statues and ornamental vases. The mechanism was a device used to calculate eclipses by using gears; an analog computer. It functioned with as high a degree of accuracy as was permitted by astronomical theories of the day and the machinery available to the Greek technicians who created this masterpiece.

Naturally some brave souls have decided to recreate the Antikythera Mechanism using Lego in a pleasant mixture of history and educational whimsy. Their video is posted below.

Livius

Cushite Relief

It can be difficult to find good resources for history online. There is a lot of misinformation and history is such a large subject that no site is ever fully exhaustive enough to satisfy all questions. Livius.org is a superb site that gives an in-depth treatment of many aspects of the ancient world (focusing mainly on the Classical Era but with much beyond it). They are in the process of updating their site so if you're interested, do knock over and check them out.

Livius.org

Enjoy!

Vae Victis

Modern Depiction of Brennus

In the year 390 BC the Republic of Rome was about to be destroyed. Their armies had been utterly defeated at Allia by the Gauls, who had risen against them from the north. The city was defenceless and the tribunes, rulers and the people of Rome sought shelter on the highest of the seven hills while the Gauls slaughtered those who remained in the Senate House. The defeated Romans eventually tried to buy off the victorious Gauls with gold. An agreement was reached and the Romans agreed to pay a certain weight of gold in return for their lives. When they came down to meet the Gauls they found that the weights that the Gauls were using to measure were fixed. According to the tale, when the Romans complained that this was unfair one of the Gallic leaders unbuckled his sword and tossed it onto the scales in an ominous gesture whilst allegedly crying “Vae Victis!”, which means, “Woe to the vanquished!”

History is written by the victors. It is one of the few truisms about history that everyone knows. The story of the Gallic leader, Brennus, and his sword is just one of the many examples of this. Throughout history most civilisations and empires that ever existed have been destroyed and all that remain are paltry fragments of writings, occasional footnotes in the writings of other civilisations and the names of the vanquished. Who knows how many have left nothing at all behind them?

And yet I feel that the truism, while containing truth, is not complete. The only historical truism that I have found reliable in every instance is that history is never simple. It is instructive to look at the records of the ancient world. The one book from the Middle Eastern early Iron Age that most people have in their homes is the Bible (well, the early Old Testament sections anyway). Yet this record was not written by the victors by any means. The kingdoms of Judah and Israel were never that strong militarily and much of their historical works were composed after they had lost their independence entirely. If one had to pick a word to describe the Jewish people throughout history, “victors” would probably not be the first one that comes to mind. Yet their records remain after the empires that destroyed their cities have faded from memory.

Many of the most iconic Greek historians wrote after their cities had lost their independence to Rome (Plutarch, Polybius, Arrian etc.) The phenomenon is not confined to the Classical era or Europe. The Mongols under Genghis Khan conquered northern China in a particularly brutal fashion but all but one of the best sources of the conflict are composed in Han Chinese and from a Han Chinese perspective. Even in recent times, with all the censorship abilities available to European imperialists, I suspect that Achebe’s Things Fall Apart will prove a more durable cultural artefact than the records of the British administrators and explorers who conquered the area described in Achebe’s work.

So why does the truism fail in these instances when we can see that there is some truth to it. What made these examples different? I think the first and best answer is that certain cultures may be conquered and yet remain culturally distinct because the conquerors may be militarily stronger, but may not have the wealth of knowledge to fully document their victories. The business of documentation is therefore left to their better educated subjects who can then write history as it suits them (as long as it does not blatantly insult the new rulers). Instead of “Vae victis” we should perhaps remember the line from Horace “Graecia capta ferum victorem cepit…” (Captive Greece took captive her wild conqueror). To write history it is better to be culturally dominant than militarily dominant.

The other reason is that the victors do not stay victors for long. Of all the empires that have risen in the past only a tiny fraction remain. So what one empire may try to suppress or distort may be resurrected by their successors. It is perhaps most notable for this, that the Gaul Brennus’ militaristic threat to the Roman state was doubtless spoken in some form of Celtic but is only recorded in Latin, by a Roman. Vae victis indeed.

Roman Forum today

Maps

A picture is worth a thousand words, but a good map is surely worth much more than that. To understand the broad ebbs and flows of world history I find that it is very useful to be able to look at a map that shows what state controlled what territory at any given time. I have included some links to sites showing historical maps of the world. Both of them have issues (neither of them are particularly fast when it comes to loading times) and they are ultimately works of interpretation so, with a different interpretation of the source material the boundaries would often be slightly different. But insofar as I can tell, they are generally quite accurate.

The first link is to an interactive site. This site excludes the Western Hemisphere and focuses on Eurasia. It comes with a description of world history at the time, which is useful for understanding why the maps change as they do. Unfortunately the site is not properly maintained and there are occasional technical issues with maps not displaying properly. The link to the site is here.

The second site is more universal in scope but does not contain associated text to explain what is going on. Nevertheless, it should give you an excellent idea of what the world looked like at a particular date. The link to the site is here. (Update: As of late 2019 this site no longer appears to be maintained. But I have relinked it to the Internet Archive's version of the page, which may allow users to still reach this).

These sites are brilliant for inquisitive minds. If you have a broad knowledge of history and a fair idea of what is going on you will not be too surprised at the general picture but quite often the maps will show kingdoms on the peripheries, small states that are often passed over when history is told. Once one is aware of the existence of these forgotten empires you can start to research them and discover their stories. Enjoy. 

Some Guidelines for studying History

Herodotus: Invented History

For those of you who are interested in history but have never studied it, the subject might appear a little daunting. But it’s easy to get into and you won’t go too far wrong with your ideas if you follow a few simple rules. These rules are completely authoritative. I should know because I just made them up.

Rule One: Things are never simple.

Firstly, just remember that history is fairly complicated. This is a good thing because it means that there is always more to learn and you will never get bored. As a general rule, when someone tells you a neat historical fact such as “X caused WWII” just remember that, with a little digging, you will find out more. Sometimes you will find that the neat fact is simply wrong, but more usually you find that the fact is only partially correct and with a little effort you can give flesh out a fuller picture of what happened. Think of the complexity of the world we live in and how every event has different causes and then consider that times past were no different. Treat history with the respect it deserves and if there is material available for study, don’t settle for the first answer given.

Rule Two: Know Your Biases

Thucydides: A Better Historian than Herodotus

When it comes to history, as with everything else, you are biased! Don’t worry too much about it, everyone is! But you can save yourself a lot of heartache if you sit down and go through your ideas. What do you believe about religious matters? What are your political opinions? What country do you come from? Then when you look at a topic from history, take a bit of time and see if your beliefs have any relevance to the debate? There is a danger that your beliefs may cause you to view the subject in a non-neutral way. Think of a judge asked to judge a case. If it turns out that the judge is related to the accused the judge will be asked to let someone else judge for fear that they may not be neutral. For topics that are near and dear to you, there is the possibility that you may not be neutral in judging them so treat them with caution. Don’t avoid them necessarily, just, know your biases and tread carefully.

Rule Three: Think of it as a Story

History is the simplest of all subjects to learn. I’m biased because I like history but hey. I find it the simplest to learn because you can treat it like a story. If you just learn a string of dates “Battle of Hastings happened 1066 AD” etc. then you will find it hard to remember. But think of your friends and family and try and piece together what they have been up to over the last few years. Now you could try and learn a list of dates, marking off what a particular person did on a particular day. If you can do that and remember it I salute you! But if you can’t you might be better to try and think of one person and think in terms of stories. Stories are a great way to remember the tale. Even if you forget the dates you will remember the overall sequence of events and that’s half the battle. As a general rule, computers are very good with tables and lists of numbers. Humans generally are not, but we are quite decent with stories.

Rule Four: Learn a few dates

Sima Qian: First Chinese Historian

Ok, Rule Three was a little tough on dates. I have nothing against dates, I merely think that to try and learn huge lists of them is a bad idea. But to make your stories work you need to have a few dates. Right, imagine that you have a fair idea of some of the main stories of the French Revolution. To make it fit together and to give the story a place in the timeline it would help to know that it started in 1789. You don’t need to know every date, but if you don’t learn at least one you’ll make errors when you try and fit the story into other stories. Plus, if you get the dates really, really wrong, then you run the risk of making yourself look silly if you tell the story at a party or reference it in a college essay or something. So, moral of the story, learn just enough dates to hang the framework of the story on.

Rule Five: Know Your Sources

Edward Gibbon: Famous Historian

This is a little more in-depth so I’ll explain it with an analogy. Imagine five or six of your friends go on holidays without you (the wasters) and they have an interesting time. Imagine that you talk to them about it afterwards. If you talk to one of them you’ll probably get a good idea of what happened, but to really get the gist of what went on, wouldn’t it be best to talk to all of them? Everyone will have their own perspective so to get the best picture you need to understand as many perspectives as you can. Just numbers aren’t enough. Supposing you hear a story from five of your friends about some event but it turns out that none of them saw it; that in fact they all heard it second-hand from another person. This doesn’t count as five “sources”. It is five second-hand re-tellings of a single source. Another thing to watch for is time. The best time to hear your friends talk about the holiday is shortly after they have returned. If you wait a couple of years, memories may have faded. One last thing to watch for is bias. If one of your friends is as ginger as myself they may have disliked the holiday to the Canaries because they got horribly sunburned. They may have had a horrible time and tell you that the holiday was a disaster. They are telling the truth from their own perspective but their experience may not have been shared by the others.

Ok, so imagine the “holiday” is an historical event. Your sources of information are books, carvings, newspaper articles etc. To get the best picture of the event you need to find as many sources as possibly, make sure that they aren’t simply copying each other and give priority to those sources that are fairly close in time to the event that they are describing while keeping an eye out for the biases of those who wrote it.

Rule Six: Know a little theory

Lastly, there are theories of history that historians have come up with over the years. These are not explanations of particular events but grand frameworks of ideas that they use to try and understand all of history. Some are better than others but if you read one of their works and don’t realise that there is a grand overall theme (that they may try and force the data to fit) you may be misled by them. You don’t always see it but it happens often enough that it’s worth spending an hour or so reading up on it just so you won’t be caught out next time you watch the History Channel. There is a brief list of theories here.

That’s it! You’re now fully qualified to tinker about and read some history. If you have anything you feel I’ve missed or said wrong please leave a comment below.

Original Sources

 Both writer and readers are probably a little sick of writing/reading blog posts that are extremely long. So this is a short post: Like, really short. When studying history it is vital to look at the source material. You can learn an awful lot by watching documentaries, reading encyclopaedias or summaries (or blogs) but nothing beats reading the source material in its full form.

So I’m posting a link to one of my favourite sites, which you can view by clicking here. It is one of the nicest collections of translations of rare primary documents that I have ever come across and it has material from remotest antiquity to modern documents. There are entire genres of literature that I didn’t even know existed until I spent time on this site. Some content is more useful than others and there are a few dead links, as it is an old site. But no matter what your area of historical interest it should have something for you. If you were to spend your time reading original historical writings and never looked at my blog again I would be delighted (although maybe you can do both?) so off you go now to check it out! Go on now! Shoo! Hope you enjoy it and maybe see you back here some stage in the future!

Opening Post

Hello readers,

This is the first blog that I have created. It is partly for a college course and partly for my own interest, so I shall probably keep posting after the assignment is completed. The blog is about ancient history, because I find it interesting, but the topics will simply be about whatever part of ancient history that I'm interested in at the time. For the purposes of this blog ancient history will be held to roughly cover the time period from the invention of writing to the Renaissance, but more modern stuff may be thrown in occasionally.

I should note that I will be using a fair few pictures in my posts. The pictures are, where possible taken by me, but are mainly taken from Wikimedia Commons, as I cannot afford to pay copyright. I will not be allowing advertisements on my blog and so will not make any money from it, but if any copyright holders are unhappy with their content being used then please get in contact and I will remove the material. Also, if any readers are offended by any of the content, either text or images, please leave a comment and if I feel that there is a genuine concern I will remove or amend the material in question, as long as it can be shown that this does not entail covering up history. History can be controversial, but I have no wish to gratuitously annoy people, so please let me know if any concerns arise.

I hope you enjoy the posts. Feel free to leave comments or suggestions. Enjoy!