Ancient Texts Tell Tales of War, Bar Tabs

A trove of newly translated texts from the ancient Middle East are revealing accounts of war, the building of pyramidlike structures called ziggurats and even the people's use of beer tabs at local taverns.

They estimate the text age is around 5000 years ago.

I love reading about our ancient text. I for one am a true believer that we have had a very advanced civilization, like we do now, here before. There is proof of Nuclear war long ago. In time we will truly find our history.

news.yahoo.com...

Apparently, if you have the female keeper put the beer on your tab during the summer, she will have the right to extract a tax from you, of unknown amount, in winter.

nothing much has changed in 5000 years huh? were still getting heavily taxed by the women! And they still make you "pay" for a long time after our "action" has taken place....

Originally posted by mileslong54
reply to post by HawkeyeNation

 

Forget the nuclear wars of the past, lets focus on the beer

Amen brother...can't imagine what the alcohol content was back then

OP, I hope you don't mind, but I pulled the images from the article and will place them below including the text description that was found with each image. They really helped shape the story for me a little better. Cheers!


Inscription about King Nebuchadnezzar II
Credit: The Schøyen Collection MS 2063, Oslo and LondoIn addition to the inscription this stele depicts King Nebuchadnezzar II standing beside a ziggurat he built at Babylon. The tower is dedicated to the god Marduk. This is one of only four known depictions of Nebuchadnezzar known to exist, and the best preserved.


Reconstruction of King Nebuchadnezzar II inscription
Credit: The Schøyen Collection MS 2063, Oslo and LondoA reconstruction of the stele showing what the images would have originally looked like. Some scholars believe that the ziggurat Nebuchadnezzar built at Babylon was an inspiration for the Tower of Babel story. As such this stele is often referred to as the "Tower of Babel stele."


Ruins of Babylon
Credit: Photograph from the G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection, Library of Congress, in public domainThe ruins of Babylon as they were in 1932.



Conquest of Babylon
Credit: The Schøyen Collection MS 2063, Oslo and LondoThis inscription, made in the name of Tiglath-pileser I, a king of Assyria, records the conquest of Babylon. It was made more than 3,000 years ago.


Kings of Ur and Isin
Credit: The Schøyen Collection MS 2063, Oslo and LondoThis ancient list records the kings of Ur and later Isin, cities in modern day Iraq. The list starts with Ur-Nammu, who ruled about 4,100 years ago, and it ends with Damiq-ilisu, who ruled about 3,800 years ago.


Eye for an Eye?
Credit: The Schøyen Collection MS 2063, Oslo and LondoThis is the earliest copy known to exist of the Law Code of Ur-Nammu, a king who ruled at Ur more than 4,000 years ago. His code precedes Hammurabi's by nearly three centuries. In some ways it was more advanced, rather than an "eye for an eye" he prescribed a fine for a person who took out someone's vision.

Click here for more information.

reply to post by freakjive


Thanks for posting those pictures. I didn't even see that link in there. Ya that really helps out a lot.

Originally posted by tvtexan
reply to post by freakjive

 

I noticed something in one of the pics you posted and thought I might point it out....

mhhmm.... warm beer.

Epic!

Thanks for that!

Warm beer? There is some evidence that beverages in pottery were lowered into wells where it was 'chilled' to 13 c

There is proof of Nuclear war long ago.

Well no there isn't, what there is is a lot of fringe belief in same based on fake report but for proof, not a thing

reply to post by HawkeyeNation

"I for one am a true believer that we have had a very advanced civilization, like we do now, here before. There is proof of Nuclear war long ago."

Oh how I would love to read an accurate and non-bias account of the entirety of mankind! It would take more than a life-time to study.... Sumerians, Babylonians, Vedas, Egyptians, Atlantis, Olmec, Maya... these are only the beginning civilizations of previous civilization's end.

Originally posted by Sahabi
reply to post by HawkeyeNation


Oh how I would love to read an accurate and non-bias account of the entirety of mankind! It would take more than a life-time to study.... Sumerians, Babylonians, Vedas, Egyptians, Atlantis, Olmec, Maya... these are only the beginning civilizations of previous civilization's end.

I see that claim a great deal - that there were previous civilizations; by civilization I presume you mean large cultures equal in size to the Sumerians, Harappan, AE etc and not smaller social units like Catalhuyuk or Gobleki tepe? So why can't we find evidence of these supposed civilizations?

Originally posted by Hanslune

Originally posted by Sahabi
reply to post by HawkeyeNation


Oh how I would love to read an accurate and non-bias account of the entirety of mankind! It would take more than a life-time to study.... Sumerians, Babylonians, Vedas, Egyptians, Atlantis, Olmec, Maya... these are only the beginning civilizations of previous civilization's end.

I see that claim a great deal - that there were previous civilizations; by civilization I presume you mean large cultures equal in size to the Sumerians, Harappan, AE etc and not smaller social units like Catalhuyuk or Gobleki tepe? So why can't we find evidence of these supposed civilizations?

Knowledge and maps of an ice free Antarctica... ancient submerged cities along the oceanic coasts... and then we can get into proof of genetic bottle-necks in our ancient past... how long does a house take to crumble to rubble or a hammer to disintegrate back into nature? How old is "modern" man? Proven at least 400,000 years ago. We only have academic 'information' for the last 10,000 years or so. This is why I give much credibility to ancient "myths" about ancient technological man that either destroyed civilization through war, or experienced a natural/cosmic near extinction level event. The proof was found with the Human Genome Project.

reply to post by freakjive


Well at least someone posted pics.

I was actually making a thread on this and have for the last day and a half. I wanted it to be more detailed with pics because I found the collection to be amazing!

Guess I will delete mine......no point now.

OP you should at least post more than just a tid bit from that link. There is so much to it esp the collection. Did you look at the collections website? I was reading what he had Sumerian wise, pretty amazing stuff!

I do wonder how people get these things. I mean wouldn't all these things technically be stolen to begin with?

S&F

Originally posted by mblahnikluver
reply to post by freakjive

 

Well at least someone posted pics.

I was actually making a thread on this and have for the last day and a half. I wanted it to be more detailed with pics because I found the collection to be amazing!

I hope you saved what you wrote and will post it here in the thread -- looks like you found some interesting things that weren't mentioned.

I do wonder how people get these things. I mean wouldn't all these things technically be stolen to begin with?

Not really. Depending on the age of the excavation, they may have been bought legally. Most countries didn't have a "don't take our artifacts" rule until the 1950's or later. The Middle East has always been a very unstable place, and the poor often loot known sites and sell artifacts on the black market. Eventually they get to more reputable dealers and make their way into the hands of wealthy collectors.

Some selling of artifacts is allowed -- I bought three amulets of Bast dated to the reign of Psammanichus (600 BC) years ago. They're very common amulets and these weren't museum quality items. The archaeologists were allowed to take a number of them for gifts and for personal collections as well as items to give to the university and sponsors (they uncovered over a thousand of these amulets.)

The rules have changed recently, however it's possible to obtain artifacts legally (and ethically) ... as some of us have done.

Originally posted by mblahnikluver
reply to post by freakjive

 

Well at least someone posted pics.

I was actually making a thread on this and have for the last day and a half. I wanted it to be more detailed with pics because I found the collection to be amazing!

Guess I will delete mine......no point now.

OP you should at least post more than just a tid bit from that link. There is so much to it esp the collection. Did you look at the collections website? I was reading what he had Sumerian wise, pretty amazing stuff!

I do wonder how people get these things. I mean wouldn't all these things technically be stolen to begin with?

S&F

When I was reading I didn't even see the external link to the pics. That would've been much better but a fellow poster added the pics in for me. Please add what you had.

Hey Byrd...not sure why you are getting "Off Topic Post" happy but they do relate to the topic.

Apparently, if you have the female keeper put the beer on your tab during the summer, she will have the right to extract a tax from you, of unknown amount, in winter.
"If a female tavern-keeper gives [in] summer one beer-jar to someone on credit its nigdiri-tax will be [...] in win[ter]..." (Translation by Miguel Civil)
The lesson? If you live in ancient Mesopotamia don't put the beer on your tab.

It's a very odd combination if you ask me but the talk of beer is in the story.

Just thought I would add that in case you missed it.

When you remove those comments it makes it look like the other posters were strictly putting down the thread. Then it makes it look as if I had said something bad back to them when indeed that was not the case. Just my thoughts anyways.