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You stand on a hill that separates time and distance from two highly advanced yet highly different civilizations. These civilizations are the Assyrians an the Persians. These people are uniquely different in their political systems, their ways of conquering and their religious beliefs. However, these differences are clear from where you stand. A closer look however; will reveal extraordinary feats and marvelous of each of the two civilizations. As you watch you wait, you wait for the clash of these civilizations which will be soon to come.
You take a look at an area of land, covered in blood, the land stretches for miles. The land is covered with bodies and the people seem to have highly advanced weapons and war engineering You are looking at the land of the Assyrians. The Assyrians, a great war like race; they conquer many lands, skinning their enemies alive, torturing any prisoners that were left. The Assyrians were successful in so many battles due to their advancement in war engineering. They invented Pontoons, bridges, ladders, battering rams, and a method of tunneling under enemy walls.
The Assyrians conquered many lands and at the same time, even though they were gruesome, built an extravagant capital called Nineveh. Nineveh was built with the plunder of other demolished civilizations. They made it a work of art and, it was full of riches and works of art. It even had a library built by the Assyrians filled will all kinds of literature and novels and records of their time. The Assyrians showed a half and half side, they conquered all their enemies, never leaving any remains, burning the cities and buildings down to the ground. " I took, thier fighting men in numbers I slew; their spoil, their wealth, their cattle I spoiled; ... 260 of thier warriors by the sword I smote down; their heads cut off in heaps I arranged. (Assyrian Packet).
This is a direct quote of some of the many battles that the Assyrians fought. They were gruesome people who did not believe in the preservation of their enemies. The Assyrians however were religious. They believed in many gods, yet they did have a one all might powerful god that was the god of the gods. "Assyrian religious practices and beliefs were almost identical with those of Babylonia, except that the Assyrian national god, Ashur, was substituted for the Babylonian god Marduk. " (Microsoft (R) Encarta (R) Encyclopedia 20020). As you look at a land of blood shed and war your eye catches a glimpse of a marvelous road, extending for miles. You turn to the other side and you see the Royal road.
Along it you see many chariots with horse going from Susa in Persia to Sardis in Anatolia. Along it you see an Empire the stretches for what seem to be forever. Yet you do not see bloodshed, or heaps of heads. Instead you see an organized civilization and you actually see the people of the conquered countries. You are looking at the Persians, a highly advanced highly unique race. Instead if destroying there enemies they let them be.
They let their conquered enemies keep their beliefs and governments and everything the same. This is one of the reason why the Persians conquered so many nations. Once they conquer them they just unite them under their rule, letting them keep their culture and ritual. As you look around the Persian Empire you see many places of worship. That is because the Persians are very religious. They follow the beliefs of Zoroaster, Zoroastrianism.
They believe in a constant battle of good verses evil. They believe that the god of good is every knowing and will, in the end, prevail. "May all the gods whom I have resettled in their sacred cities ask daily bel and Nebo for a long life for me and may they recommend me. " (Persian packet). A good break some of Zoroastrianism is "The basic tenets of the Gathas consist of a monotheistic worship of Ahura Mazda (the "Lord Wisdom") and an ethical dualism opposing Truth (Asha) and Lie, which permeate the entire universe. " (Microsoft (R) Encarta (R) Encyclopedia 2002). Now that you have taken a close look at both of the two civilizations you can make some very distinct difference in them. For one, the Persians are monotheistic and believe in the preservation of their conquered enemies. Were as the Assyrians believe in the total demolish ment of their enemies and in a polytheistic religion.
The Persians believe heavily in knowledge and in the betterment of their civilization. The Assyrians believe in conquering their enemies and not worrying themselves with Royal Roads and with organization of their Empire. The Persians however, believed in organization an in a Royal road to which they built. As you notice these things the Civilizations begin to clash. The Assyrians have conquered all the buffer nations protecting them from the Persians, now they clash. They fight and dust is raised and your vision is blocked.
As the dust settles, you see the predominate winner, it is the Persians, ultimately. In the end the civilization of order and monotheism wins the war of the two. The Persians do not last for long though, they are soon conquered by the Babylonians, an even greater civilizations then themselves. As you begin to walk away from the hill that separated time and distance you take the knowledge of the two civilizations. You see that the Persians and the Assyrians were almost completely different except for the fact that the Assyrians believed in the arts for their capital, Nineveh. Other then the Assyrians love for art in their capital the two were different in religion; in ideas of what to do to conquered enemies; their beliefs in prisoners and in torture; and finally in how to organize their Empires.
This has clearly been quite an experience for to remember, the clash of the titans, at the time, and the dominant prevailer in it all.
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