History with Cy

After the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, I think the best collection of artifacts from ancient Egypt in North America is at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. I try to go there whenever I can. If you’re ever in the Boston area, you must visit it.

Statuette of a couple, Bau and Baru
c. 2465-2323 BC (5th Dynasty)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

History’s modern heroes… the archaeologists digging up all of these historical sites so that we can learn about the past. I am forever grateful to such wonderful people!

Not all archaeological treasures are found in the ground…

Pasargadae:A Report on the Excavations conducted by the British Institute of Persian Studies from 1961-1963

By David Stronwch

https://youtu.be/JbXtXXDdN-E

Many of us have read the proclamations of kings and warriors with their proclamations and prayers dedicated to the deities of the vast Mesopotamian pantheon. They ask for victory in battle, a long and prosperous reign, or to safeguard their kingdom from disease and drought. But what about the common person - the farmer, the merchant, the bricklayer, the cook? What did they pray for? We'll take a look at this and more in this short video dealing with this fascinating aspect of life in ancient Mesopotamia.

Contents:

00:00 Prayer in Ancient Mesopotamia
02:03 The Prayer of Kussulu
05:18 The Prayer of Ur-Utu
07:11 Common Prayer Against Illness
10:27 Thank You and Patrons

Prayers of the Common People in Ancient Mesopotamia (Ancient Sumer, Babylonia, Assyria) Many of us have read the proclamations of kings and warriors with their proclamations and prayers dedicated to the deities of the vast Mesopotamian pantheon....

https://youtu.be/cv5losQfuAU

There are so many places and time periods I'd eventually love to cover on the channel but for some reason I keep coming back to ancient Mesopotamia. I never get tired of it! Here's the latest one dealing with that fascinating place and era of antiquity. I hope that you enjoy watching these as much as I do making them!

Have a great weekend everyone, stay safe!

After Kingship had Descended from the Heavens: The Role and Duties of a King in Ancient Mesopotamia Who was king? Who was not king? What was a king in ancient Mesopotamia? In this video, we'll take a quick look at kingship and the duties of a king in anci...

The next episode in the Dynasty by Dynasty series is out! We start the Third Intermediate Period with Egypt's 21st Dynasty and will continue with the rest in the coming months. Thanks everyone for watching, you all rock!!

History of Ancient Egypt: Dynasty XXI - The Start of the Third Intermediate Period (1069-945 BC) The glorious era of Egyptian history known as the New Kingdom, when Egypt was the envy of the world, went out with a whimper. What came afterward would be a...

Sorry everyone, haven't been posting much here (I'm more active on Instagram) but below is the latest video...enjoy!

Darius the Great: The Life and Times of the Great King of Persia in his Own Words (𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁) In this program we'll take a look at the illustrious life of the great Persian King of Kings, Darius I, also known as Darius the Great. Regarded by many as ...

Finally got a copy of this…you can never have enough primary sources!

Latest video on Neolithic Greece, out now!

https://youtu.be/tA6bVpGlKNoHow
How did copper, tin, silver, carnelian, lapis lazuli and other commodities get to the markets and workshops of ancient Mesopotamia? The latest video takes a look at how trade with the east facilitated the economic growth of the lands of Sumer and Akkad.

Trade in the Early Bronze Age: Ancient Mesopotamia and the East (Harappan Civilization & Elam) Ever wonder how a land without any natural resources of its own could go on to become the world's first great urban civilization? How did copper, tin, silve...

Latest video, out now!

Egypt in Nubia during the Old and Middle Kingdoms (Bronze Age History c. 3000-1650 BC) In this short video we'll take a look at Egypt's involvement in Nubia from around the start of the Old Kingdom until the end of the Middle Kingdom period. C...

https://youtu.be/QNCO9XhrSTU

Introduction to the Seriously Underrated Indus Valley / Harappan Civilization In this program we'll take a solid look at the Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) of northwest South Asia, also known as the Harappan Civilization. While it is...

https://youtu.be/eLpDPwlJHzw

Exploring the Royal Necropolis of Naqsh-e Rustam (Tombs of Four Achaemenid Persian Kings) A few months ago I got to explore the ruins of the royal necropolis known today as Naqsh-e Rustam. It's here that the four Achaemenid king Darius I (a.k.a. ...

https://youtu.be/jTpkX0ECNV4

History of Ancient Egypt: Dynasty XVIII - Egypt's Golden Age and the Start of the New Kingdom Finally, we've come to the point in this series where we'll get a know a bit about arguably the most famous dynasty in ancient Egyptian History - the 18th Dy...

Visited the ruins of the ancient Harappan port of Lothal in northwestern India. It’s a fascinating place that has given us so much insight into Harappan civilization. I’ll be putting out a video on this and other Harappan sites sometime in summer, stay tuned!

Ashokan Edict
3rd century BC

https://youtu.be/nWsW8Fih-sM

The History of Persepolis and a Walking Tour of the Site This video is in two parts. The first consists of a brief history of the ancient Achaemenid ceremonial capital of Persepolis (Parsa), which during its day w...

A temple foundation peg of Warad-Sin of Larsa…first time I’ve ever seen one!
(c. 1834-1823 BC)

The original Infinity Gauntlet. Thanos got nothing on Tudhaliya III!

https://youtu.be/O2hbP7PwuYU

Babylon: The City at the Center of the World (Concise History of Babylonia 2000-539 BC) This program explores the history of the ancient city of Babylon and the land once known as Babylonia. We'll uncover the story of this great city over the c...

Ganjnameh, a site just outside the city of Hamadan, Iran. On this small cliff are the inscriptions of two Achaemenid kings, Darius I (the Great) and his son and successor Xerxes. They read:

Darius:

A great god is Ahuramazda, who created this earth, who created yonder heaven, who created men, who created happiness for man, who made Darius king. One king for many, one lord for all.

I am Darius, the great king, king of kings, king of countries containing all kinds of men, king in this great earth far and wide, son of Hystaspes, an Achaemenian.

Xerxes:

A great god is Ahuramazda, who is the greatest god, who created this earth, who created yonder heaven, who created men, who created happiness for man, who made Xerxes king. One king for many, one lord for all.

I am Xerxes, the great king, king of kings, king of countries containing all kinds of men, king in this great earth far and wide, son of king Darius, an Achaemenian.

Parsa / Persepolis - the “city of the Persians” founded by Darius the Great.

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Naqsh-e Rostam, the final resting place of four Achaemenid kings: Darius I (the Great), Xerxes, Artaxerxes I and Darius II. I was left in total awe of these simple yet exquisite tombs (some believe they were ossuaries). The Sasanian reliefs along the side of the cliff were also amazing!

Big Cy, little Cy…

Just visited the final resting place of the Persian king Cyrus the Great and filmed some footage for future episodes. 2023 will be a great year for ancient Persian history on the channel - Achaemenid, Parthian, Sasanid and more! Can’t wait to put this stuff out for you all…stay tuned!