ABOUT CUNEIFORM

• In 1989, the space shuttle Discovery had an interesting piece of history added to its cargo. This cuneiform tablet, owned by the M.C. Carlos Museum, went along for the ride. The oldest artifact ever to travel in space, it is a list of necessary items six travelers needed for an expedition. The year of their trip? 2040 BC.
• A Babylonian clay tablet so small it can fit in the palm of a person's hand is generally accepted as "the earliest known map." It was found in 1930 about 200 miles north of ancient Babylon (in present-day Iraq). Follow this link for an explanation of the map. (Here is a stunning picture of the erupting volcano wall painting from Catal Huyuk, mentioned in the previous link and dated approximately 6150 BC

ABOUT HIEROGLYPHICS

• Want to know all about hieroglyphics? If so, check out this site.
• Who was Jean Francois Champollion - the man who deciphered Egyptian hieroglyphics? As a brilliant youngster, he wanted to decipher the picture language no one could understand. At 41, he had a stroke. Learn how much he accomplished during the short span of his life.
• The BNF in Paris contains the famous A. M. Dacier letter (in French) setting forth Champollion's hieroglyphics analysis. Follow this link to check it out.
• Want to write some English words and have them transformed into hieroglyphics? Do it here.

ABOUT ANCIENT PERSIA

• Darius I was king of Old Persia during the Achaemenid Period. Learn about what he accomplished - and much more - at this site.
• Darius I has a magnificent tomb at Naqsh-i-Rustam in Iran. A team from the Oriental Institute excavated the site in 1939. This is what they saw at the time.

MORE ABOUT BABYLON AND HAMMURABI

• If Hammurabi were alive today, his radio interview might go something like this.

GO TO STORY INDEX