Referred from Scribophile

[Eleanor Konik]

Hello, everyone!

I'm a member of the Worldbuilding 101 group on Scribophile and someone posted a link to this website in the Resources thread, and I have to say that I'm super excited to find that this community exists. Research is one of my favorite parts of Worldbuilding, and my blog is heavily geared toward articles like the ones featured on the front page of Mythic Scribes, so I'm hoping to become a contributing member of the community!

I have a 5 month old baby and we're in a global pandemic, so I've taken a leave of absence from work, but professionally I teach Ancient Civilizations / World History. I also do a lot of research on the Mediterranean region, particularly Phoenicia, which is way more interesting than people give it credit for. Most of my Twitter presence is focused on Folklore and mythology, but I'm interested in doing more networking with the history and worldbuilding sides of things.

Looking forward to making connections!

` Eleanor

 

[Steerpike]

Welcome, Eleanor. It's nice to have you here. I love learning about ancient civilizations--particularly those in Mesoamerica, but I really find it all fascinating, no matter what part of the world we are talking about. I read some speculation a while back the the Phoenicians may have made it to Mesoamerica, but I don't know how much of that is pure speculation based on some images found in Mesoamerican artifacts and how much of it has some actual scholarship underlying it.

 

[Eleanor Konik]

I do a lot with Mesoamerica through work -- 4th quarter is devoted to Latin America -- but I hadn't heard the speculation about Phoenicia making it to Mesoamerica. It seems like sort of a stretch given what I know about the types of boats they have, but I'd be interested to read more on the topic!

The focus of our Mesoamerica unit is environmental manipulation, so we do a lot with the Inca terraces and Aztec chinampas. If you had to pick a "focus" topic for Mesoamerican civilizations, which part are you most interested in?

 

[Steerpike]

I do a lot with Mesoamerica through work -- 4th quarter is devoted to Latin America -- but I hadn't heard the speculation about Phoenicia making it to Mesoamerica. It seems like sort of a stretch given what I know about the types of boats they have, but I'd be interested to read more on the topic!

The focus of our Mesoamerica unit is environmental manipulation, so we do a lot with the Inca terraces and Aztec chinampas. If you had to pick a "focus" topic for Mesoamerican civilizations, which part are you most interested in?

I'll see what I can find out about it. It was mentioned briefly in an audio course by Dr. Ed Barnhart, but just to the extent that there was some imagery in Mesoamerican artifacts that a resemblance to old-world style of dress (I think he mentioned Phoenician, specifically).

I do enjoy the discussion on environmental manipulation. I've read less about the Inca than about the Aztec. I have read most about the Maya and the two topics I find most interesting are 1) their astronomy and mathematics; and 2) research into whether environmental factors played a role in the collapse of Maya civilization and, if so, the extent to which their own activities contributed.

 

[Eleanor Konik]

If you enjoy the Mayans and astronomy and mathematics, and environmental science as it relates to ancient civiliatons... I bet you find the calendar stuff interesting too.

I think you'll enjoy this article (which I didn't write, this isn't self-promotion) about Akkadian ploughing: Old European culture: Ploughing

An excerpt:

For instance lion marks the time when Eurasian lions start mating. This happens in September for Asian lions, but might have earlier happen in August for European and middle Eastern lions...

And scorpion marks the time when Eurasian scorpions "disappear" (start hibernating, hide from cold), which happens in late October early November...

You can read more about solar zodiac here.

What does this have to do with ploughing of grain fields in Mesopotamia? Well according to their agricultural calendar:

1. The first ploughing of the barley fields was done in August-September. During Leo...
2. The second ploughing+sowing was done in October-November. During Scorpio...​

 

[Steerpike]

I do find the calendar interesting. I am also interested in the amount of trade going on between Mesoamerican cultures and North and South America. I think people often assume these cultures were more self-contained than they were.

Thanks for the link. Looking at that now.

 

[pmmg]

I left Scribophile a number of years ago, it just wasn't really my community. I hope you enjoy it here, as I do.

 

[Eleanor Konik]

The idea that ancient civilizations were isolated is one of my biggest pet peeves. I think it's an artifact of textbook structure, personally. For example, the fact that the Phoenicians are literally the same culture as the Canaanites and Carthage is something that people overlook, and it's a problem of taxonomy, not reality. Similarly, trade is key, but cultural diffusion is harder to account for so books talk about civilizations like they're some kind of monolith. Half the time they don't even do a good job of explaining change.

Like, I'm supposed to teach Rome to my students and touch on all sorts of different aspects of the civilization from road-building to social hierarchy from a time period stretching from literally the Etruscan kings to the Byzantine Emperors... in a month.

History is soooooo much more complicated than "This Is What Roman Culture Was Like"