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.
On June 15, 763 BC, a near-total solar eclipse occurred over northern Assyria and was recorded by observers in Nineveh, the capital city. This event is preserved in the Eponym Canon, a list of historical events made by the Assyrians on clay tablets, following a specialized calendar system. The text notes: "Insurrection in the City of Assur. In the month of Sivan, the Sun was eclipsed.