Economic Activities of the Women of Batangas Province by Tarcila Malabanan

"In Batangas the 'idle lady' does not exist" opened Tarcila Malabanan's essay written in 1916 that became part of the Beyer Collection. It celebrated the industrious women in Batangas, Philippines enumerating the role they play in education and business. How some women charted their path even besting their "good-for-nothing husbands."

The Cheese Industry of Laguna Province by Teodulo Agus

The famous Kesong Puti, a kind of cottage cheese, being sold in Laguna, Philippines turned out to be an endeavor that existed even a century before. Teodulo Agus described the cheese making process on a paper published on October 20, 1919. It found a spot in the Beyer Collection.

Effect of the Railroad in Panay on the General Economic Life of the People by Ismael Colez

The Panay Railway started operation in 1911 connecting Roxas City of Capiz to the port city of Iloilo. Along its route laid vast farm and sugar lands which Ismael Colez assessed if its farmers benefited from the brand new infrastructure. His findings included in the collection of H. Otley Beyer.

Darius the Great - the Zenith of Persian Empire

“Darius the King says: Ahuramazda, the greatest of the gods, created me, made me king, bestowed upon me this kingdom, great, possessed of good horses, possessed of good men.” 

– Darius, Palace foundation inscription

Cambyses II and His Controversial Conquest of Egypt

Cambyses II earned his place in the hallmark of Persian history with his push eastwards into North Africa. Under his rule from 530 and 522 BCE, he pushed towards the rich and fertile lands of Egypt.

Cambyses II capturing Pharaoh Psamtik III

Founders: Cyrus the Great of the Persian Empire

"Of all the powers in Asia, the kingdom of Cyrus showed itself to be the greatest and most glorious.."

- Xenophon in Cyropaedia

Doc Recap: Reply to the 1852 Letter of President Fillmore

In 1854, Perry returned to Edo Bay to take the reply of the Japanese government from the letter that he delivered last year. A translation of the letter was made. Explore the contents of the reply of the Japan to the presidential letter.

Commodore Perry Meeting
the Japanese Commissioners

Doc Recap: 1854 Anglo-Japanese Treaty

Great Britain and Japan signed a treaty of friendship in Nagasaki just months after Perry left the Islands. It established the relation between the two countries and secured the opening of Japan for resupply. Explore the contents of the convention.

Sir James Sterling

Doc Recap: Treaty of Shimoda

In 1855, Putiatin returned to Japan to conclude a treaty delayed for over a year. The Treaty of Shimoda established formal relations between the two countries.

Putyatin in Nagasaki

Bikol [Bicol] Folklore by Rosario Bonto

Transcribed from the Beyer Ethnographic Collection of the National Library of the Philippines this tells a Bicolano creation myth with some elements becoming popular throughout the archipelago, mainly the story of Malakas and Maganda, the first man and woman coming out of a bamboo, and how different ethnicity came to be, which in reflection sounded offensive.

Made by Jaypee Arillas
(https://www.artstation.com/artwork/oABRwq)

A Bikol Folktale From Tabaco, Albay by Esperanza F. Bonto

Transcribed from the Beyer Ethnographic Collection of the National Library of the Philippines this tells the tale of a golden mortar and pestle found in a river that alludes anyone close in obtaining it. In the Philippines, folktales about golden items being found in rivers proliferated across the country and time. Even the famous Golden Tara of Butuan and the Laguna Copper Plate were found in rivers.

Doc Recap: 1854 Additional Regulations on the Treaty of Kanagawa

In June 17, 1854, after few months visiting ports opened to Americans, Commodore Matthew C. Perry, commander of the US Squadron assigned to a mission in Japan, signed an agreement adding new regulations accompanying the Treaty of Kanagawa few months before. Explore the additional regulations agreed by Perry and his Japanese counter-parts.

Doc Recap: Treaty of Kanagawa

On March 31, 1854, in the village of Yokohama under the domain of Kanagawa, Commodore Perry and the Japanese commissioners led by Lord Hayashi signed a treaty of peace and amity. Explore the contents of the treaty.

Doc Recap: 1852 Letter of President Fillmore to the Emperor of Japan

In 1852, President Millard Fillmore approved an expedition led by Commodore Matthew C. Perry to Japan. Among the objectives that Washington gave Perry was to deliver a letter by the President to the Emperor of Japan. The letter contained the requests of the United States of America to the Empire. Explore more about the contents of the letter bellow.

Doc Recap: Letter of President Franklin Pierce to the Emperor of Japan

United States Consul to Japan, Townsend Harris, met with the Shogun or Tycoon of Japan in December 1857 and handed over a letter from President Franklin Pierce to Emperor. Explore the contents of the letter bellow.

Doc Recap: 1851 Letter of President Fillmore to the Emperor of Japan

In 1851, Secretary of State and President Fillmore approved an expedition to be led by Commodore John Aulick. He was furnished with a letter to be given to the Japanese government. However, Aulick, due to controversy, never led the expedition to Japan. Explore bellow the 1851 letter of President Millard Fillmore to the Emperor of Japan.

First King of the World: Who was Naram-Sin?

“Naram-Sin, son of Manistusu, ruled for 56 years” - an entry carved into the Sumerian King List. Naram-Sin (r. 2,255 - 2,218 BCE) ruled over the Akkadian Empire and under his rule the military threats both within and without the Empire grew. He kept his grandfather Sargon the Great’s empire intact and safe, reaching the apex of their power.

Famous image of Naram-Sin wearing a horned hat in his victory stele

Sons of Sargon the Great of Akkad

Establishing an empire is one thing, maintaining it is another. This beset the successors of Sargon the Great after their patriarch passed away, living them with history's earliest known empire. Unprecedented, Sargon's sons and grandson worked extremely hard to follow a tough act.

Akkadians battling the Sumerians (left)

World's Earliest Success Story - Who was Sargon the Great?

Sargon the Great of Akkad founded the Akkadian Empire (r. 2,334 - 2,279 BCE) defying boundaries in military tactics and administration to create a multi-lingual great power. His achievements inspired future empire-builders in the region. In modern sense, Sargon the Great is the world's first success story - from "an orphan" left adrift in a river to a forger of an empire that dominated the Mesopotamia for more than a century.

Famously called "Mask of Sargon"
but suspected to be Naram-Sin,
Sargon's grandson

5 Sources on Sargon the Great of Akkad

Sargon the Great, one history earliest recorded Empire-builder, a Rockstar of the ancient world, had a mysterious and legendary life. Much of the mysticism of his biography stemmed from the lack of complete sources on his exploits and below are just some of the primary sources pertaining to this early conqueror.