📜 The 'Near East' is a modern-age term for the region formerly known as the 'Middle East,' comprising Armenia, Cyprus, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and part of Turkey, corresponding to ancient Urartu, Mesopotamia, Elam, Persia, the Levant, and Anatolia. The history of civilization in the ancient Near East is usually given as circa 6500 BCE to the 7th century CE. Although human habitation of the region dates to the Stone Age (circa 10,000 BCE) and permanent settlements began to appear during the Neolithic Age around 7000 BCE, the region's history begins in the Chalcolithic period (the Copper Age, circa 5900-3200 BCE), and, in Mesopotamia, in the Ubaid period (circa 6500-4000 BCE) specifically. This corresponds roughly to developments in the Predynastic Period in Egypt (circa 6000 to circa 3150 BCE) and other areas, but there were sophisticated permanent settlements and sacred sites existing much earlier, such as the city of Jericho (circa 9000 BCE) in Palestine and Göbekli Tepe (circa 10,000 BCE) in Anatolia (modern Turkey). 📝 Article by Joshua J. Mark. 📷 Photo 1 by Napishtim. Photo 2 ©️ by Osama S.M. Amin.  #NearEast #MiddleEast #Egypt #Mesopotamia #Persia #Levant #Anatolia #History #AncientHistory #AncientWorld

The Near East is often defined as the region bordered by the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, Caspian Sea, Persian Gulf, and Red Sea, and access to these waterways encouraged long-distance trade, notably with the cities of the Indus Valley Civilization (circa 7000 to circa 600 BCE) as well as the various Near Eastern cities and ports. The region is often referred to as including the Fertile Crescent and is known as the Cradle of Civilization, although civilization had also developed elsewhere, such as in ancient China, the Indus Valley, and the Americas. Even so, the Near Eastern region of Mesopotamia, specifically Sumer, is regarded as the oldest civilization on earth due to the established dating of inventions and developments which constitute civilization, including: 🔴 Animal husbandry 🔴 Agricultural innovations 🔴 Urbanization 🔴 Astronomy and mathematics 🔴 The concept of time 🔴 Long-distance trade 🔴 Religious rituals and sacred sites 🔴 Medical practices 🔴 Scientific thought 🔴 Technological innovations

🔴 Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord (1754-1838) was one of the most significant political figures in modern French history. Beginning his career as the cynical bishop of Autun, he went on to become a revolutionary leader, a diplomat, and ultimately, foreign minister under Napoleon I. Despite his reputation as a schemer and backstabber, Talleyrand always claimed to put the national interests of France first, informing his decision to turn against Napoleon. He played a major role in the Congress of Vienna, helping France get the best possible outcome after Napoleon's defeat. Talleyrand was born on 2 February 1754 in Paris, France, to an old but penniless noble family. He was the eldest son of Count Charles-Daniel de Talleyrand-Périgord and Alexandrine de Damas d'Antigny. His father had served as an officer in the French Army during the Seven Years' War and very much desired his son to follow in his footsteps and become a soldier. 📝 Article by Harrison W. Mark.  🖼️ Paintings by  Pierre-Paul Prud'hon and Ary Scheffer.  🖼️ Painting 2 is ©️ by François Gérard.   #CharlesMauricedeTalleyrandPérigord #France #FrenchHistory #FrenchRevolution #NapoleonBonaparte #History

However, this would prove impossible. When he was four years old, Talleyrand fell off a chest of drawers and dislocated his foot. The injury never properly healed, and he would walk with a limp for the rest of his life. He was unable to serve in the army, and his father chose for him what he believed was the next best path to wealth and power: a life in the Church. In December 1779, he was finally ordained a Catholic priest. Less than a year later, he had become agent-general of the clergy, responsible for protecting the privileges of the Gallican Church (i.e., the Catholic Church in France) and acting as a liaison between the Crown and clergy.  Like many of his peers, Talleyrand saw the coming of the Revolution as a chance to implement Enlightenment values and move away from the repressive institutions of the Ancien Régime. In 1790, he performed Mass at the Feast of the Federation and was thereafter regarded as the 'Bishop of the Revolution'.

🧙🏼 On this day in 1692: Salem Witch Trials: Bridget Bishop is hanged at Gallows Hill near Salem, Massachusetts, for "certaine Detestable Arts called Witchcraft and Sorceries". The Salem Witch Trials were a series of legal proceedings in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692-1693, resulting in the deaths of 20 innocent people accused of witchcraft and the vilification of over 200 others based, initially, on the reports of young girls who claimed to have been harmed by the spells of certain women they accused of witchcraft. At the heart of the trials and later executions were religion and superstition in Colonial America. The Bible, in the Book of Exodus 22:18, states "Thou shalt not suffer a witch live," and this was adhered to as closely as any other biblical injunction and encouraged by the Salem Village minister of the time, the Reverend Samuel Parris (l. 1653-1720). Parris was the fourth minister called by the Salem Village congregation.  As early as 1695, criticism was leveled against the magistrates of Salem for the deaths and persecution of the innocent and this opinion only gained ground afterwards. Between 1700-1703, petitions were filed to have the convictions reversed and the accused exonerated, and in 1711, compensation was authorized for the families of those unjustly executed. Since that time, the Salem Witch Trials have been referenced simply as "witch trials" or "witch hunts" in connection with any unfounded, unfair, and baseless claim against a person or the ideals that person stands for, and the event has been given iconic status in the USA and elsewhere. 📝 Article by Joshua J. Mark.  #SalemWitchTrials #History #America #Massachusetts #OnThisDay #TodayInHistory #ColonialAmerica