Israel vs Judah

[kudzu]

No, the most recent attempt I made was I thought it would be nifty to try reading through the Durant's entire Story of Civilization series. Of course, the books were written from the 30s through the mid-70s, so they are pretty dated.

Kramer wrote and updated History Begins at Sumer.. and since then the tablets at Dilmun have been found and translated.

 

[Cypress]

There's a lot more documented history of the Greeks than the Mesopotamians. Even Greece suffers compared to Rome, in that much of its earlier history is poorly documented. With the Romans, once you transition from the Kingdom to the Republic, original source material starts to become rapidly available.

EDIT: I noticed an error in my first sentence after Cypress thanked my post. I accidentally said ..."of the Greeks than the Romans."

Yes true, and yet still I believe there has traditionally been a bias in western primary education to hold out ancient Greece and Rome as the inspiration and touch stone for western civilization.

Our architecture itself makes that case. Our public buildings, our great memorials built largely in the Greco-Roman style is a very public statement about what we consider to be our heritage, our touch stone.

My recollection is that very little effort was ever made in public education to make a more a more realistic and holistic presentation about the progression of human civilizations in southwest Asia, the eastern Mediterranian and northwest Africa, and the influences that ultimately manifested later on in the Greco-Roman worlds.

 

[Minister of Truth]

Yes true, and yet still I believe there has traditionally been a bias in western primary education to hold out ancient Greece and Rome as the inspiration and touch stone for western civilization.

Our architecture itself makes that case. Our public buildings, our great memorials built largely in the Greco-Roman style is a very public statement about what we consider to be our heritage, our touch stone.

My recollection is that very little effort was ever made in public education to make a more a more realistic and holistic presentation about the progression of human civilizations in southwest Asia, the eastern Mediterranian and northwest Africa, and the influences that ultimately manifested later on in the Greco-Roman worlds.

One thing I enjoy about comparing America to Greece and Rome is that the relationship between the two is very comparable to America and Europe. The Greeks viewed Roman culture as vastly inferior, and were annoyed by how powerful Rome had become, when Greece had once been a mighty empire.

 

[Cypress]

One thing I enjoy about comparing America to Greece and Rome is that the relationship between the two is very comparable to America and Europe. The Greeks viewed Roman culture as vastly inferior, and were annoyed by how powerful Rome had become, when Greece had once been a mighty empire.

An interesting point.

That was what I have learned. That the western Mediterranean was basically considered the red-headed step child to the much richer and vastly superior eastern Mediterranean. The Eutruscans and the ancient Romans were basically considered nobodies by the civilizations of Greece and the eastern Mediterranian.

The thing I learned about the Greeks, is they basically considered all non-Greek speakers to be barbarians. Though they apparently did manage to admire the ancient Egyptians.

I have a course on the Athenian democracy on my watch list, so that should be pretty enlightening.

I also have a course on Mesopotamia waiting on deck. 24 lectures, so there is obviously enough scholarly knowledge about the civilizations of the Tigirs and Euphrates river valley that there is no excuse for why we only had one or two lectures about it in high school world history

 

[kudzu]

An interesting point.

That was what I have learned. That the western Mediterranean was basically considered the red-headed step child to the much richer and vastly superior eastern Mediterranean. The Eutruscans and the ancient Romans were basically considered nobodies by the civilizations of Greece and the eastern Mediterranian.

The thing I learned about the Greeks, is they basically considered all non-Greek speakers to be barbarians. Though they apparently did manage to admire the ancient Egyptians.

I have a course on the Athenian democracy on my watch list, so that should be pretty enlightening.

I also have a course on Mesopotamia waiting on deck. 24 lectures, so there is obviously enough scholarly knowledge about the civilizations of the Tigirs and Euphrates river valley that there is no excuse for why we only had one or two lectures about it in high school world history

Well, they were pretty much considered barbarians compared to the Eastern Mediterranian.