Archive for May, 2007
By: The Scribe on May, 2007
The word ‘chocolate’ is derived form the ancient Nahuatl language of the Mexican Aztecs, combining the words for ‘bitter’ and ‘water’ to make xocolatl. This name was formed because, long before Nestle developed its powdered form in a can, the ancient Aztecs were drinking hot chocolate in 1200 AD. But even before that, the Mayans had their own chocolate fetish…
2000 BC: the cocoa bean, from which chocolate is made, is reported to have originated in the Amazon.
600 AD: the Mayans migrate to South America and establish the earliest known cocoa plantations in the Yucatan, though they may have been familiar with the plant several centuries earlier – chocolate residue from an ancient Maya pot suggests they were drinking chocolate at this time.
There also appears to be evidence that the Mayans believed several of their goddesses functioned as guardians of cocoa, and would perform annual human sacrifices for these goddesses – ironically, giving the victim cocoa as his final meal.
1200 AD: the Aztecs attributed the creation of the cocoa plant to the god Quetzacoatl, who stole a cocoa tree from Paradise and traveled to earth with it on a beam of the Morning Star. The Aztecs believed their ancestors then learned how to roast and grind the cocoa beans, creating a paste that could be mixed with water to create a bitter drink. This drink allegedly brought wisdom and knowledge to the drinker.
The Aztecs also believed that this drink could fight fatigue, which can likely be attributed to the theobromine content. The Aztec emperor Montezuma allegedly drank his chocolate dyed red, and it was served in golden goblets that were thrown away after only one use!
Cocoa beans were also used for currency; after subjugating other tribes, the Aztecs would demand their tribute payment in cocoa beans. Records from 1200 AD provide a list of the annual payments being made to the Aztecs – and by this time, payments were coming from nearly all the tribes in Mexico.
It was not until the early 1500s that chocolate, in its sweetened form, became known to the general public… and so, chocolate mania spread across Europe!
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Tomorrow: Toltec child sacrifice?
By: The Scribe on May, 2007
Contrary to popular belief, it appears that the ancient Egyptians were not the first people to conduct brain surgery in the ancient world! A skull unearthed at the Burnt City has provided evidence of surgical practices that appear to have dethroned the ancient Egyptians as originators of such a highly skilled task.
This skull from ancient Persia, found in one of the Burnt City’s many burials, contains markings thought to have first been mentioned in an ancient Egyptian tale called “The Story of Sinuhe”, written around 2000 BC in hieroglyphs. In the story, an Egyptian physician and nobleman named Sinuhe discusses open brain surgeries in detail. Although there is still debate around whether or not the events described in the story actually took place, elements of the tale that are described in great detail – such as brain surgery – are typically assumed to be factual accounts, simply because of the great level of detail included.
It now appears that, with the appearance of this skull, archaeologists can comfortably say that the practice of brain surgery did not originate in ancient Egypt, but rather in Iran, the location of ancient Persia. While some smaller prehistoric sites in Europe have yielded skulls with holes on top, it is thought that this may have been done for aesthetic or cultural purposes, rather than medical, simply due to the smaller size of the holes.
The typical method of brain surgery at this time was called ‘trepanation’, which involves cutting or drilling a hole into the patient’s skull. This was done to relieve pressure from excess fluids around the brain, or in some cases, possibly to release ‘evil spirits’ from those with mental disorders. It appears that in most cases, the patient survived months or even years after their surgeries.
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Tomorrow: The history of Chocolate!
By: The Scribe on May, 2007
An animated piece, considered to be the ‘first animation in the world’, was found on an earthen goblet from the “Burnt City” in Iran, dating around 5,000 years old. The sequence depicted on this goblet is that of a goat who jumps toward a tree and eats its leaves.
The goblet itself is 10 centimeters high, with an 8 centimeter diameter. The images show movement in a manner unprecedented in ancient art, because although other earthenware vessels recovered from the Burnt City show repetitive images, none of them indicate any movement.
Iranian archaeologist Mansour Sajjadi, who has worked at the Burnt City excavations for several seasons, commented on the context of the goblet: “while excavating the grave in which the cream-colored goblet has been found, we came across a skeleton that probably belongs to the creator of this piece.”
The archaeologists of the site also put together a 20-second animated piece based on the images from the goblet. This video may be downloaded and viewed.
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Tomorrow: Ancient brain surgery!
By: The Scribe on May, 2007
At the “Burnt City” in Iran, also known as ancient Persia, two graves were excavated that revealed a highly unusual type of burial: two embryos were buried with large clay bowls placed overtop of them.
Although other embryo burials were uncovered at the site, these two graves were quite unlike the rest. An anthropologist from the excavation team has suggested that the bowls were placed overtop of the embryos after they were placed in the grave, in order to protect their bodies from direct contact with the soil; this is unusual, because typically an embryo would be placed inside the bowl instead of underneath it.
Due to the unusually high number of infant burials from this occupation layer at the Burnt City, archaeologists believe that the mothers living here 5,000 years ago must have suffered from malnutrition.
Extra! Prostrate Man Dies… and is Buried That Way! (ca. 3,000 BC)
Following the theme of unusual burials, during the 2005 season of excavation, archaeologists at the Burnt City uncovered a burial of the prostrate figure of a young man. It appears as though the man was lying prostrate on the floor when he died – and was then buried in the same position!
The man was around 35 years old at the time of death, the cause of which has yet to be determined. Farzad Forouzanfar, director of the Anthropological Research Center of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of Iran, speculated that “this man must have died in this position while suffering a severe pain, and since the corpse was dried, its shape could not have been changed and was buried in the same position.”
A clay dish and a whetstone were also buried next to him, which were probably work tools.
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Tomorrow: The earliest animation?
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