tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2779268887359554414.post7385095811733085153..comments2024-01-08T09:08:58.972-08:00Comments on Chicken Scratch: Ancient Babylon: A Hedonistic SocietyLinneahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13948858387319711099noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2779268887359554414.post-72412992839302213362013-12-06T09:42:03.757-08:002013-12-06T09:42:03.757-08:00I think it may be a somewhat narrow view to suppos...I think it may be a somewhat narrow view to suppose their pessimism had anything to do with the annual flooding of the Euphrates, regardless of how destructive it could be. You have to keep in mind that they believed the river to be overseen by their gods. Enbilulu was a deity in charge of Euphrates and was said to know the secrets of the water, made all things flourish, and was lord of abundance and ample crops. The flooding was both harmful and beneficial. Peak flooding in spring might cover the land but it carried with it the rich silt that acted as a kind of manure to fertilize their fields. They also had a complex canal system to channel water from the river. Construction and maintenance of the system was actually considered an act of piety and the digging of a new canal was regarded as equal to a victory in war or the building of a temple. The river was an essential source of drinking water and played a huge role in the economy of Babylon with its business life centered on the wharves. I suspect flooding was simply an acceptable price to pay for all its advantages.Linneahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13948858387319711099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2779268887359554414.post-88748489033627649952013-12-06T02:13:53.320-08:002013-12-06T02:13:53.320-08:00Wow, that sounds harsh. Interesting, but harsh. My...Wow, that sounds harsh. Interesting, but harsh. My knee-jerk reaction is to disagree with the theory. I grew up around floodplains, and one thing you could be sure of was that they'd flood again. It was natural and normal in the same way as winter weather. But it does make me curious to do some reading on the matter. I'll put it on the ol' mental reading list.Shannon Knighthttp://shannonknight.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2779268887359554414.post-79525353827674961982013-12-03T06:55:56.310-08:002013-12-03T06:55:56.310-08:00Many of the Fertile Crescent societies seems to ha...Many of the Fertile Crescent societies seems to have a fairly pessimistic religion. I've read speculation that it was because the flooding of the rivers was so unpredictable and destructive that they couldn't take a positive view of life.Ruth Hull Chatlienhttp://ruthhullchatlienbooks.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2779268887359554414.post-45669791226336714322013-12-01T21:50:00.568-08:002013-12-01T21:50:00.568-08:00I suspect, but obviously don't know, that the ...I suspect, but obviously don't know, that the Babylonians showed the degree of their devotion in the lengths to which they would go to please the goddess. Other societies were horrified at their behavior but I don't know that the Babylonians were disgusted with the gods. It was simply the way things were. Stories of the gods had been passed down for a long time and there is some indication that the negative attributes of the gods were actually a reflection of the primitive people from whose imagination they sprang and would have been a true picture of the average man in the most ancient age of their civilization. Linneahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13948858387319711099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2779268887359554414.post-8938886969431239012013-12-01T18:55:55.036-08:002013-12-01T18:55:55.036-08:00I'm fascinated by different cultures' (esp...I'm fascinated by different cultures' (especially ancient ones) views of death and the afterlife. I wonder, though, at the negative words used to describe the priestesses. If the people in general felt the acts were "abominable" then they couldn't have been that into Ishtar. It sounds like your readings suggested that the people were rather disgusted with the gods, but did whatever they did to appease them to avoid retribution. Since the correct behavior of a people is often based on religious beliefs, that seems rather contradictory. What do you think?Shannon Knighthttp://shannonknight.netnoreply@blogger.com