Skip to main content

Sasanian Platypus

So today's paper is on Persian stereotypes in Greek literature. Those would be Achaemanid Persians, not Sasanian Persians. The question I'm dealing with is how Greek prejudices played into their portrayal of Persians in the Greek histories. It might not be such an important question if we weren't almost entirely reliant on the Greeks for any information about Persia during the Achaemanid Dynasty. Sources of non-Hellenic origin include Daniel, Ester, Ezra and Isaiah. It's not often that you get to use the Bible as a primary source in a history class.

Meantime, I'm still getting the hang of this blogging thing... When I have a genuinely profound thought, I'll have to post it. As of this date, scholars concede that there is no evidence that the Sasanians had any contact with Platypi. The Platypus knows better and he's got the hat to prove it.

Comments

Graf Spee said…
Dude!!! That is so cool!!! I mean, I get to use the Bible as primary source material all the time, but that doesn't count.

BTW, does Daniel count? I thought it was a 2nd cent. BCE document that was written as if it were from the 6th c. ;}
James said…
Ah yes, because it still reflects the views of the Jewish community during Persian rule. The trick is to assume that none of the books are what they claim to be. ;-)
Graf Spee said…
Ah. Got it.

Popular posts from this blog

The Platypus Reads Part XXVII

Thoughts after reading the "Iliad" to prepare a Greece unit for my students: -Hector is a jerk until he's dead. He even advocates the exposure of Achaean corpses and then has the cheek to turn around and ask Achilles to spare his. He rudely ignores Polydamas' prophecies and fights outside the gate to save his pride knowing full well what it will cost his family and city. After he's dead, he becomes a martyr for the cause. -Agamemnon has several moments of true leadership to balance out his pettiness. In this way, he's a haunting foil to Achilles: the two men are more alike than they want to acknowledge. -We see that Achilles is the better man at the funeral games of Patroclos. His lordliness, tact, and generosity there give us a window into Achilles before his fight with Agamemnon and the death of Patroclos consumed him. -Nestor is a boring, rambling, old man who's better days are far behind him, and yet every Achaean treats him with the upmo...

SNES as Money Well Spent: Platypus Nostalgia

I got my Super Nintendo Entertainment System when I was eleven years old.  That's a couple years after it first came out.  The occasion was a little dramatic: to celebrate the end of a two-and-a-half year course of treatment for cancer.  I had no idea that it would be waiting for me at home after the final doctors visit.  It was a nice spring day, the trees were waving gently in the breeze outside the bay windows.  With a cup of tea resting on the coffee table, I set down to play.  What was that first game?  It was The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past .  Around twenty years later, my SNES still works as does that Zelda cartridge.  It's been a long way from boyhood in Southern Connecticut to manhood in North Houston, but I'm still playing. Why am I still playing?  There were stretches when I didn't.  Many times, I've just been too busy.  There were also seasons when it felt embarrassing to still be playing video games....

Under the Moon: The Platypus Reads Part LXVI

My wife and I were discussing our favorite books from the Chronicles of Narnia on our way back from lunch.  My wife, true to her sunny personality, is a staunch fan of "The Voyage of the Dawntreader."  I can't argue with that choice but, when push comes to shove, "The Silver Chair" has always been my favorite. I have a bit of a theory.  I think "The Voyage of the Dawntreader" is Lewis' grail legend.  If that's so, then I'd hazard a guess and say that "The Silver Chair" is his "Pilgrim's Progress." -just think about the shape of Puddleglum's hat and the fact that he lives in the Fen Country and you'll see what got me thinking down this line. That brings me to why I like "The Silver Chair" so much.  When I was little, we had a children's version of "Pilgrim's Progress" that my mom used to read to me.  I lived in New England and the Christianity I was raised with had a heavy tin...