Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

To: muawiyah
Oh, yes, the singular Semitic-speaking contribution to government was the creation of the First Nation ~ aka "Egypt".

Egypt was not Semitic.

The Semites' biggest contributions to history have been the alphabet and the religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

10 posted on 01/15/2011 8:13:26 AM PST by Sherman Logan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies ]


To: Sherman Logan
Just checked and the Afro-Asiatic language family INCLUDES Egyptian.

Egypt was the first nation-state ~ the ALPHABET was derived from Egyptian hieroglyphics which were themselves based on the Sumerian hieroglyphics system.

The Phoenicians who lived along the Mediterranean coast between Egypt proper and Anatolia (and who had colonies all over the place) are usually credited with FORMAL development of the alphabet because they broke the letters completely away from their underlying meanings assigned in the age of hieroglyphic dominance.

Modern people are sometimes misled into thinking an alphabet is an "obvious invention", but it's not. Even a syllabary like those used by the Mayans, Koreans, Japanese or Cherokee isn't "obvious".

Hieroglyphic systems derive directly from the image of objects or the process applied to them by a man, animal or nature (wind, lightning, light). All such systems, once devised, are quickly modified to include agreed upon "shortcuts" ~ the current Chinese character systems are very difficult to understand without substantial instruction (about 8 years worth), but some people can pick their way through them with limited experience.

The original Chinese characters ~ called the Shan Dynasty Characters ~ are petty close to the original idea and can be expressed quite well in Plains (or Sioux) Indian sign language ~ (proving 1 of 2 things ~ either the Chinese origins of much of Plains Indians culture, or maybe the Plains Indians figured out how to get to the Old World in ancient times and founded civilization)

Sumerian hieroglyphs became quite stylized thereby facilitating the use of the cunuiform wedge ~ which allowed records to be made on mud tablets.

All writing forms on Earth appear to derive in one way or the other from the original discoveries in Mesopotamia.

Regarding Judaism, Christianity and Islam ~ Judaism began among the predecessors to the Hebrews in Mesopotamia ~ Ur in fact. Guy who started it off was named Abram. At the same time the most ancient Mesopotamian texts date back to a time long before Abram (now known as Abraham) and include many religious concepts reflected in the quite later Hebrew materials.

Although Abram was clearly a Semitic-speaker, his "followers" who accompanied him were drawn from the broad masses of Mesopotamia, and that MUST include the descendants of the same folks who used to make an idol of a dwarf with a tall conical hat and long beard. He rode a reindeer ~ they made reindeer too. That same figure was known all across the broad expanse of Northern Asia as well for many thousands of years.

13 posted on 01/15/2011 8:46:24 AM PST by muawiyah
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson