What if I told you that the core principles driving blockchain technology were actually explored over 5,000 years ago? Not in Silicon Valley boardrooms, but in the dusty archives of ancient Mesopotamia. Sounds unlikely, so let me explain how it worked.
Perceptions of ancient Mesopotamia -- the birthplace of the world's first civilisations, which emerged more than 4,000 years ago across what is now Iraq -- are dominated by stories of divine kings, their monumental stepped ziggurats, and vast libraries brimming with forgotten knowledge.
A full house at the Clocktower Centre gathered on 29 June for Alexander's Journey, a dramatic oratorio written by Dean Kalimniou and staged by the Pan-Macedonian Association of Melbourne under the direction of its President, Peter Stefanidis. Among the attendees were community dignitaries, including Bishop Evmenios of Chora.
GHOSTA, LEBANON -- The town of Ghosta lies some 950 meters above sea level in Mount Lebanon Governate. In modern times it was the hometown of painter Daoud Corm (1852-1930), journalist and founder of Lebanon's news agency Philippe Ziadeh (1909-2005), and final resting place for Jocelyne Khoueiry.
This carved relief from Nimrud, a major city of the ancient Assyrian Empire in present-day Iraq, regularly drifts around the internet as purported evidence for scuba diving nearly 3,000 years ago. But the wall panel actually depicts an army crossing a river, and soldiers are navigating the waves with the help of ancient flotation devices.
The seemingly simple celebration of National Apple Strudel Day on June 17th conceals a 4,700-year culinary journey that reveals surprising connections between ancient Mesopotamian trade routes and your local bakery's most popular dessert. What started as honey-filled pastries in 8th-century B.C.