Saturday, April 8, 2023
Credibility by J. S. Marlo
Saturday, October 3, 2020
Ancient Sumer or Sumeria by Katherine Pym
~*~*~*~
This month my newest novel, Begotten, debuted. Considered historical-fantasy, it begins with the breakup of a planet, a gateway of sorts that transports our protagonists to a new, cleaner planet. The goddess who rules the city-state is gentler than the bull god from the old world.
Sumer Art |
But many who traveled to the new world do not want to give up their god. Elam establishes a territory where the bull reigns, which causes our protagonists grief.
Why did I choose Sumer? It has a lovely history, which is documented in thousands of unearthed clay tablets. It is considered the cradle of civilization that laid between the confluences of the Tigris & Euphrates Rivers. The Garden of Eden has its origins there, along the Gabon River which is now extinct.
Sumer Life |
Sumer established writing, the wheel, a code of ethics. They believed in resurrection. They had a flood, a Moses. Their temple structure dealt with the sacred and the administrative, which is more like our corporate structure than any other current organization. Men had their specific jobs, for which they set down their daily duties which would be added to others’. Then they would be compiled into weekly, monthly, and at year’s end, annual compilation that the governor would address, then sign with his seal of office.
Their firsts for which mankind has benefited (from ancient.eu):
Sumer Life |
“The first schools, legal precedent, a ‘Farmer’s Almanac’, Cosmology, proverbs and sayings, documented domestication of animals, agricultural techniques, time, religion, mathematics, and among others, medical practices (including dentistry).”
The Sumerians were an amazing people, their culture on an equal note as our own. I had to write of the people and its society, an opportunity too good to pass up.
Excerpt:
Chapter One
Day of the Cataclysm
A battered reed basket under her arm, Luna stopped her headlong run to market when she reached the temple square. A bas-relief of the bull-god filled the edifice’s façade, the vivid colors dulled by the constant barrage of heat. Once surrounded by a beautiful garden, the remains of withered flowers slumped onto the parched earth. Blackened trees stretched their stark branches toward a metallic sky.
Couples with infants in their arms silently queued at the temple’s great bronze doors. At short intervals, priests admitted a pair as the rest shuffled forward. The smell of burned spices wafted from the vast building before the doors clanged shut.
A flock of birds burst from the garden’s skeletal tree canopy. In distorted chaos, they squawked and flew into each other. Feathers rained onto granite stones worn thin by worshippers.
The ground rolled beneath Luna’s feet. She spread her legs for balance as mews of fear rippled in the hot air. Gasping with terror the earth would break apart, sweat trickled in her heavy black hair, plaited in a mound of thin ropes. She searched for something to hold onto when the rumbles ceased.
Deadly earthquakes came with more frequency, several per day, each stronger than the last. This morning’s had rattled the kitchen with clay pots falling off shelves. Hot coals bounced from the stone oven and rolled across the floor, scorching a table leg.
An agitated couple in the queue caught her attention. The woman held an infant while the man paced in a small circle. They wore the same usekhs as Luna, beads of turquoise and amethyst that draped to the shoulders. The collars showed they were slaves in the same large household as Luna, yet she did not know them.
Sumer Art |
~*~*~*~*~
Many thanks to:
Ancient History Encyclopedia: https://tinyurl.com/y5pnbu64
Depositphotos.com
Friday, November 23, 2018
Tempus Fugit by Victoria Chatham
Popular Posts
-
Deadly Undertaking Click here to purchase ‘Tis the season of the year when the transformation occurs from the darkness of winter to th...
-
Goodbye winter. Hello spring. Another round of setting clocks ahead is behind us as well as all the rant on social media about why we co...
-
Click here for purchase options for this award-winning series. https://www.bookswelove.net/kavanagh-j-c/ In last month's blog, I told ...
-
The cover of the Ontario offering for the Canadian Historical Mysteries Collection from BWL Publishing to be released November 2024 To fin...
-
Please click this link for book and author information While researching 1918 fashion for my hist...
-
https://bookswelove.net/stover-karla/ BY THE SAME AUTHOR: Available through BWL Publishing Parlor Girls Wynter's Way Murder, When...
-
Sometimes I wonder how much one person’s voice can actually help when “fighting the good fight” against what seems like ...
-
AVAILABLE HERE I have a cousin in Australia who loves to travel. She and her husband are currently in Vietnam, and the photographs she share...
-
Vanessa Hawkins Author Page Yes! You see correctly! I have finally included another cover amongst my books! Twice Hung i...
-
Click here to purchase. Winner of Best Historical for 2023 How do I make a German officer during WWII sympathetic? I make him a real pers...