#6th century bc

[queenfredegund]

Women in History Month (insp) | Week 4: Dynastic Daughters

[mapsontheweb]

West Asian empires in the 6th century BC

“TaschenAtlas – Weltgeschichte”, Klett-Perthes Verlag, 2004

via cartesdhistoire

According to Herodotus ("Histories", Book I), Deioces became king of the Medes in 701 BCE in western Iran. He united the six Median tribes and repelled Assyria's influence from his capital, Ecbatana. His grandson Cyaxares destroyed the Assyrian Empire with the help of the Babylonians (612 BCE), and then they divided its remnants. Cyaxares also destroyed the kingdoms of the Mannaeans and Urartu and advanced into Asia Minor, where the Halys River became the border with Lydia (585 BCE). His son Astyages succumbed to the Persians in 550 BCE, and Media became a satrapy.

In western Media, Nabopolassar founded the Chaldean dynasty ruling over the Neo-Babylonian Empire (625-539 BCE). His son Nebuchadnezzar II (605-562 BCE) restored Babylonian greatness and built the Temple of Marduk (the biblical Tower of Babel) in his capital, as well as the fortifications known as the "Median Wall," palaces, and the Hanging Gardens (on terraces). In 539 BCE, the Persians seized Babylon.

Achaemenid Persian Cyrus II conquered the Median Empire, Lydia (546 BCE), Babylon (539 BCE), and the Greek cities of western Asia Minor, Bactria, and Sogdia (529 BCE). His son Cambyses II subjugated Egypt and the Greek cities of Cyrenaica (525 BCE). The Persians then adopted the Assyrian concept of an empire uniting all the peoples of the world under one great king ("King of Kings"). Darius I conquered the Indus Valley in 512 BCE and occupied Thrace and Macedonia (513 BCE).

The Assyrians and Chaldeans had already begun to politically and civilly unify much of the Middle East, and the Persians continued this tradition. Thus, Aramaic, already used as a language of communication, was adopted as the language of Persian administration.

Despite its power, the history of the Achaemenids is poorly known because the scribes used parchment or papyrus; apart from rare royal inscriptions, there are few accounts from reluctant subjects or passionate opponents.

[dabiconcordia]

Fox and the grapes

One afternoon a fox was walking through the forest and spotted a bunch of grapes hanging from over a lofty branch. Just the thing to quench my thirst," quoted the fox. Taking a few steps back, the fox jumped and just missed the hanging grapes. Again the fox took a few paces back and tried to reach them but still failed. Finally, giving up, the fox turned up his nose and said,

"They're probably sour anyway," and proceeded to walk away.

MORAL: IT'S EASY TO DESPISE WHAT YOU CANNOT HAVE

[katerinaaqu]

The Preparation for Ajax's Suicide (Black-Figure Technique, Amphora by Exekias), Greek 550-525 BC, Château-Musée de Boulogne-sur-Mer, France.

We know the story, how Aias the son of Telamon (or Ajax the Great) loses his senses because of Athena and attacks a flock of sheep because the armor of Achilles was given to Odysseus instead of himself. Ashamed by his action and horrified he comits suicide by throwing himself on his sword.

Even if the vases depicting his suicide are extremely powerful I think nothing tops this masterpiece! Not only we do have the amazing tecnique of Exekias with the amazing engraved details from the Gorgoneion on the shield till Ajax's hair and beard

The methodical way he prepares himself for the end is giving such a tension in the atmosphere! And so much contrasting his madness that brought him there! There is a slow pace here that prepares you for the end! He almost seems to be patting his sowrd with care! The fall of a great warrior that is about to go down ashamed!

but also by the amazing thematic. The tension is so much greater because we see how Ajax prepares himself for the end. He is alone. There is no one around but a palm tree (ironically the palm tree is called "phoenix" in greek, similar sounding to the bird phoenix that signifies death and rebirth) wich is there only to show where he is.

His armor is placed to the side and he himself is naked; stripped off anything that made him a warrior. The way even his face shows his tension in this seems great to me.

And the way he places the sword to the ground and makes sure that the sword would stay still and steady as he is ready to fall on it!

~~

Ajax is mentioned to my analysis here as well as to the third part of my faniction The Death of Odysseus

[lindahall]

Pythagoras of Samos – Scientist of the Day

Pythagoras, an early Greek social reformer, religious thinker, and possible mathematician, was born on the island of Samos, just off the coast of Ionia, sometime around 570 BCE. 

read more...

[courtingwonder]

"Men that love wisdom must be acquainted with very many things indeed." -Heraclitus (Greek Philosopher, c. 535 BC - 475 BC)

[timetraveltasting]

OLYMPIC MARINATED SKEWERS (6th c. BC)

I decided to go Greek for my next Tasting History dish: Olympic Marinated Skewers from around the 6th century BC in Ancient Greece. It's an Olympic year, after all! For this dish, Max focused on what an Ancient Olympic athlete might eat. To do this, he relied on descriptions found in the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, a group of manuscripts discovered during the late 19th and early 20th centuries by papyrologists Bernard Pyne Grenfell and Arthur Surridge Hunt at an ancient rubbish dump near Oxyrhynchus, Egypt. The papyri describe a dish of marinated liver with some herbs, a dish which may have been served around the time Ancient Greek Olympic athletes started incorporating meat into their training diets. Before this, dried figs, cheese, and barley bread were staples of the athlete. Of course, there was a wide variation of dishes on which athletes would have feasted during training; the Ancient Olympics were hosted for a very long time - from at least 776 BC to 393 AD (even lasting to the Roman period!) - and athletes came from across the Mediterranean area in order to compete. One of the Panhellenic Games of Ancient Greece, the Olympic games were a series of athletic competitions among representatives of city-states held at the Panhellenic religious sanctuary of Olympia in honour of Zeus. The initial sport was the stadion, a sprint inside a stadium, but more events were added over time. Speaking of time, in Ancient Greece, it would often be marked using the stadion winner's name for the four-year Olympiad.

The Olympic Games were so important that truces between city-states were enforced for its duration. While there was a long period of no Olympic Games (during the reign of Theodosius II, a fire at Mt. Olympus destroyed the venue), the Games were revived in their modern form more than a thousand years later by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894, leading to the first modern Games in Athens in 1896. I may have a sweet spot for Olympic history, thanks to my years working in a museum covering the topic, so I couldn't help but give this dish a try, though admittedly with a few changes according to my palate (liver is not my thing). See Max’s video on how to make the dish here or see the ingredients and process at the end of this post, sourced from his website.

My experience making it:

For this recipe, I did take quite a few liberties which affected the final texture of the dish. Namely, I used chicken breasts instead of liver (I really don't like the texture of liver) and I used ripe figs instead of dried (because they are in season and I can't resist a good deal). However, I was sure to make the marinade exactly as written in an effort to stay true taste-wise - even finally caving and hunting down a bottle of asafoetida from a Sri Lankan shop quite far away from my house. Instead of the most authentic Paximadi bread (which I couldn't find), I used barley bread from my local grocery store bakery. I think there were other ingredients in it as well, but there was definitely barley, and that was enough for me to be persuaded. Finally, I didn't have any proper skewers handy at home, so I used some XL toothpicks.

Chopping my thyme and cilantro at the very beginning, I decided to go a bit out of order on the method and make the marinade before chopping the chicken into 1-inch pieces, but I can't see this having any effect on the outcome. I was sure to whisk constantly while adding the olive oil into the red wine vinegar. It was a little hard to combine, and I initially could see some olive oil separated on top, but with continued whisking it did finally combine. I whisked in the salt, asafoetida powder, cilantro, and thyme - it was already smelling delicious! I then chopped my chicken and submerged them in the marinade. There was just enough marinade to cover them. Because I forgot to prepare the marinade the night before, I made it in the morning and gave the chicken about 7 hours to marinate in the fridge. Not as good as Max's "overnight" recommendation, but I think better than just an hour right before dinner. When I decided we were getting hungry for dinner, I brought out the chicken, skewered the pieces with the toothpicks, and laid them onto a lined baking tray. I don't have a barbecue sadly, or even a patio/balcony for that matter, so the oven was the only option for me. For the oven temperature and cooking time, I looked up a generic chicken skewers recipe to give me advice. I ended up cooking the skewers at 400 F (205 C) for 15 minutes, then flipped the skewers once and cooked another 5 minutes on fan setting to get a bit more crisp (though they never really got very crispy on the edges anyway). While they were in the oven, I prepared the Greek salad (no olives for me), figs, feta cheese, and barley bread. The skewers looked pretty nice when finished; the herbs had darkened to a dark green colour and gave the chicken a fragrant aroma. I plated everything and ended up with a quite Greek-looking meal that I couldn't wait to taste.

My experience tasting it:

Of course, I just had to try the skewers first! The chicken was very tender and the flavour was very herby. It did taste like the chicken had really absorbed the marinade, but it wasn't wet in the slightest. I can only imagine that some char from being cooked over a fire would add so much both texture- and taste-wise, but the chicken didn't need it in order to taste wonderful. I think the asafoetida did add a faint oniony flavour which I quite liked, but wasn't entirely expecting. There was so little of it in the marinade that I thought it might be lost amongst the other ingredients. Next, I tried some barley bread. It was what it said on the tin - the usual brown-bread flavour and texture. It might be a bit surprising, but I had never tried an actual fig before. I've had figs in desserts before, where they impart their flavour, but never the actual hand-fruit. This is part of why I wasn't too bothered that I couldn't find dried ones. I tried a bite of the fresh, ripe fig and was pleasantly surprised - I liked it! Very fresh and sweet-tasting, with no hint of wasp (other than their historical role in diet and cooking, most of what I have heard about figs involves wasps dying inside them...). Taking a bite of feta right after some fig was a great idea. The sweet and salty combo, so well-beloved in salted caramel and the like, was a perfect marriage in this case. I would happily pair those two again. Come to think of it, I would make this whole dish again. The marinated skewers were juicy, with a complex and very Greek flavour to them. I might even consider using this same marinade on other meats, or adding a couple other fresh herbs to it ...specifically my all-time favourite: dill. It's a keeper, that's for sure. Ancient Greek Olympians ate well. If you end up making this dish, if you liked it, or if you changed anything from the original recipe, do let me know!

Harder-to-find ingredients:

Asafoetida

Olympic Marinated Skewers original recipe (c. 6th c. BC)

Sourced from the Oxyrhynchus Papyri (c. 6th c. BC).

Cut up good liver, marinate in oil with salt, cilantro, thyme, silphium juice, vinegar; grill on a spit at high temperature; serve.

Modern Recipe

Based on the Oxyrhynchus Papyri (c. 6th c. BC) and Max Miller’s version in his Tasting History video.

Ingredients:

1 lb (1/2 kg) calf’s liver (or another protein if liver isn’t your thing)

3 tbsp (45 ml) red wine vinegar

9 tbsp (135 ml) olive oil

1 tsp salt

A pinch of asafoetida powder*

A small bunch of cilantro, chopped

2 tbsp thyme leaves

Feta, for serving

Dried figs, for serving

Paximadi or other barley bread, for serving

*Asafoetida is used instead of the once common flower, silphium. While it was thought to be lost to history, it may have recently been found in Turkey - but either way, you probably won't be able to find some. Asafoetida is thought to be its close ancestor, and is a very pungent ingredient that imparts a garlicky/oniony umami flavor when cooked. Be sure to store it in a sealed container (or two) or your whole pantry will smell sulphurous. You can find it (sometimes as hing) at Indian markets or at the link above.

Method:

Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces, about 1”.

Pour the vinegar into a large bowl, then add the olive oil in a slow stream, whisking constantly. This will help the oil and vinegar emulsify. Whisk until well mixed, then whisk in the salt, asafoetida powder, cilantro, and thyme. Add the liver, making sure the meat is coated evenly and set it aside to marinate for an hour on the counter or in the fridge overnight.

Once the meat has marinated, put it onto skewers and grill over an open fire or in the oven. I cooked mine on a little grill for about 4 minutes on one side, then I flipped them and cooked them for another 4 to 5 minutes on the other side until they were cooked all the way through.

Serve the skewers forth with feta, figs, and paximadi for a complete meal fit for an ancient Greek Olympian.

[emmikay]

AROACE BOTTLE

Perfume bottle, late 6th century BC-5th century BC, Greece.

[justaz]

country bumpkin merlin not knowing anything about city life and accidentally courting arthur without knowing

merlin, watching gwen give lancelot her favor: why do you do that

gwen, heart eyes at lance and not paying that much attention to the conversation: so he knows i’m rooting for him

merlin, with an Idea: ah.

gwaine, lover of chaos, pisser offer of nobles and royals alike, ultimate wingman: merlin…you have such lonely lips. shall i introduce them to mine?

merlin, unaware of the game gwaine is playing: so you can steal my breath away? i think not, scoundrel

arthur, crushing his goblet in his hand:

merlin: arthur’s been in a bad mood recently :( i should cheer him up

merlin, remembering when arthur was put out when merlin brought morgana flowers and not him: i know just the thing

merlin, bringing a bouquet of carnations, roses, and tulips and setting them on arthur’s table while he’s eating breakfast: good morning, sire

arthur, trained on flower language in hopes that one day when he was to take a queen he could woo her easily, trying not to audibly choke on his sausage as he reads merlin’s declaration of love sitting in front of him:

arthur, who recently found out about merlin’s magic and was trying to find a way to bring it up, catching him in the act and watching merlin panic to explain himself:

merlin, Freaking: and i swear to you arthur, i have only ever used it for you. my magic is yours. my life is yours. i am yours. i would never do anything to harm you. i have protected you for years and will continue to do so at your side if you’ll have me

arthur, already believing them to be courting, desperately trying to figure out if that was a proposal for marriage or not but tired of being confused and deciding fuck it: here.

merlin, taking it: i…uh…huh?

arthur, watching merlin with hawk eyes and trying to figure out what he’s thinking and feeling: it’s my mothers sigil

merlin, confused as FUCK but is focusing on the fact that arthur is handing him something of his mother rather than a death sentence: my…my lord?

arthur, realizing how scared merlin’s must be about him finding out about his magic and trying to comfort him while also proposing, killing two birds with one stone: i will always keep you at my side, merlin, so long as we both shall live. if you’ll allow me.

merlin, almost collapsing with relief and tearing up, smiling at arthur as if he had parted the storm clouds to allow sun to shine down on them in that moment: of course…of course, arthur. always and forever.

merlin, watching the castle staff rush this way and that: wow. this banquet must be incredibly important

sir leon the long suffering, day one ride or die, one of the original merthur shippers: banquet? merlin, this is for your wedding

merlin, overworked and exhausted: my WHAT? to WHO??

leon, regretting everything he’s ever done in his life that led him to this moment: to…arthur?

merlin, over joyed but also absolutely befuddled: i’m getting married to ARTHUR?????

leon: you two have been courting for the past year or so, have you not?

merlin: i’ve been COURTING ARTHUR?????? FOR A YEAR?????????

[grecoromanyaoi]

Tunisia has Jewish people?

see what i mean

[blueiscoool]

Corinthian Helmet of the Early Third Type 3rd quarter of the 6th century BC

The skull is set-off distinctly from the wall of the helmet. The pair of stylised eyebrows above the eye cut-outs converge above the nose. The raised rim which frames the brows continues downwards to form a central ridge on the lance-shaped nose-guard. small, closely spaced drill holes, some still with the remains of decorative rivets, adorn the edge cut-outs. The neck-guard curves outwards and is set off from the cheek-pieces. H. 21 cm.

[mapsontheweb]

Linguistic Map of Central Italy in the 6th Century BC

[posts-to-post]

"Ancient Egyptians dedicated animal coffins like this wooden example in temples, tailoring the enclosed mummified animal to one that had a specific connection with the deity whose favor was sought. The mummified animal’s soul acted as a messenger between the human and divine realms, seeking resolution to issues such as illness or crimes committed against its dedicator. The feline form of this empty coffin suggests that it was presented to Bastet, a goddess revered for her motherly qualities who often assumed the form of a cat or cat-headed woman."

Sarcophagus (?) of a Cat, Ancient Egyptian, -664, Art Institute of Chicago: Arts of Africa

Gift of Emily Crane Chadbourne Size: 64.75 × 23 × 52 cm (25 ½ × 9 × 20 ½ in.) Medium: Wood

https://www.artic.edu/artworks/5522/

[ravenkings]

honestly, the more i learn about ancient history and the origins of things that we take for granted, the more i realize that we actually know nothing about why the world is the way it is bc like 90% of the evidence has been ~lost to history~

[cruelsister-moved2]

i think the core of what i dislike about most of these arguments made mostly by white neopagans who want to feel oppressed about how xtianity ‘stole’ such and such a thing, or whatever, is the assumption that mingling between cultural groups, and cultural change, is inherently a violent process, and the adoption of newer practises or the modification of older ones is a distortion of the True, Authentic Culture. that is a classic reactionary viewpoint, you get that, right....? we r talking about things that happened ~1000 years before the origins of modern imperialism. the christianisation of europe was largely voluntary. your AnCesTorS gradually received new practises via trickle-down from their ruling class and gradually incorporated it with their existing traditions and belief systems. that isnt cultural appropriation, and its certainly nothing like colonisation and cultural genocide

[ritualvirtuality]

please do look it up if you dont know the date bc there may be at least an approximate answer and otherwise the last option will completely dominate and this poll will be boring.

and dont be like 'but i cant sing'... just answer the earliest tune you know well enough that you COULD sing it

periods of western classical music provided only for reference