The Hamitic myth is a theory that arose from the Talmudic stories of descendance, and claims that the people in Africa are the descendents of Ham, the cursed son of Noah. In short, this myth serves as a justification for the mistreatment of Africans, and undermined the study of Africa and its people, as it creates a skewed lense through which all other information learned about Africa would be learned: that somehow Africa and its people are inferior.
Around the sixth century AD stories about descendance were recorded in the Babylonian Talmud, a collection of Jewish stories and oral traditions. One of which revolved around a story about Noah and his sons. The story goes that Noah drank excessively one day and was lying out naked for all to see. His son Ham saw his father in this state, and rather than cover him, informs his brothers so that they too can laugh at their father. When Noah awoke and realized what had happened, he curses Ham’s descendents to be born black, enslaved, and engage in unethical behavior.
Over the years, the myth had to be changed, as holes in the theory emerged. In the 17th century, scientists determined that environmental factors influenced skin color, and that the closer humans are to the direct rays of the sun felt at the
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The advanced ironwork, the irrigation systems, and complex political systems constructed by Africans were said to have been brought by pastoral Hamites, or early Europeans. Similarly, the powerful civilization of Egypt, Ethiopia, Nubia, and other smaller groups west of the oasis of Ammon were thought by followers of the Hamitic myth to be attributed to an Arian colony from India that settled in the upper part of the Nile valley. There was little evidence for these claims, and yet they persisted because of the schema created to justify the oppression of
In the article Skin Deep written by Nina Jablonski and George Chaplin, they discuss and look deeper into the diverse differences in skin color. Our skin color has developed over the years to be dark enough to prevent the damaging sunlight that has been harming our skin and the nutrient folate that it carries. At the same time out skin is light enough to receive vitamin D.
During the years of 3500 BC to 2500 BC, the geography of a land often impacted a civilizations development in great measures. Depending on the resources available or the detriments present due to certain topographical characteristics like rivers or deserts, a civilization could flourish or collapse. By studying the geographic features of growing societies like the Nile, Euphrates, and Tigris Rivers as well as the Mediterranean Sea of Egypt and Mesopotamia, the link between developing cultures and geography will be examined through sources, including Egypt: Ancient Culture, Modern Land edited by Jaromir Malek and Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization by Paul Kriwaczek. To determine the extent of its influence, this investigation will attempt to compare and contrast the role of geography in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, focusing on the civilizations’ various periods of development and settlement.
The movie first shows Noah as a boy who sees his father get killed in cold blood by King Tubal-Cain. He becomes the last in his lineage, and then the movie cuts to a scene of a middle aged Noah. He is depicted as a family man who cares for the preservation of the earth and all of God’s creatures, unlike the lineage of Cain. He dreams of blood at his feet and drowning underwater. This was God’s call to Noah, letting him know that he will destroy all life on earth and telling him to prepare for the flood.
The meaning, significance, and definition of race have been debated for centuries. Historical race concepts have varied across time and cultures, creating scientific, social, and political controversy. Of course, today’s definition varies from the scientific racism of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that justified slavery and later, Jim Crow laws in the early twentieth. It is also different from the genetic inferiority argument that was present at the wake of the civil rights movement. However, despite the constantly shifting concepts, there seems to be one constant that has provided a foundation for ideas towards race: race is a matter of visually observable attributes such as skin color, facial features, and other self-evident visual cues.
Hause, S., & Maltby, W. (2001). The Ancient Near East: Mesopotamia, Egypt, Phoenicia and Israel. Essentials of Western Civilization (pp.7-15). California: Wadsworth.
Since the beginning of time, societies have created stories to explain the mystery of the origin of man and the universe. In the Babylonian text, Enuma Elish and the book of Genesis-which originated in the same part of the world-one finds two very different stories about the creation of man. These two creation stories contrast the two societies that created them: the chaotic lives of servitude of the Babylonians and the lives of the recently freed Jewish people.
In later years, many European scientists defined race by separating Homo Sapiens into three to six different groups. * Australoid: those from Australia, Melanesian islands * Caucasoid: Europe, North Africa, South west Asia * Mongoloid: East Asia, Siberia, the Americas * Negroid: Central and Southern Africa * Native Americans * Polynesians The scientific justification for these six groups was that members of these groups shared similar physical characteristics and originated in a particular region of the world. During the nineteenth century theories of race were advanced both by the scientific community and in the popular daily and periodical press. One idea that was taken into belief was racial standing based on skull size and features. The human skull was us...
Throughout history race has been a pivotal part in decision making. Since the first interaction of populations from different geographical regions, with physical differences, the assumption has been that these differences were fundamental. These physical differences, based mainly on the color of skin, have been classified as race. Over time physicians have tried to pinpoint certain characteristics that are more prominent in one race than another, in order to prove race and that there are subspecies of humans. One of the first examples of this is Johann Blumenbach work “On the Natural Variety of Mankind”. In his work Blumenbach introduced five categories of race; caucasian. mongolian, malayan ethiopian, and american. These classifications revolved around not only skin color, but also physical morphology. Blumenbach supported this by using a collection of physical evidence, like the structure of the cranium, to support his thesis. This marked a shift in thinking of race in terms of geography to physical appearance. Published in 1775, Blumenbach’s dissertation started the scientific approach to finding
The ancient cultures of Mesopotamia and Egypt are a factor of the evolution of civilizations in present-day. Though, it wouldn’t occur if both of these ancient civilizations didn’t develop into successful ones. There are three similar components that led Ancient Egypt and Ancient Mesopotamia to become prosperous. These are the locations, their way of life, and their beliefs. All of these elements will be explored more thoroughly throughout this essay.
Approximately 5500 years ago four of the worlds' most prestigious ancient river civilizations had emerged. Our world has been left in astonishment and awe wondering how these civilizations were developed. Egypt and Mesopotamia were the first ancient river civilizations to create cities and their own ways of living. Society, geography, and religion played an enormous role in the development of the ancient cities. Although there is evidence of early Sumerian contact with the Egyptians, Egypt's civilization was largely self-generated and its history and cultural patterns differed from Mesopotamia.
The color of your skin used to depend on where you live. (Before transportation became so easy.) Darker skinned people would live where it is hotter, and the sun shines more. Lighter skinned people would live in cooler, less sunny areas. This is because the darker pigments in your skin would keep you from burning.
Human beings are no exception to biological evolution. Like other organisms around the world, humans have significantly changed overtime and have developed all sorts of diverse characteristics. One noticeable characteristic of human beings is the variation of skin color. Skin color has been used to identify, classify, and verify the variation that exists in the human population around the world. How did such a distinct variation arise and how did it play into adaptation?
In the history of Africa, and in the history of the civilized world, the Egyptian civilization was one of the most powerful and great civilized Empires of the old world. The main reason why the narrator mentioned the Egyptian Empire in the documentary was its influence on the other civilizations in the Africa. The Egyptian Empire influenced the other empires by both culture and religion.
Thesis statement: In this research, I will investigate the basic concepts of the Egyptian mythology and its gods.