“Traditional Claims of an Illustrious Ancestor in Craftsmanship and in Wisdom,” in A. Archi (ed.), Tradition and Innovation in the Ancient Near East (57th RAI, Rome, 4-8 July 2011: Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 2015), pp. 311-20.BODI2015RAI57p311p320Rome Traditional Claims of an Illustrious Ancestor (original) (raw)
The ancient scholar at work – Some glimpses from the ancient Near East
This short essay aims to provide a few glimpses into the life of scholars in ancient Mesopotamia. What we focus on here, in particular, are textual sources that highlight his or her work ethics, tasks and aspirations. It is not the intention in this paper to discuss every aspect in the life of scholars in the ancient Near East, since a thorough study would go far beyond the scope of this paper. 1 It is, nonetheless, important to highlight certain key aspects, which set apart the Mesopotamian scholar from a common scribe engaged in tasks such as performing administrative duties or drafting letters. Some of these key aspects are vividly described in the well-known Autobiography of the Neo-Assyrian king Ashurbanipal, in which the king states as follows: 2 I learnt the lore of the wise sage Adapa, the hidden secret of all scribal art. I can recognize celestial and terrestrial omens (and) discuss (them) in the assembly of the scholars. I can deliberate upon (the series) " (If) the liver is a mirror (image) of heaven " with able experts in oil divination. I can solve complicated multiplications and divisions which do not have an (obvious) solution. I have studied elaborate composition(s) in obscure Sumerian (and) Akkadian which are difficult to get right. I have inspected cuneiform sign(s) on stones from before the flood, which are cryptic, impenetrable (and) muddled up. This famous statement is suitable to set the stage. The king portrays himself as a devout scholar capable of reading obscure inscriptions, deliberate upon difficult treatises, and engage in scientific discourse with other experts. How much of this account is mere fiction, to what extent the king received an education that allowed him to excel in these tasks, has been subject of I would like to thank the organisers of the colloquium Écriture, Pouvoir, Légitimité, Affichage culturel, politique et identitaire en Orient & Méditerranée. IIIe millénaire av. – IIe millénaire ap. J.-C., Paris, 6–7 October 2016, for offering to publish my paper in the colloquium's proceedings. Much of the work for this study benefited from my participation in the project " Episteme als Konfigurationsprozess: Philologie und Linguistik im 'Listenwissen' des Alten Orient " (under direction of E. Cancik-Kirschbaum and J. Klinger, Freie Universität Berlin) within the framework of SFB 980 " Episteme in Bewegung. " A comparative study, investigating scholarly work in Egypt and Mesopotamia is currently being published (Cancik-Kirschbaum and Kahl 2018). Abbreviations in this study follow those of CDLI (http://cdli.ox.ac.uk/wiki/abbreviations\_for\_assyriology). For primary sources referred to in footnotes, the respective entry in the database of the Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI;
London: Luzac & Co. (with new Publisher) - The new Alexandria Library of Texas , 1929
This exhaustive groundbreaking exploration into the origins of early civilizations, positing that the Sumerians are the lost early Aryans whose cultural and linguistic heritage significantly influenced various ancient societies. The book delves into the historical connections between the Sumerians and other civilizations, including the Egyptians, Greeks, Phoenicians, and early Britons. Waddell systematically examines the racial and linguistic affinities of the Sumerians, tracing their civilization, language, writing, and religion back to Aryan roots. He argues that significant ancient groups, such as the Trojans and the Etruscans, share this Sumerian heritage, suggesting a web of cultural exchange and influence that shaped the development of Western civilization. Through detailed analysis of ancient texts, dynastic lists, and archaeological findings, Waddell reveals the synchronisms between Mesopotamian and Egyptian chronologies, identifying key figures like Sargon of Akkad and Menes as pivotal to the historical narrative. His research highlights the interconnectivity of ancient kingdoms and the migratory patterns of Indo-Aryans, framing their civilizations as essential to understanding the evolution of global history. The work concludes with a thorough examination of the legacies of these civilizations, urging a reevaluation of historical timelines and the contributions of the Sumerians and their descendants to the fabric of human progress. Contents (see book for 100s of subjects and description of each chapter inside the book - below are each chapters themes and what they cover etc INTRODUCTORY—My Previous Historical Discoveries Leading Up to the Present Ones: • The lost Early Aryans are the “Sumerians.” • Present ignorance of the racial and linguistic affinities of the Sumerians. • Aryan race of the Sumerians discovered. • The name “Sumerian.” • The name Aryan. • Sumerian origin of the Briton, Anglo-Saxon, Cymric, Irish Scots, Scandinavians, early Germans, and Goths, and of their civilization, language, writing, and religion. • Ancient Greeks, Etruscans and their civilization, language, writing, and religion of Sumerian origin. • Trojans, Ionians, and Cretans and their civilization, language, writing, and religion of Sumerian origin. • “Hittites” and Amorites and their civilization, language, writing, and religion of Sumerian or Aryan origin. • Hitto-Sumerian origin of Greek art with reference to Bacchus and his representation. • Phoenicians and their civilization, language, writing, and religion of Sumerian or Aryan origin. • First “Phoenician” dynasty in Persian Gulf about 3100 B.C. of Aryan origin. • The “Phoenicians” as Barats or “Britons” and their sea-tutelary as Britannia. • Title “Phoenician” seldom used by the Phoenicians themselves. • Indo-Aryans and ancient Medes and Persians and their civilization, language, writing, and religion of Sumerian origin. • Egyptian civilization, predynastic and dynastic, and its authors of Aryan and Sumerian origin. • A synchronism between ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia discovered, fixing the date of Menes and the First Dynasty of Egypt, c. 3100 B.C. INDIAN OFFICIAL KING-LISTS AND CHRONICLES OF THE EARLY ARYANS DISCOVERED AS UNIQUE HISTORICAL KEYS TO NAMES OF THE SUMERIAN KINGS CONTINUOUSLY BACK TO THE RISE OF CIVILIZATION AND THEIR DATE: • Discovering Sumerian origin of the lists and their date, the unknown pre-Indian homeland of the Indo-Aryans, their migration to India and its causation and date, and date of the Great War of the B’harats for the Partition of India c. 650 B.C. SUMERIAN DYNASTIC LISTS IN KISH CHRONICLE OF c. 2650 B.C. FROM FIRST SUMERIAN DYNASTY c. 3380 B.C. TO GUTI OR GOTHIC INVASION: • Discovering date of First Sumerian Dynasty at about 3378 B.C. and the great gap in the Kish Chronicle. COMPARISON OF KISH CHRONICLE AND INDIAN LISTS OF THE EARLY ARYAN KINGS DISCLOSES THEIR IDENTITY AND SITE OF FIRST SUMERIAN CAPITAL IN CAPPADOCIA: • Discovering also the advent of the Sumerians into Mesopotamia and its date about 3335 B.C., overlapping of first and second dynasties of Kish Chronicle, identity of First Sumerian King with Indra, Thor, or King Ar-Thur or St. George, with date and location of First Capital in Cappadocia c. 3378 B.C. UPU'S STONE-BOWL (OR “HOLY GRAIL”) CONTEMPORARY GENEALOGY OF FIRST SUMERIAN DYNASTY IN AGREEMENT WITH INDIAN LISTS, KISH CHRONICLE AND NORPIC EPICS: • Disclosing original “Holy Grail” of King Ar-Thur, the magic “Cauldron” of Thor and the oldest known historical inscription in the world. THE GREAT GAP IN THE SECOND DYNASTY OF KISH CHRONICLE OF 430 YEARS 3180-2750 B.C. WITH 27 KINGS IS FILLED BY INDIAN KING LISTS: • Disclosing King B’arat, Uruash’s Dynasty with his five sons and “Mesannipadda” and other pre-Sargonic Kings, including Sargon’s father, in their due chronology for the first time, and the “Garden of Edin” paradise in the Indus Valley, founded by King Uruash, and Sargon I discovered as First historical Predynastic Pharaoh of Egypt and his son as Menes, the founder of the First Dynasty of Egypt. THE ISIN CHRONICLES OF ABOUT 2070 B.C. AND THE FALSITY OF THEIR “DYNASTIES” AND CHRONOLOGY PREFIXED TO THE FIRST DYNASTY OF THE KISH CHRONICLE: • Disclosing the falsity of all the current Assyriologists’ “history” and chronology of the Sumerians and of Mesopotamia based upon the prefixed “dynasties” of the Isin Chronicles. ARCHAIC SUMERIAN KING-LIST OF ABOUT 3180 B.C. DISCOVERED MISPLACED IN ISIN CHRONICLE CONFIRMING KISH CHRONICLE, INDIAN AND EPIC KING LISTS: • Disclosing Odin-Thor of Nordics as First Sumerian King, King B’arat amongst the “Antediluvians” and the Sumerian or Aryan origin of the “Antediluvian” Kings of Berosus. TWO FURTHER OLD SUMERIAN KING-LISTS DISCOVERED OF ABOUT 2700 AND 2600 B.C. MISPLACED IN ISIN CHRONICLE CONTAINING MISSING KINGS OF THE GREAT GAP AND CONFIRMING KISH CHRONICLE & INDIAN KING LISTS OF EARLY ARYANS FROM RISE OF CIVILIZATION: • Disclosing the Gaur or “St. George” title of First Sumerian King Odin or Thor, the Mukla or “St. Michael,” Tasia, Kan, Gan or “Gawain” titles of his son. Historical originals of Adam, Cain, Enoch, Noah, and Japheth as Aryan Kings with fixed dates and contemporary monuments. THE TWO OLD SUMERIAN KING-LISTS MISPLACED IN ISIN CHRONICLE PRESERVE THE MISSING 27 KINGS OF THE GREAT GAP OF 430 YEARS IN KISH CHRONICLE IN COMPLETE AGREEMENT WITH INDIAN OFFICIAL LISTS: • Disclosing further information regarding King B’arat and his son Gautama, Uruash’s Dynasty of Sea-empire and colonization of the Indus Valley by his son Madgal, and King Tarsi of Kish or Su-Dasa and his battle against the ten confederate kings. REMAINING KINGS OF THE GREAT GAP FROM UR DYNASTY, INCLUDING DRUPADA AND SARGON’S FATHER AS KING OF KISH IN OLD SUMERIAN KING LISTS IN COMPLETE AGREEMENT WITH INDIAN OFFICIAL ARYAN LISTS: • Disclosing the real date of “Mesannippadda” of Ur and his Dynasty at about 2900 B.C. SARGON’S FATHER DISCOVERED AS HEREDITARY SUMERIAN OR ARYAN KING OF KISH AND HIS DETHRONEMENT BY ZAGGISI—COMPLETING THE RECOVERY OF ALL THE KINGS OF THE GREAT GAP AND ESTABLISHING AUTHENTICITY OF THE FIRST DYNASTY OF KISH CHRONICLE AS FIRST DYNASTY OF THE SUMERIANS, AND IDENTITY OF THE SUMERIANS WITH THE EARLY ARYANS: SARGON THE GREAT DISCOVERED AS HEREDITARY ARYAN KING OF KISH WITH HIS LOST PREHISTORY AND “WORLD MONARCHY”: • Disclosing his Aryan race, unknown royal ancestry, posthumous birth, training by Priest Aurva, recovery of father’s kingdom and extension to world empire, including Britain, Mediterranean, Asia Minor, Syria, Mesopotamia, Persia, Indus Valley, and Egypt. SARGON WITH HIS FATHER AND GRANDFATHER DISCOVERED AS “PREDYNASTIC” PHARAOHS OF EGYPT AND HIS SON MANIS-TUSU AS “MENES,” THE FOUNDER OF THE FIRST DYNASTY OF EGYPT AND AT A DATE NO EARLIER THAN ABOUT 2100 B.C.: • Disclosing the unknown ancestry of Menes, the Aryan origin of Egyptian civilization and hieroglyphic writing and Sargon’s tomb in Egypt. MENES, FOUNDER OF THE FIRST DYNASTY OF EGYPT AS MANIS-TUSU, SON OF SARGON; HIS UNKNOWN ANTECEDENTS AND SEIZURE OF EGYPT FROM HIS FATHER (?), c. 2704 B.C.: MENES’ FIRST DYNASTY OF EGYPT IDENTICAL WITH MANIS-TUSU’S DYNASTY IN MESOPOTAMIA AND IN INDIAN LISTS FROM NARMAR ONWARDS: MENES’ FIRST DYNASTY OF EGYPT IDENTICAL WITH MANIS-TUSU’S DYNASTY OF MESOPOTAMIA AND WITH INDIAN LISTS FROM THIRD KING TO END OF DYNASTY AND THEIR WORLD EMPIRE: • Disruption of Sargon’s “world-empire,” with the rise of independent Egypt under MENES’ FIRST DYNASTY OF EGYPT IDENTICAL WITH MANIS-TUSU’S DYNASTY IN MESOPOTAMIA AND IN INDIAN LISTS FROM NARMAR ONWARDS: • Showing the interconnection between Mesopotamian and Egyptian dynasties, providing insights into the shared cultural and political histories. MENES’ FIRST DYNASTY OF EGYPT IDENTICAL WITH MANIS-TUSU’S DYNASTY OF MESOPOTAMIA AND WITH INDIAN LISTS FROM THE THIRD KING TO THE END OF DYNASTY AND THEIR WORLD EMPIRE: • Analysis of the broader implications of shared dynasties on the historical narrative of the ancient world, emphasizing the connections between civilizations. DISRUPTION OF SARGON’S “WORLD-EMPIRE” WITH THE RISE OF INDEPENDENT EGYPT UNDER MENES AND HIS SUCCESORS: • Examining how the establishment of Egyptian independence affected Sumerian influence and control over surrounding regions. THE FOUNDER OF ANCIENT BRITAIN DISCOVERED TO BE MANIS-TUSU’S DESCENDANT; THE TRANSFER OF THE ARYAN SOVEREIGNTY OVER THE MEDITERRANEAN TO GREECE AND THE “PHOENICIANS” AND THEIR SEA TRADE: • Investigating the lineage and the cultural exchanges between ancient Britain and the Mediterranean civilizations. CONCLUDING REMARKS ON THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS AND THEIR LEGACY: • Reflecting on the lasting impacts of early civilizations on modern cultures, languages, and historical interpretations. BIBLIOGRAPHY AND SOURCES: • Comprehensive listing of references used throughout the text, providing avenues for further research. Tags in relation to the book - S...
The article first explores how the “Story of Aḥiqar” was secondarily elaborated and modeled on an ancient bilingual Sumero-Akkadian saying, implying that the “Aḥiqar Proverbs” were first while the “Story of Aḥiqar” was secondary. Both the name Aḥiqar and the “Story of Aḥiqar” are literary constructs, comparable to the figure of Homer among the Greeks. The main plot of the “Story of Aḥiqar” of the “disgrace and rehabilitation of a minister,” combined with the motif of the “ungrateful nephew” was already blended in the Sumero-Akkadian collection of proverbs. Second, the paper further explores how several chronologically well-established and geographically well-distributed ancient Near Eastern legal procedures of corporal punishment for breaking a contract or breaching an oath have been alluded to in the form of a pithy wisdom saying found among the Proverbs of Aḥiqar no 72. While in these practices of corporal punishment the human protagonists are involved, in the Aḥiqar wisdom saying the punitive action is attributed to God. The wisdom saying extrapolates from the human domain in order to ascribe it to the divine one. One may, therefore, speak of the first step toward abstraction and the establishing of a general principle.