Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: DeuceTraveler
So since someone can make a carving of a bull it means that their culture must not be corrupt or decadent?

It's art. To which culture do you refer?

"But the premise of this show - that the ancient Persians were not tyrants - rests most firmly on the Cyrus Cylinder. A stone cylinder covered with cuneiform writing, it describes Cyrus's conquest of Babylon in 539 B.C. and his order that all religious cults be tolerated and that deported peoples be freed. According to the Book of Ezra, this included the captive Jews in Babylon who were allowed to return to Jerusalem."

5 posted on 09/14/2005 12:23:09 AM PDT by neverdem (May you be in heaven a half hour before the devil knows that you're dead.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies ]


To: neverdem

Bully for Cyrus, who died close to 200 years before Alexander came along.

The Persian Empire was utterly decadent by Alexander's time, as can be seen by their complete inability to deal militarily with the Macedonians or even the squabbling Greek city states before them. It was in the process of falling apart in wars over the succession in the same way just about every oriental empire before or since has. Doesn't mean they couldn't produce great art.

This is most famously seen in the march of the 10,000 as told by Xenophon. Any country that allows an enemy army, after losing all its leaders, to fight its way out from the center of its empire isn't in very good shape.


6 posted on 09/14/2005 1:02:58 AM PDT by Restorer
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies ]

To: neverdem
"It's art. To which culture do you refer?"
They would do better by organizing a large exhibition of Persian carpets, followed by a sale.
10 posted on 09/14/2005 1:22:46 AM PDT by GSlob
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


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