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Assyrian Culture Research Paper

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The Bakhtiari and Assyrian cultures, in will be compared and contrasted in this paper. The Bakhtiari are a tribal society, who came about in 1300 BC and have been existing ever since (Howarth 1976). The Assyrians were a state-level society, starting in the beginning of the second millennium BC and met their end in 626 BC. These cultures did not exist at the same time, and is key in understanding their topics of comparison. In this paper, the points of comparison are their ways of sustaining life: how they provide food, how they live, and how their environments play a part in their societal structure. I will then conclude the paper with a summary on the past presenting itself today—within today’s Bakhtiari society and within the region of the …show more content…

Not just with each other in marriages and the dowries that come with it, but also with outside cultures and societies. The Bakhtiari are not the only ones among the Zagros mountains, now and then they come across other tribes. Their herds provide sale through their animals’ slaughter, skin, wool, hair, and leather. These resources can be used to feed a community, as well as provide tools and clothing (Iranica 1988). Similarly, the Assyrians also realized this second asset of income and trade by becoming herders. Their wide-open spaces not only was herd-friendly, but also allowed them to venture out of their empire, and explore resources not indigenous to their land. By creating colonies in Anatolia, the Assyrians were able to establish trading posts and gain metals newly founded in the Bronze Age. The Assyrians now relied on trade, but it did not mean the ruled Mesopotamia. The Sumerians, Babylonians, and Akkadians were all fighting to build their empires alongside the Assyrians. Everyone wanted what each other had and wide valleys and plains allowed for controversy to occur. The Assyrians ruled the trade market, but were consistently overruled by their neighbors who wanted to take their land. As discussed in lecture, the Assyrians were the junk yard dog. They got beat, harassed, and bombarded numerous of times that they decided it were to happen no more. The Assyrians became …show more content…

Assyrians face the same struggle they did at the end of their empire—no place to call home. In 1915, the genocide in World War I began and the Ottoman Empire killed off 750,000 Assyrians (AINA 2015). Those who survived, fled trying to find another place to start anew, and that did not work out quite well. In 2014 & 2015, the Islamic State (ISIS) continues the terrorizing job of the Ottoman Empire, and causes over 200,000 Assyrians to leave their homes and villages behind (AINA 2015). Assyrians are in constant fear and have accustomed to fleeing and finding a new village to live. Even as they flee to the United States, nothing is stopping ISIS or other entities from pushing them out of their American homes. If fleeing to natural barriers, instead of inflicting terror was the strategy, the Assyrians would be able to withstand the hardships the middle east holds today. The Bakhtiari proves this factor, by their perseverance seen today and could be another great asset for the

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