Translating part II

So, after my previous adventure, the second half of translating was not nearly as exciting, but we got done what we needed to.

A Brief Look at the Number Systems and Mathematics of Mesopatamia

So if Assyria had its own number system, it was not important enough for anyone to write about.  As it stands, most the information about Mesopotamian number systems is about Babylonian's system, with only  a little knowledge about its predecessor, Akkadian, and Akkadian's predecessor, Sumerian.

A Sumerian List of Amounts of Grain

A Fighting Librarian?

They don't really seem to go together.

Akkadian

This is a letter to a king

In case you are asking yourself "What the heck's Akkadian?  I thought she was supposed to blog about Assyria," I will explain.  Akkadian is the written language of Assyria.  It also the written language of Babylon, but they are slightly different dialects.

From oral to written knowledge and back again

So poems are one of those odd forms of expression that move through both oral and written knowledge.  Most poems today are written down, but the structure of poetry is made up by rhythm, alliteration, meter, breaks, etc.—all of which are only perceived through sound and oral expression.  This is why one of my English teachers told me that poetry is meant to be read aloud, and why there are poetry reciting competitions such as Poetry Out Loud (I had the opportunity to participate in this in high school).

A little more about Assyria

Well, I interviewed Dr. Paul Hoskisson on Monday and quickly arrived at the conclusion that a lot of the information in my last post is just someone’s interpretation of the original texts.  Brother Hoskisson stated “you can’t read into texts from different places.  Assyria is different.”  Some of my sources strayed from the knowledge contained in the original texts and gather information from other societies.   For example, the original texts do not specifically say that musicians were spared (although one refers to women being kept to become singers), that was just one scholar's interpretation. (Sorry Samuel)  

Wait...what's Assyria?

Assyria (2371-609-ish B.C.)

An Assyrian banquet with a harpist on the left.