3,257
edits
Changes
→Paradise Developments
==Paradise Developments==
The word “paradise” derives from an Akkadian and Persian word (pardesu is Akkadian) and (paridayda is Old Persian). The term seems to specifically deal with structures or enclosures, perhaps associated with the walled gardens of temples discussed earlier. Soon, however, these gardens began to be found in other areas, including palaces or as pleasure gardens for royalty. In factThe concept of gardens in Persia continue and are spread to the different Persian empires, with such as the Achaemenids, Parthians, and Sassanians, who eventually influence Islamic states and empire. We can still see these gardens as they were envisioned by the Persians today (Figure 2). With the arrival of the Greeks in the Near Eastat the time of Alexander the Great, the Akkadian/Persian term is utilized by the Greeks, who now associate this term as a garden with animals. This perhaps reflects the change that these gardens underwent, from generally being associated with temple architecture to also becoming royal parks enclosed in areas for the king. This concept of royal garden then develops further in Rome and spreads to Europe.
For the developing religions of the 1st millennium BC and later, in particular Hebrew and Zoroastrianism, the concept of paradise begins to develop. We see in the Hebrew Bible the story of Genesis most representing what this paradise looks like, as a place where pre-sinful Adam and Eve resided along with animals and the Sacred Tree of Life and Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Early Christianity and Islam also develop concepts of paradise as gardens that the righteous will dwell in.
[[File:Khaneh Ghavam.jpg|thumbnail|Figure 2. A modern garden in Shiraz, Iran, which are similar to the ancient Persian concept of a royal enclosure with a garden full of trees and water.]]
==Modern Understanding==