Ancient tablets reveal life of Jews in Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon
Assyrian conquering the Jews of Judea
Black Jews
Assyrian soldier with black Jewish prisoners
By Luke Baker
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A new exhibition of ancient clay tablets discovered in modern-day Iraq is shedding light for the first time on the daily life of Jews exiled to Babylon some 2,500 years ago.
The exhibition is based on more than 100 cuneiform tablets, each no bigger than an adult's palm, that detail transactions and contracts between Judeans driven from, or convinced to move from, Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar around 600 BC.
Archaeologists got their first chance to see the tablets -- acquired by a wealthy London-based Israeli collector -- barely two years ago. They were blown away.
"It was like hitting the jackpot," said Filip Vukosavovic, an expert in ancient Babylonia, Sumeria and Assyria who curated the exhibition at Jerusalem's Bible Lands Museum.
"We started reading the tablets and within minutes we were absolutely stunned. It fills in a critical gap in understanding of what was going on in the life of Judeans in Babylonia more than 2,500 years ago."
.. View gallery Visitors look at a model of a village in Jerusalem Visitors look at a model of a Jewish village from ancient Babylonia during an exhibition at the Bibl …
Nebuchadnezzar, a powerful ruler famed for the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, came to Jerusalem several times as he sought to spread the reach of his kingdom.
Each time he came -- and one visit coincided with the destruction of Jerusalem's first temple in 586 BC -- he either forced or encouraged the exile of thousands of Judeans.
One exile in 587 BC saw around 1,500 people make the perilous journey via modern-day Lebanon and Syria to the fertile crescent of southern Iraq, where the Judeans traded, ran businesses and helped the administration of the kingdom.
"They were free to go about their lives, they weren't slaves," Vukosavovic said. "Nebuchadnezzar wasn't a brutal ruler in that respect. He knew he needed the Judeans to help revive the struggling Babylonian economy."
The tablets, each inscribed in minute Akkadian script, detail trade in fruits and other commodities, taxes paid, debts owed and credits accumulated.
.. View gallery Visitors look at a model of a village in Jerusalem Visitors look at a model of a Jewish village from ancient Babylonia during an exhibition at the Bibl …
The exhibition details one Judean family over four generations, starting with the father, Samak-Yama, his son, grandson and his grandson's five children, all with Biblical Hebrew names, many of them still in use today.
"We even know the details of the inheritance made to the five great-grandchildren," said Vukosavovic. "On the one hand it's boring details, but on the other you learn so much about who these exiled people were and how they lived."
Vukosavovic describes the tablets as completing a 2,500-year puzzle. While many Judeans returned to Jerusalem when the Babylonians allowed it after 539 BC, many others stayed and built up a vibrant Jewish community that lasted two millennia.
"The descendants of those Jews only returned to Israel in the 1950s," he said, a time when many in the diaspora moved from Iraq, Persia, Yemen and North Africa to the newly created state.
The palm sized tablets that reveal what life was really like for Jews in Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon Ancient clay tablets were discovered in modern-day Iraq Exhibition based on 100 cuneiform tablets no bigger than an adult's palm Show contracts between Judeans driven from, or convinced to move from, Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar around 600 BC Detail trade in fruits, taxes paid, debts owed and credits accumulated
[IMG]The palm sized tablets that reveal what life was really like for Jews in Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon[/IMG] The exhibition is based on more than 100 cuneiform tablets,each no bigger than an adult's palm
[IMG]The exhibition is based on more than 100 cuneiform tablets,each no bigger than an adult's palm [/IMG] They detail transactions and contracts between Judeans driven from, or convinced to move from, Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar around 600 BC
[IMG]They detail transactions and contracts between Judeans driven from, or convinced to move from, Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar around 600 BC[/IMG] The exhibition details one Judean family over fourgenerations, starting with the father, Samak-Yama, his son,grandson and his grandson's five children, all with BiblicalHebrew names, many of them still in use today
Posts: 5374 | From: sepedat/sirius | Registered: Jul 2012
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quote:Originally posted by mena7: One exile in 587 BC saw around 1,500 people make the perilous journey via modern-day Lebanon and Syria to the fertile crescent of southern Iraq, where the Judeans traded, ran businesses and helped the administration of the kingdom.
"They were free to go about their lives, they weren't slaves," Vukosavovic said. "Nebuchadnezzar wasn't a brutal ruler in that respect. He knew he needed the Judeans to help revive the struggling Babylonian economy."
I try to stay away from the Palestinian/Israeli thing because it's all bullsh1t. Turks of one tribe (Khazars) and calling themselves Jews, fighting Turk mulattoes from other tribes like the Oguz and Seljuqs, and they call themselves natives, (whatever that means), all fighting over land that historically has nothing to do with either of them.
But the Jew bullsh1t about Jew merchants being needed to maintain economic health in a country is just too much.
The reason that Jews (and all other peoples conquered by the Assyrians and their emulators) were transported elsewhere in population "Swaps" was simply to discourage rebellion.
The MAIL article also has this:
The Sumerian civilisation - which was made up of two main populations, the Assyrians in the north and Babylonians in the south - dwindled and was not put back on track until King Hammurabi came to power in 1700BC.
After expanding his empire to as far west as the Mediterranean, Hammurabi then went on to establish a fair sense of social justice for his country - including establishing the edict 'An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,' which was known as the Hammurabi code.
After his death, the country fell under the power of several dynasties before the Assyrians asserted their power and enabled a period of stability.
The Assyrians were great mathematicians and scientists and were the first to split a circle into 360 degrees.
The next great emperor was Nebuchadnezzar who expanded the borders into Jerusalem in 586BC.
But it was his son Nebuchadnezzar II who transformed the city of Babylon - a couple of hours drive south of modern-day Baghdad - into the envy of the world.
It was he who created the Hanging Gardens of Babylon on the banks of the Euphrates, one of the seven wonders of the world, for his wife Amyitis who was homesick for the mountains of her home while living on the plains near Baghdad.
Following his rule, the country was invaded several times - including by Alexander the Great who died there - before the Persians were beaten to the territory by the Muslims in the mid 7th century AD.
quote:Originally posted by Child Of The KING: Mike111
Interesting teachings on Sumerian.
Seems there was many kingdoms with diverse groups.
You skimmed it too fast, there was only three countries/cultures: Sumer, Akkad, and Assyria, in that order.
Those maps like this showing Babylon as a member of the original three are inaccurate.
I couldn't find an accurate map, so use this one above and substitute Akkad where it says Babylon.
Integral to the history of Mesopotamia is Elam. (Ignore the Medes, Persian, and Parthian labels, they weren't there yet).
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The City of Agade/Akkad in the Akkadian empire, supposedly in Mesopotamia north of Sumer, has never been located.
Posts: 2021 | From: Miami | Registered: Aug 2014
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posted
whoops Tukuler aka al~Takruri is the ardo (the moderator). Pre-Nov 2014 Ausar was a real person But now 'ausar' is only the ID of the moderator acct.
Iirc the Mbenga are the Shorties closest to Nigeria but they reside next door in Kameroun
Here's an intereting website (no endorsement) http://www.pygmies.org/Posts: 8675 | From: Tukuler al~Takruri as Ardo since OCT2014 | Registered: Feb 2003
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"A large number of unreached Pygmies live in the tropical rain forests of Central Africa. They inhabit the region that stretches from Cameroon, across the Congo, into Zaire. At least one of the groups, the Akebou, also occupies parts of Togo, West Africa. Pygmies are the earliest known inhabitants of the Congo Basin, which is located in Zaire. It is also reported that the Ituri Forest has been occupied by Pygmies for over four thousand years. The Pygmies who live there today call themselves Mbuti. The Mbuti includes such groups as the Efe, the Aka, and the Bayaka Pygmies.
Pygmies are lighter skinned than their neighbors. They are a gentle, peaceful people who have the ability to be camouflaged so well in the forest that they can be passed without ever being noticed. Today, Pygmies no longer inhabit the forest areas alone. Many groups of farmers have infiltrated the region and built villages there. The two peoples have developed an economic, mutual dependence, and live together peacefully. Because of this, the Pygmies usually speak a dialect of the tribe with which they are associated, whether Bantu, Nigristic, or Sudanic.
Pygmy men hunt deer, pigs, hippos, and elephants. Some Pygmy groups use nets to hunt, while others use spears or bows and arrows. Usually, the only domestic animals that are kept are hunting dogs. Forest resources, such as meat and honey, are traded to farmers for corn, salt, clothes, and iron tools. While the men are hunting, the women are busy collecting wild fruits, roots, insects, lizards, and shellfish. They also do most of the fishing.
Pygmies live in nomadic bands that range in size from 20 to no more than 100 people. These bands wander across the hunting territories that are collectively owned by the whole group.
Pygmy villages are permanent, (this is recent, due to agriculture DD) but campsites are used while the men are hunting. The villages consist of houses and cooking areas. They are usually free of weeds and trees, except for banana or coffee plants. Campsites, on the other hand, are located in the forest, so the sun does not always find them. Perhaps this accounts for their lighter skin color. A typical campsite is small and contains only about 20 to 35 people. Round huts are built and arranged in a circle. They are usually constructed with flexible poles set in the ground in a circular pattern. The poles are bent to where they come together at the top, then tied and covered with leaves. Leaves and bark are used to cover the poles.
A Pygmy generally has only one wife, but polygyny does exist, especially among the Baka. A Pygmy man obtains a wife by giving a gift, or "bride price," to the girl's family. The Mbuti, as well as other Pygmy groups, also practice "sister exchanging" as a means of obtaining wives.
Pygmies typically dress in simple loincloths that are made from the beaten bark of trees. In some tribes, the back strip on the loincloth extends nearly to the ground, giving a "tail-like" appearance. They like these long strips because they look good while they are dancing.
The music of these forest-dwellers differs considerably from the music of their neighbors. Although Pygmies do not have many instruments, they do have drums, whistles, and two-stringed bow-guitars. Their "singing" consists of yodeling, and most songs have only sounds rather than words. They do not often sing in unison, but rather one person sings or yodels at a time.
What are Their Beliefs?
Pygmies believe that a god named Tore created the world and is the supreme being. He is identified with the forest, since everything is dependent on it. They only call upon Tore during times of crisis. He is usually summoned by a trumpet blast, which is supposed to imitate his voice. Some groups believe that after creating the first humans, Tore was no longer interested in the affairs of the world, and so he withdrew to the sky.
Pygmies also believe that "forest spirits" influence the souls of the dead. The Efe, in particular, believe that after Pygmies die, their borupi, which means "rhythm" or "life," is carried away from the body by a fly. They believe the fly takes them to Tore. "
I recall the story of Ota Benga, who was a member of the Benga clan of the Bambuti pygmies to the east.
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Might the name Nebo Chad Nezzer have been Nebo Chad Nazr? (~ Nazrite, Nazarene, Nazareth, Ashkenazi)
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