Did you know...?
The European Renaissance in the late 15th - early 16th century was far from being the first Renaissance movement in human history.
The last century of the 3rd millenium BC is characterized by a revival of the Sumerian culture in general, and the literature in particular, promoted by the kings of Ur's third Dynasty.
~ from
History of the Bronze Age in MesopotamiaGoodbyes and Hellos!
No, I'm not gonna sing Tim Buckley right now, but there are so many comings and goings here that I don't even know where to start. And that's without even taking in account last Goldfest or the new look of Meso's homepage....maybe I should go beg our general editors for a couple more pages? - by Rayhaneh Etana
Story of the month
As those of you who've been around for a while probably know, November usually is the month when a great wind of change blows over Ancient Worlds. It's also blowing quite strongly in Meso: indeed, Aya Etana's term as a scribe ended, and this is the last time that she acts as co-editor here: but fear not, that talented young woman, both the creator of wonderful illustrations that can be admired throughout AW and a very knowledgable archeologist, will not remain unemployed. Indeed, the wind brought to my ears rumours that she's headed east.....
Time also for me to leave my job as the other co-editor of that page. I don't like goodbyes, but let me just tell you that I had a blast doing this and I'd like to thank all the scribes, patrons and citizens of all the worlds, and especially of Mesopotamia who were always gracefully answering my queries when I was preparing the ACTA.
It is
Bahiyyah Siduri who will take on both the job of third scribe of Mesopotamia and that of editor of Meso's ACTA. This lovely lady has brought with her from the west her spirit and her enthusiasm, her curiosity for all things ancient (and modern!) and I have no doubt she will do wonders here as well! Please stop by her beautifully decorated
Snow Globe (well, it "is" almost winter!) to say hi! Also, read carefully the result of her first steps as an editor in the article on the Royal Tombs of Ur below.
On Behalf of all the citizens
It had been in the talks for quite a while. Then, last month, it appeared one night, without a fuss, and it was with wonder that we all discovered one morning Mesopotamia's worldpage's new look. In the name of all my fellow citizens, I wanted to thank Caileadair Etana and Sankira Qin for taking the time to work on this, and come up with something as unique and gorgeous!
News from the big party aka Goldfest 2005!
Mesopotamia Goldfest was gold indeed! Aya Etana reports
For three days of intensive festing, people have come from all over AW to discover our guests in disguise, all ready to go to a Halloween Party. We had many funny moments there, especially with Cornellia being frequently taken for the the nun! Other choking (or maybe not) revelations followed with the secret identity of the owner of that absolutely sexy Orlando Bloom thong. Apo Mayta, we'll never forget your costume!
If you haven't seen them already, take a look at the surprising results:
Halloween Costume Party.
The Pazuzu's Quest allowed us to travel throughout Mesopotamia and admire the fabulous skills of our participants who never gave up the search, even when things became more difficult (again, we promise, we didn't do it on purpose!). Anyway, the quest was wonderful and the spells absolutely incredible. The judges had great trouble choosing the winners but here they are, the ones who defeated Lamashtu. Again, congratulations to all the participants!
Of course, we cannot forget the Golden Tour. Even if we had a minor bump on the road of Catal Hüyük (our dear Rayhaneh, who was in charge of Catal, got very sick at that moment), you can still visit other regions not only of Mesopotamia but of Hellas, Germania and the Orient. Take the Golden Tour!
Mesopotamia Treasures: The Royal Tombs of Ur
Discover each month one of the treasures of our world. By Bahiyyah Siduri.
In the year 1922, an archaeologist by the name of C. Leonard Woolley unearthed interesting discoveries in the ancient Sumerian city of Ur. He unveiled 1800 graves and among them 16 tombs caught especially his attention. They were named "The Royal Tombs of Ur" after the treasures found.
One of the artifacts recovered from the tombs was the famous gold and lapis lazuli bull's head lyre. Beneath the bull's head is an inlaid plaque portraying mythical animals drinking and performing. Another great find was the statue Wooley liked to call "ram caught in a thicket". The statue is made of gold, silver, lapis lazuli, copper, shell, red linestome, and bitumen. However, the tomb of Queen Puabi, and the artifacts found in her tomb were the most extraordinary. It's not just because of its richness but because it also survived through years of looting. With Queen Puabi was her intricate headdress.It was made of gold leaves, ribbons, strands of lapis lazuli, and carnelian beads. She also had a comb made out of gold, chokers, necklaces, and a pair of moon-shaped earrings.
The treasures of the Tombs of Ur will remain in History as one of the most impressive cultural heritage of the Middle East. Today, the artifacts can be found at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.
Source:
McClung Museum Special Exhibition
Image: Ur, Photograph 17th January 2004, by Lasse Jensen. The Royal tombs.
