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Who are Assyrians
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Who are Assyrians
Assyrians of today have been mistaken for Syrians. Reason for this confusion seems to be more common among the average American who has heard the name Syria. They know there is a land by that name, but there is no country today named Assyria.
What is even more odd is that many writers, until recently, were under the impression that no remnants of Assyrians existed today. Whenever an Assyrian presented himself as a
living sample of descendants of Assyrians of pre-Christian era, he was met with wrinkled noses, shaking heads and forbidding eyes saying: there is no such a thing as living Assyrian. They have vanished from the face of the earth completely. But, other researchers whose experience has been found not on rumor but on their own quests, have acknowledged the claim to justify.
Another painful point to comment upon is: Assyrians of pre-Christian times have been pictured to be a cruel and absolutely merciless people, whose heathenish heart had no room for mercy. The following should help to annul this type of opinion:
In the Louvre Museum of Paris, France, any visitor passing through the Assyrian department, can not fail to see the following: On an obelisk of sandstone, approximately 5 ft. in height, with engravings in bas relief and impressed inscriptions on four sides; below the images, the observer will read the following translation on one of the four sides: �King Ashur Banipaul on his royal throne, Captive kings of the defeated revolting coalition of subject nations are being admitted into his presence.� One of the captive kings - name give - is shown prostrated on the ground in front of the footstool. Other captive kings are waiting in the background in a row. The admonition of the emperor to the kings of his dominions reads: � Why do you want to start wars? I dislike bloodshed. Just pay your tribute and live peace. � He sent them to their lands with magnificent gifts of royal robes.
But thanks to the young science of Archeology for painstakingly digging in the sandy earth of Bet Nahrin Mezza or Mesopotamia, today�s Iraq, and releasing the secrets locked in the ground for thousands of years. The unexpected revelation was sensational. The inscriptions pressed on baked clay or sculptured in indestructible stone still other engraved on metals and semi-precious stones shook the scientific world to its very foundations. The dazzling light of a new order of things would precipitate millennia�s old beliefs into chaotic confusion. In the place of barbarism, binding light of culture shone. Where signs of heathenism were expected to be found Psalms and Grand poetry. I praise of the Lords of creation were sung. In place of mental crudity, epics of mature thinking were recited. The original Noah and his Ark were too. Even, judging by time lapse, the original righteous job was here, nursing his wounds without complaint. Bet Nahrin meaning between two rivers in Assyrian Language. I.e., Dr. Wigram, English authority on the subject of Middle Eastern nations, justifiably names the land between two rivers Tigris and Euphrates. �The Cradle of Mankind� Dr. S.N. Kramer calls it �cradle of civilization�. In this land of vast dry stretches of sand today, man proved to himself to be the image of his creator. He stood up, looked around him and took a firm hold of the helm of surrounding environment and made the existing conditions to serve his purpose.
He started the communal or city life, thus becoming the originator of civilization. To promote that venturesome step, he would need dwelling places for shelter from a scorching sun and the rigors of burning sandy winds. He would need fields to raise crops for sustenance of life. He would need implants to till his soil for fertility. He would have to domesticate animals for labor and for nourishment. He would need utensils for preparation of his food, and as he had a taste for art. He liked to decorate them with various colorful designs. He would need systems of irrigation and canalization. He would require tools for all kinds of labor, also for weaving material for clothing for he didn�t desire to cover his body with crude animal skin. Subsequently a code of law would indispensable for the growing communities. He would have to build temples wherein to worship his magnanimous Creator. He would also need weapons to defend himself against man and beast.
Centuries later we see him building places of backed bricks, stone, granite, alabaster and marble. We see him decorating the portals of his palaces with images of human-headed winged bull, signifying triality of power. He continues to grow in wisdom, imagination and strength. We observe him building imposing temples of seven floors for various types of worship, also each representing the color of a different metal. We find him impressing his thoughts and the echo of his activities on baked earth and on several kinds of stones, metals and on semiprecious jewels.
Subsequently, he lifts his head and directs his gaze toward the skies. Deep spaces challenge his venturesome spirit. As the outcome of his dream, we have the gift of the calendar that divides the time into years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes and seconds. Today�s astronomers say that the difference between what they arrived at and what modern man computes with his advanced machinery is only a few seconds in a year. The product of their astronomical science was also the knowledge to foretelleclipes of sun and the moon and periodical appearances of comets.
Let us enumerate a few items of the monumental legacy they bequeathed to mankind of all time:
1- The meaning of civilization, what does it need to build it
2- Systems of irrigation
3- Systems Canalization
4- Recognition of divine
5- Art: Constructional, painting, decorating, sculpture, fashioning of ornaments in gold, silver, brass, copper, precious and semiprecious stones
6- Necessary house implements
7- Necessary home implements
8- Management of Community
9- Commerce
10- Code of Law
11- Crown of achievement � Art of writing. Progressive development: from pictograph to sign language; from sign language to alphabet
12- The Wheel � revolutionary invention that has promoted mechanical technology to such a degree that without it the latter could not be thought of, for it would be totally paralyzed
13- Military tactics that surpassed those of the surrounding people by a very wide margin, hence, their successful conquests
14- Astronomy � product of which are knowledge of seven planets metaphorically recognized for creative power, foretelling advent of eclipses and reappearance of comet as well as calendar
15- Magnifying Glass discovered in the ruins of Nineveh, Assyrian last capital city
16- The Bell Scientific � Metallurgical examination has established the fact that the relative proportion of the two necessary elements indispensable for making well-sounding bells are perfect. The two elements are copper and tin
17- The division of circle into 360 degrees � Used for measurement for space and machinery, also presumably in navigation
18- Remnants of an electric cell were discovered in the ruins of Nineveh; re-assembly of the parts did produce electric current
The finding that revealed Assyrians dealt in figures up to nine digits sustains the purpose of magnifying glass (i.e., for measurement of space). What other distances would they be measuring in millions?
We find out that science of Archeology has totally capsized the verdict pronounced against Assyrian in ignorance by calling them vile names such as: savage, inhuman, merciless and what not; for it has firmly been established that their culture has enriched man�s world enormously; that by their laborious and perseverant work they have not only accomplished wonders, but have been instrumental in helping man to expand the horizon of his attainments farther and farther, which shall become the undeniable fact that man was created by GOD IN HIS OWN IMAGE.
Copyright © by ASSYRIAN AMERICAN CIVIC CLUB OF CHICAGO All Right Reserved. Published on: 2007-10-15 (4204 reads) [ Go Back ] |
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