All my life I've been told the Great Pyramids of Egypt were built by slaves. In grade school we learned about slaves being forced to lug around all those big, heavy blocks. That's what I've seen depicted in films. I've even seen cartoon satires of emaciated Egyptian slaves toiling in the desert under the burn of a hot sun and the lash of a cruel whip.In some way, these images of slavery took away from the beauty and magnificence of the pyramids. One of humanities greatest achievements was also based on humanity's inhumanity. It made me wonder whether or not the pyramids would have ever been built were it not for slavery, and whether or not that justifies it in some unfortunate way. It seemed like a paradox. Do the ends justify the means? In college, such historical facts were used as points of philosophical discussion.
But on Tuesday, January 12th, the pyramid was turned on it's point. Egypt's chief archeologist Zahi Hawass announced that the pyramids were not, in fact, built by slaves. They were built by free workers who were buried beside the king, which is a sign of great honor. Within some of the worker's tombs, there were writings on the wall describing them as friends of the king. And they were very well fed.
The building of the pyramids was a project everyone supported. Farmers in the region who donated food to the the workers were exempt from paying taxes. As a result, approximately 21 buffalo and 23 sheep were sent to feed them daily.
This is just one of many myths about the ancient world that has been turned on it's head. At one point in time we were taught that the ancient world was filled with nothing but barbarism, completely unenlightened and almost animal.
After the Romans conquered Europe, they believed the Celtic pagans they conquered were illiterate. However, what has been unearthed in more recent centuries is a wealth of Celtic literature and artwork that is now celebrated around the world. At one point in time, we believed Columbus was the first to discover the earth was round. But now we know the ancient Mayans had knowledge of astronomy superior to our own.
We used to believe human beings in the ancient world were instinctively racist. However, we now know that because of worldwide travel and migration via ship, there were many areas throughout the ancient world in which people of different races lived and worked side by side.
In fact, the word "race" as it pertains to skin color didn't exist in any language in the ancient word. The word, and the concept, was actually invented during the African slave trade. The concept that different people belong to different races was used to resolve the paradox between American liberty and American slavery, and later was further solidified by the US Census. Slavery did exist in the ancient world, but people were identified by what nations they belonged to, not skin color.
We used to think women had no place in the ancient world, but now we know they were actually honored as being embodiments of the Goddess. They acted as high priestesses and other authority figures, played a vital role in rituals, were indispensable to their communities, had legal rights, owned property, owned businesses, created art and wrote literature, took part in public performances, and participated in every day life.
Varying degrees of sexism did exist throughout the ancient world, and a woman's role could vary widely. There were some societies that were very repressive toward women. However, throughout much of the ancient world women had a lot more rights than in many areas of the world currently.
In Egypt especially, there was very little difference between the way men and women were treated under the law. While it's true that women were rarely Pharaohs, in every day life they were given the same citizen status as their male counterparts. In a way, it wasn't much different than the current United States, a country that has never seen a female president, in which women are still (almost) equal.
The ancient world was imperfect, as is the world today. However, every day we find new information which forces us to rethink our assumptions about the ancient world. Why have we had such a negative view of it? Perhaps it's partly because it's the conquerors who write history, and they give us a negative view of the conquered. Perhaps it's meant to justify current policies that are not in line with the ideals of human rights. The "fact" that something has always "always been" a certain way is used as an excuse for that being the way it is. Perhaps a lot of information was simply lost.
Regardless of the reasons for the misinformation, I think it's important to uncover the truth about our past, so that we may be brought closer to the truth about our present and our possible future. Perhaps "human nature" is not so heinous after all. Perhaps there truly is real hope for humanity.
A more positive understanding of our past gives us a more positive understanding of ourselves, which give us a more optimistic view of what our future can potentially be as we continue to evolve. The world will never be perfect, but maybe it really is possible for us to create a world that is largely peaceful, sane, sustainable, equitable and just. Perhaps all we need to begin visualizing this world is a better opinion of ourselves, and a more accurate telling of our story.
No comments:
Post a Comment