Persian Daily Life Essay

Persian Essay

Routines and Behaviors

Max Livant

The term “Persia” was adopted by all western languages through the Greeks and used as the official name for Iran by the western nations up until 1935. This essay will discuss the daily life of how the Persians lived such as their language, routines, home life, technology, art and more.

The Persian language is one of the oldest languages in the world. It is still in use today. This language was generally known as “Farsi” which was the Arabic form of “Parsi” because there is no “P” sound in Arabic. There have been many different names for the Persian language depending on the country it is spoken in. It is widely known as one of the most powerful literary traditions with many Persian poets.

Persian families were very large and the father’s word was the law of the family. Poor children worked with their parents at a young age. Noble children were raised by their mothers until the age of 5, and then slaves would raise them. The children would often not see their father until they were adults. The boys would be trained to ride horses and use a bow and arrows. Girls were trained to run the house hold and raise a family. Wealthy women would spend the majority of their time at home. Persian homes would have pointed roofs with porches that faced the sun. Poor families had one-roomed houses, whereas the noble families had rooms for women and rooms for men.

Persia is fairly centrally located on the globe, so it has served as a fusion point between eastern and western arts and architecture. The vast geographic region of Persia has been extremely pivotal in the development of all Persian arts. Persian art includes a wide variety of arts including modern art, calligraphy, miniature – painting and glasswork. The most prominent architectural work, which is still seen today, is the work of the Achaemenids hailing from Persis. Persian cinema has also reached critical acclaim internationally as well as Persian music and literature.

Persian people had many mannerisms and rules to live by adopted from other cultures as well as creating some themselves. They had a love of truth as many Greeks did, loyalty to the king, avoided debt, respected nature and many other ways of living. Loyalty to the king was of the most important to the Persians. The king was seen as all government and was respected and obeyed, it was almost like ancient patriotism towards there government.

The clothes the Persians wore was determined on ones social class. The ordinary dress of the poorer class, whether agricultural or nomade, was probably the tunic and trousers of leather. The upper classes seem generally to have adopted the Median costume, which was so prevalent at the Court. They wore long purple or flowered robes with loose hanging sleeves, flowered tunics reaching to the knee, also sleeved, embroidered trousers, tiaras, and shoes of a more elegant shape than the ordinary Persian. This made it easy to distinguish between the wealthy and the poorer classes of people.

Lastly, the Persians have invented some of the most vital tools and technologies that helped shape our world today. They are credited with the invention of the brick in 6000 BC and the windmill in 1700 BC. There have also been theories that the Persians invented algebra and trigonometry, however the Arabs have been said to be the ones behind those mathematical findings. It is still unclear because of how closely linked the cultures are. They were the first people to ever distill alcohol, made tremendous contributions to the worlds of science and medicine and came up with some of the first theories on the speed of light and gravity.

The Persian people, to say the least, are truly some of the most important people to ever have lived. So many things have been adopted from there culture and are still in use today. It is important to make the distinction and connection from the Persian ancient civilization to our world now, and to see how we have used their findings today.  It is incredible what these people created and how they spread out geographically into many countries and cultures, constantly growing and building what we know as our world today.

Ancient Egypt

The Architecture of the Old Kingdom

Egypt was for over 2,000 years one of the richest and civilized land in the ancient world.   Even to this day its lands are filled with fascinating architecture rich with history.  Most of the history of ancient Egypt has been learned through its art and architecture.  Egypt’s ruins,temples,tombs etc have provided a look back into the lives of the ancient Egyptians.  The period in Egypt called the old kingdom began during the rule of King Zoser ( also spelt Djoser).  His rule was during the third dynasty.

Persia War and Conquest Quiz

Identify: who Cyrus was invading when he was killed. (1 mark)

Identify: who succeeded Cyrus the great and how long he ruled for. (2 marks)

Describe: what happed in the battle between Persia and Lydia (2 marks)

Imagine: you are the leader of Lydia as Cyrus is gathering an army. What is your response to this? (4 marks)

Assyrian Quiz

Quiz

Identify: 1 marks

What god did Assyrians believe in?

Explain: 4 marks

The steps of mass.

Contrast: 2 marks

The differences between Babylonian and Assyrian religion

Imagine: 3 marks

 You are an Assyrian priest designing a mass hall what would it look like.

Israelite Quiz

Israelite Quiz

Identify: What was the main source of entertainment in the Israelite period.  1

Explain:  Why did the Jewish community believe strongly in educating their young males? 2

Contrast: How is the economic structure of Ancient Israel different then Present day Canada? 3

Draw/create/relate:  Draw man/women in Israelite (biblical) era attire and list items they would wear and why they wore this clothing. 3

Identify: What famous inscription showed the enslavement of Israelites.  1

Explain:  How/where did the Israelites found their religion. 2

12/12

Ancient Egypt Old Kingdom Quiz

Egyptian Quiz-The Old Kingdom
1)Whats the oldest pyramid built?/1

2) Identify three responsibilities of the Pharaoh /3

3)List three different kinds of pyramids? /1

4) Describe the reasons why the pyramids of Giza built. /2

5)Choose One Caste in  Ancient Egypt and write a brief excerpt in the point of view of one of the people from the caste.. /5

Hittite Mythology and Religion

Hittite Mythology and Religion:

1.    Though drawing on Mesopotamian mythology, the religion of the Hittites holds noticeable Indo- European elements, for example Tarhunt the god of thunder, his conflict with the serpent Illuyanka resembles the conflict between Indra and the cosmic serpent Vritra in Hindu mythology. His goddess is the Hattic sun goddess. The divine couple were presumably worshipped in the twin cellas of the largest temple at Hattusa.

2.    Gods:

○     A’as - god of wisdom

○     Arinniti - the sun goddess

○     Aruna - god of the sea

○     Aserdus - goddess of fertility

○     Elkunirsa - the creator

○     Ellel - god of the sky

○     Halki - god of grain

○     Hannahannah - mother goddess

○     Hanwasuit - goddess of sovereignty

○     Hapantali - pastors goddess

○     Hasameli - god of metalworks and craftsmen

○     Hatepuna - daughter of the sea

○     Inar - god of woods and fields

○     Hutena - goddess of fate

○     Inara - goddess of the wild animals of the steppe (Hattic)

○     Ishara - goddess of oaths and love

○     Istanu - god of the sun and of judgement

○     Istustaya and papaya - goddesses of destiny

○     Jarri - god of plague and pestilence  (“Lord of the Bow”)

○     Kamrusepa - goddess of healing, medicine and magic

○     Kaskuh - god of the moon

○     Lelwani - goddess of the underworld

○     Rundas - god of the hunt and good fortune

○     Sandas - lion god

○     Sarruma - god of the mountains

○     Sauska - goddess of fertility, weather and storms

○     Telepinu - god of farming

○     Tarhunt - god of the sky, weather and storms

○     Tilla - bull god

○     Upelluri - god of dreaming

○     Wurrukatte - god of war

     3. The story of Illuyanka:

In the first version, the gods Tarhunt and Illuyanka fight and Illuyanka wins. Tarhunt then goes to the Hattian goddess Inaras for advice. Having promised her love to a mortal named Hupasiyas in return for his help, she devises a trap for the dragon. She goes to him with large quantities of food and drink, and entices him to drink his fill. Once drunk, the dragon is bound by Hupasiyas with a rope. Then the Sky God Tarhunt appears with the other gods and kills the dragon.

In the second version, after the two gods fight and teshub loses, Illuyanka takes Tarhunt’s eyes and heart. To avenge himself upon the dragon, the Sky God Tarhunt marries the goddess Hebat, daughter of a mortal, named Arm. They have a son, Sarruma, who grows up and marries the daughter of the dragon Illuyanka, The Sky God Tarhunt tells his son to ask for the return of Tarhunt’s eyes and heart as a wedding gift, and he does so. His eyes and heart restored, Tarhunt goes to face the dragon Illuyanka once more. At the point of vanquishing the dragon, Sarruma finds out about the battle and realized that he had been used for this purpose. He demands that his father take his life along with Illuyanka’s, and so Tarhunt kills them both with thundery rain and lightning.

      4. Religion and Mythology:

Hittite religion and mythology were heavily influenced by their Hattic, Mesopotamian, and Hurrian counterparts. “Storm gods” were prominent in the Hittite pantheon. Tarhunt (Hurrian’s Teshub) was referred to as ‘The Conqueror’, ‘The King of Kummiya’, ‘King of Heaven’, ‘Lord of the land Hatti’. He was chief among the gods and his symbol is the bull. As Tarhunt he was depicted as a bearded man astride two mountains and bearing a club. Tarhunt is also known for his conflict with the serpent Illuyanka.

Israelite symbolic structures

                “Israel is laid waste and his seed is not”. This is a famous inscription (merneptah stele) for the time of the great Egyptians talking about the enslavement of the Israelites in the late Bronze Age.  The artifact was one of the first known inscriptions of the Israelites being known as Israelis; but in the bible they were known as the chosen people of god. Because of a great famine the Israelites had to move into Egypt where they were enslaved by the farrows; until they were saved and led out by Moses. Moses took the remaining Israelites south on the western coast to find Canaan but stopped to find the Sinai Mountains.

Israelite Daily Life

Nick T.               Israelite Daily Life Routines and Behavior         Block 3

              The Iron age of Israel also know as the Israelite period was a big stepping stone for the country. The language spoken and written in this iron age of Israel for the most part was Hebrew as we can tell from the texts found. There were other languages as well spoken in Israel. This due to the fact it was located along a major passage for trade.  Although they where present their presence was not great enough to leave a historical mark in this period.

            

Assyrian Religion

         The Assyrians, also known as the Syriacs were a civilization that emerged in Mesopotamia circa 4000-3500 B.C.E. There are an estimated 300,000 Assyrians in iraq today. Assyrians religion of choice was Syriac Christianity and the god they believed in was Ashur. Their religion coexisted with the Babylon's and both these groups had similar belief systems.

Babylonia Quiz

1. Identify in what current day country the city of Babylon was built. (1)

2. Identify when the civilization of Babylonia was founded. (1)

3. Identify what country Babylon invaded and destroyed. What did the Babylonians do with people of this country? (2)

4. Explain how King Hammurabi easily obtained complete loyalty from his people. (2)

5. Explain the Code of Hammurabi. (2)

6. Compare the lesson of The Tower of Babel with another story in its archetype. (eg. Icarus or Arachne and Athena) (4)

7. Draw your own interpretation of the Tower of Babel. (2)

8. Create 4 laws that could be in the Code of Hammurabi.(4)

Hittite Quiz

1.    What was the period of time in which the Hittite language was in use? (1)
2.     Explain the battle of Kadesh (opposing kingdoms, outcome, dates) (3)
3.     Contrast the style of today’s fighting to the style of the Hittites (5)
4.     Draw the Serpent Illuyanka and explain the myth around it. (3)

Sumerian Quiz 2

Q1. Identify who makes up the three classes. (1 marks)

Q2. Explain why the upper class almost always wins court cases today as it did in the ancient Sumerian civilization. (4 marks)

Q3. What was often used to repay debts. (1 marks)

Q4. Draw a Ziggurat. (3 marks)

Q5. Compare and contrast the differences between Sumer Ziggurats and Egyptian pyramids. (3 marks)  

Sumerian Quiz

IDENTIFY:       Who are allowed on or in the Ziggurats? (1)

EXPLAIN:        How does a soul get to the Nether World? (2)

CONTRAST:   Difference between the Sumerian creation myth and the Christian creation                                       myth. (5)

DRAW (not trace):   A God of Sumer.  (1)

Persian Quiz

1.       Identify:  Persian upper class (noble) clothing and lower class clothing (2)

2.       Explain/Relate: The roles of women, men and children in the Persian household

                 A Persian family to a modern western family  (5)

3.       Draw/Create/Relate:  Two Persian inventions that are still greatly important and used in our world today (2)

(9/9)

Phoenicia Quiz

Identify: Two of Phoenicia’s Cities (1)

Describe: One of the Phoenicia’s major trade commodities (1)   

Contrast: Carthaginian army and Carthaginian navy (2)

Explain: What was the reason Phoenicians used cedar to build their ships? (2)

Relate: Imagine you were a Captain in Hannibal’s army; write about your adventures. ( 1,1,4)

Egypt: The New Kingdom Quiz

Identify (1)
Common Egyptian moral code.

Explain (2)
The Egyptian creation myth.

Contrast (3)
Your house with a house built in an Egyptian town.

Relate (6)
Compare your life to the life of Egyptian teen living in the New Kingdom.

Power and Authority in Babylon

Babylonian power and authority was established through both religion and social laws. Originally part of the Sumerian Empire, Babylon rose to extreme prominence for a short time under the rule of King Hammurabi, becoming the world’s first legitimate metropolis. Authority was established through Hammurabi’s ability to communicate with Mesopotamian Gods and deities, Marduk, Babylon’s city God, being made supreme deity by the other Gods, and a stone stele containing 282 laws and consequences known as the Code of Hammurabi.

Ancient Egypt-The Old Kingdom

Ancient Egypt-The Old Kingdom

In the social pyramid of ancient Egypt the pharaoh and those associated with divinity were at the top, and servants and slaves made up the bottom.The Egyptians  elevated some human beings to gods. Their leaders, called pharaohs, were believed to be gods in human form. Unlike, modern Egypt which is more democratic the Pharaoh was born into his position. Egyptians believed that their pharaohs were gods, they entrusted their rulers with many responsibilities including watching over the law courts and  temples.

Egypt Diary Entry

Dear Journal,

     It’s my third day in Nile River Delta now, and I can’t believe how blessed and lucky I am to be here. To be alive while the New Kingdom is constantly thriving in growing is very compelling. This is what pushed me to leave the upper part of Egypt and explore my country. I wonder how my sister is doing in Mertz. I can’t imagine why she chose to be there instead of coming with me down to Lower Egypt. Hopefully I’ll be in contact with her soon.

Sumerian Social Organization

The term "Sumerian" is the common name given to the ancient non-semitic inhabitants of Mesopotamia. These people lived in modern day Iraq, and their social organization is one similar to other civilizations throughout history. They had a social class system and a sturdy daily life that changed very little day to day.  The Sumerians social organization gave them a distinct culture even from city to city.

The Sumerian class structure had three distinct classes, the upper class, the middle class, and the lower class. The upper class was made up of nobles, priests, government officials and warriors. This class was the smallest and gave themselves special privileges as the class with all the power. The middle class was mostly merchant, traders and artisans, this class is also known as the “freeman” class. Lastly the lower class was slaves and labourers. Because each city-state in the Sumer civilization had a different “Patron God”, wars were inevitable. In these wars any prisoner taken from another city was turned into a slave.

Music as an important part of daily life for the Sumerian people, they used many instruments including harps, pipes, drums, and tambourines. The music was often used in conjunction with poems and songs dedicated to the gods. The average house for a family was a one-story structure made of mud brick. The husband held the power in the family. A husband could initiate a divorce with very little reason, and able to take on a second wife, monogamy was the norm, though concubines were tolerated. Children were generally loved and cared for, but children could be sold into slavery to repay a debt. The Sumer civilization was one of the first to have a written law, known as “the code of Ur-Nammu”. These laws were designed to protect the weak, poor, widows and orphans against the rich. Even with the laws meant to protect the lower classes from the top class, in a dispute, the higher class almost always won mainly because they were a higher class, not necessarily because they were right.

The Sumerian civilization had a well-developed social system. There was a defined class system, a set of written laws, even if they were not as effective as they were meant to be, and a social norms such as monogamy. All of these systems of social organization gave the Sumerian civilization a strong culture.

Isis and Osiris: An Egyptian Myth

Phoenician Trade

The Punic Wars

Greetings brother and sister humans!

The Punic Wars: an excursion in stating the obvious in a cursory and facile mode. 

However, I fortunately had some Livy and Polybius off of which to work, in addition to a certain Florentine genius whose work, rather the textual companion to it (given to Lorenzo the Magnificent of the Medici, and used by me as distinct from employing the discourses, which seem pretty intimidating), is a commentary on Livy's Ab Urbe Condita.

Hittite Language and Literature

Hittites- Language, Literature, and Warfare

The Hittites were an Anatolian civilization that started around 1600 BC in what we now know as Turkey, Syria and Lebanon.  They were an advanced civilization, having a specific government (Monarchy), laws, and class system.  They made successful use of chariots, writing tools, and communication.  Their civilization survived through the Bronze Age, but were also one of the first to use Iron weapons.  Because of the powerful rising Assyrians, their kingdom was eventually taken over and all that was left for discovery was their clay tablets and stone drawings.  From these, historians were able to decipher the texts and learn how the Hittite and Egyptian kingdom were really destroyed. 

Sumerian Architecture

Palaces

The King, his family and his servants would all live in Palaces that were located in the heart of the city. They were constructed out of mud-brick and included a storage unit that would store items collected as tax.

Babylon Music Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhtBFf-6PPU Wrecking Ball - Babylon

We found a place covered in sand

Nearby modern day Iraq
What used to be a great city
Is gone, never coming back

Sumerian Religion and Mythology

          The Sumerians were a non-Semitic, non-Indo-European people who lived in southern Babylonia from 4000-3000 B.C.E. Sumerians believed that their religion revolved around nature, such as wind and water. They did not understand how Earth worked therefore, they came to the conclusion that there was a greater force at work.

At first the “greater force” was worshiped in the form of wind and water, however over time the human figure became the God that controlled nature. Sumerians believed in an a under world, called “nether world” the soul of a person would enter this nether world by their grave.After descending into the nether world a soul had to cross a river with the aid of a boatman who ferried them across. They then confronted Utu, who judged their soul. If the judgment was positive the soul would live a life of happiness. It was, however, generally believed by Sumerians that life in the nether world was dismal. The nether world was ruled by Nergal and Ereshkigal. The Gods of sumer were seen as human figures, they breathed, ate, drank, married and fought. Even though Gods were seen as all powerful they were still able to be hurt and killed.

          The temple was staffed by priests, priestesses, musicians, singers, castrates and hierodules. Various public rituals, food sacrifices, and libations took place there on a daily basis. Ziggurats were built by the Sumerians, each ziggurat was part of a temple complex which included other buildings. The precursors of the ziggurat were raised platforms that date from the Ubaid Period during the fourth millennium BC. Only priests were permitted on the ziggurat or in the rooms at its base, and it was their responsibility to care for the gods and attend to their needs. The priests were very powerful members of Sumerian society.

          Their primary deities included Nammu the Goddess of the watery abyss. An god of heaven, Great Father of the Gods, the king of the Gods, the God of the Sun. Ki, Lord of water, wisdom, creation, and fertility, keeper of the divine laws, and created the first humans. Ninhursag Great Mother Goddess, Goddess of childbirth, queen of the mountains.  Enlil the air-god and leader of the pantheon.

          Sumerian Mythology talks about the relationships between their Gods. Their creation Myth involes their Gods and is very similar to most creation myths told around the world. They use nature to understand how they got to where they are today, like most civilizations did during this time. Their myth begins with Heaven and Earth and how they were once a mountain that rose out of the primeval Sea. The mountain's peak reached into Heaven and its base was the Earth. An was heaven, and Ki was Earth. Nammu is the Sea goddess that surrounded the Earth. She was also the original dark chaos out of which everything formed. The mountain rose up out of the blackness of the deep sea. Enlil, the Air god, separated Heaven and Earth and gave birth to the dawn. Enlil raped Ninlil the Air Goddess, and she gave birth to the Moon god, Nanna. Nanna and Ningal, his consort, gave birth to Utu, the Sun. Thus the Moon was born out of the darkness, before the Sun. This may be an indicator of the earlier matriarchal religion. Nanna and Ningal also gave birth to Inanna, the Evening Star. Not only do they Myths of creation but they have one on Afterlife and how each God falls in love. 

            The religion of the ancient Sumerians has left its mark on the entire middle east. Not only are its temples and ziggurats scattered about the region, but the literature, cosmogony and rituals influenced their neighbors to such an extent that we can see echoes of Sumer in the Judeo-Christian-Islamic tradition today.

Phoenician City Overviews

The people of Phoenicia, once a vast empire, have been split up. It is likely that the vast majority know nothing about their heritage, a pity considering how great their people once were. There was Tyre the island city, Berytus modern day Beirut, or Hannibal’s Carthage. These were the greatest merchants of the early world and some of the most powerful cities to exist yet they are commonly overlooked for other civilizations.

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