Hi John, I’m having confusion over the timeline. My fact retention has never been good but my broader understanding generally holds. Doesn’t zoaster fit in rather a bit after the temples of Egypt were establishing? The invention of arrows also as indigenous cultures in our continent had developed them never ceases to amaze. On a weird note, I recall zoastrionism advertised in comic books as a teen. Seemed very full of mystery. Very informative.🙏
As for the timeline, it seems that the Persian Empire was contemporary to the Egyptian Empire and Egypt was conquered by the Persians which is quite the story. "In the 6th century BC, the Egyptian army was no match for the superior Persian army. Meaning, the Persians would conquer Egypt rather easily. But, the king of Persians, Cambyses II (reigned 529–522 BC) had a brilliant idea.
The Persian king knew how much his opponents treasured their cats. Of course, the Persians themselves didn’t share the same respect for the little furry friends.
The Persians collected as many cats as they could. They put the cats in front of their soldiers during the battle. They painted an image of cats on their shields or even tied the cats on the shields. Besides cats, the Persians put in front of their army also dogs and sheep. Actually, every animal they knew the Egyptians worshipped.
The Ancient Egyptians were reluctant to kill the cats. They feared the wrath of Goddess Bastet too much. So, they fled the battlefield and lost the Battle of Pelusium in 525 BC. Soon afterward, Egypt fell under the control of the Persians.
Thanks so much. Yes, the Rosicrucian people. Seemed so exotic to a teen interested in the only the exotic and strange.
Yes, Bast or Bastet. I have a small bronze cat, I’ll show you a photo but don’t think Substack will allow. The article and you comment is fascinating as it’s helping me get off an odd assumption in my head that tells me people in antiquity were somehow magical or had special knowledge. More than this surely but when one imagines strapping a cat to a shield in battle, it’s a cold water on my head of just how much more cleaver we are now. (The process unfolds in my mind is too comedic, however I’m not threatened in battle or convinced this will save my life, as I have had cats) It worked so in the moment, not entirely dumb.
The timelines of discovery or invention are of interest to me. Seemingly tools and discoveries that happen appear to be spontaneous advances achieved in different places although there was in that time no direct contact or sharing. Native tribes here, are culturally quite different from each other and us, we are not of one mind I don’t believe and wonder how that happens. A shared hive type mind is my intuitive understanding, but not all inclusive, and wonder how that shapes our existence.
This makes me wonder about Zoroaster. Who was he really? How did he come by the emotional and spiritual distortions? What happened to him to create such a tightly wound self-protective self-defeating monster? Great article, John.
I am reminded of Voltaire's comment: "God created humankind in his image and we returned the favor." The answer is that we have created a god out of our logical mind in a vain attempt to find some sort of illusion of control.
The real question is why this neurosis is so addictive that a majority of the world's population is still under the spell of Zoroaster's mania? I remember seeing the Paleolithic cave drawings in France showing the dynamic animal spirits with only small insignificant representations of frail humans. Zoroaster put humans in the driver's seat as God's copilot rather than an obscure cog in Nature's plan. We were catapulted from obscurity to being "demi-gods" fighting the "good fight" against anything disorderly and seemingly chaotic. Like the Blue's Brothers, we were on "a mission from God." That is quite the cocaine hit rush!
Observe the current Gaza nightmare from this perspective and you can see how difficult it is to end the slaughter and how inhumane and heartless humans can be when they have made their rational mind into their vengeful God. Zoroaster worshiped order and purity and humans are neither of which. I am reminded of a bumper sticker I saw at the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base: "To err is human, to forgive is divine... neither of which are Marine Corps policy." It is that hole we have dug for ourselves and yet we still continue to dig...
Your statement, 'That is quite the cocaine hit rush!" seems to sum it up, or at least it certainly rang true to me. Righteousness offers a rush and when you add violence to it, it only increases the rush to the point when it stops the only source for the rush is to start it again. Your analogy of Gaza doesn't bode well for an end to the killing.
You have a lot to offer, John. Your writing has great value.
Hi John, I’m having confusion over the timeline. My fact retention has never been good but my broader understanding generally holds. Doesn’t zoaster fit in rather a bit after the temples of Egypt were establishing? The invention of arrows also as indigenous cultures in our continent had developed them never ceases to amaze. On a weird note, I recall zoastrionism advertised in comic books as a teen. Seemed very full of mystery. Very informative.🙏
What you probably saw advertised was the Rosicrucian Order which uses the same eagle wing symbology. There is really no direct link other than a belief of secret sacred knowledge about the universe that ordinary folks lack. https://www.amorc.org/?fbclid=IwAR1ahPfcz8LL6hZRxVlJN87fxcdMhMO0XPLJcokYkxCP-9L2KGr9F2musVU
As for the timeline, it seems that the Persian Empire was contemporary to the Egyptian Empire and Egypt was conquered by the Persians which is quite the story. "In the 6th century BC, the Egyptian army was no match for the superior Persian army. Meaning, the Persians would conquer Egypt rather easily. But, the king of Persians, Cambyses II (reigned 529–522 BC) had a brilliant idea.
The Persian king knew how much his opponents treasured their cats. Of course, the Persians themselves didn’t share the same respect for the little furry friends.
The Persians collected as many cats as they could. They put the cats in front of their soldiers during the battle. They painted an image of cats on their shields or even tied the cats on the shields. Besides cats, the Persians put in front of their army also dogs and sheep. Actually, every animal they knew the Egyptians worshipped.
The Ancient Egyptians were reluctant to kill the cats. They feared the wrath of Goddess Bastet too much. So, they fled the battlefield and lost the Battle of Pelusium in 525 BC. Soon afterward, Egypt fell under the control of the Persians.
Except for brief periods, Ancient Egypt would never again be ruled by the Egyptians. After the Persians, Alexander the Great and his Greeks came in 332 BC. After the Greek period, the Roman Empire annexed Egypt as its province in 30 BC." https://short-history.com/cats-caused-the-ancient-egyptians-to-lose-war-442c61234ec2
Thanks so much. Yes, the Rosicrucian people. Seemed so exotic to a teen interested in the only the exotic and strange.
Yes, Bast or Bastet. I have a small bronze cat, I’ll show you a photo but don’t think Substack will allow. The article and you comment is fascinating as it’s helping me get off an odd assumption in my head that tells me people in antiquity were somehow magical or had special knowledge. More than this surely but when one imagines strapping a cat to a shield in battle, it’s a cold water on my head of just how much more cleaver we are now. (The process unfolds in my mind is too comedic, however I’m not threatened in battle or convinced this will save my life, as I have had cats) It worked so in the moment, not entirely dumb.
The timelines of discovery or invention are of interest to me. Seemingly tools and discoveries that happen appear to be spontaneous advances achieved in different places although there was in that time no direct contact or sharing. Native tribes here, are culturally quite different from each other and us, we are not of one mind I don’t believe and wonder how that happens. A shared hive type mind is my intuitive understanding, but not all inclusive, and wonder how that shapes our existence.
🙏
This makes me wonder about Zoroaster. Who was he really? How did he come by the emotional and spiritual distortions? What happened to him to create such a tightly wound self-protective self-defeating monster? Great article, John.
I am reminded of Voltaire's comment: "God created humankind in his image and we returned the favor." The answer is that we have created a god out of our logical mind in a vain attempt to find some sort of illusion of control.
The real question is why this neurosis is so addictive that a majority of the world's population is still under the spell of Zoroaster's mania? I remember seeing the Paleolithic cave drawings in France showing the dynamic animal spirits with only small insignificant representations of frail humans. Zoroaster put humans in the driver's seat as God's copilot rather than an obscure cog in Nature's plan. We were catapulted from obscurity to being "demi-gods" fighting the "good fight" against anything disorderly and seemingly chaotic. Like the Blue's Brothers, we were on "a mission from God." That is quite the cocaine hit rush!
Observe the current Gaza nightmare from this perspective and you can see how difficult it is to end the slaughter and how inhumane and heartless humans can be when they have made their rational mind into their vengeful God. Zoroaster worshiped order and purity and humans are neither of which. I am reminded of a bumper sticker I saw at the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base: "To err is human, to forgive is divine... neither of which are Marine Corps policy." It is that hole we have dug for ourselves and yet we still continue to dig...
Your statement, 'That is quite the cocaine hit rush!" seems to sum it up, or at least it certainly rang true to me. Righteousness offers a rush and when you add violence to it, it only increases the rush to the point when it stops the only source for the rush is to start it again. Your analogy of Gaza doesn't bode well for an end to the killing.
You have a lot to offer, John. Your writing has great value.