A Short Biography of Shoshenq I, the Pharaoh from Raiders of the Lost Ark

 

The Captor of the Ark?

Shoshenq I, also known as Sheshonq or in the Hebrew Bible Shishak, is a familiar name among those interested in what exactly happened to the Ark of the Covenant. It helps that he was name dropped in Raiders of the Lost Ark. In the scene where Indiana Jones and Marcus Brody talk to army intelligence in a university lecture hall, the word “Tanis” comes up in an intercepted Nazi message. This instantly raises the interest of Indiana Jones, who says it’s one of the possible final resting places of the Ark. The scene has a couple inaccuracies. For one thing, the characters talk like the Nazis just unearthed Tanis, when in fact its ruins, situated in northeastern Egypt, were obvious for centuries. In 1798 Napoleon’s Army had already begun serious archaeological studies of the city. More obvious is Brody’s incorrect dating, where he has the Shoshenq hitting Jerusalem  in 980 instead of 925 BC.

It’s a masterclass in delivering tons of exposition, with bits of humor and an ominous image of the Ark shooting out rays making for an intriguing five minutes scene where four guys just talk. For Ark and archaeology enthusiasts the scene resonates, as Shoshenq is a main suspect. The questions is, what was the context for Shoshenq’s attack on Judah, and was the pharaoh known for anything else?

 

A Dynasty Made Through Marriage and Family

Shoshenq I was the first pharaoh of the 22^nd Dynasty, in the latter half of the 10^th Century BC. Often the creation of a new dynasty meant a revolt, a coup, or a disaster that necessitated a new family to take the pharaonic throne. The 21^st Dynasty, however, did not end because of any power struggle or disaster. Rather the last pharaoh, Psussennes II, had no male heir. Despite the Egyptian allowances for harems among royalty, along with many fertile wives, it could be hard for children in those days to grow to adulthood. Or perhaps Psussennes II simply had difficulty performing. Whatever the case, he needed to find a solution before he died. Shoshenq was the commander of his army and often had glory alongside the pharaoh on monuments, and had the power and obviously political connections to marry Psussennes’ daughter Maatkare. In 945 he naturally became the next pharaoh and kick started his own dynasty.

Cyrus the Great: A Short Bio (part 2 of 2)

 

An Enemy and an Ally

 The fledgling Persian Empire was to face its first serious challenge. The Lydian kingdom, situated in western Anatolia, contained extensive gold fields, so much so that the name of its ruler King Croesus remains heavily associated with wealth. As with the Persians, knowledge of the Lydians has been almost exclusively channeled through Greek sources, to the point that they can be confused with Greeks themselves. Over 35 years earlier, the Lydians and Medes were embroiled in a massive war. On May 28 in 585 BC, a solar eclipse suddenly came and frightened the two sides into a truce, with Astyages marrying the daughter of the Lydian king. Now, with Astyages dead and the Medes subsumed into a new empire, Croesus saw an opportunity to finish the war that the gods had seemingly put to an end (Herodotus makes the alternate claim that he sought to avenge Astyages, who was his brother-in-law). He believed that Cyrus would not be ready to repel a Lydian invasion, and was emboldened in his plans by the Oracles of Apollo. These prophets had divined that he would destroy an empire.

Golden coin of Croesus.

Though seemingly encouraged by the gods, Croesus bettered his odds through alliances with his neighbors. He gained the support of Babylon, Egypt, and Sparta, a grand alliance that threatened to destroy the new Persian Empire. These were defensive alliances, meaning they would not march into Persian territory with him, but they would come to his aid if the roles of attacker and defender were reversed. Croesus struck for Pteria, a city near the Black Sea. Cyrus responded quickly and effectively. To ensure that his army was well supplied, he purchased thousands of camels from the Arabs and gave each regiment of men its own baggage train.

Top Ten Greek Gods and Goddesses

 No gods are more well known to the western world than those of the Greeks. Greek mythology is extensive, with hundreds if not thousands of myths having been passed down over the centuries. It’s like the fictional universes of Marvel or DC, with a large cast of characters who manage to connect to each other in a complicated web of tales. Many phrases have been derived from it: “caught in a net," “Pandora’s box," “caught between a rock and a hard place," “Herculean effort." Its gods, though no longer worshipped, show up in many places. Sea kings and mermen with tridents come from Poseidon and lesser sea deity Triton. Speedy characters and icons such as DC hero the Flash wear winged shoes or helmets like Hermes. The idea of God striking people with lightning is a leftover from Zeus. These are my top ten Greek gods, and while there were many to choose from, it was easy to find my favorites since most of the very colorful characters are confined to the twelve Olympians, the elite circle of the pantheon.

10th. Hermes

Hermes has the role of the messenger of the Gods. His functions for humanity make a long list. He is the god of travel, trade, speech, sports, borders, searching, and even thieves, and guides the dead to the underworld. Like many of the Olympians, he is the son of Zeus, his particular mother being mountain nymph Maia. Although important in an official capacity to both the gods and mankind, Hermes also has the reputation of a trickster. One well known example is when, while still in his infancy, he decided to steal Apollo’s prized herd of cattle. He reversed the hooves of their feet, so when he led them away it looked as if they went in the opposite direction. Apollo was angry and confused, but did eventually find his half-brother and bring him to Zeus for trial. Zeus found the whole affair hilarious and rather than punish Hermes simply ordered him to return the stolen cattle.

Cyrus the Great: A Short Bio (part 1 of 2)

 

The Ancient Persian (or Achaemenid) Empire dominated the Middle East from roughly 550 to 330 BC. Compared to its predecessors in the region, it lasted a long time and came to be seen as a model for empire-building, even by its eventual destroyer Alexander the Great. It was founded by another “The Great,” Cyrus the Great. Cyrus is one of the more highly regarded ancient rulers. Many respect him for his, by the standards of the time, generosity and mercy towards conquered peoples. He rarely massacred entire populations and did not often resort to mass enslavement either. He let local rulers stay on as part of his administration, creating a soft rule over his holdings. Cyrus is also a legend among many in Iran, as he was the one who catapulted their Persian ancestors to the status of a great civilization. Judaism and Christianity alike also have a positive image of him as he allowed the captive Hebrews to return to the Levant and rebuild their cities (though as it turns out there is a caveat on this matter).

Despite his importance to world history, we know very little about Cyrus. What has been passed down is largely suspect. Little contemporary records exist from the time of his life and most of these, such as the Nabonidus Verse Account and Cyrus Cylinder, are obvious pieces of propaganda from a time when people did not have a widely circulated press, much less the internet, to seek out the truth. Most ancient sources are actually Greek histories. These were written decades to hundreds of years after the events of Cyrus’ life. They were based on Persian historical legends and orally transmitted hearsay, and then filtered through Greek biases. The most popular Greek sources is Xenophon’s account of his time as a Greek mercenary in a Persian civil war. Xenophon related many tales he heard of Cyrus the Elder. Ironically it’s riddled with literary liberties and inaccuracies as well as the promotion of the author’s Greek beliefs. Concerning the Cyrus the Great’s characteristics, Xenophon falsely depicts him embracing and spouting Socratic philosophy while also worshipping the Greek pantheon of gods and goddesses. The most respected source is Herodotus’ Histories. The father of historians, Herodotus carefully weighted various accounts and tried to piece together the most likely narrative.

Christopher Ellet's Gladiators & Beast Hunts: Arena Sports of Ancient Rome

Epplett, Christopher. Gladiators & Beast Hunts: Arena Sports of Ancient Rome. South Yorkshire: Pen & Sword Military, 2016.

Gladiators & Beast Hunts is one of my many impulse buys while searching through the Half-Price Books store. In it Christopher Epplett, an ancient history teacher who specializes in Ancient Rome’s sporting events, looks at the origins, purpose, and demise of gladiatorial combat and the venationes, the beast hunts. He decides to not cover the chariot races, more interested in the violent sports and why the Romans were so enamored by them. He also has a couple chapters focusing on how the games were supplied and held and how certain gladiators (and even some animals) achieved celebrity status. Gladiators & Beast Hunts is a fairly short book, more along the lines of an extended master’s thesis, and should make for a brisk yet highly informative read.

Epplett traces the origins of the gladiatorial games to Etruscan and early Roman funerary customs. When a wealthy man or woman died, the other rich spectators were treated to a gladiatorial duel. The Venatio (beast hunt) also originated as the sport of the elite. The animals in the games were slaughtered rather than captured. Over time these violent spectacles were introduced to the common Roman masses. By the later republic they became an essential part of Roman life.