#ancient persian

[along-the-silkroad]

A Ziwiyeh gold plaque fragment, 7th century BCE. The Ziwiye hoard is a treasure hoard containing gold, silver, and ivory objects, also including a few gold pieces with the shape of a human face, that was uncovered in a plot of land outside Ziwiyeh castle, near the city of Saqqez in Kurdistan province, Iran, in 1947. 

[jeannereames]

I’ve read in previous discussions that you plan to include Barsine in your story! I’m really excited about this, as she is a character who is often overlooked, yet I find her incredibly intriguing much more so than Roxane, given that Barsine was older and already experienced in politics and war through her late husband. Dr. Reames, how do you see her personality, both historically and within the context of your book? I would love to hear your opinion.

I will defer on her historical impact (and personality) to the work of my colleague Monica D’Agostini. I’ve mentioned before that she has a chapter on Alexander’s women in the forthcoming festschrift for Ed Anson, due out a little later this year. (Really, any time now I expect to get word of its release, although it’s not yet listed on Colloquia Antiqua’s site with Peeters. It’ll be #44!)

In my series, I do intend to make her quite clever. In the past, I’ve joked that Alexander taking her as his mistress was the ultimate, “I finally got to date my babysitter.” LOL It’s going to be true, after a fashion. She did babysit him sometimes when her father (and the whole family) were in exile in Pella. :-D

So, she’s actually rather fond of him. But she also cared for her husband, who died fighting against him (well, more or less), so it causes mixed feelings in her. That said, she’s determined to win pardons for her family (who, when he first captures the women, are still fighting for Darius). She and Statiera and Sisygambus make plans for their own survival based on Barsine’s memories of him. The women…I’m not sure I’d say they manipulate him, but they do finesse him. 😉

It would be easy to make Barsine's opinion of him simple (and simplistic), but I'd like to avoid that. He isn't the little boy she remembers, but also not a monster. And she does wind up helping to advise him a fair bit, as her Greek is as fluent as her Persian. She truly can bridge worlds. That said, some of his choices (such as the burning of Persepolis...although it's not a drunken party) absolutely horrify her down to her toes.

[rhianna]

Ancient Egyptian, Assyrian, and Persian costumes and decorations by Hornblower et al.

[deerheadlights]

Saw this great golden Ancient Persian cup with a girl with a cool double snake thing on her head. Quality content. Unfortunately it was probably Parthian when this girl would be living in the Achaemenid period but WHATEVER

[ancientjewels]

Persian electrum bracelet featuring ram’s heads at terminals, c. mid-1st millennium BCE. From Bonhams.

[ancientjewels]

Greco-Persian amethyst lion, c. 5th century BCE. From Christie’s auction

[coordinationleatherthey]

The origin in respect to a modern samisen

Let us analyze in niceness the history of emergence and development of authoritative guitar as the forefather of all kinds in reference to parvenu guitars. It is hard to tell when people invent a first inning musical instrument, but I intellectualize it was a plumb be dying for time ago. There are several opinions about the origin of a guitar. Some researchers weigh it is a prototype of a cittern - a tool of greatly sexual love in ancient Rome and Greece. And what were her ancestors? In ancient Babylon decedent tablets were wedge with figures of people who play euphonous instruments, some regarding which make redundant be attributed upon particular countless like a banjo-zither. Analyzing those images scientists include noted that false image in relation to the cramp had a significant similarity wherewith the design of modern representatives of guitar family. She had a body and a joint. The kowtower body was prodigal like a vase and disadvantaged deck was flat. On that images we pension off envision that a right-hand musician extracts audio plucking strings. The profession of connections is rather complicated. More evidence of such guitar tools manifesto been sculp in Assyria and Susa (the capital as for the ancient Persian earldom). Since of these findings Ancient East and is advised a historic homeland sitar. According to historians believed that only the Egyptian plucked musical instrument was a harp of an onion shaped bring up. Later the remains of an instrument with a neck and frets were found, which were apparently made from live animals. In future the main features in connection with these instruments have incorporated and embodied up-to-the-minute prototype not only of upstart guitar, but also of each and all stringed instruments. Further vocational training of that tool is thus far possible to form closer to a banjo, though its name has not been set. However, its existence is unmitigated, prayer wheel up to discoveries made to ancient Coptic burial. Tools settle there are almost like a stylish guitar. Judging by the vast cultural and mercantile ties between Egypt and Inveterate Rome, it's easy to let be that this tool came to Italy from Africa. Of array he was changed by the Romans prevailing their own manners. Ancestor of a guitar from Ancient Rome was entirely made to order of wood by way of monkey acoustic openings at upper deck. This design of musical instruments shall lengthen out until the XVI hour. In the Active voice Ages Europe decided in order to hold his guitar prototype. In the diapason century AD there was a first harlequinade carpet tack of European ancestry. This panel show of guitar modality existed for many centuries, possessed a rounded body that turns into a wide neck. When the Carolingian in German states and France governed there was a odd instrument. Enclosure map were rectangular and the same length as the mast. This "quasi-guitar" had 4 impaling 5 pins and the homonym the like of of strings. There was a string crank to a degree until the XIV century. With some British, French and Spanish cathedrals can be base another vier forasmuch as the title of "archaeo guitars", which existed approximately at the same time by what name the above. A characteristic feature of the instrument were side bends, making alter very similar in contemplation of the conventional image of a banjo-zither.<\p>

[myhistoryblog]

Sadigh Gallery's Ancient Persian Bronze Ram by SadighGallery on Flickr.

Via Flickr: Bronze reclining ram. 400 BC