The flax plant is thought to be one of the oldest crops in the world and one of the first crops domesticated by man (Oplinger, 1997). Originating in Mesopotamia around 3000 BC, the flax plant has been around since the stone ages. Flax plants were cultivated and used for many different things since every part of the flax plant could be used. The seeds were used to make foods or added to foods for flavor. The seeds could also be made into oil and was commonly used to make medicines, for use on the skin, and as wood preserver. The stems of the flax plant have very strong fibers in its straw, which would be extracted from the stems and woven into linen fibre and used to make ropes and cloths (Mehta-Jones, 2005). The linen cloths made from flax plants were commonly used to wrap mummies in ancient Egyptian tombs. Since the plant was first domesticated, it was known of its therapeutic benefits. In the 8th century, King Charlemagne passed a law that enforced everyone to consume flaxseed ("Flaxseed: A smart," 2014). The Babylonians introduced flaxseeds to North America in 1617 and since then, it has been of great importance for human culture, due to its claimed benefits (Karg, 2001).
The scientific community is becoming more enthusiastic about the healing and health effects of flax as they continue to study the plant. Herbalists, scientists, and doctors claim that flaxseed relieves many gastrointestinal tract conditions such as ongoing constipation, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, gastritis, enteritis, ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis, and colon damage caused by laxative overuse. Flaxseed also helps with heart diseases such as atherosclerosis, high cholesterol, coronary artery disease, and high blood pressure. It is also used to redu...
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...XSEED.aspx?activeIngredientId=991&activeIngredientName=FLAXSEED&source=2 ("Flaxseed supplement," 2013)
Karg, S. (2011, October 16). New research on the cultural history of the useful plant linum usitatissimum l. (flax), a resource for food and textiles for 8,000 years. Retrieved from http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00334-011-0326-y/fulltext.html
(Karg, 2011)
Lignans. (2013, August). Retrieved from http://www.med.nyu.edu/content?ChunkIID=21801 ("Lignans," 2013)
Magee, E. (n.d.). The benefits of flaxseed. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/benefits-of-flaxseed (Magee)
Mehta-Jones, S. (2005). Life in ancient mesopotamia. (p. 16). New York: Crabtree Publishing Company. (Mehta-Jones, 2005)
Oplinger, E. S. (1997, November 18). Flax. Retrieved from http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/flax.html (Oplinger, 1997)
The school system of the Sumerians set the educational standards for Mesopotamia culture and other cultures to follow. Their studies included mathematics, botany and linguistics. Some students tha...
Since the beginning of the human race mankind has depended on the natural resources in their environment for survival. They utilized the available flora to nourish their body, heal their wounds, comfort their ailments and to create products to ease their daily lives. Many of the same plants utilized thousands of years ago by the indigenous people have been integrated into modern day medicines. The scientific interest and knowledge of plants for nourishment, healing, and practical uses is called ethnobotany.
Scott, N. The Daily Life of the Ancient Egyptians. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New Series, Vol. 31, No. 3, The Daily Life of the Ancient Egyptians (Spring, 1973), pp. 123-170
W. Raymond Johnson, The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, (1996), pp. 65-82, Date viewed 19th may, http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/3822115.pdf?&acceptTC=true&jpdConfirm=true
Before the land of what we no class Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, and other countries in the middle east grains, such as wheat and wild barley, could be seen growing in the wild without human hand to cultivate and nurture it (Authors 2007). Over time, humans began to recognize the benefit of the plants and began the first signs of human agriculture. The skill of farming took time and trial and error, but along the way, humans began to settle down to tend to their crops. Though the first crops were nothing more than seed s thrown about without rhyme or reason to the process we know today such as fields having, rows and sorting out the seeds to create a higher yield each harvest (Authors 2007). Because of the trial and error process, agriculture of plants did not take place of a short period but took many, many years to evolve to what we know today as agriculture; the new fa...
Quinoa is not just a staple as far as diet. Its leaves and stems also contain medicinal properties and are still used throughout the region. External applications are used to treat abscesses and bleeding (Capodistrias), and quinoa is known to alleviate depression, stress, and provide stimulants for growth hormone that is essential for developing children. These health practices are just a few practiced by the local healers and is central in an abundance of their remedies.
“The Indians used corn ground into meal and flour for years in their cooking.” How does cornbrad compare to other cultures
Mesopotamia, a land that mystifies and enchants people from ancient times to present. The people of this ancient civilization left behind an extraordinary amount of records and artefacts for people to marvel over for centuries. Even with an abundance of written record, there are still many mysteries to be solved about this ancient culture. One of the biggest mysteries are located within the Royal Cemetery of Ur. Susan Pollock, wrote an essay for the Cambridge Archaeological Journal in 1991 regarding the evidence found and her interpretation of the Royal Cemetery and funerary practices of the Mesopotamians.
When humans travel, they often brought their plants and animals with them. Early man brought their dogs with them, even to the Americas, while much later settlers also brought their cows, horses, and agricultural plants to the New World. However, things also traveled the other way, and potatoes and corn became widespread in the rest of the world after the Europeans brought it back from the Amer...
The questions about the existence of life and the creation of the world are always mind-boggling and fascinating, however, the real answer to these questions may never surface. All there is to rely on are the myths, stories and legends passed on from generation to generation by ancestors and the clues they have left. This essay will try to uncover the ancient Mesopotamian and Hebrew views on existence and creation by looking at sources like the Genesis and other ancient Mesopotamian texts and poems. Mesopotamians and Hebrews had contrasting views on how they explained the events in their lives, and through analysis of ancient sources, those differences will be outlined. In such populated and booming areas, human conflict was inevitable and some of the law codes that were placed in effect to establish order within the society will be examined. Throughout it all, god and religion played a central role in these ancient civilizations.
Bowman, John. Exploration in the World of the Ancients. New York: Facts on File, 2005.
Richardson, Seth. "An Assyrian Garden of Ancestors: Room I, Northwest Palace, Kalhu." State Archives of Assyria Bulletin 13 (1999): 145-216.
Q1: What does the prologue and the Epilogue indicate about the status of Mesopotamian rulers? IT was to role of the rulers to protect their people. They were responsible for creating and upholding laws for the well being of the population
For decades archaeologists believed that plants and animals were first domesticated in the near east (Israel, Lebanon, Syria, south west Turkey, Iraq, western Iran) early in Holocene (8000 to 10000 years ago). It is now possible to mount a challenge to this archaeological dogma about the domestication of plants and animals as evidence of that has been found in Afghanistan and Mehrgarh on the Kachi plains of Pakistan. The roots of sedentism and village farming community have been documented in the 7th millennium BC, at the site of Mehrgarh on the Kachi plains of the central Indus valley. Farming was successful here because it is thought that Pleistocene Indus River flowed in this area...
Grains are a diverse food group with a diverse nutrient profile. Generally, though, they give a rich exhibit of B vitamins and a variety of minerals. Numerous contain cancer prevention compounds, and some give novel cell reinforcements antioxidants found almost nowhere else in our food supply.