After the global revolution and prior to the great destruction much of the internet was preserved by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST). Sounds and visions from planet Earth were cherished on long excursions aboard Laurasia. Especially as a sleep aid, but also for entertainment. This - is The Turtles and Flo & Eddie.
Museum
Selections of art taken from Chris Lehrer's Lyceum under the heading: Window to the Past.
Listen to Soma FM streaming radio, a favorite of the space station Laurasia since the global revolution. You may or may not have to download the free Winamp or Real audio player.
By the word of the king, the land finds justice. - Babylonian proverb, c. 1800 BCE (adapted from legal inscriptions)
Between 2000 and 1500 BCE, the Bronze Age reached a peak, as civilizations across Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, India, and China advanced governance, culture, and technology. In Babylon, Hammurabi’s Code (c. 1754 BCE) established legal order, codifying justice in cuneiform. Egypt’s Middle Kingdom restored stability, with pharaohs like Senusret III expanding trade and irrigation. In Greece, Mycenaean palaces rose, blending warrior culture with Minoan artistry. India’s Vedic period birthed sacred texts, shaping early Hindu traditions, while China’s Shang dynasty mastered bronze metallurgy and oracle bone writing. Bronze tools and weapons, alloyed from copper and tin, revolutionized agriculture and warfare, while trade networks linked these regions, exchanging amber, lapis lazuli, and ideas. Archaeological finds, like Babylonian tablets and Mycenaean tombs, reveal sophisticated societies with divine rulers and rituals. This era’s blend of law, art, and innovation marked a cultural zenith, though hierarchies deepened, setting the stage for both progress and tension.
A Golden Age of Bronze
Bronze technology and centralized governance drove cultural and economic advances, uniting disparate regions.
Pillars of the Bronze Age
Hammurabi’s Code and Babylonian law (c. 1754 BCE).
Egypt’s Middle Kingdom resurgence.
Mycenaean palaces and warrior culture.
Vedic India’s ritual texts.
Shang dynasty’s bronze and writing.
Expanded trade networks (amber, tin, lapis).
Cultural and Technological Leap
This period’s innovations in law, art, and metallurgy shaped enduring societal frameworks.
Around c. 1754 BCE, Hammurabi, king of Babylon, unified Mesopotamia under his rule and issued the Code of Hammurabi, one of the earliest written legal codes. Inscribed on a 7-foot basalt stele, its 282 laws, written in Akkadian cuneiform, governed trade, property, and justice, famously prescribing “an eye for an eye.” Found at Susa in 1901, the stele depicts Hammurabi receiving divine authority from Shamash, the sun god, blending law with religious legitimacy. The code standardized penalties, protected the weak (e.g., widows), and regulated commerce, as seen in clauses on grain loans and merchant disputes. Babylon’s control of trade routes, linking Sumer to Elam, brought wealth, with markets trading barley, wool, and tin. Archaeological finds, like tablets from Sippar, show scribes enforcing the code across cities. While promoting order, the code favored elites, reinforcing class divides. Hammurabi’s legal legacy influenced later systems, embedding justice as a cornerstone of civilization.
Legal Innovation
The Code of Hammurabi standardized justice, balancing fairness with hierarchical control.
Key Features of Hammurabi’s Code
282 laws on trade, property, and family (c. 1754 BCE).
Divine authority from Shamash.
“Eye for an eye” retributive justice.
Protection for vulnerable groups.
Regulation of commerce and wages.
Enforcement via scribes and tablets.
Archaeological Evidence
The Susa stele and Sippar tablets reveal Babylon’s administrative reach and legal sophistication.
Social Impact
The code unified Babylon but favored elites, deepening social stratification.
Egypt’s Middle Kingdom (2055–1650 BCE) marked a revival after Old Kingdom decline, with pharaohs like Mentuhotep II (2055 BCE) reunifying the land. Senusret III (1878–1839 BCE) strengthened centralized rule, building fortresses in Nubia and canals for irrigation, boosting agriculture in the Fayum region. The Nile’s fertility supported wheat and flax, sustaining a population of about 1 million. Literature flourished, with works like The Tale of Sinuhe reflecting themes of loyalty and exile. Religious practices evolved, with Osiris worship emphasizing afterlife resurrection, evident in Abydos tombs. Archaeological finds, like Lahun’s worker town and Senusret’s statues, show organized labor and royal propaganda. Trade with Punt (modern Somalia) brought myrrh and gold, as recorded on temple reliefs. The Middle Kingdom’s stability fostered cultural confidence, but invasions by the Hyksos (1650 BCE) ended its reign. This era’s governance and art shaped Egypt’s enduring identity, balancing power with cultural depth.
Centralized Governance
Pharaohs restored order through military and irrigation projects, strengthening Egypt’s core.
Middle Kingdom Achievements
Reunification by Mentuhotep II (c. 2055 BCE).
Senusret III’s Nubian fortresses.
Fayum irrigation projects.
Tale of Sinuhe and literary growth.
Osiris worship and afterlife rituals.
Trade with Punt (myrrh, gold).
Archaeological Insights
Lahun’s worker town and temple reliefs reveal organized labor and religious devotion.
Decline and Legacy
Hyksos invasions ended the era, but its cultural achievements influenced later dynasties.
From 2000 BCE, Mycenaean Greeks built fortified palaces on mainland Greece, like Mycenae and Pylos, blending local traditions with Minoan Crete’s artistry. Named for bronze-using warriors, Mycenaeans constructed “cyclopean” stone walls, as seen in the Lion Gate (1600 BCE). Linear B script, adapted from Minoan Linear A, recorded palace inventories on clay tablets, revealing a bureaucratic economy centered on grain, wine, and olive oil. Warrior elites, buried in shaft graves with bronze weapons and gold masks (e.g., “Mask of Agamemnon”), dominated society. Trade with Egypt and the Levant brought amber and faience, as found in Tiryns. Religious practices, centered on deities like Poseidon, involved offerings in palace shrines. Archaeological evidence, like Pylos tablets, shows centralized control but also vulnerability to raids. By about 1500 BCE, Mycenaeans absorbed Crete, expanding influence. Their militaristic culture laid roots for Greek identity, influencing Homeric epics centuries later.
Warrior Palaces
Mycenaean palaces blended defense, administration, and art, reflecting a militarized society.
Mycenaean Features
Cyclopean walls and Lion Gate (c. 1600 BCE).
Linear B script for palace records.
Shaft graves with gold masks.
Trade with Egypt and Levant (amber, faience).
Worship of deities like Poseidon.
Centralized palace economies.
Archaeological Evidence
Graves and tablets from Mycenae and Pylos reveal a warrior elite and bureaucratic systems.
Cultural Influence
Mycenaean militarism shaped Greek epic traditions, despite later collapse.
From 2000–1500 BCE, Indo-Aryans migrated to northwest India, establishing the Vedic period, named for the Rigveda, a collection of hymns composed in Sanskrit. These oral texts, later written, praised deities like Indra and Agni, emphasizing rituals like fire sacrifices (yajna). Pastoral tribes settled along the Indus and Ganges, cultivating barley and herding cattle, which held sacred status. Social hierarchies emerged, with priests (brahmins) and warriors (kshatriyas) leading early caste systems, as described in Vedic texts. Archaeological sites, like Sanauli’s chariot burials (1800 BCE), suggest a mobile, militaristic culture. Trade with Central Asia brought horses, vital for warfare and rituals. The Rigveda’s 1,028 hymns shaped early Hindu cosmology, with concepts of dharma (duty) and cosmic order. This period’s oral traditions and rituals laid the spiritual and social foundations for Indian culture, influencing later texts like the Upanishads.
Vedic Rituals
Fire sacrifices and hymns unified communities, embedding spiritual and social order.
Vedic Period Developments
Rigveda hymns (c. 2000–1500 BCE).
Fire sacrifices (yajna) and rituals.
Early caste system (brahmins, kshatriyas).
Cattle-based pastoral economy.
Trade with Central Asia (horses).
Sanauli chariot burials (c. 1800 BCE).
Archaeological Evidence
Sanauli and other sites reveal a militaristic, ritualistic society transitioning to settled life.
Lasting Legacy
Vedic hymns and rituals shaped Hindu traditions, influencing India’s cultural identity.
China’s Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BCE), emerging about 2000 BCE in the Yellow River valley, mastered bronze metallurgy, producing intricate vessels for rituals, as seen in Anyang excavations. Oracle bones, inscribed with early Chinese script (1500 BCE), recorded divinations for kings, addressing weather, war, and harvests. These texts, over 100,000 found, reveal a theocratic society where kings mediated with ancestors and deities like Di. Agriculture, centered on millet and rice, supported cities like Zhengzhou, with rammed-earth walls. Trade with Siberia brought jade and tin, essential for bronzes. Social hierarchies placed kings and nobles above laborers, with human sacrifices in royal tombs. Archaeological finds, like Erligang bronzes, show advanced casting techniques. The Shang’s writing and rituals laid foundations for Chinese culture, influencing Confucianism and calligraphy. By about 1500 BCE, their technological and spiritual systems solidified China’s early statehood, setting a precedent for dynastic rule.
Bronze and Divination
Shang bronzes and oracle bones blended technology with spiritual authority, defining early Chinese society.
Shang Dynasty Achievements
Bronze vessels for rituals (c. 1600 BCE).
Oracle bone script (c. 1500 BCE).
Theocratic kingship and ancestor worship.
Agricultural cities (Zhengzhou, Anyang).
Trade with Siberia (jade, tin).
Human sacrifices in royal tombs.
Archaeological Insights
Anyang’s bronzes and oracle bones reveal a sophisticated, ritual-driven society.
Cultural Foundations
Shang writing and rituals shaped China’s dynastic and spiritual traditions.
Summary: Bronze Age advances in law, trade, and metallurgy drove progress but deepened inequality. Elite control of resources and rituals marginalized laborers, embedding systemic disparities.
Summary: Babylonian codes, Mycenaean palaces, and Shang bronzes balanced innovation with order, forging vibrant civilizations. Hierarchies grew, but cultural legacies enriched human history.
Summary: Divine rulers and legal systems established enduring order, preserving values through art and law. This era reflects humanity’s timeless pursuit of stability and meaning.
Lyceum
Welcome to Space Station Laurasia! All passengers and crew members receive a personal device called a Lyceum, which serves as a journal to record and share information with family and friends via neutrionic mobile or desktop devices back on Earth’s surface. This is the Lyceum of Raymond Sheen.
Animations: Dragonset, Matters of Grave Concern, The Pillars of Barad-Dur, Heart of Stone, Golden Leaves, Gravity, and Dragons in Moonlight, by Steven David Bennett
Quo Vadis? [Latin] - Where Are You Going?
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who'll decide where to go. - Dr. Seuss
