Book of the Dead

This document is basically about proving ones pureness in the afterlife. A line that I found compelling is “I have not filched the offerings in the temples. I have not purloined cakes of the gods.” This shows us how desperate for food some of the people where that they were willing to steal the offerings people had put out for the gods. In general I find this document very interesting because it names all the bad things one could have done in their lives but did not do. I like how it ends saying “I am pure. I am pure. I am pure. I am pure.”

The Epic of Gilgamesh

This version of Gilgamesh is different than the one we read in class. A constant theme throughout the story is the fear of death and dying. "Gilgamesh, where are you hurrying to? ... As for you, Gilgamesh, fill your belly with good things; day and night, night and day, dance and be merry, feast and rejoice." This quote shows us how they thought nothing was permanent so so might as well enjoy ones life. Another theme that is shown in this story is the friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu.

Reading on Nisa

As I was reading this article I found it very interesting how she describes her kind of people (Paleolithic people) as those “who live in the bush.” They were hunter-gatherers and had no technological advances. This is shown when she says, “No donkey … I still carry things myself in my kaross.” Also, how she blames God for everything bad that happened in her life. Since she doesn’t know, she seeks answers to why her loved ones died, and it is easy for her to blame god. She sees god as being evil and against them instead of being a supreme being. This is shown when she says, “God is the one who destroys. It isn’t people who do it. It is God himself.”

Chapter 1

Many people think humans were the first to inhabit the Earth, but what they do not know is that there were different hominids that inhabited the earth for thousands of years before us. I agree with Strayer in the fact that we cannot simply ignore Paleolithic and Neolithic people. If it were not for them and the technology they created, the other hominids would not have something to build from. Just because they did not write, does not mean they did not exist. I find it fascinating how they had the knowledge needed to domesticate these animals. Also, how they stopped relying solely on animals as their only source of food, but also learned they could grow plants. When they made this discovery they no longer needed to travel from one place to another, now they could build their civilizations around these plants. Lastly, how they were able to migrate to different places such as Eurasia, Australia, etc. This just shows how intelligent they actually where because they were able to come up with some sort of boat that would not only get them where they needed to go, but also to carry all the materials necessary for their survival. I believe the shift from hunting to farming was the most important because humans nowadays continue this because we still grow plants; I could not imagine us as being hunters.