http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/mesopotamia/ en-us Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:13:48 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282262/posts OUR effort in Iraq passed a major milestone today: Our troops are leaving the cities. Advisers remain in place. Joint patrols will still occur. And our forces will wait nearby to respond to Iraqi calls for support. But the last of the bases and US-only outposts within Iraq's urban centers will be vacated. Terrorists have already begun testing the new security arrangements. Iraqi forces won't always pass with flying colors. Yet this situation seemed a pipe dream not so long ago: Iraq's security forces, serving an elected government, assume primary responsibility for the good order of their own country. We... NYPost http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282262/posts#comment Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:13:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2154250/posts BASRA — Iraqi Security Forces recently uncovered hundreds of historical artifacts during two raids in northern Basra. The 228 ancient artifacts included Sumerian and Babylonian sculpture, gold jewelry and other items from ancient Mesopotamia.“This is my favorite item,” said Iraqi Col. Ali Sabah, commander of the Basra Emergency Battalion that led the operation, holding a piece of gold jewelry. “It’s gold from the Babylon ages and about 6,000 years old. It doesn’t have a price.”“I’m very happy because this is my civilization’s heritage,” he said.The Basra Emergency Battalion led raid operated from tips that smugglers intended to remove the... Multi-National Force - Iraq http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2154250/posts#comment Thu, 25 Dec 2008 22:06:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2063436/posts Here on the plains of the Tigris River lies the shrine of Ezra, the Jewish prophet, who returned to Jerusalem at the end of the Babylonian exile. According to biblical scholars, Ezra died years later back in the Mesopotamia at age 120 in what is now called Uzair. Locals believe Ezra passed away while roaming through the area with his donkey. His shrine still exists in this predominantly Shiite district of Amarah province filled with supporters of young cleric Muqtada's Sadr late father, a grand ayatollah assassinated in 1999. Bashir Zaalan is the custodian of Ezra's shrine. Zaalan inherited the... Babylon And Beyond http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2063436/posts#comment Sun, 17 Aug 2008 22:18:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2030426/posts This discovery offers a unique view of the social world nearly 4,300 years ago at Nagar, a city that belonged to Mesopotamia's Akkadian Empire, say Joan Oates of the University of Cambridge in England and her colleagues. Nagar's remnants lie within layers of mud-brick construction known collectively as Tell Brak (SN: 2/9/08, p. 90). The earliest layers date to more than 6,000 years ago. Evidence suggests that this Nagar sacrifice immediately followed a brief abandonment of the site because of some sort of natural disaster. Residents appeased their gods by surrendering valued individuals, animals and objects in a building formerly... Science News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2030426/posts#comment Fri, 13 Jun 2008 07:03:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1946090/posts KIRKUK AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- An Airman and his team discovered fragments of pottery, possibly dating back as far back as 2,000 years during a recent job at Kirkuk Air Base. Tech. Sgt. Kelly Wayment, a heavy equipment operator with the 506th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron here, was carrying out a routine operation near a helicopter landing pad when he noticed something peculiar. Sergeant Wayment was spotting for fellow 506th ECES member Staff Sgt. Michael Massey as he drove a grader over the area. "I noticed something on the ground that looked kind of like a rock," said the... AFPN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1946090/posts#comment Mon, 31 Dec 2007 00:49:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1935656/posts Lion sculpture gets record price The Guennol Lioness was discovered at a site near Baghdad A tiny limestone figure of a lion from ancient Mesopotamia has sold at auction for $57m (£28m), almost double the previous record price for a sculpture. The 8.3cm (3.25in) tall Guennol Lioness is thought to have been carved 5,000 years ago in what is now Iraq and Iran. The lion, whose new owner has not been identified, had been on loan to the Brooklyn Museum of Art for 59 years. The previous record for a sculpture was set last month when Pablo Picasso's Tete de... BBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1935656/posts#comment Thu, 6 Dec 2007 16:28:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1889111/posts Mesopotamian city grew regardless of kingly rule 19:00 30 August 2007 NewScientist.com news service Roxanne Khamsi Changes in pottery over the years allowed researchers to develop a timeline for the Tell Brak's expansion Contrary to the assumption that ancient cities always grew outwards from a central point, the urban site of Tell Brak in north-eastern Syria appears to have emerged as several nearby settlements melded together, according to researchers' analysis of archaeological evidence. Experts say that the findings lend support to the theory that early Mesopotamian cities developed as a result of grassroots organisation, rather than a mandate from a... New Scientist http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1889111/posts#comment Thu, 30 Aug 2007 22:39:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1879368/posts New discoveries at dig sites in Middle Asia are rocking the archeological world and redefining the origins of modern civilization. Numerous sites in modern-day Iran and the surrounding region suggest that a vast network of societies together constituted the first cities, whose residents traded goods across hundreds of miles and forged parallel but strikingly independent cultures. Archaeologists have thought that modern civilization began in Mesopotamia, where the large Tigris and Euphrates rivers bounded a fertile valley that nurtured an increasingly complex society. The social structures, wealth and technologies of this society slowly spread along the Nile and then the Indus... Live Science http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1879368/posts#comment Fri, 10 Aug 2007 18:22:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1875432/posts Public release date: 2-Aug-2007 Contact: Natasha Pinol npinol@aaas.org 202-326-7088 American Association for the Advancement of Science Beyond Mesopotamia: A radical new view of human civilization reported in ScienceMany urban centers crossed arc of Middle Asia 5,000 years ago A radically expanded view of the origin of civilization, extending far beyond Mesopotamia, is reported by journalist Andrew Lawler in the 3 August issue of Science. Mesopotamia is widely believed to be the cradle of civilization, but a growing body of evidence suggests that in addition to Mesopotamia, many civilized urban areas existed at the same time – about 5,000 years ago... Eureka Alert http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1875432/posts#comment Thu, 2 Aug 2007 21:55:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1826848/posts Epic HeroHow a self-taught British genius rediscovered the Mesopotamian saga of Gilgamesh—after 2,500 years By David Damrosch In November 1872, George Smith was working at the British Museum in a second-floor room overlooking the bare plane trees in Russell Square. On a long table were pieces of clay tablets, among the hundreds of thousands that archaeologists had shipped back to London from Nineveh, in present-day Iraq, a quarter-century before. Many of the fragments bore cuneiform hieroglyphs, and over the years scholars had managed to reassemble parts of some tablets, deciphering for the first time these records of daily life in... Smithsonian Magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1826848/posts#comment Tue, 1 May 2007 23:20:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1767236/posts Jiroft is lost link of chain of civilization: Majidzadeh TEHRAN, Jan. 12 (MNA) -- Iranian archaeologist Yusef Majidzadeh believes that Jiroft is the lost link of the chain of civilization and says it has such a significant civilization that he would be proud to be named an honorary citizen of the ancient site. In a seminar entitled “Jiroft, the Cradle of Oriental Civilization” held in Kerman on Thursday, he said, “The history of civilization in Jiroft dates back to 2700 BC and the third millennium civilization is the lost link of the chain of civilization which archaeologists have long sought.... Mehr News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1767236/posts#comment Sat, 13 Jan 2007 23:15:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1565596/posts New Discoveries in Jiroft May Change History of Civilization Jan 26, 2006 Latest archeological excavations in Jiroft, known as the hidden paradise of world archeologists, resulted in the discovery of a bronze statue depicting the head of goat which dates back to the third millennium BC. This statue was found in the historical cemetery of Jirof where recent excavations in the lower layers of this cemetery revealed that the history of the Halil Rud region dates back to the fourth millennium BC, a time that goes well beyond the age of civilization in Mesopotamia "One of the reasons the archeologists... Persian Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1565596/posts#comment Thu, 26 Jan 2006 19:19:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1556996/posts BAGHDAD, Iraq, Jan. 11 - The story told by the two Iraqi guerrillas cut to the heart of the war that Iraqi and American officials now believe is raging inside the Iraqi insurgency. In October, the two insurgents said in interviews, a group of local fighters from the Islamic Army gathered for an open-air meeting on a street corner in Taji, a city north of Baghdad. Across from the Iraqis stood the men from Al Qaeda, mostly Arabs from outside Iraq. Some of them wore suicide belts. The men from the Islamic Army accused the Qaeda fighters of murdering their... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1556996/posts#comment Thu, 12 Jan 2006 23:24:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1554488/posts Tales of Iraq Soldier brings treasures, history to school By JOHN MOLSEED Messenger staff writer Fair Oaks Middle School sixth-graders learning about Mesopotamia, the cradle of civilization, had a special guest Friday — someone who had been there. Sgt. Tony Echevarria shared his experiences and visits to historic sites while stationed in Iraq with the students — one of them his son, Zak Echevarria. ‘‘This is believed to be the birthplace of Abraham,’’ Sgt. Echevarria said describing a Powerpoint slide showing the ancient brick structure. ‘‘He is the father of Judeo-Christian belief that we have today.’’ Echevarria has spent eight... Ft. Dodge Iowa Messenger News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1554488/posts#comment Mon, 9 Jan 2006 07:59:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1545172/posts CHICAGO, IL, USA -- US and Syrian researchers say that a battle destroyed one of the world's earliest cities in Mesopotamia, at around 3500 BC but artifacts are left behind. The University of Chicago and Syria's Department of Antiquities say that the discovery provides the earliest evidence for large-scale organized warfare in the Mesopotamian world. "The whole area of our most recent excavation was a war zone," said Clemens Reichel, of the University of Chicago. Reichel was the co-director of the Syrian-American Archaeological Expedition to Hamoukar, an ancient site in northeastern Syria near the Iraqi border, in October and November.... Middle East Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1545172/posts#comment Thu, 22 Dec 2005 05:41:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1541781/posts Ancient citadel shows scars of mass warfare 11:42 16 December 2005 NewScientist.com news service Will Knight The shattered remains of a 5500-year-old citadel that stood on the modern-day border between Syria and Iraq provide some of the oldest evidence for organised and bloody warfare. The Mesopotamian settlement lies in Hamoukar, on the northernmost tip of Syria, 8 kilometres from the Iraqi border. In 3500 BC the 13-hectare development was subjected to a devastating attack, its edifices crumbling beneath a crushing hail of bullet-shaped projectiles. The evidence of the destruction was uncovered in October and November 2005 by an expedition coordinated... New Scientist http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1541781/posts#comment Fri, 16 Dec 2005 16:34:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1541590/posts University of Chicago Architectural remains in Syria from the fourth millennium B.C. Those at lower left were excavated in 2001, and those at top center this year. The location is said to be the oldest known excavated site of a large battle. In the ruins of an ancient city in northeastern Syria, archaeologists have uncovered what they say is substantial evidence of a fierce battle fought there in about 3500 B.C. The archaeologists, who announced the find yesterday, described it as the oldest known excavated site of large-scale organized warfare. It was a clash of northern and southern cultures... NY Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1541590/posts#comment Fri, 16 Dec 2005 10:51:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1424483/posts 1. The garden of Eden was in Iraq. (it sure doesn't look much like Paradise on earth today thanks to Saddam). 2. Mesopotamia which is now Iraq was the cradle of civilization! 3. Noah built the ark in Iraq. 4. The Tower of Babel was in Iraq. 5. Abraham was from Ur, which is in Southern Iraq! 6. Isaac's wife Rebekah is from Nahor which is in Iraq. 7. Jacob met Rachel in Iraq. 8. Jonah preached in Nineveh - which is in Iraq. 9. Assyria which is in Iraq conquered the ten tribes of Israel. 10. Amos cried out... SALEM VOICE MINISTRIES http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1424483/posts#comment Fri, 17 Jun 2005 00:11:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1383590/posts Globalterroralert.com (4/14/05): Sources in the Arabian Peninsula are now claiming that one of the four Al-Qaida suicide bombers who attacked a U.S. base in the western Iraqi town of Al-Qaim on April 11 was Saudi national Hadi bin Mubarak al-Qahtani. According to a statement marking his death, Hadi had grown "eager to martyr himself" after witnessing the example of the "19 heroes" and their "holy attack that demolished the foolish infidel Americans and caused many young men to awaken from their deep sleep." Click to view English translation c/o Globalterroralert.com Globalterroralert.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1383590/posts#comment Thu, 14 Apr 2005 14:54:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1380111/posts PARIS - The mystery of an ancient Mesopotamian city has finally been lifted after 25 years of meticulous work by a French archaeologist who has revealed it was one of the first "modern cities", purpose-built in the desert for the manufacture of copper arms and tools. In a new book entitled "Mari, the Metropolis of the Euphrates", Jean-Claude Margueron said the third millennium BC city, in modern day Syria, was "one of the first modern cities of humanity. Created from scratch in one phase of construction with the specific goal of becoming this (metallurgical) centre." This was an astounding concept... Turkish Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1380111/posts#comment Fri, 8 Apr 2005 22:35:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1356688/posts Existence of major metallurgy center explains why Mari had been built PARIS, France: The mystery of an ancient Mesopotamian city has finally been lifted after 25 years of meticulous work by a French archaeologist who has revealed it was one of the first "modern cities," purpose-built in the desert for the manufacture of copper arms and tools. In a new book entitled "Mari, the Metropolis of the Euphrates," Jean-Claude Margueron said the third millennium B.C. city, in modern-day Syria, was "one of the first modern cities of humanity. Created from scratch in one phase of construction with the specific goal... The Daily Star http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1356688/posts#comment Sat, 5 Mar 2005 18:04:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1347824/posts The fabled marshes of Mesopotamia, largely destroyed by Saddam Hussein in one of the worst pieces of ecological vandalism in recent history, can be partially restored, scientists said on Sunday. The first scientific assessment of the marshes in southern Iraq, al considered by some to have been the Biblical location of the Garden of Eden, was presented to the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Washington. Saddam's drainage programme - accompanied by the persecution and forced relocation of the Marsh Arabs who had lived there for 5,000 years - reduced the wetlands to 7 per cent of... Financial Times(subscription) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1347824/posts#comment Mon, 21 Feb 2005 15:04:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1308807/posts The Eastern Question that haunted the chancelleries of 19th-century Europe has returned to haunt George Bush and Tony Blair; or rather, the consequences of the failure to find a satisfactory answer to it have blighted all attempts to create a new international order in the aftermath of the cold war. This book is required reading for anyone wanting to have an informed opinion on recent events in Iraq; the fact that its author worked for Blair's "Strategic Futures Unit" makes one wonder why the prime minister did not spend more time reading history and less commissioning dodgy dossiers. There are... Guardian Unlimited Books http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1308807/posts#comment Mon, 27 Dec 2004 02:49:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1281568/posts Ancient Iranian site shows Mesopotamia-like civilisation [World News]: Tehran, Nov 16 : Shellfish is not seen on most Iranians dining tables but it was part of the daily diet of the inhabitants of ancient Jiroft in southern Iran 5,000 years ago that showed the existence of an ancient civilisation. Jiroft, located in Kerman province, is one of the richest historical areas in the world, with ruins and artefacts dating back to the third millennium BC and with over 100 historical sites located along the approximately 400 km of the Halil Rood riverbank, according to Mehr news agency. Many Iranian and... New Kerala http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1281568/posts#comment Wed, 17 Nov 2004 00:45:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1267603/posts Editors' preface: A noted historian of the Middle East has said the following about the legacy of scholars who devoted their careers to the study of the region: The giants of the recent past tend to be largely forgotten as soon as they are dead if not before, especially if what they have written isn't what is now considered fashionable or central … They are criticized when they are in error, but their achievements are forgotten.[1] While this is largely true in the English-speaking countries, it is not true in France, where a few French "giants" of Islamic and Arab... netWMD - The War to Mobilize Democracy http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1267603/posts#comment Wed, 3 Nov 2004 05:47:35 GMT