The Inside Assyria Discussion Forum #5
=> The Death of the Artificial Concept of 'Western Civilization'!?!?
| The Death of the Artificial Concept of 'Western Civilization'!?!? |
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Posted by
Tiglath
(Guest)
- Sunday, September 7 2008, 17:04:44 (CEST) from 58.108.41.6 - d58-108-41-6.dsl.vic.optusnet.com.au  Australia -  Windows Codename Longhorn -  Internet ExplorerWebsite: Website title: |
I am part of a listserv of ancient Near Eastern studies moderated by a prominent scholar Jack Sasson (Vanderbilt). This was recently sent out, and, in light of the Olympic games, I thought you might like to read it. Enjoy! Gilgamesh Games antecedent of Olympic Games Based on original Mesopotamian and Greek source material there are a total of eleven major similarities discovered thus far that may show that the ancient Greek Olympic Games have their antecedent in the ancient Gilgamesh Games. PRLog (Press Release) – Aug 01, 2008 – Ever since the Western archaeological discovery of the ancient Olympic Games - which were used as the antecedent of the modern Olympic Games - historians and archaelogists have made numerous attempts to trace back the ancient Olympic Games to their historical source in an attempt to better understand their meaning and importance. Finally on August 1st, 2008, on the eve of the modern Beijing Olympic Games, and on the same date used by the ancient Mesopotamians to commemorate the ancient Gilgamesh Games, the Gilgamesh Games thesis has finally been published online. After years of researching archaelogical source data we are able to present to you what may very well be the origins of the ancient Olympic Games. The main thesis shall show that the Mesopotamian (modern day Iraqi) cultural influence that had for centuries percolated into ancient Greece through contact with the Hittites (modern day Turks) and other peoples appears to have suddenly swamped Greece during the middle of the 8th century BC. This was during the start of the Sargonid dynasty which saw the Assyrian (ancient Iraqi) empire reach its geographical zenith and incorporate colonies such as the Greek island of Crete. It was during this period that the funerary rituals and the athletic 'feats of strength,' depicted in the Death of Bilgames cuneiform tablet, along with other Mesopotamian athletics festivals may have been adopted from the ancient Mesopotamians and gradually incorporated into the ancient Greek Olympic Games. Based on original Mesopotamian and Greek source material there are a total of eleven major similarities discovered thus far that may show that the ancient Greek Olympic Games have their antecedent in the ancient Gilgamesh Games. The revelation that the Olympian "jewel in the crown" of Western civilisation may trace back to the Middle East may unsettle many readers, who have been immersed within the framework of Orientalism. It will also sound the final death knell for the artificial concept of "Western civilisation." For full details please visit http://www.gilgameshgames.org Posted by brian at 10:48 AM Labels: sports 4 comments: Ian and Sally said... This particular Agade email caught my eye, too, Brian. Interestingly, during the opening ceremony I remember thinking how very different "Western Civilization" is from "Eastern Civilization" (i.e. the Far East). Perhaps the writer's final sentence is a bit of an overstatement. :-) Ian 8/14/2008 11:28 AM brian said... Perhaps an overstatement, yes. But classicists have, for a long time, promoted a) a distorted view of the east, and b) refused to acknowledge the ancient Near Eastern roots of a lot of their precious 'Western' mythology and law (e.g., Machinist once told me that the closest he's ever seen to fisticuffs at a professional meeting was when JHU prof. Ray Westbrook proposed that the Roman 12 Tables had material borrowed from ANE law--one classicist flipped out and nearly needed to be restrained! And, as you know, a lot of epic/creation/hero motifs are already present in the earliest cuneiform myth, etc.). 8/14/2008 6:03 PM Ian and Sally said... Right. I agree. I guess my question is: Does this theory--that the Olympic games have their roots in Mesopotamia--truly "sound the final death knell for the artificial concept of Western civilisation." I'm not so sure. The birth place of the West is shifting more and more East, but does that deny the existence of the West? The phrase "concept of Western Civilization" is an extremely loaded term, so I guess it depends on how the author defines it. I remember this being a fundamental issue at the outset our Historiography class, that is, how one defines the "Near East"--very interesting stuff. What I really find fascinating is the difference between modern Western culture and modern Far Eastern culture. I guess that is what I was trying to get at in my initial comment. I had the opportunity to befriend a number of Korean and Chinese students at GCTS, and the fundamental differences between our culture and theirs always surprised me. Their sense of family, community, and individuality is entirely different from our own, and I think that is why the Chinese were able to pull off such an amazing opening ceremony. (Sorry for the long comment! I probably should have emailed you, but I have already typed it.) 8/14/2008 8:11 PM brian said... Yes, all points granted. It's an exaggeration. But it is likewise an exaggeration to use the phrase "Western Civilization" in the way some classicists and others sometimes have used it, i.e., with the idea that everything "Western" is of Greek and Roman derivation, and is an "axial age" innovation of the brilliance of the "Western" mind. 8/16/2008 11:39 AM --------------------- |
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