Hestryx

Arkadiko Bridge (1300-1190 BC), a Mycenaean Chariot Bridge; is the one of the oldest in Europe, which is still in use, located in Greece : The oldest bridge in Europe that is still in use today can be found in Greece; named the Arkadiko Bridge, it dates back to Mycenaean times. Arkadiko Bridge, also named the Kazarma Bridge, is a Mycenaean construction which can be found in the southern region of mainland Greece, Peloponnesian peninsula. The bridge, which is located near the modern road from Tiryns to Epidaurus in the Peloponnese, is still used very frequently today. The small arched bridge is still traversed by cars, although it is officially only endorsed for pedestrian use, and it is an important landmark and functional feature of the entire area. The bridge dates back to Greece’s Bronze Age, between 1300-1190 BC. Originally, it was built to connect ancient city of Epidaurus with Mycenae, and was therefore part of a military road network. However, what is perhaps the most interesting feature of the bridge is the way it was constructed. The bridge has remained standing and stable for thousands of years, but incredibly does not use any form of binder such as mortar. Not only the weight of the limestone, but also how symmetrically the blocks are placed on the vertical axis, makes the bridge stable. This style of construction, which is called Cyclopean masonry, uses massive limestone boulders, roughly fitted together with very little space left between adjacent stones, and no mortar. Boulders typically seem unworked, but some may have been shaped roughly with a hammer and the gaps between boulders filled in with smaller chunks of limestone. The most famous and well-known works using Cyclopean masonry can be found in Mycenae and  Tiryns, where a large percentage of walls in these areas were built using this impressive technique. The bridge is 22m (72ft) long, 5.6m (18ft) wide, and 4m (13ft) tall. Although, today it is mostly used by pedestrians, its original purpose was quite different. Archaeologists have discovered that, due to the bridge’s style and the specific way it was built, it was originally meant for use by horse-drawn chariots. Bridge  would have been used to transport goods from place to place, but also would have been traversed by Greek troops on their travels across the country. Although, Arkadiko Bridge may be the oldest bridge still in use in Europe, it is not unique in the wider area. In fact, it is one of four known Mycenaean corbel arch bridges near Arkadiko, all belonging to the same Bronze Age highway between the two cities, and all of similar design and age. #archaeohistories

The Rassam Cylinder (ten-sided clay prism) was created in 643 BC, during reign of King Ashurbanipal who ruled the Neo-Assyrian Empire from 669-631 BC. It was discovered in the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh, near Mosul, present-day Iraq, by Hormuzd Rassam in 1854. In over 1,300 lines of cuneiform text, cylinder records nine military campaigns of Ashurbanipal, including his wars with Egypt, Elam and his brother, Shamash-shum-ukin. It also records his accession to the throne and his restoration of the Palace of Sennacherib. The cylinder is the most complete chronicle on life of Ashurbanipal. There are some extracts from the cylinder below : "I am Ashurbanipal, offspring of Ashur and Bêlit, the oldest prince of the royal harem, whose name Ashur and Sin, the lord of the tiara, have named for the kingship from earliest (lit., distant) days, whom they formed in his mother's womb, for the rulership of Assyria; whom Shamash, Adad and Ishtar, by their unalterable (lit., established) decree, have ordered to exercise sovereignty. Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, the father who begot me, respected the word of Ashur and Bêlit-ilê (the Lady of the Gods), his tutelary (divinities), when they gave the command that I should exercise sovereignty; in the month of Airu, in the month of Ea, the lord of mankind, the twelfth day, an auspicious day, the feast day of Gula, at the sublime command which Ashur, Bêlit, Sin, Shamash, Adad, Bêl, Nabû, Ishtar of Nineveh, Queen of Kidmuri, Ishtar of Arbela, Urta, Nergal, Nusku, uttered, he gathered together the people of Assyria, great and small, from the upper to (lit., and) lower sea. That they would accept (lit., guard) my crown princeship, and later my kingship, he made them take an oath by the great gods, and so he strengthened the bonds (between them and me).... By the order of the great gods, whose names I called upon, extolling their glory, who commanded that I should exercise sovereignty, assigned me the task of adorning their sanctuaries, assailed my opponents on my behalf, slew my enemies, the valiant hero, beloved of Ashur and Ishtar, scion of royalty, am I. Egyptian Campaign : "In my first campaign I marched against Magan, Meluhha, Taharqa, king of Egypt and Ethiopia, whom Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, the father who begot me, had defeated, and whose land he brought under his sway. This same Taharqa forgot the might of Ashur, Ishtar and the other great gods, my lords, and put his trust upon his own power. He turned against the kings and regents whom my own father had appointed in Egypt. He entered and took residence in Memphis, the city which my own father had conquered and incorporated into Assyrian territory. A swift courier came to Nineveh and reported to me. At these deeds, my heart became enraged, my soul cried out. I raised my hands in prayer to Ashur and the Assyrian Ishtar. I mustered my mighty forces, which Ashur and Ishtar had placed into my hands. Against Egypt and Ethiopia, I directed the march." The Rassam Cylinder records the reign of Ashurbanipal until 645 BC. The latter years of his reign are poorly recorded, probably due to the fact that the Neo-Assyrian Empire was plagued with troubles. One of Ashurbanipal's last known inscriptions reads : "I cannot do away with the strife in my country and the dissensions in my family; disturbing scandals oppress me always. Illness of mind and flesh bow me down; with cries of woe I bring my days to an end. On the day of the city god, the day of the festival, I am wretched; death is seizing hold upon me, and bears me down..." The Rassam Cylinder is currently on display in the British Museum. A truly remarkable, yet biased, insight into reign of Ashurbanipal and the world in which he lived. - Subscribe for Detailed Post - #archaeohistories

Who were the Sea Peoples that invaded Egypt ? No one knows exactly who the Sea Peoples were. Archaeologists have been unable to determine where they came from, what language they spoke, or even if they were a group of related people at all. The one thing they do know is that the Sea Peoples were a devastating force against Egypt. The Sea Peoples were a group of seafaring raiders that existed during the Late Bronze Age collapse. They gained notoriety for their attacks on several regions in and around the Mediterranean Sea, specifically ancient Egypt. Very little is known about the Sea Peoples due to a lack of documentation from the group itself, but historians have done what they can to estimate their origins, structure, and culture. There is evidence that sometime around the year 1150 BC, three powerful civilizations in the eastern Mediterranean region collapsed: the Mycenaean Civilization in Greece, the Hittites in Asia Minor, and the New Kingdom in Egypt. This event became known as the Bronze Age collapse. Historians don't know for sure what caused this great event, but it is theorized that it was due to invasions by the aggressive Sea Peoples. However, this is just a theory and the collapse could have just as easily been due to famine, earthquakes, or tsunamis. The term "Sea Peoples" didn't exist until the 1800s. It was originally used as a way of describing the people depicted in ancient Egyptian inscriptions from the 12th century. These inscriptions showed these people invading a number of regions in the eastern Mediterranean during this time. This is essentially the only information historians have to go off of. The identity of the Sea Peoples remains hypothetical because there exists little to no evidence that specifically links the group to a specific Mediterranean people. Archaeologists are unable to determine where they came from, what language they spoke, or even whether they were a single group of people. Despite this, it is believed that the Sea Peoples were comprised of Mediterranean, European, and Asian members, and they likely originated from areas on the northern and eastern Mediterranean coast. - Subscribe for Detailed Post - 📷 : Credit to the Owner #archaeohistories