Ep 97 – Middle 1 – Ashur-Dan and the Isin Dynasty
Welcome to the iron age. Though the international system of the late bronze age has collapsed under the weight of countless invaders, the Babylonians and Assyrians in their much diminished empires still have eyes only for each other. For them, no era has really ended, the great struggle between the two Mesopotamian power centers has … Continue reading Ep 97 – Middle 1 – Ashur-Dan and the Isin Dynasty
Misc 5 – An Overview of Bronze Age Mesopotamia
This is a summary of the bronze age in ancient Mesopotamia, covering the years about 3000 BCE to 1200 BCE. This is a review of about 119 episodes of the oldest stories podcast, covering all of season 1 before we move into season 2, which will cover iron age Mesopotamia and their near eastern neighbors. … Continue reading Misc 5 – An Overview of Bronze Age Mesopotamia
Industry 5 The Bronze of the Age
Today we have a history of metals, mining and metalworking in the bronze age near east. The story telling style of the last few industrial episodes didn’t really work out here, so it is more of a bird’s eye overview. We cover mostly copper and bronze, but also look at the history and production of … Continue reading Industry 5 The Bronze of the Age
Industry 4 – The Fabric of Civilization and Last Century’s Fashions
Clothing is foundational to civilization. In the bible, it is humanity’s first invention. In Mesopotamian philosophy, it is the thing which separates humans from animals. But as we will see today, even the simplest of cloth garments were the result of an extreme amount of work and technical skill, built up over countless generations of … Continue reading Industry 4 – The Fabric of Civilization and Last Century’s Fashions
Anunnaki 10 Shamash, the Sun
Nowadays we tend to give Shamash, the Mesopotamian sun god, a bit less respect than he is probably due. After all, for modern folk, the category of “sun god” is the height of pagan foolishness. After all, why would anyone worship an object which has been held in common by all humans throughout all of … Continue reading Anunnaki 10 Shamash, the Sun
Anunnaki 9 Passionate Daughter Ishtar
Ishtar, the passionate goddess of love and war from ancient Mesopotamia has had a long life, historically speaking, and she continues to be a popular object of fascination for historians and of reverance for pagan revivalists. Today our focus is on Ishtar as she was worshipped in the ancient world. Less here about myth and … Continue reading Anunnaki 9 Passionate Daughter Ishtar
Industry 3 Liquid Bread
Our tale of daily life continues. The harvest is over, but the work continues, as there are many steps required to transform boring, nutritious grain into delicious, nutritious beer. Note that the Ninkasi translation comes from etcsl and the drinking song comes from Benjamin Foster’s Before the Muses, a fantastic collection of ancient writings translated … Continue reading Industry 3 Liquid Bread
Industry 2 The Stuff of Life
Today we are talking all about the sort of industry that would have occupied most of the attention of most of the people of the ancient world. That is to say, beer making. But to talk about beer, you have to start with grain, and to talk about grain you have to start with a … Continue reading Industry 2 The Stuff of Life
Industry 1 The Earthen World
Perhaps the defining material of ancient Mesopotamia was dirt. Buildings were made by mud brick, and those buildings were filled by clay pottery of all sorts. Today we are going to look at the people who made these things and how they made them. It will necessarily be a bit of a summary, sort of … Continue reading Industry 1 The Earthen World
Listener Questions and Answers Episode!
A long time ago I asked for listener questions, and also posted a call for questions over on tiktok, and here they are finally getting answered. This is theoretically the hundredth episode special, but depending on how you count it, we are either on episode 97 or on episode 110-ish. It is a grab bag … Continue reading Listener Questions and Answers Episode!
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