J.M. Roberts goes into extensive detail about what is history versus what is prehistory. Most people picture prehistory as a time when neanderthals roamed Europe, and early man fought one another for control of fire; however, prehistory is more complex than that. True Homo Sapiens Neanderthalis did exist in prehistory, but he is a relatively recent creature, dying out only about twenty thousand years ago.

Our own species, Homo Sapiens Sapien, has been around for about 150,000 years, which is quite amazing considering civilizations only started appearing about six thousand years ago. Mankind has possessed the intelligence to build modern cities, technology, and methods of science, but he didn't develop his knowledge sufficiently until very recent. Our modern world has only been in existence for two hundred years, and our current technological state has only been around for thirty or so years. 

Prehistory extends further back than Homo Sapiens, back to the first hominids, the first mammals, and indeed, even back to the beginning of life itself. Prehistory can include the birth of the planets, the genesis of the solar system, or even the creation of the universe. There's no major dispute over when prehistory begins: When it ends is where complications arise. 

History begins not with the ascent of modern man, but with the invention of writing. Man must keep records in order for a period to be considered history. History begins in Asia Minor, with the Sumerians, but even while man made his first explorations to Antarctica a little over one hundred years ago, the Eskimos of Alaska still were in a period of Prehistory. Prehistory ends differently for each group of people. History must be recorded in writing. Until then, it is prehistory. 

I've decided to read J.M. Roberts History of the World, a comprehensive guide to world history that spans more than one thousand pages. It's been sitting on my shelf for seven years now, but I think I now have the courage to tackle it. I'm now on the chapter about Mesopotamia, and so far it's very entertaining. I would recommend it to anyone interested in history, though it's not for complete beginners. Only attempt this one if you have previous knowledge on major periods of world history.


(The paperback edition that I own)

The early Romans called Britain "Britannia" after the natives who lived there at the time, the Bretons. Three groups of people had occupied Britain by the time the Romans first arrived: Neolithic Man, the "Beaker People", and the Celts.

Julius Caesar led an expedition to Britain in 55 BC. Caesar "wished to put an end to the use of Britannia as a sanctuary by the leaders of Gaul....rebelling against their Roman overlords." After two perfunctory conquest attempts of the island, Caesar never returned, and Romans would not fully subjugate Britain until the emperor Claudius' reign.


(Image Details: Roman Army of Julius Caesar landing in Britain)

I've finished my studies of Mesopotamia, so now it's time to change the pace. For my next topic, I'm learning about the history of the British Isles - the homeland of my ancestors. I found an excellent introductory text presenting a narrative history of Britain for people who have little knowledge of the subject (such as myself). The book is The Story of Britain by Rebecca Fraser and can be bought wherever books are sold.

I've just gotten back from a 6 month hiatus, and will continue my blog with daily posts. Hopefully with my new schedule I'll be able to get more quality information about a wider range of subjects.

Thanks

Eridu was perhaps a thriving society during the Ubaid Period. The Ubaid Period lasted from around 5000 BC to 3900 BC. After that, it became primarily a religious site, constantly being abandoned, repaired, and abandoned again. It was finally completely abadoned after around 600 BC.

The Ziggurat at Eridu was built by king Amar-Sin, whose father famously built the Ziggurat at Ur. Eridu was the holy site for the god Enki. After Eridu was abandoned, the cult of Enki survived by moving to Ur during the time of the famous law giver Hammurabi.

The Sumerians, the worlds oldest known civilization, invented the first system of writing called Cuneiform. Cuneiform tablets, like the one pictured above, give archaeologists a wealth of information concerning the daily activities of the Sumerians.

Eridu, ceremonially being the oldest Mesopotamia city, still isn't well understood by archaeologists. It was originally excavated in 1854 by J. H. Taylor for the British Museum. During this early era of archaeology, very little was known about how to properly perform an excavation. Archaeologists were more concerned with finding treasure than discovering history. The first excavation didn't turn up anything, and the site was abadoned.

It was later excavated again in 1918, and in 1919, but still not much was discovered. Finally, in 1946, the Government of Iraq held the first fruitful excavation of Eridu. At the time, the Iraqi government was concerned with recovering the identity of the Iraqi people pre-muslim times.

The excavators found that the Ziggurat at Eridu had been built on top of older structures. In fact, the site of the Ziggurat used to be an old temple. The people of Eridu built an original temple around 4900 BC, and when that temple was no longer usuable, they built another temple on top of the original. Archaeologists have found several temples on the site, each being built over the top of the previous. The Ziggurat was built later, possible as recent as 2100 BC.

Another wonderful picture by Balage Balogh, depicting Enki's boat voyage from Eridu. Enki was the Sumerian god who looked over the Ziggurat at Eridu.