Text The Banquet Of Ashurnasirpal II example essay topic
The historical theme in Africa deals with the human dispersion in the rest of the world. Africa forms the southern frontier of the Mediterranean world and connects to the Indian Ocean. The evidence points out that the first humans merged from eastern Africa to populate the rest of the world. The tropical climate that prevails in much of Sub-Saharan Africa unfortunately destroys many types of artifacts that survive in drier regions.
Little is known about Africa. This text talks about how the emperor collected and planted in his garden. The King Ashurnasirpal II", has acquired dominion over the mountain regions and received their tribute, he take hostages, triumphs over all the countries from beyond the Tigris to the Lebanon and the great sea, he has brought into submission the entire country of Lake and the region of S uhu as far as "the town of Rapiqu". The vast size and sharp physical variations from high mountains to swamplands, made rapid long-distance communication channeled both along certain corridors. The goods in this text are a clue toward the geography of Africa because he planted seeds from wherever he discovered them. He planted cedars, cypress, perfume trees, ebony, grape vines, a whole list of plants.
The king Ashurnasirpal in the text says that he dug down to the water level which proof that Africa has a water shortage problem. The special character of various regions is due to Africa's position astride the equator. As a whole, its climate is unusually hot. North and South of the equator, dense rain forests dominate a west-east band of tropical woodland territory from the southern coasts of West Africa across the Kongo. The text can reveal ways on how geography affected Mesopotamian culture.
Natural factors are of importance to Africa's history. The soils of Africa which means they are devoid of much vegetable mold, mineral and nutrient content. They are rapidly exhausted and not highly productive for extended periods. Also, water shortage is a perennial problem for agriculture in most of Africa and potent factor in its history. Crop Pests and insects such as the mosquito, have been enemies of both farming and pastoralism in Africa.
The names of the places in the text reveal the places Ashurnasirpal conquered. And through which he collected objects, plants and more and the places he use to diffuse and dispersed the people to his Assyrian culture. Also the development of the complex language map of present day Africa can thus be seen in terms of ancient development in food production and movement of peoples and ways of life within the continent. A good source of food production that this text reveals is abundant animal life.
Abundant animal life has made hunting and fishing important means of survival in Africa, from earlier times down to the present in most regions. In this text Ashurnasirpal prepared a banquet of many animals, the cattle, stable sheep, lambs, ducks, geese, small birds and more. Well altogether food and drink in the banquet to feed 47074 persons. So there was an incredible amount of animals.
Africa's great mineral wealth has shaped human activity through the continent. The Assyrians did not produce all items that are listed. Some of the items came through trading. And also, through the countries which he conquered. For example salt, iron, copper and gold was significant internal trading commodity as well an export. In the text he mentions bands of bronze, that he probably acquired it through conquering the regions.
That was one of the items he brought back. Trade promoted the eventual rise of larger political entities in the western and central Sudan. Regional and interregional trade networks in the western and central Sudan date to ancient times.