Did you know...?
Mesopotamian recipe collections, three cuneiform tablets at Yale University
containing recipes in Akkadian. Probably originating from southern Mesopotamia
in the seventeenth century BC, these are the oldest known food recipes
anywhere in the world.
~ from Food in the Ancient World From A-Z, Andrew Dalby [Routledge:London] 2003 (p. 217)
Summer News
News galore from the last month and for the months ahead! Rayhaneh Etana reports.
Right, so they keep saying that summer witnesses a slowdown here at AW: well, I'm not sure about that, but one thing I
do know: June has been one busy month in Mesopotamia! New scribes, new groups (
Gods of Wars and
Dar al Islam -expect an in-depth presentation in Acta's next issue) and, for those who had planned to stick around some for the summer break....
The Kash Bowl Kapers & Summer Beach Bash 2005 is heading our way folks! So don't forget those sunblock lotion and beach umbrellas! Many activities will help you spend a relaxing yet memorable summer, courtesy of Meso and the Orient who, for once, have left their differences (to put it mildly) behind. For all the updates, please keep checking the KB Kapers thread.
Story of the month
As you all know,
Caileadair Etana was joined in November by newly promoted
Tiglath ApilSin as Meso's scriby team. But real life sometime barges in at times most unexpected (haven't we all experienced that!) and Tiglath couldn't be present as much as he wanted. Which unfortunately, also meant that Caileadair had to take care of things on her own since....but no longer! At the end of May, she's been joined by two other ladies of the Etana family:
Aya Etana and
ApilIshtar Etana. And if the past month is anything to go by, then Meso is in for a treat from this newly-formed Etana Sisterhood!
If you haven't met with our new team yet, then stay tuned, for an exclusive interview is heading your way for the next Acta. And until then, why not stop by and meet them by yourself? Not only are they delightful people to talk to, with a genuine interest for their world and its people, and beyond! but they also have wonderful homes which will certainly make you want to stick for a while and explore at leisure.....
A warm welcome to our new scribes, and many thanks to Tiglath for all that he's done for Mesopotamia! We're looking forward to see you back soon!
Mesopotamia Treasures: The Ishtar Gate
Discover each month one of the treasures of our world. By Aya Etana.
Every citizen of AW certainly knows the Ishtar Gate. It's everywhere in Mesopotamia as the default image of each Meso homepage but...do you really know it? We have to go back to the city of Babylon (actual Iraq) and Nebuchadnezzar II reign (605-562 BC), yes the same guy from the Hanging Gardens. This beautiful city had eight main entries, eight gates. One of them was the Ishtar Gate. As you can guess, it was dedicated to the well known Babylonian goddess of beauty and love and the king certainly chose well in the divinity to honor.
This Gate is an amazing work made with colored glazed bricks, decorated with bas-reliefs of lions (Ishtar's animal), bulls, dragons (aka as sirrush), gods,...all in a magnificent combination of copper, turquoise, gold and brown tiles. Unfortunately, most of it didn't resist time and men's action. Only the foundations and some fragments remain. The most impressive architectural legacy of the city of Babylon that survived, it was rebuilt in the Pergamon Museum of Berlin where we can finally have an approximative view of how the Gate of Love and Beauty looked like about 2600 years ago. Get a look here: Ishtar Gate and Processional Way.
The Ishtar Gate image is courtesy of our talented Bryce Yupanqui.
Sources:
Bible History: The Ishtar Gate
ZyWorld: Ishtar Gate
Ishtar Temple
The Bitum Boutique
Have you dreamed of having a decoration shop and never had the time to create it? Always searching for some graphic decoration for your home and never found what you were looking for? You have graphic skills and you wish to make our citizens homes more comfortable and spiffy? Help us to create the Bitum Boutique! For more information, contact Aya Etana..
Do you want to be a great builder like Nebuchadnezzar?
Nothing more simple, contribute to the
Mesopotamian Hoods! You'll be rewarded with a gentle camel. In case you're interested, just contact the Meso scribes.
Nippur's library
Reading advice of the month: Noah's Flood by William Ryan and Walter Pitman.
Also on the same subject: Before the Flood, by Ian Wilson
Link of the month: Mesopotamia@ The British Museum
