Against
the backdrop of the magnificent luxury of ancient Egypt, Babylon and Assyria
home life of ancient Israel may seem drab and monotonous. Indeed, it does not
compare with the Golden splendor of Troy, nor with the elegance of Egypt's
Tutankhamen and Nefertiti. But the Israelis were languishing in hopeless, sad existence,
not any entertainment?
Far
from it.
Recipes
cooking aromas from the plant, archaeologists found beneath the rubble walls,
remains of aristocratic houses and Royal palaces. Expert advice on production
of incense were highly valued. For mixing the ingredients applied mortar with
Pestles; they were made of ivory, limestone, and sometimes of precious
Alabaster. The spirits were stored in small bottles of burnt clay. In larger
vessels and jugs were holding incense, usually olive oil. Olive oil was
considered useful for skin and hair. They were even poor people (of course,
without aromatic additives and high value components), since olive trees in
Palestine met in abundance.
Ablution
water was part of Israel's tradition. The Israelis first before and after
meals, washed the feet of visitors who came to the House, and every night they
washed themselves. Numerous biblical evidence of this custom are found during
excavations stone bowls, basins and clay sinks. For swimming, the Israelis used
SOAP, made from plants and various minerals.
It
is known that the people of ancient Israel had a penchant for bright colours.
Israelis have stained your clothes and house walls, and Israeli women enjoy
colorful make-up.
In
the Old Testament there are mentions of cushions that members sat at the table,
but the beds in the modern sense of the Word does not refer anywhere: bed was a
rare luxury in ancient Israel.
In
Israel with familiarity only aristocrats. The bed was a commoner's cloak, which
he went to envelop for the night. This is reflected in the legislation, which
States that "human bed" can be taken as collateral, but only for the
day: at night it should return. In 1959, due to a fluke in the ruins of
Yavne-Yam, South of Tel Aviv, was discovered by a unique instrument that has a
real case of the cloak as a pledge.
The
cloak was a woolen blanket and served for various purposes. Not only does it
protect from the cold and used as a bed, but could also serve as a bedding and
carpet.
Us
removes from the noise and clatter of the century of technology, and we often
dream about returning peace and quiet good old times. But whether the life of
ancient Israel was calmer than the life of the modern European.
Instead
of roaring speakers and loudspeakers surrounding Israeli tents and buildings
announced the rumbling mill grinders. Mills worked from dawn to dusk, grinding
grain into flour. This process was similar to the modern coffee grinders, but
was far more difficult. To move a heavy millstone, requiring a lot of strength.
Protests and then emerging about increased noise levels in the major cities, in the old days would have been simply impossible. If, around the mill and the mill would have reigned in the country. In the vision of Jeremiah, said the horrors that await the nation of Israel during the period of the Babylonian captivity, says: "and stop the voice of joy and the voice of gaiety, the voice of bridegroom and bride's voice, the sound of millstones and the light fixture. And all the land that is desolate and horror; and these people will serve the King of Babylon seventy years.
