History in Brief: Intelligence, Government, Banking, Commerce

British Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, Bubbles, Speculators, Wars, Deregulation, Financial Conglomerates, Rome, Gods, Imperial Cult, Angels Mansfield Smith-Cumming adopted 'Cumming' on marriage to:  Leslie Marian Valiant-Cumming heiress of Logie first director of Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) aka M16 SIS headquarters at 2 Whitehall Court great-grandson of John Smith   director of: 1.  South Sea Company     South Sea Bubble - speculation induced     South Sea Company to assume national debt of UK in exchange for lucrative bonds     would reap profit in international trade in:  cloth, agricultural goods, slaves     but by 1720 company began to collapse & shares plunged     Robert Walpole nicknamed 'The Screen' or 'Screenmaster-General'     1721 investigation into corruption scandal of UK govt cabinet     implicated:     John Aislabie, Chancellor of the Exchequer - impeached, imprisoned     James Craggs, the Elder (Postmaster General) - disgraced     James Craggs the Younger (Southern Secretary) - disgraced     Lord Stanhope, head Ministry - impeached - got off b/c Wapol influence     Lord Southerland, head Ministry - impeached - got off b/c Wapol influence     1721 left Walpole as the most important figure in the admin     was appointed     - First Lord of the Treasury     - Chancellor of the Exchequer     - Leader of the House of Commons 2.  East India Company son of Abel Smith, Notthingham banker served Royal Navy: ops against Malay pirates (1875–6) in Egypt 1883 unfit for service, seasickness liked to lie about how he lost his leg enjoyed shocking by stabbing his artificial limb Smith-Cumming came to rely heavily on Sidney Reilly (ie. Shlomo Rosenblum), the 'Ace of Spies' British agent based in St Petersburg WWI - outbreak involved in Special Branch arrest of 22 German spies in England 11 German accused executed Sir Roger Casement found guilty of treason 1916 During WWI Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) offices renamed: -- MI5  (Security Service) = domestic division -- M16 - Foreign Division = Secret Intelligence Service WWI agents for M16 Augustus Agar Paul Dukes John Buchanan Compton Mackenzie W. Somerset Maugham M16 motto: 'Every man his own stylo" refers to use of semen as invisible ink 1919 - Home Office Civil Intelligence Directorate assumes control of MI5  successful WWI MI5/Special Branch partnership disturbed meanwhile, Sinn Fein and Irish Republican Army launching independence campaigns 1920 - IRA Intel ('the Squad') IRA Intelligence Chief General Michael Collins conducts successful ops to assassinate x14 Smith-Cumming SIS case officers hasty British withdrawal of most of remaining SIS agents from Ireland single greatest catastrophe in history of British Secret Service -------/\/\/ South Sea Company (officially: The Governor and Company of the merchants of Great Britain trading to the South Seas and other parts of America for the encouragement of fishing British joint-stock company f. 1711 public-private partnership *to consolidate & reduce cost of national debt granted a monopoly to trade with South America Spain controlled South America Britain involved in War of Spanish Succession company never realised significant profit expanded its operations dealing in government debt peaked expansion 1720 company stock rose enormously in value upon expansion but company collapsed, just over its original flotation price known as:  South Sea Bubble aka 'speculative bubble', 'speculative mania', 'balloon' (trade where prices based on implausible view of future trading / returns) term 'bubble' originated from this 1711-1720 British South Sea Bubble Bubble Act 1720 forbade creation of joint-stock companies without royal charter (promoted by South Sea Company prior its collapse) Due to share collapse: national economy greatly reduced people were ruined founders engaged in insider trading using advance knowledge of when national debt was to be consolidated to make large profits from PURCHASING DEBT IN ADVANCE huge bribes given to politicians to support legislation in parliament favourable to the government debt dealing scheme of South Sea Company *company money was used to deal in its own shares select individuals buying shares were given loans backed by those shares to spend on buying more shares public share purchasing encouraged by expectation of vast wealth from South American trade only significant trade done was in slaves & even this wasn't managed profitably politicians disgraced individuals found to have profited unlawfully from company had assets confiscated but most were already wealthy & remained wealthy South Sea Company restructured continued to operate for over a century after the Bubble HQ Threadneedle Street, London 1711-1850s Threadneedle Street location of Bank of England 'the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street' (reserve of UK treasury & others) 5,000 tonnes of gold bars held Threadneedle Street to 2004 was location of London Stock Exchange now:  10 Paternoster Square, London formerly the 'Royal Exchange' founded by English financier Thomas Gresham  (father silk merchant) modelled on Antwerp Bourse (stock exchange) 1571 - opened by Elizabeth I stockbrokers not permitted in Royal Exchange (rude manners) operated from nearby establishments (eg Jonathan's Coffee House) Royal Exchange building later destroyed in Great Fire of London 1669 - rebuilt & re-established, as modern model of stock exchange housed brokers, merchants & merchandise BIRTH OF THE REGULATED STOCK MARKET govt levied heavy penalties on those brokering without licence (1697) fixed number of brokers at 100 (later increased) led to street trading by disaffected or ejected brokers 'Exchange Alley', or 'Change Alley' Seven Years' War (1756–1763) trade at Jonathan's coffee house boomed 1773, Jonathan, together with 150 other brokers, formed a club opened  more formal 'Stock Exchange' in Sweeting's Alley had a set entrance fee, through which traders could enter stock room and trade securities trading also occurred in the Rotunda of the Bank of England fraud was also rife solution:  annual fees and turning the Exchange into a Subscription room 1801 - first regulated exchange in London government used the Exchange's organised market & may not have managed without it to RAISE ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR WARS AGAINST NAPOLEON Following war, booming world economy growing market in foreign trade to:  Brazil, Peru, Chile London benefited from international trade Liverpool and Manchester sites of business development 1836 both Liverpool and Manchester Stock Exchanges opened stocks known to rise up to 30% in a week stockbroking began to be  considered a real profession but busts followed the booms eg. 1835 'Spanish panic' Technology - late 1880s - revolution in work of Exchange: telephone ticker tape - digital electronic communication medium         transmitted stock price info over telegraph lines 1870 to 1970 telegraph - long-distance transmission of textual or symbolic messages         like a semaphore / signalling WWI - London financial centre of the world city & Stock Exchange closed the stock exchange July to New Year to prevent bank runs causing re-introduction of street business (challenge system) 1914 and 1918 limitations on business (eg. cash-only transactions) many quit Stock Exchange 1923 - London Stock Exchange - own coat of arms: Dictum Meum Pactum [my word] my covenant My Word is My Bond pre WWII - 1937 London finance men readied for war London Stock Exchange officials drew up plans, based on WWI experience 1939 - opening of war, London Stock Exchange closed doors for a week 1940 incendiary bombing struck LSE floor (extinguished) trading then done mainly on phone, to reduce bodily risks LSE traded and remained open through WWII (trading in basement) 1990 IRA bombing considerate IRA bombers give Reuters warning 30 mins before blast 1986 - 'Big Bang' SUDDEN DEREGULATION OF FINANCIAL MARKETS IN UK 'Big Bang' describes measures, incl: -- abolition of fixed commission charges -- abolition re distinction b/w stockjobbers & stockbrokers -- change from 'open outcry' to electronic, screen-based trading 1995 -  Alternative Investment Market (AIM) launched to let growing companies expand into international markets 1997 - Electronic Trading Service (SETS) launched CREST settlement service launched 2000 - London Stock Exchange's shareholders vote to become public limited company:  LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE PLC Financial Services Authority (FSA) was a quasi-judicial body responsible for the regulation of the financial services industry between 2001 - 2013 2007—2009 credit crisis FSA was held by some observers to be weak and inactive permitting irresponsible banking & 'credit crunch' led to: shrinking of housing market increased unemployment esp. financial & building sectors) public bail-outs EDX London derivatives exchange (managed by London Stock Exchange) absorbed into Turquoise trading platform (2011) Trading took place on the three Scandinavian linked exchanges: Stockholm Stock Exchange (Sweden) Copenhagen Stock Exchange (Denmark) Oslo Børs (Norway) *some Russian stocks 2009 - Nasdaq takes over OMX cooperation between EDX London & OMX terminated contracts moved to Nasdaq OMX *only Norwegian derivatives with EDX London Turquoise (trading platform) equities trading platform multi-lateral trading facility (MTF) dealing services at 50% discount to traditional exchanges hybrid system:  trading both on and off traditional exchanges advertised as:  pan-European platform based on London set up by consortium of banks: BNP Paribas Citi Credit Suisse Deutsche Bank Goldman Sachs Merrill Lynch Morgan Stanley Société Générale UBS EuroCCP - provide clearing & settlement services Sweden's Cinnober = its trading platform real-time market surveillance system to capture breaches of trading rules etc 2009, London Stock Exchange Group agrees to take a 60% stake in trading platform Turquoise Turquoise had 7% share market subsequent merger with Baikal Global 2014, Turquoise migrated to MillenniumIT platform expansion:  to option & future derivatives, futures contracts DARK POOL 2016, Turquoise plans to extend dark pool to Czech, Poland, Hungary 'dark pools' are trading venues that allow investors to buy and sell shares anonymously prices displayed only after a transaction finalised ***do not provide trading information, such as trade sizes and prices, to the public prior to trades taking place attractive to fund managers who need to conceal trading intentions on large orders trading across major European dark pools totalled 79.2 billion euros ($90.33 billion) ONE MONTH http://www.reuters.com/article/europe-markets-darkpools-idUSL3N18950E Occupy London London Stock Exchange, Paternoster Square initial target of protests 2011 protester attempts to occupy square defeated by police & the courts entrance to square sealed off by police as 'private property' High Court injunction granted ahead of time, prohibiting public access   protestersmoved to St Paul's Cathedral 'Paternoster' L. 'Our Father' 3. A sequence of words spoken as a prayer or a magic formula. 1. often Paternoster The Lord's Prayer. 2. One of the large beads on a rosary on which the Lord's Prayer is said. [from Late Latin : Latin pater, father; see pater + Latin noster, our] http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Paternoster https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EDX_London https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turquoise_%28trading_platform%29 NASDAQ Stock Market aka NASDAQ USA stock exchange second-largest exchange in world by market capitalisation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASDAQ LSE Group CEO:  Xavier Rolet b. Aix-les-Bains, France military parents raised in Algeria & France French Air Force Academy MBA from Columbia Business School MSc in Management Science and Finance (KEDGE Business School, bus. school France) post-graduate degree from IHEDN (Institute of Advanced Studies in National Defence) in Paris 1984-1994, Rolet worked at Goldman Sachs in New York & London 1994-1996, Credit Suisse First Boston 1997-2000, Dresdner Kleinwort Benson 2000–2008, Lehman Brothers, various + Banque Lehman Brothers CEO 2009, London Stock Exchange board - later CEO     under his leadership, LSE acquired:         MillenniumIT    2009         Turquoise 2010         FTSE Group 2011         TRS 20111         Gatelab Srl 2012         EuroTLX Srl 2013         LCH.Clearnet 2013         Bonds.com 2014         Exactpro 2015         XTF 2015         Frank Russell Company 2014         Northwestern Mutual (sold asset management arm 2015) Xavier Rolet member PM David Cameron's 'Business Advisory Group' various other, see link member Governor of the Bank of England's Financial Services Forum member Bank of England's Open Forum in Oct 2015, he was (KBE) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (2015) appointed Echansonnier of Echansonnerie de Châteauneuf-du-Pape (2015) Knight of the National Order   of the Legion of Honour of the French Republic by Presidential decree (2016)     Legion of Honour     highest French order for military and civil merits     established 1802 by Napoléon Bonaparte     hilarious:          order's motto "Honneur et Patrie"  ("Honour and Fatherland")     French Revolution, all French orders of chivalry were abolished     French Revolution replaced orders of chivalry with Weapons of Honour     Chivalric order - equestrian order, society of knights     Catholic military order of Crusades (circa 1099-1291) founding or inspiration     paired with medieval concepts of chivalry     fall of Acre in 1291 = end of crusades     however, many crusades against Ottoman Empire planed & executed     well into 14th century & 15th century     ongoing military effort against Islam     fall of Constantinople 1450s     rise of Ottoman Empire     15th century orders of chivalric dynastic orders of knighthood     became courtly fashion, some purely honorific     institutions gave rise to modern 'orders of merit' of states     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chivalric_order SWEDEN Royal Order of the Seraphim 1748, founded by Frederick I of Sweden Hebrew, pl. 'seraphim' = the burning ones, celestial or heavenly being in Christianity & Judaism highest rank in Christian angelic hierarchy fifth rank in Jewish angelic hierarchy of ten triple invocation of holiness (formula known as Trisagion) influenced theology, literature & art  *trisagion = ancient hymn seen in works depicting angels, heaven & apotheosis (to deify, glorification of subject to divine level) word seraph/seraphim appears three times in the Torah used to describe a type of celestial being or angel other five uses of the word refer to serpents heavenly creatures standing nearest to throne of god also called the Ikisat:  serpents, dragons, alternate term for Hell under the rule of Gabriel flying elements of the sun multiple wings and burst into song at sunrise Kabbalah: Maimonides placed the seraphs in the fifth of ten ranks of angels Seraphim = part of angelarchy of modern Orthodox Judaism Medieval Christian theology, seraphim =  caretakers of god's throne https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seraph https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Order_of_the_Seraphim Great Chain of Being Medieval and Renaissance thinkers humans unique position on 'chain of being' straddling spiritual & physical thought ot possess divine powers:  reason, love, imagination like angels, spiritual beings unlike angels, human souls bound to physical body subject to passions & physical sensations, just like animals lower on chain of being angel is only capable of intellectual sin such as pride (see Lucifer fall from heaven) humans, however, capable of both intellectual sin & physical sin (eg. gluttony) humans, sensory:  sight, touch, taste, sound, smell - limited by organs highest ranking human being:  king great chain was seen as a God-given ordering ranking of world's organisms goes back to Aristotle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_chain_of_being Rome - apotheosis process where deceased ruler was recognised as having been divine by his successor by decree of Senate & popular consent (usually) grovelling to popular former rulers by new rulers done to legitimise their subsequent rule upper class did not always take part in imperial cult (subject of satire) at height of imperial cult, emperor's family, lovers etc deified as well sometimes temples and columns erected as places of worship https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apotheosis LSE launched CURVE GLOBAL new Futures Exchange co-owned with:     - Barclays Bank     - Bank of America     - Citi     - Goldman Sachs     - Societe Generale     - Chicago Board Options Exchange 2016 -  Deutsche Boerse AG to merger with LSE         companies to be bought under new holding co:  UK TopCo         HQ in both London & Frankfurt         will create one of the largest exchange companies in the world         combined value:  £21bn     terms:         45.6% -  LSE shareholders         54.4% -  Deutsche Boerse shareholders Xavier Rolet said LSE & Deutsche Boerse merger:     "creating an industry-defining combination"     merger anticipates savings on combined operation costs:  @ about 20%     30% of new group's revenue = from UK     30% of new groups revenue = from Europe     19% of new groups revenue = from USA     06% of new groups revenue = from other     LSE group     owns Milan-based Borsa Italiana     Result:  combination of London, Frankfurt and Milan     group better positioned to compete against large US peers     boosting position in China and Asia generally     Donald Brydon (LSE chairman)     will be chair:  UK TopCo     Carsten Kengeter (Deutsch Boerse chief exec)     will be chief executive:  UK TopCo     Intercontinental Exchange (ICE)     (owns New York Stock Exchange)     considering making offer for LSE     http://www.bbc.com/news/business-35818997 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xavier_Rolet Open house at palace of ill-gotten gains By Clive Aslet PUBLISHED: 00:01, Mon, Jun 3, 2013 EXTRACTS (not in order) ... Amazingly it’s not only still in private hands (indeed, the Marquess of Cholmondeley actually owns two stately piles, the other being Cholmondeley Castle in Cheshire) but like Goodwood, Arundel Castle, Chatsworth and Alnwick Castle, it is firing on all cylinders. To this day Walpole remains our longest serving prime minister. After the uncertainty and wars that followed James II’s expulsion in 1688, his 20 years in the job – serving from 1721 until 1742 without a break – brought stability and peace. Walpole also steered the country through the Jacobite rebellion and all the anti-Hanoverian plots. His job of political management was made easier by George I, newly arrived from Hanover and bored by the House of Commons. He delegated to Walpole. Critics accused Walpole of corruption and the evidence of Houghton suggests they had a point. The charitably disposed might say it was not only showcase of great art but a tool of statecraft. It could supposedly accommodate 100 guests at an hour’s notice. http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/404501/Open-house-at-palace-of-ill-gotten-gains Marquess of Cholmondeley "... descendent of both the Rothschild family and the Sassoon family through his paternal grandmother, Sybil Sassoon." [wikipedia] Audio | Veni Sancte Spiritus Audio | Veni Sancte Spiritus Audio | Veni Sancte Spiritus Think I like the last one best.

'Mir Bez Tebya': Criminal Capitalist Dispossession & Destruction of Peoples Around the World

'Mir Bez Tebya'  Criminal Capitalist Dispossession  & Destruction of Peoples Around the World Муслим Магомаев - Мир без тебя - 1969 Muslim Magomayev - A World Without You - 1969 Мир без тебя (Э.Масиас - Л.Дербенев), Мелодия 33ГД-0001229 (1969), Мелодия 33Д-27095 (1970). A world without you (E.Masias - L.Derbenev) Melody 33GD-0,001,229 (1969), Melody 33D-27095 (1970). Mir bez tebya lyrics Muslim Magomayev - Mir bez tebya - 1969 Vse bylo nayavu, A kazhetsya -- prisnilos', I ya seychas prosnus', chtob snova ty byla… Skazala: «Ukhozhu!» I vse peremenilos' - Ushla i tselyy mir s soboy ty unesla. Pripev: Izmenilos' vse vokrug, I vse nenuzhnym stalo vdrug. Solntse vstrechayu, yego ne lyubya. Den' provozhayu, ne lyubya. Mir ni k chemu mne, Mir ni k chemu mne, Gde net tebya. Naverno by menya Razluka ne ubila - Kogda-nibud' ya smog zabyt', chto ty byla. Ne sprashivayu ya, Zachem ty razlyubila? Skazhi, zachem ves' mir s soboy ty unesla. Pripev: Izmenilos' vse vokrug, I vse nenuzhnym stalo vdrug. Solntse vstrechayu -- yego ne lyubya. Den' provozhayu -- ne lyubya. Mir ni k chemu mne, Mir ni k chemu mne, Gde net tebya. Bez tebya, Bez tebya, Dlya chego mne Mir ogromnyy. Bez tebya, Bez tebya, Dlya chego mne mir Bez tebya. Showing translation for лирикс Муслим Магомаев - Мир без тебя - 1969 мир (mir) мир (mir) world, peace, universe, kingdom, quiet, pax dünya (Azerbaijani) עוֹלָם (Hebrew -- 'olám') world, eternity, universe, space, existence similar to Aramaic & Arabic Aramaic -- language of the Arameans -- region of ancient Aram -- from Hebrew/Aramaic: to rise, be high, piled up, tall -- ancient Aram = now Syria -- the linguistic epicentre of Aramaic -- language of Arameans who settled in region c. 3500 BC Greeks named Aram 'Syria' Greeks, at same time, called Assyria (Iraq) Syria new Testament, written in Koine Greek, translates word 'Hebrew' as 'Aramaic' -- native speakers of Aramaic settled in:     -- Babylonia     -- Assyria         -- ie Upper Mesopotamia         -- northern Iraq         -- north-east Syria         -- north-west Iran         -- south-eastern Anatolia (Turkey) -- influx resulted in Neo-Assyrian Empire, 911 BC - 605 BC -- adopted Akkadian influenced 'Imperial Aramaic' as lingua franca of empire -- continued by Neo-Babylonian Empire & Medes -- three empires operational bilingual (written) -- Aramaic used along with Akkadian -- Achaeamenid Empire, 539 BC - 323 BC, continued tradition -- Aramaic gradually lingua franca of:     -- most western Asia     -- Arabian Peninsula     -- Anatolia     -- Caucasus     -- Egypt -- written lingua franca of Parthian Empire (Iran) -- Hadrian's Wall (Roman Britain) inscriptions in Aramaic -- made by Assyrian & Aramean soldiers 2nd Century -- from 600s CE to 1500s CE (Muslim conquests) -- Arabic replaces Aramaic as lingua franca of Middle East -- Aramaic remains:  -- spoken, literary & liturgical language -- for local Christians & some Jews -- Aramaic spoken by:     -- Assyrians (Iraq)     -- north-east Syria     -- south-west Anatolia (Turkey)     -- north-west Iran     -- Armenia (diaspora)     -- Georgia (diaspora)     -- Azerbaijan (diaspora)     -- southern Russia (diaspora)    -- Mandaeans (originally Hebrew) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aramaic_language Mandaeans -- Mandaeans (originally Hebrew) -- occupied Iran & Iraq regions -- Aramaic 'manda' means 'knowledge'  (as does Greek 'gnosis')        followers of Mandaeism, a Gnostic religion        Mandaic language = eastern dialect of Aramaic       Illegal 2003 Iraq War:       90% Mandeans killed or fled https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandaeans 2007, The New York Times then Swarthmore professor Nathaniel Deutsch  professor of Jewish studies now:   University of California Santa Cruz    "The United States didn’t set out to eradicate the Mandeans, one of the oldest, smallest and least understood of the many minorities in Iraq. This extinction in the making has simply been another unfortunate and entirely unintended consequence of our invasion of Iraq—though that will be of little comfort to the Mandeans, whose 2,000-year-old culture is in grave danger of disappearing ..." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandaeans Swarthmore College liberal arts college formerly Quaker associations with Quaker settlement:  Baltimore, New York & Philadelphia Quakers prominent in: -- abolishionist politics (end slavery) -- women's rights politics Quakers go back to:  Ulverston, Cumbria, (previously in Lancashire) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swarthmore_College ILLEGAL US CAPITALIST 2003 IRAQ WAR 90% Mandeans killed or fled Therefore, this is an ethnic cleansing of Iraq Mandeans, which is a war crime  US Capitalist Empire vassal states are the assigned depots for displaced Mandaeans (and over 150 varieties of others from around the globe, who are either displaced by Western capitalist wars of aggression, consequences of assaults such as regime change and installation of dictators, or simply kept in poverty by Western capitalist exploitation by financial/economic levers or means ... and European societies bear the costs of unbridled capitalist ruling class greed): Sweden (c. 7,000) Australia (c. 3,500 as of 2006) UK (c. 1,000) Canada (number not specified) US Capitalist Empire takes:  abt. 1,500 Sweden is No. 1 Dumping Ground Depot of the ruling capitalists, and Sweden is earmarked for imminent dissolution as ancestral home of the Swedes.  It's Swedish suicide, brought to you by genocidal capitalism masking as 'Feminist Foreign Policy'. Meanwhile, the European demographic composition and culture of the US Capitalist Empire vassal states is progressively and irreversibly altered and placed on a path of destruction.  All roads lead to displacement, divestment and destruction of Europeans. So, that's two lots of cultures & peoples that have been dispossessed and assigned to the 'multicultural' defacement and destruction by way of capitalist greed globalisation scrap heap, as result of (a) uniform post WWII Western ruling elite policy and (b) as result of the illegal Iraq War 2003, in this instance, that was brought to us by Western capitalists. What they're doing is criminal, but the Western liberal-left propagandist intelligentsia, media, NGOs, activists and rent-a-mob applaud capitalist greed orchestrated mass population transfer to European societies (and destruction thereof), as if genocide twice over was the milk of human kindness.  Lying assh*les. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandaeans https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aramaic_language Azerbajani, Muslim Magomayev was a popular singer in the Soviet Union. Magomayev was known as the 'King of Songs' and the 'Soviet Sinatra'. I found him while looking up Baku.  So far, this is the song I like best.   He's singing in Russian.  English translation - here.  It probably doesn't translate well, but I like the overall sound. Historically, Azerbajan was Zoroastrian.

Maronites | Sanjak of Alexandretta, Syria

Maronites -- Christians of Maronite Church -- from Mount Lebanon & surrounding regions, Levant -- name derived from Syrian Christian, Saint Maron -- followers migrated to Mount Lebanon from prior residence of Antioch -- Antioch formerly Greek city, site of early Christianity, in Anatolia -- subsequently fell to Islamic invaders -- sovereignty of Hatay province (capital the former Antioch) -- currently disputed with Syria Sanjak of Alexandretta (Hatay Province) -- province separated against stipulations of French Mandate of Syria -- subsequent to Syria's independence from Ottoman Empire post WWI -- Syria has never formally renounced title to Hatay Province -- earlier, Hatay Province controllers: --     -- Akkadian Empire (Semitic / Akkadian & Sumerian / now Iraq              /  Sumerian eventually assimilated) --     -- Amorite Kingdom (Semitic, Syrian) --     -- Hittites (Anatolian, Indo-European) --     -- Neo-Hittites (Hattena, giving Hatay name) = Syro-Hittites --     -- Neo-Hittite / Syro-Hittite languages: Luwian - language of Trojans Aramaic - ancient Aram, now Syria Phoenician - Semitic, Lebanon, Syria (lang. of Canaan) --     -- Assyrians (part Iraq, Syria, Turkey, part Iran)        -- capital:  Assur, (now Iraq) --     -- brief occupation:  Urartu (Ararat cognate) - Armenian --     -- Persians (Iran) --     -- Hellenistic Seleucid Empire (centre) - Macedonian --     -- Roman Empire regional centre --     -- 638 AD:  conquered by the Rashidun Caliphate --     -- 969 AD:  Antioch recaptured by Byzantine Empire --     -- 1084 AD:  captured by Seljuk Turk, Suleiman I --     -- 1098 AD:  captured by Crusaders --     -- 1268 AD:  captured by Mameluks (Arabic slave soldiers caste) -- -- Ottomans referred to Hatay Province region as 'sanjak' (governate of Alexandretta -- 1911:  majority Arab with smaller communities of Armenians & Turks -- considered by many to be traditionally part of Syria -- 1764 maps confirm this -- WWI Ottomans on losing side -- Alexandretta / Hatay Province occupied by British -- armistice of Mudros signed 1918 -- handed to France by British like rest of Syria -- Alexandretta / Hatay province within French mandate of Syria -- following signing of Treaty of Sevres (allies & turkey) -- treaty not ratified by Ottoman parliament or Turkish National Movement -- Treaty of Laussane (subsequent) -- also put Alexandretta / Hatay province with Syria -- Oct 1921 - French-Turkish treaty renders Alexandretta / Hatay autonomous -- Hatay / Alexandretta authonomous:  1921-1923 -- population inc. Turks, Arabs (of misc. religions), -- Greek Catholics, Syriacc-Maronites, Jews -- Syriacs, Kurds, Armenians -- 1923:  Hatay attached to State of Aleppo -- 1925:  Hatay directly attached to French mandate of Syria -- nonetheless, Turks remained in Hatay -- Mustafa Kemal argued Hatay had been 'Turkish homeland' for 4,000 years --  presuming that ancient peoples of Anatolia & Middle East --  eg. Sumerians & Hittites were related to Turks --  However, Turks first appeared in Anatolia --  during 11th Century invasion by Seljuk Turks --  who occupied Abbasid Empire eastern province & captured Baghdad --  1930s pan-Arab movement / suppressed by France & Turkey --  Republic of Hatay proclaimed 1938 --  joint French & Turkish military supervision -- 1939:  referendum - Hatay becomes Turkish province -- referendum / labelled phoney / rigged -- for referendum, Turkey crossed TENS OF THOUSANDS OF TURKS INTO HATAY TO VOTE -- Turks reportedly born Hatay but living elsewhere in Turkey -- note also:  League of Nations - 1938 registered Turkish voters no more than 46% of the population -- 1937 & 1938 Turkey govt had local authorities make lists of employees originally from Hatay -- those listed were sent by Turkish govt to Hatay to register as citizens & to vote     -- way for French to let Turks take over     -- in hope Turks would turn on Third Reich Germany -- Syrian president resigned in protest at French intervention in Syrian affairs -- French were obliged to refuse annexation under: -- Franco-Syrian Treaty of Independence of 1936 -- Turkey then incorporated various districts into Hatay -- annexation then resulted in subsequent demographic changes -- inhabitants given choice between staying & becoming Turkish citizens -- or emigrating & acquiring citizenship of French mandated Syria or Greater Lebanon -- almost half Sunni Arabs leave -- many Armenian families (1,068) got to Beqaa Valley, Lebanon -- other Armenians fled to French Mandate of Syria -- total leaving for Syria estimated at 50,000 -- Syrians maintain land illegally ceded to Turkey by France (mandatory occupying power 1930s) -- Hatay is still considered integral part of Syrian territory -- Hatay known as:  Liwa' aliskenderun ('Sanjak of Alexandretta') rather than Turkish elected name of 'Hatay' -- Syrian maps still show Hatay as part of Syria    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatay_Province Sanjak of Alexandretta On behalf of the League of Nations, representatives of: France United Kingdom Netherlands Belgium Turkey prepared a constitution for Syrian Sanjak of Alexandretta new statute came into power in November 1937 Sanjak becoming 'distinct but not separated' from Syria on the diplomatic level linked to both France and Turkey militarily https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatay_State Antioch -- Antioch is the cradle of Christianity -- pivotal role in emergence of:     -- Hellenistic Judaism     -- early Christianity -- name 'Christian' first emerged in Antioch -- declined in significance Middle Ages -- due to:     -- warfare     -- repeated earthquakes     -- change in trade routes (after Mongol conquests) [wikipedia] COMMENT The French capitalists are as despicable as the English, and they're often in partnerships, I believe. Syria ought to be given a portion of France as compensation.  Turkey is right up there on the untrustworthy list.   *The list just got longer:  France, UK & Turkey robbed Syria, along with:  Netherlands & Belgium.

WWI Hell March, Capitalist Propaganda, Thought Control, Censorship, Noam Chomsky & WikiLeaks

WWI Hell March,  Capitalist Propaganda, Thought Control, Censorship, Noam Chomsky & WikiLeaks German Army Hell March WWI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6rPoCoSkG4 Noam Chomsky American academic BBC interview 2003 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqznqIpkZz0 [for quotation purposes, confirm audio] PARTIAL EXTRACTS Narrator: ... His comments post 9/11, when he described the US as a leading terrorist state drew hostile fire even from allies on the left. He has the gloves back on, denouncing Western greed & hypocrisy. Noam Chomsky: We need not rehearse the reasons why Britain, and later the United States, have been determined to control the Gulf region. It's enough to recall the observation of the State Department in 1945 that the resources of the region are a stupendous source of strategic power and one of the greatest material prizes in world history  <<  Chomsky most recent work:  "Pirates & Emperors"  >> Insert: Book: The City of God (410 CE) Sait Augustine (354-430) Latin Church Father b. North Africa Bishop of city of Hippo The City of God written by him following sack of Rome by Alaric & the Vandals Pagans blamed conversion of Roman empire to Christianity for sack of Vandals http://legacy.fordham.edu/halsall/source/aug-city2.asp [In respect of Chomsky book title]   Noam Chomsky:   That's plagiarised from Saint Augustine, who in The City of God has a story about Alexander.  His forces capture a pirate, and there's an audience between the pirate and the emperor, and he asks the pirate, "How dare you molest the seas?" And the pirate tells him, "I am a small man with a tiny boat, so they call me a pirate.  You're an emperor with a vast navy and you molest the world, but they call you an emperor." And that's a good allegory for the world and, in particular, for the contemporary world. The pirates are the ones who were contemned and not the emperors. Of course, the general population is attacked by both the emperors and the pirates. Saint Augustine is not saying that the pirate is a nice fellow; he's just saying he's a small criminal as compared with a major criminal. Interviewer: So, who does control the world?  Who are the emperors? Noam Chomsky: Overwhelmingly the United States since the Second World War, Britain before that, and concentrations of private power, which are enormous and tyrannical corporations closely linked to the powerful states. It's a network of concentrated power with international institutions, like IMF and so on, which sometimes call themselves the 'Masters of the World'.   It's a phrase that was in the Financial Times, a little ironically, but not wrong. Actually, they call themselves the 'Masters of the Universe'.  Adam Smith called them the 'Masters of the World'.  Now they're called the 'Masters of the Universe'. They didn't have space age in Smith's time. Interviewer: But don't you sometimes need big government to deal with big business, since there is a kind of balance between these large forces? Noam Chomsky:   It's like saying that there's a balance between the members of the Board of Directors of General Motors. Yes, there's some kind of a balance.  But they're so closely interlinked and they're connected, that to first approximation they're the same thing. Interviewer: Now, did September 11th, do you think, mark a change in world politics? Noam Chomsky:   It was a historic event.  It was the first time in hundreds of years that the West, Europe, and its offshoots, have suffered the criminal atrocity that they constantly carry out against others, which is quite a change.   That's why there's such shock in the West.  This kind of thing we do to you, you don't do it to us. It's like the reaction in England in the so-called Indian mutiny rebellion, in India.  Tremendous shock. [tape distortion] ... would use it as an opportunity to intensify repressive and somewhat violent actions, and that's just what's happened. [skip] Interviewer: You make quite a lot in the book on the fact that there is freedom of expression in America.  But what you do point to is something more insidious, because you suggest that there is actually -- although there may be freedom of expression -- there's a control of freedom of thought. Now, how does that happen? Noam Chomsky:   It was understood, back in the time of the First World War that it's becoming much more difficult to control people by force. The popular struggles have led to the development of unions, the parliamentary Labour party, franchise extended and so on, and coercion is just not going to work by force.  So, therefore, you have to control thought. It's very striking that the contemporary systems of thought control, which are highly developed, very self-conscious, you know, leaders talk all about it.  They come from England and the United States. So the British Ministry of Information, which the reader of any Orwell knows what it was, that's from the First World War. It was aimed primarily to convert a pacifist population into raving anti-German fanatics, and it worked.  And it impressed people. It impressed the business world.  That's the origins of the modern public relations industry. It impressed American intellectuals who developed the conception of what they call the 'manufacture of consent', control of thought. It impressed Hitler, who blamed the German defeat on superior Anglo-American propaganda and vowed that next time Germany would be prepared. And it has led in the United States primarily, and in England secondarily, to huge industries devoted to control of attitudes, because you cannot control people by force. Interviewer: But dissent has been growing since the 1960s in the Western world.  I mean, people are far more sophisticated now.  Even popular culture reflects the fact that anything from the X-Files to the film, The Insider, that the idea of people discussing things of trying to manipulate public opinion; I mean, that's highly developed now. Noam Chomsky:   Sure.  But when people were under the lash they knew about it, too. People are so aware of it, that it has led to tremendous cynicism about almost anything. I mean, nobody believes what government officials say, nobody believes what they read in the press, people don't believe professions.  It's led to enormous cynicism and tremendous opposition.  In fact, in my view, the more crucial things than the things you mentioned, are opposition to aggression. Just take a look at the current war in Iraq and compare it with, say, the Vietnam War. It's a comparison which is often made about the protest, but the comparison is completely false. The opposition to the war in Iraq is far greater than it ever was to the war in Vietnam at any remotely comparable stage, and this is the first war, I think in European history, Europe and the United States -- the first one I can think of -- where there was massive protests before the war.  It's never happened. I mean, in the case of Vietnam War, there was no protest until years after the war. Just in the last 30 or 40 years, in say the united States, the level of civilisation among the general public -- not intellectuals, that's a separate category, but among the general public -- it's advanced enormously. Interviewer: So, do you think that intellectuals are not sufficiently engaged?  Do you think that they have become cynical? Noam Chomsky Intellectuals are a separate category. Intellectuals are mostly servants of power. I'm talking about the general public, not the intellectual world. They remain pretty constant, I don't think they are subject to these changes -- except marginally, of course, to some extent. But they are quite different and quite generally -- it goes right through history -- intellectuals have been servants of power. Take, say, the First World War. On all sides  --  Germany, England, United States, France -- intellectuals were extremely enthusiastic about the war. There were a few dissenters and the best known of them ended up in gaol, like Bertrand Russell, for example -- or, Eugene Debs, in the United States, or Rosa Luxemburg, in Germany. Very small group of critics.  Some of them best known in prison. But most intellectuals were enthusiasts for their own country, and that's common and it remains common. Intellectuals write history, so you have to be a little cautious about what they say about themselves.  And it looks prettier when it's written in books. [CONTINUES] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqznqIpkZz0 [for quotation purposes, confirm audio] NOAM CHOMSKY ON: JULIAN ASSANGE |  WIKILEAKS https://youtu.be/5MzPbRlxvfI Article Noam Chomsky Defends WikiLeaks & Declassifying Information "The threat is that the public will know what the government is up to." By Alexandra Rosenmann / AlterNet April 18, 2016 http://www.alternet.org/media/noam-chomsky-defends-wikileaks-and-declassifying-information  CAPITALISM WANTS YOU! WWI Propaganda

Anatolian Hittite & Byzantine Eagles Meet Hurrian Music & Antioch Dabke, Meet Christianity, Trade & Anat, Goddess of War

Hittite & Byzantine Eagles Hurrian Music & Antioch Dabke, Meet Christianity, Trade & Anat, Goddess of War  Hittite | Byzantine Eagles GIF Double-headed eagle -- Hittite origin (land of Hatti) -- Anatolia (now known as Turkey, in Asia Minor) see: Sphinx gate of Hattusha 14th c. BC depicts:  ruler standing on two-headed eagle clasping 2 hares -- site at remains of large Hittite structure -- a royal necropolis of 13 tombs dating c. 2500 BC -- (in what is now Turkish Alaca Hüyük), Boğazköy) Double-headed eagle -- re-appears High Middle Ages, c. 10th Century or 11th Century -- notably used by Byzantine Empire -- representations also:  France, Bulgaria, Spain (then Islamic) -- from 13th Century widespread use:     -- Seljuk Sultanate of Rum     -- Mamluk Egypt (Mamluk = slave-soldier)     -- Holy Roman Empire     -- Serbia     -- Russia (evolved into triple-headed eagle) -- 'polycephaly' = more than single head -- bicephalic / dicephalic = 2 heads -- tricephalic = 3 heads -- mythological beasts depicted Ancient Near East -- today:  Middle East -- ie Mesopotamia (Anatolia, Syria, Iraq) -- + Levant + ancient Egypt     -- Sumer (indig. Sumer, Akkadian assim. / then Assyria & Babylonia     -- Egypt     -- Elam - Susa / absorbed into Assyrian emp. / then Iranian Persians     -- Akkad - location unknown /several proposals     -- Babylonia (Iraq)     -- Canaan - Levant     -- Hittite Empire (Anatolia)     -- neo-Assyrian Empire (Middle East, capital in Iraq)     -- Urartu, bib. Kingdom of Ararat (Armenia)     -- neo-Babylonian Empire     -- Medes -- intensive year-round agriculture -- first urban settlements -- centralised govt / empires -- organised religion -- organised warfare -- first writing & law codes -- deeply influenced by spiritual beliefs -- believed that divine action influenced all mundane matters -- believed in divination (predict future) -- Omens & records of major events inscribed http://hubert-herald.nl/TwoHeadedEagle.htm http://www.britannica.com/place/Alaca-Huyuk https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Near_East https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-headed_eagle This is a lovely page http://hubert-herald.nl/TwoHeadedEagle.htm  Anatolian -- was branch of Indo-European -- Hittite: separate Anatolian branch of Indo-European family -- likely Anatolians reached Near East from north     -- via Balkans or Caucasus, 3rd millennium BC -- Anatolians + Tokharians = first wave Indo=Europeans migrating -- from Eurasian steppe -- they subjugated & later blended with indigenous Semitic tribes -- had wagons (but likely pre war-chariots era) -- earliest mention:  Assyrian mercantile texts 19thC. Kanesh -- Kaneš = known to Hittites as Neša (occasionally:  Anisa) -- Hattic, Hittite & Hurrian city -- contained large colonised merchant quarter (Karum) Old Assyrian Empire -- site of earliest traces of Hittite language -- ie earliest attestation of any Indo-European language -- dated to 20th Century BC -- native term for Hittite language:  nešili / language of 'Neša' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Anatolians http://modrodnovery.com/the-scythians-and-thracians-slavic-roots-in-late-antiquity/ Other of interest:   -- Hittite cosmology two versions:     -- Hurrian myth (pre-dating invasion)     -- other Semitic (Babylonian) cult *article says 'second' (presumably Babylonian) -- has hallmarks of Indo-European cosmology -- concept of dying god introduced *Find this a bit confusing:  why would Babylonian have hall-marks of Indo-European?  Or, do I misunderstand? -- Hittite religion described as strikingly similar -- to Scytho-Slavic practice -- divination by observing the flight patterns of birds -- voice of the goddess 'Bird Mother Sva' (Book of Veles) -- healing rituals were conducted by transferring sickness -- ritually adorned animal sent forth bearing the disease -- staple among eastern European folk magicians -- ancient shamanic roots -- Hittites, like the Scythians and Slavs,  -- understood their gods to be great ancestors -- Hittite kings were not viewed as god incarnate (unlike Egyptians) -- ** ascended to such status only after death  ** -- cremations took place on raised scaffolding -- libations poured before pyre -- this is signature of Indo-European origin -- Hittites = myth of Thunder God who marries Sun Goddess -- unique to pre-Kurgan, indigenous European cultures -- remains of this mythos now only in northern Slavic & Finno-Ugric cultures of Baltic coast -- Hittites called capital Hattusha:  'the land of the seven streams' -- proto-Slavs came from land: 'seven rivers beyond the sea' -- poss. reference to Anatolia, which borders Ukraine -- Ukraine land of Slavic ethno-genesis -- reason to believe that the Kurds are the descendants -- of eastward diaspora of Hatti ruling class that founded the Hittite Empire -- Hatti may have mixed with other Indo-European tribes (east & west) -- namely:  Mitanni class that ruled Hurians -- & the Luwians, who arrived from Balkans -- Luwians had dying god via cult of Cybele & Attis -- Mittani worshiped early Vedic pantheon (later Avestan, Mithra) also dying god -- ‘Kaveh the Blacksmith’ is Kurd hero versus Assyrian Empire -- Modern Zoroastrians & Pagan Kurds honour Kaveh victory -- Kaveh legend was co-opted by the Persian nobility -- to lend credibility to new Zoroastrian religion -- myth may have even older roots -- Hasameli, Hittite god of metalworkers and craftsmen -- Pagan Kurd Jashn-e-mehregan celebration of Kaveh victory -- coincides with Slavic harvest days (August 5 & September 22) -- hails victory of Perun over Veles -- first autumn rain the blood of the Cosmic Serpent (Veles) -- spilled by a Divine Warrior (Perun) -- pagan Slavs built ritual bonfires top mountains & hills -- summer solstice -- epic climb & triumphant decent of Zagros by Kaveh mirrors -- cyclical dualism present in Slavic religion -- Slavs built altars to deity atop mountains & hills -- &  to chthonic diety near caves, rivers & town squares -- Slavic Croats, or Hrvati -- descendants of the Arachosian (Persian Harahvaiti) Scythians -- Zagreb - poss. derived from:  Zagros -- considerable Indo-Iranian ancestry (DNA) -- east-to-west circular trajectory of Hittite-Mitanni-Median-Scythian-Slavic continuum -- out of Anatolia in unbroken line - unlikely -- exiled Hatti & Mitanni ruling classes -- formed the foundation of proto Indo-Iranian language family -- some may have merged with Armenians & Georgians -- who occupied the Caucus region since the 12th century BC -- Slav Svarog, celestial god of fire & metallurgy Scythian likely -- elevation of altar indicates celestial nature -- blood-fed sword indicates patron of warriors -- periodic burning of altar indicates the primacy of fire -- Slavs worshipped poly-cephalic gods  -- bore two, three- sometimes 7 aspects -- Svarog:  both fit warrior (by day) & lame smith (by night) -- see:  two heads of Vedic Agni -- Hittite Hasameli & Kurdish Kaveh associated:  war & forge -- Slavs viewed their gods as great ancestors -- chthonic nymph goddess ties Slavic, Kurdish, Greek, Scythian, Median and Hittite lore together -- Hittites worshipped the androgynous underworld God/Goddess Lelwanni, or the pourer -- Medians & Persians honoured Aredvi Sura Anahita -- known in Armenia as the 'Virgin-Mother of Mithra' -- Scythian cult of Argimpasa presided by female oracle-priestess -- likeness linked to Greek nymph & Kurdish goddess Shamaran -- 'King of the snakes' / gender ambiguity -- Slavic Goddess Mat Siri Zemlja depicted with phallus -- like Cybele or Isis -- snakes are sacred to her -- Kurdish Shamaran goddess, snake depictions -- dragons are bringers of storm clouds in Slavic religion -- goddess Dodola of South Slavs, is pourer who ends drought -- not unique:  concept all over world source http://modrodnovery.com/the-scythians-and-thracians-slavic-roots-in-late-antiquity/ Music - Hurrian https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viMbnj_Ei2A&index=21&list=PLnOSH5j1sQh9AKl6-xab0tbGm-GyNM_h9 3,400 year old Hurrian Hymn. c.1400 BCE discovered in Ugarit (now Ras Shamra) - sea port ancient northern Canaan (now modern Syria) written in Cuneiform script   source http://www.israel-a-history-of.com/ugarit.html While discovered in modern day Syria, the Hurrians were not Syrian Hurrians were from modern day Anatolia Fragmentary Hurrian Hymn on clay tablets = dedicated to Nikkal, wife of the moon god SOURCE | Michael Levy (above & here) Ur Kasdim -- identified by some as Urkesh -- Urkesh, capital of Hurrian kingdom (now Syria, north-east) -- birthplace of Jewish patriarch Abraham -- not definitive / multiple other locations suggested https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ur_Ka%C5%9Bdim Dabke https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E106M4VuP9U Antioch (now in Turkey:  Antakaya, Hatay Province) -- once Akkadian -- then Amorite -- then succession of Hittites -- then neo-Hittite 'Hattena' -- then Assyrians -- then Uraartu (now Armenians) -- then Persians -- centre of Hellenistic Seleucid empire -- home to 4 Greek cities of Syrian tetrapolis -- important regional centre of Roman Empire -- 638 CE:  conquered by the Rashidun Caliphate -- 969 CE:  Antioch recaptured by Byzantine Empire -- 1084 CE:  captured by Suleiman I, Sultan of Rum    (later Anatolian Seljuks) -- 1086 CE:  passed to Sultan of Aleppo (ruler of Syrian Seljuks) -- 1098  CE:  captured by Crusaders -- became centre of Principality of Antioch -- 1268 CE:  Hatay captured from Crusaders by Mameluks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatay_Province   Antioch Syrian Antioch -- ancient Greek-Roman City -- eastern site of Orontes River -- Antioch founded near end 4th Century BC -- by Seleucus I Nicator (general of Alexander the Great) -- strategic re trade:     -- spice trade     -- Silk Road     -- Persian Royal Road -- rivalled Alexandria -- main centre of Hellenistic Judaism -- end of Second Temple period (2nd Temple destroyed 70 AD) -- Antioch is the cradle of Christianity -- pivotal role in emergence of:     -- Hellenistic Judaism     -- early Christianity -- name 'Christian' first emerged in Antioch Antioch:  Hellenistic Judaism & early Christianity http://www.forumancientcoins.com/Articles/the_travels_of_paul.htm -- declined in significance Middle Ages -- due to:     -- warfare     -- repeated earthquakes     -- change in trade routes (after Mongol conquests) -- settlement of Meroe pre-dated Antioch -- shrine to Semitic goddess Anat / 'Persian Artemis' -- Anat is a violent war-goddess -- virgin sister-lover of great god:  Ba'al Hadad -- Ba'al son of Dagan, sometimes son of El -- fierce, wild and furious warrior in battle, -- wading knee-deep in blood     -- striking off heads     -- cutting off hands     -- binding heads to her torso     -- binding hands in her sash -- linked to Judaeans & Canaanites -- Book of Zohar:  Anat among     the holiest of angelic powers  under the name of Anathiel -- Anat revived as woman's name by Zionists https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antioch https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anat -- Hurrians spoke Hurro-Urartian, called Hurrian -- lived Anatolia & Northern Mesopotamia -- largest most influential multi-ethnic kingdom:  Mitannni -- Mitanni (poss. Indo-Europeans) ruling class over Hurians -- Indo-European speaking Hittite Emp. Anatolia,     large Hurrian population -- significant Hurrian influence on Hittite mythology -- Hurrian & Urartian languages -- related to North Caucasian languages -- present-day Armenians = amalgam of Hurrians & Urartians -- Hurrian, language isolate - not related to Semitic    or Indo-European -- 2000 BCE:  adopted Assyrian Akkadian cuneiform script -- Mitanni closely associated with horses -- 'Ishuwa' town meant 'horse land' -- Hattusha texts re Hurrian training of horses -- terminology re horses:  Indo-Aryan loan-words Išuwa / Ishuwa -- ancient Hittite name for neighbouring Anatolian kingdom -- later Luwian neo-Hittite state -- state:  Kammanu (c. 1200 BC - 712 BC) -- proto-Armenian speaking -- main city:  Melid -- city conquered by Hittites 14th Century BC -- Melid was base of Hittite king:  Suppiluliuma I -- on way to sack Mitanni capital Wassukanni -- Wassukanni location unknown https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melid -- Kikkuli -- author of a chariot horse training text -- written in Hittite, c. 1400 BC -- Hittite power was their charioteers   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kikkuli -- 13th century BCE all of the Hurrian states vanquished -- Hittites civilisation was greatly influenced by the Hurrians -- knowledge of Hurrian culture from cuneiform tablets -- found at Hittite capital:  Hattusha -- in addition to other sources -- Hurrian culture significant impact on religion of Hittites -- Hittite syncretism: merger of Old Hittite & Hurrian religions -- note:  Kushuh (Kušuh) MOON GOD -- Kušuh symbols:  SUN & CRESCENT MOON, on iconography -- Hurrian settlements (in now):  Turkey, Syria, Iraq -- heart of Hurrian world:  modern border Syria & Turkey  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurrians HITTITE EMPIRE | DOCUMENTARY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2mu2Atduas At the moment, I'm more in the mood for this up-tempo dabke music. Really enjoyable playing with images, reading history and listening to music.  Wish I could go faster than I'm capable of going.