AAL’S LABYRINTH HISTORY An Alternative Viewpoint…..contd. #59

 

Wise men of Chaldea

625BCE           NABOPOLASSAR (r. 625-604 BCE) sheikh of a Semitic Chaldean tribe (76) and first king of the New Babylonian Empire, he takes over the Assyrian capital Nineveh, with the help of the Medes and Persians. Thus, independence from the Assyrians is gained for Babylon. This is known as the state of the New Babylon or Chaldea. The latter title probably comes from the naming of the intellectuals as Chaldeans or wise men and referring to  both Babylonians and captured Hebrews Nabopolassar’s son NEBUCHADREZZAR (76) is the second king of the New Babylonian Empire. He continues the rebuilding of Babylon after its destruction by the Assyrians in 689 BCE. New buildings included the ‘Hanging Gardens’, nominated as one of the ‘Seven Wonders of the World’. Possibly these gardens were built on a stepped pyramid called a ziggurat.

‘ Hanging Gardens ‘of Babylon

[An imaginary 19^th century depiction]

609                 JEHOIAKIM king of Judah, the southern kingdom of ancient Israel, from 609 to 598 BCE. When King Josiah died at Megiddo in 609, he was succeeded by his son Jehoahaz.  The Egyptian pharaoh Necho, however, deposed Jehoahaz and placed Jehoiakim, also a son of Josiah, on the throne (II Kings 23). Judah will subsequently come under Babylonian domination, but Jehoiakim will rebel about 601 and then die shortly before Nebuchadnezzar II takes Jerusalem in 597.  The prophet Jeremiah speaks of the reign of Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 36).

Josiah of Juda

[An imaginary 16^th century portrait]

606                 CYAXARES descendant of Median Deioces (708 BCE). He makes an alliance with the Babylonians against the Assyrians. Later, Cyaxares will destroy Nineveh, capital of Assyria, when he annexes Assyria in 612. By this action he extends the Median Empire. (40)

 

c604 BCE        LAO-TSE ancient Chinese sage whose name means ‘old boy’ or ‘venerable philosopher’. He is the founder of the philosophy of Taoism, which is recorded in the T’ao-Teh King’.  Lao-Tse is a contemporary of Confucius upon whom he had some influence.  As librarian and archivist of the royal house of the Chou dynasty, Lao-Tse resided in the capitol of Chow.  Retiring from the world at the distress of its evils, he took up the command of the ‘warden of the outer gate’.

He then put into book form the essence of his teachings, known as the doctrine of ‘The Way’ or ‘Tao’. During his life Lao-Tse attempted to make no converts to the Tao, possibly because he realized that his philosophies were far ahead of his age and that people were not ready to receive such teachings.  Lao-Tse professes to be the transmitter of an earlier knowledge of Hwang-Ti rather than the originator of ‘The Way’ and the ‘I Ching’ or ‘Book of Changes’. Hwang-Ti is the legendary civilizer of China c2704 BCE. (6)

                   Lao-Tse

c600         From the Egyptian cursive writing known as Hieratic, develops an even more cursive from of script known as demotic (of the people). (144). Demotic looks very similar to Hebrew and indeed later research shows that Hebrew ideograms are derived from Egypt.

 

                     The end of the 7^th Century BCE brings the official founding of Dionysiac feasts at Corinth, Sicyon, Athens, (33) whilst in Europe, the ‘Hallstatt’ Culture of the Celtic people is giving way to the ‘La Tene’ culture which is to develop into a highly refined living, as reflected in their art works. The original ‘La Tene’ settlement is by the lake of Neuchâtel, Switzerland and marks a second and more sophisticated period of Celtic culture that is to develop. By 100 BCE this culture will succumb to the growing Roman Empire. [371]

5th century Celtic ornament