Matthew 1

[JLG]

- Evolution of the population of the Egyptian city of Elephantine: (2)


The population of the ancient Egyptian city of Elephantine fluctuated over millennia, characterized by its role as a trading and frontier center, which led to a diverse and often mixed ethnic population. From significant expansion in the 3rd millennium BCE to a crucial role in the Old Kingdom and its later settlement by Judean mercenaries, the population dynamic shifted with political changes and strategic importance. Today, it is home to a largely Nubian community in two villages, but the archaeological record reveals a long history of a varied population.

Ancient History & Early Dynastic Periods

• Key Frontier and Trading Center:
  Located at the First Nile Cataract, Elephantine controlled trade and traffic between Upper Egypt and Nubia, making it strategically vital.

Old Kingdom & New Kingdom

• Capital of the First Nome:
  In the Old Kingdom, Elephantine served as the capital of the First Upper Egyptian Nome, demonstrating its administrative importance.
• Religious Significance:
  The island gained religious significance during the New Kingdom, with kings like Hatshepsut and Thutmosis III building temples there.

Later Periods & Diverse Populations

• Judean Community:
  In the 7th century BCE and continuing through the 5th century BCE, a sizeable community of Judean mercenaries and their families settled on the island, creating a unique multicultural environment with their own temple to Yah.weh.

Modern Day

• Nubian Villages: Today, the island is home to two Nubian villages, Kotti and Siw, with a population of 5,800 people. The residents primarily work in handicrafts, agriculture, and tourism, maintaining the island's unique cultural heritage.

Early Expansion:
By 2700 BCE, the city's town had expanded significantly, incorporating both Egyptian and Nubian cultural elements, indicating a mixed population from an early period.

Persian Presence:
The Judean presence was established under Persian rule, as the Persians controlled both Judea and Egypt at the time.

Continued Cultural Exchange:
Over 4,000 years, the island saw interactions between different cultures and religions, with thousands of written documents reflecting this diverse population and cultural history.

 

[JLG]

Elephantine (3)


Old Kingdom & New Kingdom

• Capital of the First Nome:
  In the Old Kingdom, Elephantine served as the capital of the First Upper Egyptian Nome, demonstrating its administrative importance.

 

[JLG]

When was the Akkadian city of Akkad founded? (1)


The city of Akkad was founded by the Semitic conqueror Sargon around 2300 BCE, serving as the capital of the Akkadian Empire, the first known empire in history. Sargon unified the Mesopotamian city-states, and his reign began around 2334 BCE, leading to the establishment of this prominent city.

Key Details

• Founder:
  Sargon of Akkad, a figure who rose from humble origins to conquer and unite Mesopotamia.
  

Purpose:
The city of Akkad served as the new royal capital for the empire Sargon established.

Significance:
Akkad became the political, economic, and religious center of the Akkadian Empire, a historical entity that marked the first widespread unification of Mesopotamia.

Location:
The exact location of Akkad remains unknown, although it is believed to have been situated between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in what is now modern Iraq.

 

[JLG]

- Evolution of the population of the Akkadian city of Akkad? (2)

The city of Akkad's population grew significantly to become the world's largest, estimated at 50,000 people between 2250 and 2100 BCE, following Sargon's founding of the Akkadian Empire around 2340 BCE. This rapid rise was due to Akkad's status as the empire's capital and center for trade and administration, which attracted settlers and fostered growth until the empire's eventual collapse, leading to a subsequent decline in the city's prominence.

Founding and Growth (c. 2340 BCE)

• Sargon's Empire:
  Sargon established Akkad as the capital of his new empire around 2340 BCE, uniting the region under a single rule.

Peak Population (2250–2100 BCE)

• World's Largest City:
  During its height, Akkad was the largest city globally, with an estimated population of 50,000 people.

Decline

• Imperial Collapse:
  After the fall of the Akkadian Empire around 2100 BCE, the city's importance waned.
  

Centralization:
The city became the administrative and economic hub, drawing Akkadian officials, governors, and clergy from across the empire to serve the central government.

Economic and Cultural Hub:
Akkad's population flourished due to its central role in the Akkadian Empire's extensive trade networks, the construction of new roads and irrigation, and the stability provided by its administrative systems.

Shift in Power:
With the end of the empire, Akkad likely ceased to be a major center, and its population and influence declined dramatically as power shifted to other regions.

 

[JLG]

Didn’t the city of Akkad exist before 2250? (3)


Yes, the ancient city of Akkad, also known as Agade, existed before 2250 BCE, as it was founded by Sargon around 2300-2340 BCE and became the capital of the first known empire, the Akkadian Empire. While the city's precise location is unknown, it was a prominent center of power in Mesopotamia and its period of influence, the Akkadian Period, is dated from approximately 2350 to 2150 BCE.

Before 2250 BCE:

• Founding by Sargon: The city of Akkad (or Agade) was founded by the Semitic conqueror Sargon of Akkad around 2300-2340 BCE.

The Akkadian Period:

• Significance:
  The succeeding period, from approximately 2350 to 2150 BCE, is named after the city of Akkad.

Key Figures:

• Sargon the Great:
  He established the city and his rule, uniting the region and setting a standard for Mesopotamian governments.
  

Rise of the Akkadian Empire: Sargon united the Sumerian city-states to establish the Akkadian Empire, the world's first multi-national empire, with Akkad as its capital.


Prominence: The city was already the seat of the Akkadian Empire before 2250 BCE.

Location:
The city's exact location remains unknown, though it is believed to have been on the western bank of the Euphrates River.

Shar-kali-sharri:
The son of Sargon, he ruled during the late Akkadian period, around 2223-2198 BCE, attempting to preserve the empire's unity.

 

[JLG]

The book of Genesis speaks about Nimrod founding the city of Akkad? (4)


Yes, the Book of Genesis mentions that the kingdom of Nimrod included Akkad (or Accad), along with Babel, Erech, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. While it doesn't explicitly state he founded the city, it implies he either founded these cities or ruled over them, leaving some ambiguity in the original Hebrew text.

Here's a more detailed breakdown:

• Biblical Reference:
  Genesis 10:10 describes Nimrod's kingdom.
• Cities Mentioned:
  The cities in his kingdom were Babylon (Babel), Uruk (Erech), Akkad (Accad), and Calneh.
• Location:
  These cities were located in Shinar, which is understood to be Mesopotamia.
• Interpretation:
  The Hebrew text can be interpreted to mean Nimrod founded these cities, ruled them, or both.

Therefore, while not a definitive statement of founding, the biblical text places Nimrod in connection with the city of Akkad as a significant city in his early kingdom.

 

[JLG]

When did Nimrod live? (5)


Nimrod's historical existence is unconfirmed, but the stories mentioning him suggest he lived in the late Early Bronze Age, possibly recalling the period of the Akkadian Empire (c. 2200–2154 BC) or the later struggles for dominance in the Early Dynastic Period of Mesopotamia (c. 3000–2350 BC). His life is primarily known through Biblical accounts and later legends, such as the traditional association with the Tower of Babel.

Evidence for his time period:

• Akkadian Empire (c. 2200–2154 BC):
  The collapse of the Akkadian Empire is a significant event that precedes the stories of Nimrod, placing him in the late Early Bronze Age.
• Erech (Babylonian Uruk):
  Nimrod is associated with Erech (Uruk), a major city that lost its prime importance around 2000 BCE. This also points to an early, likely late Early Bronze Age origin for his legends.

Sources of his story:

• The Bible:
  While limited in the Bible, Nimrod is mentioned in connection with early biblical kings and the building of significant cities like Babel, Nineveh, and Calah.
• Legends and folklore:
  Many stories about Nimrod, including his role in building the Tower of Babel, were developed after his time and are based on folklore rather than direct historical accounts.

 

[JLG]

When was the biblical flood supposed to happen? (6)


The Biblical flood of Noah is described in the Book of Genesis as happening in the 600th year of Noah's life, on the 17th day of the second month. A traditional calculation based on Bishop James Ussher places this event around 2350 BC, though other chronologies vary. It is important to note that the Biblical account describes a global event, but scientific and geological evidence does not support a literal worldwide flood as described.

Biblical Timeline and Details

• Genesis Account:
  The Bible states that the flood began when "the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened" and lasted until the waters receded.

Variations in Date and Interpretation

• Ussher's Chronology: The most well-known calculation places the flood at 2350 BC.
  

Duration:
The flood waters remained for a significant period, with the ark coming to rest on the mountains of Ararat on the 17th day of the seventh month, and the world becoming dry enough for the occupants to disembark in the first month of Noah's 601st year.

Genealogies:
The date of the flood is calculated by adding up the years in the genealogies found in Genesis, a method pioneered by Bishop Ussher in the 17th century.


Other Interpretations: Different ancient texts, such as the Samaritan Pentateuch and the Septuagint, offer varying chronologies for the flood, with some placing it around 1307 years from creation and others at 2,262 years from creation, respectively.


Biblical vs. Scientific Views: While some sources maintain the flood was a year-long, global event that occurred roughly 4,500 years ago, many geologists and scientists do not find evidence to support a worldwide deluge of that nature.

 

[JLG]

How long did it take for the waters of the flood to disappear? (7)


According to the Book of Genesis, the floodwaters receded over several months, with the entire event lasting about a year, from when the rains stopped to when Noah and his family emerged from the Ark onto dry land. Specifically, the waters prevailed for 150 days before beginning to decrease, with the Ark eventually coming to rest on the Mountains of Ararat about seven months after the rain began. The entire process from the start of the flood until the earth was dry took approximately one year and ten days.

Timeline of the Flood's Receding Waters

1. 1. The Rain:
   The rain that caused the flood fell for 40 days and 40 nights.
   

2. Waters Prevail:
For 150 days, the floodwaters covered the earth, reaching even the highest mountains.

3. Waters Decrease:
After these 150 days, the waters began to recede continually from the earth.

4. Ark Rests:
The Ark came to rest on the Mountains of Ararat in the seventh month, about 150 days after the flood began.

5. Dry Land Appears:
The water continued to decrease, and the earth became dry approximately one year and ten days after the flood started.

 

[JLG]

What happens to buildings when they stay under water for a long time? (8)


Buildings that are submerged underwater for a long time will degrade due to the relentless force of water, leading to issues like rot in wood, rust and corrosion in metal, and deterioration of concrete. The water pressure, especially hydrostatic pressure on foundations, can cause cracks and structural instability, and changing soil conditions can lead to the building sinking or collapsing. Materials like stone, brick, and concrete may resist longer, but most internal components, such as drywall, insulation, and electrical systems, will suffer significant damage or complete failure, making the building uninhabitable.

Material Degradation

• Wood:
  Water causes wood to rot, significantly weakening its structural integrity.

Structural Weakening

• Foundation Stress:
  The weight of water exerts hydrostatic pressure on the foundation, leading to cracks and weakening the structure over time.

Material Damage to Internal Components

• Interior Finishes:
  Materials like drywall and insulation will be destroyed by water, becoming waterlogged, prone to mold, and unusable.

Long-Term Outcome

• Collapsing Structures:
  The combined effects of material degradation, structural stress, and ground instability can ultimately lead to the building collapsing.
  

Metal:
Metals like steel and copper will rust and corrode, especially when exposed to the oxygen and bacteria in water.

Concrete:
Prolonged exposure to moisture and water-related pressure can deteriorate concrete, compromising the strength of foundations and walls.

Ground Instability:
Pooling water can destabilize the soil around a building, causing it to settle or tilt, which further stresses the foundation.

Corrosion of Supports:
Steel supports and fasteners can rust and weaken, reducing the building's overall stability.

Electrical Systems:
Water will corrode and damage electrical components, posing safety hazards and making the systems non-functional.

Ductwork:
Metal ductwork is vulnerable to rust and can become covered with mold, algae, and other growths.

Uninhabitable Conditions:
Even if a building remains standing, the damage from prolonged water submersion makes it uninhabitable due to structural issues and the spread of mold and decay.

 

[JLG]

How were buildings in Sumer built? (9)


Sumerian buildings were primarily constructed using sun-baked mud bricks, made from clay mixed with chopped straw. These bricks were dried in the sun and used as the main building material for houses, temples, and city walls. More complex buildings, like ziggurats, featured fired bricks for durability, with bitumen mortar holding them together, and often had glazed bricks for exterior decoration.

Building Materials

• Mud Bricks: The most common material, made from clay and chopped straw.

Construction Techniques

• Mud-brick Production:
  Builders mixed clay and chopped straw and then shaped the mixture into bricks using wooden molds.
  

Sun-Baked Bricks: Shaped mud bricks were dried in the sun to harden.


Bitumen: A sticky, black substance used as a form of mortar to hold mud bricks together and to protect structures from weather, according to Homework.Study.com.


Fired Bricks: Used for more durable structures, especially for the outer layers of ziggurats.


Glazed Bricks: Often used on the exterior of important buildings, sometimes in various colors, to provide decoration.


Other Materials: Some simple structures might have used bundles of reeds tied together, while larger structures could also incorporate stone, ashlar blocks, or rubble.

Foundation Platforms:
Many buildings and cities were constructed on raised platforms.

Ziggurats:
These massive temple structures were built with a core of sun-baked bricks and a facing of fired bricks. They featured successive levels, with each story receding from the one below.

Rebuilding:
Due to the deterioration of mud brick over time, buildings were periodically destroyed, leveled, and rebuilt on the same site, which contributed to the gradual elevation of Sumerian cities into what are known as tells.

 

[JLG]

Nin Jahouse said (1)


It's difficult to say how distorted the original flood stories were (there must have been several of them), but if we accept what is now a distorted myth as what must have been possible according to modern knowledge, several conclusions emerge:

The flood did not cover the entire Earth, but only a very large area.

There was no way the flood could have persisted for a period measured in months in places other than depressions or basins of contemporary reservoirs.

All prehistoric stories occurred between 6,000 years ago and approximately 40,000 years ago and could have reached back to the last ice age or the last interglacial period before the Holocene.

Assuming that Genesis is a collection of the oldest remembered stories, it can be assumed that chronologies measured in days or years could have been realistic, as counting days is exceptionally easy.

 

[JLG]

Nin Jahouse said (2)

The most important information here is about prolonged rain. Such prolonged rain is a symptom of a rapid drop in temperature, particularly strong evaporation and equally strong condensation of water vapor. For example, rain in the tropics is the result of a cycle in which water vapor is carried by winds towards the tropics. In other regions, this occurs where hot, humid air mixes with cold, often polar air. Therefore, something must be evaporating and cooling rapidly nearby. Biblical myths arose in the area of Phoenician culture, so they should be related to the eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea areas. This is a good indication, as both seas dried up, as evidenced by sediments dating back over 5.5 million years. There are no younger sediments, but... could sediments less than 20,000 years old be completely washed away and dissolved? The answer is yes. This means that if these seas were drained and then flooded, and water circulated over the earlier sediments, after only 20,000 years, there would be no trace of them. This means that science may lack evidence against cyclical or infrequent draining and subsequent flooding of this sea. This leads us to interesting scenarios that may have been true, but we may not know anything about them.

 

[JLG]

Nin Jahouse said (3)


19,000 years ago, ocean levels dropped by 120 meters below today's sea level.

Much evidence suggests that the Mediterranean Sea was partially or incompletely drained at that time, as this basin is a river basin. Even during a glacial climate.

The Nile Delta may have sunk not only by 120 meters, but there is evidence that it was lowered by 2,400 meters. The current assumption is that this occurred 5.5 million years ago. However, with each subsequent drainage, the Nile Delta could have dropped by similar amounts, between 2,400 and 120 meters below present-day sea level. The assumption that mythical accounts could have dated back as far as 5 million years before the emergence of our species is extremely improbable.

A period of intense, multi-year rains is a fact, and evidence for this period is found on the rocky plinth of the Sphinx and on eroded desert structures. These rains date back to the beginning of the Holocene or earlier, more than 10,000 years ago.

 

[JLG]

Nin Jahouse said (4)

So we have a hypothetical timeframe between 19,000 and 10,000 years ago. Strangely enough, Plato mentions atmospheric phenomena and the flooding of Atlantis at the end of this period. But the most interesting are these atmospheric phenomena – he describes rains lasting many weeks that washed the Greek land into the sea. These two accounts, along with the dating of the prolonged rains in Dalmatia, Greece, and Egypt, provide five independent pieces of evidence that support each other. And their common element is the Mediterranean Sea. This means that the sea could have been the source of the weather that caused these rains. And that is a possibility. Such weather would have been generated by the almost complete drying of the sea, followed by a sudden flooding, which in the eastern basin would have been a slow inundation, but sufficient to cause weather changes on a planetary scale. For the people of that time, the scale of drying, lasting even a mere 1,000 years, would have been a scale beyond the memory of generations. This means that our ancestors must have considered the fertile floodplains to be permanently dry. And the shores of these deep-water basins (which today lie 100–200 meters below the waterline) must have been considered mountains 3 to 5 kilometers high.

 

[JLG]

Nin Jahouse said (5)

And from there, it's only a moment to reconstruct the original story of the flood remembered by the proto-Phoenicians. It's most likely that humans settled on the Mediterranean shelf for many generations, and it's also possible that, due to its fertility and lack of cold glacial winds, they settled in valleys beneath the mountains. This, for us, would mean at the bottom of empty basins accessed by lowered riverbeds, which can still be seen on sonar maps today. A rapid flooding of the Mediterranean Sea, similar to the Zanklean Flood, would have occurred only in the western part. For about three years, the western basin would have filled, already causing intense rains, then the eastern basin would have slowly filled. This would have primarily caused the flooding of inhabited areas, not just the rains. For the people living there it would be a flood, a divine punishment, a merging of the sea with the sky (as we see during storms over seas and lakes), and at the same time anyone who saved their lives and property in any boat during the rising water could become the mythical Noah. After the pools filled, the water rose 3 to 5 kilometers, reaching the level of the former "mountains," the present-day shores of the Mediterranean and Black Seas. People did not return to their former habitats because they were permanently submerged. This wasn't a flood, it was a deluge. The survivors had to start a new life in a new place. Nowhere in the myths is there any evidence that anyone returned to their previous home after the flood. And for the people of that time, this was obvious. The only waters that receded were those that flowed into the newly formed seas from the time. And it could have taken months for the land to dry out enough to cease being a sludge and mud. Ultimately, Mount Ararat should be located some 20 meters underwater on the eastern coast of the Black Sea or Mediterranean, i.e., on the coast of the Gaza Strip.

In short, the flood stories in Genesis are plausible and may have been a true account.

 

[JLG]

Nin Jahouse said (6)

Here you go. I've corrected the damaged fragment. This is just a small excerpt from a yet-to-be-published scientific paper, which describes, along with simulations, how closely and uniquely linked the evolution of Homo sapiens is with the climatic cycle and ice ages, the tectonic thrust of Africa into Eurasia, the massive and cyclical cataclysms that killed most of our species' elite over the last 800,000 years, the last great civilization that also perished in it, and which invented pastoralism, agriculture, livestock farming, the wheel, leap years, and inventions lost for thousands of years, such as writing, and the rediscovered law of water buoyancy. This is where the Basques and Celts came from, who the Etruscans really were, and what role Egypt and Greece played. It will also explain the location of lost regions such as Hellenic Thessaly, why pyramids began to appear around the world, and why boats were moored in and under them. Perhaps the origins of human myths about griffins and sphinxes will also be revealed. 2026 will also be the year the location and first evident remains of Atlantis are discovered. Thanks to this, most people will be able to understand that our current civilization is also threatened with extinction and oblivion for thousands of years. The public premiere will be on May 8, 2026, on David Attenborough's 100th birthday.

 

[JLG]

Information about the flood (1)

How many flood myths exist around the world?

There are hundreds of flood myths from diverse cultures across the world, with figures ranging from "over 200" to "well over 200" and "more than 270" being cited by different sources. These myths, which often feature a catastrophic flood and a chosen survivor who recreates humanity, share striking similarities despite developing independently in various civilizations.

Examples of flood myths:

• Noah's Ark:
  The biblical account of a divine flood that purifies the Earth and spares only Noah and his family in a large boat.

Reasons for the similarities:

• Cultural Transmission:
  The myths might have spread from a single, ancient source through migration and cultural exchange.

The vast number of these interconnected myths highlights a persistent and widespread theme in human storytelling, though the exact origin of the flood myths remains a topic of ongoing debate among anthropologists, archaeologists, and psychologists.


Epic of Gilgamesh:
An ancient Mesopotamian story where a hero, Utnapishtim, is warned of a great flood by the gods and builds a massive boat to save his family and animals.

Hindu Mythology:
The story of Manu, the first man, who is warned of a deluge by a fish, which helps him secure his boat on a mountain peak.

Aztec Mythology:
A legend where the god Tezcatlipoca warns a man named Tata and his wife Nena, who survive a great flood by carving a cypress tree.

Comparable Experiences:
The flood narratives could have developed independently in different cultures as a response to real-world catastrophic flood events.

Brain Structure:
Some theories suggest that the similarities may stem from universal aspects of human cognition and how our brains are wired.

 

[JLG]

Rickard Berghorn said:


It is not difficult to understand why flood stories exist all over the world, the answer is simply that people have always found fossils of aquatic animals even on the highest mountain peaks. The natural interpretation based on the current state of knowledge was that a gigantic flood had occurred once upon a time.

 

[JLG]

Information about the flood (2)

What are the most precise flood myths?


The oldest flood myth is the Sumerian Epic of Ziusudra (c. 1600 BC), followed by the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh (c. 18th century BC) and the Epic of Atrahasis (c. 1636 BC), which recount stories of floods that devastated the land and were survived by a chosen individual. Other prominent flood myths include the Hebrew story of Noah in Genesis, the Hindu story of Manu, the Aztec tale of Tata and Nena, and the Greek myth of Deucalion and Pyrrha, all of which feature similar themes of a world-ending flood, survivors in a boat or on a mountain, and the preservation of life.

Mesopotamian Flood Myths (Oldest)

• Epic of Ziusudra:
  The oldest known recording of a global flood, originating from the Sumerians around 1600 BC.

Other Prominent Myths

• Hebrew story of Noah:
  Found in the Book of Genesis, where Noah builds an ark and saves his family and various animals from a flood that covers the entire Earth.
  

Epic of Gilgamesh:
A Babylonian epic that tells the story of the flood and the survival of Utnapishtim, using themes that predate the Abrahamic religions.

Epic of Atrahasis:
Another Mesopotamian account of a flood, detailing the preservation of life and a boat, featuring the protagonist Atrahasis.

Hindu Tale of Manu:
The first man, Manu, is warned by a divine fish to build a boat to survive a catastrophic flood, after which he lands on a mountain.

Aztec myth of Tata and Nena:
The gods warn Tata and Nena of a deluge, and they survive by carving a cypress tree into a boat.

Greek myth of Deucalion and Pyrrha:
The Greek gods Zeus sends a flood to punish humankind, and only Deucalion and Pyrrha survive by taking refuge in a boat, eventually landing on a mountain.