by
The Hellenistic Age is a real historical
entity, though poorly understood, in part, and hopelessly mis-dated.
Conventionally speaking, it spans the three centuries from the death of
Alexnder ‘the Great’ (estimated at 323 BC)
to the death of Cleopatra so-called VII (estimated at 30 BC).
It is the era of the Seleucids and the Ptolemies.
Introduction
The situation with the Golden Age of
Athens is quite different from that regarding the so-called Golden Age of
Islamic intellectualism, said to have been “a period of scientific, economic, and
cultural flourishing in the history of Islam, traditionally dated from the 8th
century to the 13th century”: Islamic Golden Age - Wikipedia
Whereas there was, indeed, a Golden Age
in Athens, golden at least from a naturalistic, pagan point of view, the Golden
Age of Islam is a complete historical fabrication,
Melting
down the fake Golden Age of Islamic intellectualism
(3)
Melting down the fake Golden Age of Islamic intellectualism
based upon a non-historical Mohammed,
Biography
of the Prophet Mohammed (Muhammad) Seriously Mangles History
(3)
Biography of the Prophet Mohammed (Muhammad) Seriously Mangles History
and a consequent false reconstruction of
the Islamic caliphates.
Oh
my, the Umayyads! Deconstructing the Caliphate
(3)
Oh my, the Umayyads! Deconstructing the Caliphate
The
way it is read to us, it is as if wisdom and knowledge had emanated from Moslems,
serving to illuminate the West then in the throes of those interminable ‘Dark
Ages’:
The Golden Age of Islam and Its
Intellectual Legacy. – Amaan Foundation
“The
Golden Age of Islam … represents one of the most remarkable periods of
intellectual, scientific, and cultural flourishing in human history. Spanning
vast regions from Andalusia in the West to Central Asia in the East, this era
was defined by a deep commitment to knowledge, reason, and ethical inquiry.
Rooted in Islamic teachings that emphasize learning, the Muslim world became a
beacon of wisdom whose legacy continues to shape modern civilization”.
And,
again:
The Islamic Golden Age: A Flourishing Era
of Knowledge and Culture - The Thinking Muslim
….
Islamic
scholars made groundbreaking contributions to various fields of science and
mathematics:
1.
Astronomy: Muslim astronomers, like Al-Battani
and Al-Sufi, improved the precision of astronomical measurements and developed
sophisticated instruments such as the astrolabe.
2.
Mathematics: The introduction of the concept of
zero and the decimal system from Indian mathematics was a pivotal moment.
Mathematicians like Al-Khwarizmi, the father of algebra, and Omar Khayyam,
known for his work on solving cubic equations, revolutionized mathematical
thought.
3.
Medicine: Physicians such as Al-Razi (Rhazes)
and Ibn Sina (Avicenna) made significant advancements in medical science.
Avicenna’s “The Canon of Medicine” was a standard medical text in both the
Islamic world and Europe for centuries.
Philosophical
and Theological Innovations
The
Islamic Golden Age was also a period of profound philosophical inquiry.
Philosophers like Al-Farabi, Al-Ghazali, and Ibn Rushd (Averroes) engaged
deeply with Greek philosophy, particularly the works of Aristotle and Plato,
and integrated these ideas with Islamic theology. Their works laid the
groundwork for the European Renaissance by preserving and expanding upon
ancient philosophical traditions.
Literary
and Artistic Flourishing
Literature
and the arts experienced a renaissance during this period. The Arabic language
became a powerful medium for poetic and literary expression.
The
“One Thousand and One Nights,” a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales,
exemplifies the rich narrative tradition of this era. In visual arts, Islamic
architecture, calligraphy, and geometric patterns reflected a unique blend of
aesthetic beauty and spiritual symbolism, as seen in structures like the
Alhambra in Spain and the Great Mosque of Samarra in Iraq.
The
Legacy of the Islamic Golden Age
The
impact of the Islamic Golden Age extended far beyond its temporal and
geographical boundaries. The knowledge preserved and enhanced by Muslim
scholars eventually reached Europe, catalyzing the Renaissance and
significantly shaping modern science, philosophy, and culture. The translations
of classical texts, combined with original contributions in various fields,
created a lasting legacy of intellectual enrichment.
….
Back
to Wikipedia:
Islamic Golden Age - Wikipedia
“This
period is traditionally understood to have begun during the reign of the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid (786 to 809) with the inauguration
of the House of Wisdom, which saw scholars from
all over the Muslim world flock to Baghdad, the world's largest city at the time, to translate the known
world's classical knowledge into Arabic and Persian. …. The period is traditionally said to have ended with
the collapse of the Abbasid caliphate due to Mongol
invasions and the siege of Baghdad in 1258. …”.
Oh
dear. Why is this sad?
Well,
by-passing the historically non-existent caliphates from the Rashidun to
Abbasid (see my “Umayyads” article above), the fact is that there was no
Baghdad either at the presumed time. Archaeologically, it is just not there -
not a trace. Glorious Baghdad, its famed House of Wisdom, and Harun al-Rashid,
all emanate from c. 950 BC Jerusalem:
Original Baghdad was Jerusalem
(3)
Original Baghdad was Jerusalem
“Built
of the baked brick, the city’s walls have long since crumbled,
leaving
no trace of Madinat-al-Salam today”.
This was, in fact, the Golden Age of
Wisdom, not of Islam, but of King Solomon of Israel, the wisest of the wise.
Baghdad, Madinat-al-Salam, the ‘City of Peace’, was Jerusalem, the
‘City of Peace’.
Harun
al-Rashid, a character from the fabled ‘One Thousand and One Nights’, if you
don’t mind, was based on the great biblical king, Hiram, the ally of Solomon.
King Solomon strangely re-emerges in a
later caliphate, as Suleiman the Magnificent, he being presented as ‘a second
Solomon’, ‘a new Solomon’:
King Solomon and Suleiman
But
Baghdad is not the only total disaster from an archaeological point of view.
The
stratigraphical data has revealed that the so-called Umayyad dynasty, thought
to have followed closely after the passing of Mohammed in c. 630 AD, must be
re-dated all the way back to Roman times, most likely as the ancient Nabataeans:
Umayyads
as Nabataean Arabs
(2)
Umayyads as Nabataean Arabs
A
600-year discrepancy. When is archaeology going to come clean about this
scandal?
Dumb
and Dumbfounded archaeology
(2)
Dumb and Dumbfounded archaeology
This,
the:
Closing
[of] the large gap between Umayyads and Late Hellenistic
(3)
Closing the large gap between Umayyads and Late Hellenistic
is a perfect segue now for our engagement
with Golden Age Athens and its necessary re-setting during those Hellenistic
(Seleucid) times.
Clarifying the Hellenistic Age
The Hellenistic Age is a real historical
entity, though poorly understood, in part, and hopelessly mis-dated.
Conventionally speaking, it spans the three centuries from the death of
Alexnder ‘the Great’ (estimated at 323 BC) to the death of Cleopatra so-called VII (estimated at 30 BC).
It
is the era of the Seleucids and the Ptolemies.
The key figure for this time, for our
purposes, will be king Antiochus ‘Epiphanes’ so-called IV (c. 175-164 BC, conventional dating), the notorious tyrant-persecutor of the Jews.
As significant as Antiochus is known to
have been, though, conventional history has, nonetheless, greatly diminished and
mis-dated him by more than a century and a half. He needs to be recognised as
being a contemporary of the Infancy of Jesus Christ; for Antiochus was, in
fact, the Census emperor of Luke 2:1, namely Caesar Augustus.
This is the Seleucid Greek, not the
Roman, era:
Rome surprisingly minimal in the Bible
(3)
Rome surprisingly minimal in Bible
Another vital (for this article)
identification of king Antiochus is as the Grecophile emperor, Hadrian, so that
now we have the important triple connection of Antiochus ‘Epiphanes’ = Augustus
= Hadrian (conventionally spanning nearly three centuries):
Time
to consider Hadrian, that ‘mirror-image’ of Antiochus Epiphanes, as also the
census emperor Augustus
Now, to each of these three
manifestations of Antiochus ‘Epiphanes’ we need to add a famed second person,
thereby creating a partnership of immense building activity.
And much of this building activity will
be centred in Athens.
-
For Antiochus ‘Epiphanes, that second, that bearer of the
signet ring, was Philip, a barbaric Phrygian (2 Maccabees 5:22):
“[Antiochus] left governors to
oppress the people: at Jerusalem, Philip, by birth a Phrygian and in character
more barbarous than the man who appointed him”.
I
Maccabees 6:14-15:
“Then [Antiochus] summoned
Philip, one of his Friends, and put him in charge of his whole kingdom. He
gave him his diadem, his robe, and his signet ring …”.
-
For Augustus Caesar, that second was Marcus Agrippa
(“a partnership between
equals”), who was King Herod ‘the Great’.
-
For Hadrian, that second was the enormously wealthy
Herodes Atticus, famous for, amongst other things, having built the Odeon (or Herodeion)
in Athens.
{I
can add another manifestation and second here. Caligula and Marcus Agrippa.
Caligula, supposed to mean ‘Little Boot’, may originally have been known, just
as Hadrian was, as Graeculus, ‘Little Greek’}
There
is a merry-go-round of names here: Marcus Agrippa and Herod Marcus Agrippa; Herod
and Herodes Atticus; Marcus Agrippa married an Atticus; Hadrian became Sebastos, the Greek word for
Augustus. {Diminutive nickname, ‘Little …’}.
With
Antiochus ‘Epiphanes’ thus expanded to his normal historical proportions, then
we can begin to understand why there was such a momentous surge of building
activity during this relatively brief period, knowing of the building fame,
particularly, of Marcus Agrippa/Herod and the emperor Hadrian.
This is the true Golden Age of Athens,
and it must needs be connected chronologically and archaeologically with the
Classical Age of Peisistratus and Pericles.
Lowering the Archaeological Chronology of
Athens
Much of the preparatory work for this was
done in my recent article:
Pericles
thought to have preceded, by centuries, Hadrian, a ‘second Pericles’
(10)
Pericles thought to have preceded, by centuries, Hadrian, a ‘second Pericles’
featuring a Hadrian, known as a ‘second
Pericles’ almost identical looking to Pericles.
Was this mere imitation – the Greek
loving Hadrian imitating a past hero, Pericles, supposedly his fictive heir?
“The Panhellenion was devised with a view to associating the Roman Emperor
with the protection of Greek culture and of the "liberties" of
Greece – in this case, urban self-government. It allowed Hadrian to appear
as the fictive heir to Pericles, who supposedly had convened a previous Panhellenic Congress …”.
Pericles, as much as anyone, represented
the Golden Age of Classical Athens.
But he had a close precursor in
Peisistratus, who also enhanced the glory of Athens. And this Peisistratus,
too, like Pericles, looked like an identical twin to Hadrian.
Why I am strongly inclined to think that
Hadrian was not merely imitating great Greek forerunners, but actually embodied
them, is the fact of the presumed association of Peisistratus with Solon of
Athens, who was not an historical character. Solon was (perhaps like Suleiman,
‘a second Solomon’, ‘a new Solomon’) a Greek fabrication:
Greeks
re-invented King Solomon as an Athenian Statesman, Solon
(10)
Greeks re-invented King Solomon as an Athenian Statesman, Solon
Peisistratus was a supposed relative of
this Solon:
Peisistratus | Biography, Legacy, &
Facts | Britannica
“In
594 Peisistratus’s mother’s relative, the reformer Solon,
had improved the economic position of the Athenian lower classes, but the
Solonian reorganization of the constitution had not eliminated bitter
aristocratic contentions for control of the archonship, the chief executive post”.
Solon's
Failure and Rise of the Tyrant Pisistratus
“Solon's
laws eased the sufferings of the poor and saved others from slipping into
degradation. But Athens continued to be overpopulated in relation to the
availability of land and the productivity of its agriculture, and common
Athenian citizens continued to suffer from or feel threatened by hunger and
poverty. Hoping that a rising economy would, as the saying goes, raise all
boats, Solon encouraged trade. After this failed to end the unrest he tried to
create a spirit of cooperation among the common people by launching military
campaigns and building empire. With this, Solon instituted another intrusion by
the state into the lives of people: the conscription of males from the ages of
eighteen to sixty for military service.
This
was not an age when people could change government through elections. When
Solon's military aggressions resulted in defeat, unrest at home brought the
violent uprising that the elite had long feared – after Solon and his
aristocratic allies had ruled for thirty-four years. The uprising was led by a
man named Pisistratus, an enterprising aristocrat whom the ruling elite of
Athens had driven into exile. While abroad, Pisistratus had gained wealth in
mining and timber ventures. With his wealth he had hired an army. And in 560
BCE, with this army and others who saw opportunity in joining a military force,
he marched toward Athens and defeated a force that the ruling elite of Athens
sent out against him”.
Hadrian did not resurrect the Olympeion
more than 500 years after Pericles:
http://erenow.com/biographies/hadrian-and-the-triumph-of-rome/24.html
More than half a
millennium later [sic] Hadrian picked it up where it had fallen. During his
previous visit, his attention had been caught by the synedrion, or
council, at Delphi for the Amphictyonic League, but it did not include enough
Greek cities. He decided to launch a new Panhellenion along Periclean lines.
….
The enterprise had
a somewhat antiquarian character. So far as we can tell from the fragmentary
surviving evidence, Hadrian aimed at roughly the same catchment area as
Pericles had done—in essence, the basin of the Ionian Sea. Italy and Sicily
were excluded once again, and there was no representation of Greek settlements
in Egypt, Syria, or Anatolia. The emperor made a point of visiting Sparta,
presumably to ensure that it did not stay away as it had done in the fifth
century.
A renaissance of
old glories was reflected in the development of archaized language; so, for
example, Spartan young men (epheboi) suddenly took on an antiquated
Doric dialect in their dedications to Artemis Orthia, a patron goddess of the
city. It seems clear that one of the purposes of Hadrian’s policy was to
recruit the past to influence and to help define and improve the decadent
present.
Hadrian began to
call himself the “Olympian,” echoing the example of Pericles as well as
reflecting the completion of the Olympieion, the vast temple to Olympian Zeus.
He was soon widely known throughout the Hellenic eastern provinces as
“Hadrianos Sebastos Olumpios,” Sebastos being the Greek word for
Augustus, or indeed “Hadrianos Sebastos Zeus Olumpios.”
Sic gloria transit
mundi
It is all a show of empty columns now.
The wisdom and philosophy of the world are
not lasting. They inevitably crumble.
They are reflected in the ambitious and
disordered life of Antiochus ‘Epiphanes’ - it all ending in filth, stench, and
as food for worms (2 Maccabees 9:5-28).
James 3:15-16
“Such
“wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual,
demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find
disorder and every evil practice”.
Vv.
17-18:
“But
the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then
peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit,
impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of
righteousness”.
