Yesterday I went to an area called The Citadel, which is located on Jebel Al Qala’a, the highest hill in Amman. There is evidence that it was inhabited during the Neolithic period and many artifacts have been found there from the Bronze Age. The Temple of Hercules is the most photographed structure on the hill, though only a few parts remain. Nearby is the Umayyad Palace, which was built between the 7th and 8th Centuries. There is also an archeological museum where the oldest human statues, the Ain Ghazal statues from 600-800 BCE, can be found. They are made with limestone and reed and have wide curious eyes. Many of them are not obviously gendered and only their faces have detail.
Donate to sustain the work, here!
The museum also has Paleolithic hunter-gatherer tools from nearby sites, Dead Sea Scrolls, rhinoceros teeth that date back 200,000 years, as well as the earliest statue ever worshiped. One of my favorite exhibits were tiny glass vessels with long necks used to catch the tears of mourners. It is a profound thing to be near such artifacts and feel the great scope of time. This is an area with so much rich history; Amman is the oldest inhabited city in the world.
It makes me think of how arbitrary and absurd modern politics are. Which group of people the current government decides is deserving of basic human rights is always shifting. This land has been conquered and occupied by many passing rulers and the current regime certainly will not last forever.
To be sure, this period of time is especially insidious and will be a tipping point for the survival of all life in the future. Even if it weren’t, this is the reality we are contending with now, and it would only be beneficial to act as if it were. People are being murdered on a scale never before seen. But it nevertheless reassures me to think about the depth of time.
Sponges, the first animals, appeared about 700 or 800 millions of years ago. Lampreys, which still exist and I have seen in rivers in Oregon, have been around for over 500 million years. Sharks have been around longer than the North Star and the rings of Saturn. The Appalachian Mountains are older than trees. Cleopatra was born closer to the moon landings than she was the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza. My brain can’t actually understand the true scope of time and life on this planet. I am thankful for this because it gives me hope and perspective. It helps me trust that life will continue even though this is a very dire moment and so much is at stake.
