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__NOTOC__[[File:IvoryLabelOfDen-BritishMuseum-August19-08.jpg|thumbnail|left|250px|Figure 1. Pharaoh Den from the First Dynasty smiting his enemies from the "east."]]Multicultural societies are today common and ubiquitous, but when did such societies become not only normal or typical but accepted or even celebrated ? Most likely, multi-cultural societies begin to evolve early in prehistory, as ethnic groups migrated to regions and integrated into existing societies. However, we rarely see multiculturalism celebrated until much later in historical periods when large states became the norm.

If we look at examples However, what is clear in many of early societies these regions is that one main culture prevailed in any given period, as seen in Egyptartistic and intellectual expression. This does not mean cultures were suppressed. On the contrary, Mesopotamiaintegration and assimilation were common, where local customs, Indialanguages, and Chinasocial norms were generally adopted by the population merging into a given urban society. Interestingly, even if that minority culture took power, we often they retained the previous prevailing culture or even went out of their way to emphasize that culture through revitalizing older traditions and languages. We see examples this in Kassite Babylonia in Mesopotamia, for instance, where the ruling population was Kassite and from Iran or India, while most of migrations or contacts between different ethnic groupsthe native population presumably was from southern Mesopotamia. <ref> For information about historical migrations how new, migrating cultures retained older cultures in given regions and multi-ethnic societiesthe example of the Kassites, see: Lucassen, JanEllerker, Leo Lucassen, and Patrick Manning, edsSean. 20102014. Migration History in World HistoryThe Dawn of Civilization: Multidisciplinary Approaches4,000-500 BC. Studies in Global Social HistoryPadstow: Matador, vpg. 3. Leiden ; Boston: Brill61.</ref> In many casesThis is likely unsurprising, as migrants presumably would have encountered a majority population and integrating into these migrations majority populations meant that some level of assimilation was needed or contacts are neutral or do not lead at least to any major confrontation. We do see cultures mixing their ideas in the form de-emphasize cultural expressions of introducing new gods to a regionminority cultural group. Some cases where some level of multiculturalism In other words, societies may have been evident include societies that adopted foreign gods from their neighbors or other nearby cultures include the Hittites and Kassitesmulticultural but multiculturalism was relatively limited, both Indo-Aryan speaking populations, who by around 1600 BC adopt gods from Anatolia and Mesopotamia. <ref> For information migrations and the adoption where expression of local gods, see: Moret, Alexandre, and Georges Davy. 1970. From Tribe to Empiremultiple cultures, Social Organization among Primitives such as multiple languages and clearly outward cultural expressions in the Ancient East. New York: Cooper Squarearts, pg. 236within one society was rare. </ref>

HoweverNevertheless, what is clear in many cases of these regions is that one main culture prevailed denigrating or undermining populations do exist in any given period, as seen in artistic and intellectual expressionthe past. This While this does not mean cultures were suppressed. On the contraryracist or hated other individuals, integration it is does mean that cultures emphasized their own accomplishments and assimilation were commonachievements particularly in war, where local customs, languages, and social norms were generally adopted by as it showed the population merging into a given societysuperiority of their gods. InterestinglyIn other words, even if that minority culture took power, often they retained to show the previous prevailing culture or even went out of their way gods are with you then one may put down other people to emphasize that culture through revitalizing older traditions and languagesdemonstrate one's gods protects them from others. We During times of conflict we see this official art showing foreigners in Kassite Babylonia in Mesopotamiabeing killed or taken captive, for instance, where often being shown as either as inferior to the ruling population was Kassite and from Iran state or at least as far smaller than the rulers who are victorious(Figure 1). The example of Naram-Sin, an Akkadian ruler, conquering his enemies shows them as creatures or Indiaeven sub-human, while most of the native population presumably was from southern Mesopotamiaperhaps helping to justify why he had to conquer them (Figure 2). <ref> For more information about Naram-Sin and how new, migrating cultures retained older cultures in given regions and the example of the Kassitesearly conquests displayed adversaries, see: EllerkerFoster, SeanB. R. 20142016. The Dawn Age of CivilizationAgade: 4Inventing empire in ancient Mesopotamia. London ; New York,000-500 BC. PadstowNY: Matador, pg. 61Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.</ref> This is likely unsurprising, as migrants presumably would have encountered a majority population and integrating into these majority populations meant that some level of assimilation was needed or at least to de-emphasize cultural expressions of a minority cultural group. In other words, societies may have been multicultural but multiculturalism was relatively limited, where expression of multiple cultures within one society was rare.

NeverthelessSimply put, many cases of denigrating or undermining populations do exist in the past. In particular, during times of conflict we see official art showing foreigners in a negative light or showing their inferiority to the ruling state (Figure 1). What what this shows is that the level of multiculturalism expression were relatively limited and conflict often led to other cultures depicted in a demeaning way. <ref> For information about how conflict led to intolerance in the past, see: Clarke, Steve, Russell Powell, and Julian Savulescu, eds. 2013. Religion, Intolerance, and Conflict: A Scientific and Conceptual Investigation. First edition. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.</ref>

==Rise of Multiculturalism==[[File:IvoryLabelOfDen-BritishMuseum-August19-08Stele Naram Sim Louvre Sb4.jpg|thumbnail|left|250px|Figure 12. Pharaoh Den from the First Dynasty smiting Naram-Sin, depicted as god, destroying his inferior enemies .]]By the rise of the Achaemenid Empire in Iran, in the 6th century BC, we see a new form of rule emerging. On the one hand, empires now began to expand to much larger areas. In the case of the Achaemenids, their state reached from Egypt to Central Asia, and at times pushed into the northern shores of the Black Sea and southeast Europe to the Danube.<ref>For more information about the territories and regions controlled by the "eastAchaemenid Empire, see: Waters, M. W. 2014. Ancient Persia: a concise history of the Achaemenid Empire, 550-330 BCE. New York, NY, USA: Cambridge University Press.</ref> With such a vast distance between regions, the new ruling dynasties needed new strategies to facilitate the maintenance of large states and enable populations within the large empire to accept their overlords. This may have led to the rise of multiculturalism, as we now begin to see more official celebrations of different cultures within the Achaemenid state."]]

==Rise For instance, in Mesopotamia, the Persian Achaemenid king depicted himself as Babylonian, while in Egypt we see depictions of Multiculturalism==the Achaemenid king as Pharaoh. The best example of this is from the reign of Darius I (522-486 BC; Figure 3). During the reign of Darius, several representations of him as an Egyptian Pharaoh are depicted, including the rebuilding of important temples in Egypt. Before the reign of Darius, the Achaemenid king Cyrus was considered to write perhaps the world's oldest human rights manifesto. <ref> For information about the Achaemenid kings and their tolerant policies, see: Curtis, John, Nigel Tallis, and Béatrice And́́́́ré-Salvini, eds. 2005. Forgotten Empire: The World of Ancient Persia. Berkeley: University of California Press, pg. 153.</ref>  What is made clear from these kings is that the Persian Achaemenid Empire recognized its multi-cultural aspects and embraced it with open arms as a strength. [[File:4496698964 ed80712436 b.jpg|thumbnail|left|250px|Figure 3. Darius I depicted as Pharaoh in Egypt.]]Additionally, it was during the Achaemenid period from the 6th through 4th centuries BC that the world multiculturalism seems to have been first used in any language. <ref> For information about the early use of the term multiculturalism, see: Daryaee, Touraj, Ali Mousavi, and Khodadad Rezakhani, eds. 2014. Excavating an Empire: Achaemenid Persia in Longue Durée. Costa Mesa, California: Mazda Publishers, pg. 9.</ref> In other words, societies were now officially recognized that they contained many cultural groups and that was seen as an asset rather than something that was deemphasized in official propaganda. The glory of kings was now, in part, seen as having multiple people groups within the empire and the unity of many people in support of the king was something to be boastful about.

By the rise An example of the Achaemenid Empire this, in Iranfact, in the 6th century BCcomes from Persepolis, where we see a new form the architecture now incorporating styles from various areas of rule emergingthe empire (Figure 4). On <ref> For information about the one handmultiple cultural elements in architecture at Persepolis, see: Babaie, Sussan, and Talinn Grigor, empires now began to expand to much larger areaseds. 2015. In the case Persian Kingship and Architecture: Strategies of Power in Iran from the Achaemenids, their state reached from Egypt to Central Asiathe Pahlavis. With such a vast distance between regions, the new ruling dynasties needed new strategies to facilitate the maintenance International Library of large states and enable populations within the large empire to accept their overlordsIranian Studies 52. London: Tauris. </ref> This may have led to is also the rise of multiculturalism, as time we now begin to see more official celebration of different cultures within the Achaemenid state. For instance, in Mesopotamia, the Persian Achaemenid king depicted himself as Babylonian, while in Egypt we see depictions rise of the Achaemenid king as Pharaoh. The best example of this is from the reign of Darius I (522large and multi-486 BC; Figure 2). During the reign of Darius several representations of him as an Egyptian Pharaoh are depictedethnic corporations and trade spanning distant regions, including the rebuilding of important temples in Egypt. Before the reign of Darius, the Achaemenid king Cyrus which suggests multiculturalism was considered found to write perhaps the world's oldest human rights manifestohave had not only ruling benefits, by keeping a large empire together, but facilitated trade and wealth. <ref> For information about a case study of how trade and multiculturalism benefited each other in the period of the Achaemenid kings and their tolerant policiesEmpire, see: Curtis, JohnJigoulov, Nigel Tallis, and Béatrice And́́́́ré-Salvini, edsVadim S. 20052010. Forgotten Empire: The World Social History of Ancient PersiaAchaemenid Phoenicia: Being a Phoenician, Negotiating Empires. BerkeleyBibleWorld. London; Oakville, CT: University of California Press, pgEquinox Pub. 153Ltd.</ref> What is made clear from these kings is that the Persian Achaemenid Empire recognized its multi-cultural aspects and embraced it with open arms as a strength.

Additionally, it was during the Achaemenid period from the 6th through 4th centuries BC that the world multiculturalism seems to have been first used in any language. <ref> For information about the early use of the term multiculturalism, see: Daryaee, Touraj, Ali Mousavi, and Khodadad Rezakhani, eds. 2014. Excavating an Empire: Achaemenid Persia in Longue Durée. Costa Mesa, California: Mazda Publishers, pg. 9.</ref> In other words, societies were now officially recognized that they contained many cultural groups and that was seen as an asset rather than something that was deemphasized in official propaganda. An example of this, in fact, comes from Persepolis, where we see the architecture now incorporating styles from various areas of the empire (Figure 3). <ref> For information about the multiple cultural elements in architecture at Persepolis, see: Babaie, Sussan, and Talinn Grigor, eds. 2015. Persian Kingship and Architecture: Strategies of Power in Iran from the Achaemenids to the Pahlavis. International Library of Iranian Studies 52. London: Tauris.</ref> This is also the time we now begin to see the rise of large and multidh-ethnic corporations and trade spanning distant regions, which suggests multiculturalism was found to have had not only ruling benefits, by keeping a large empire together, but facilitated trade and wealth. <ref> For a case study of how trade and multiculturalism benefited each other in the period of the Achaemenid Empire, see: Jigoulov, Vadim S. 2010. The Social History of Achaemenid Phoenicia: Being a Phoenician, Negotiating Empires. BibleWorld. London; Oakville, CT: Equinox Pub. Ltd.<ad/ref>

In fact, it is the increase of wealth and trade that may have created the incentive for multicultural empires to become popular not . Later empires, such as the Seleucids, Parthians, and Sassanian also largely adopted tolerant attitudes to their large, multi-ethnic states.<ref> For more information on these states and their histories in relation to multiple ethnic groups, see: Yāršātir, E., & Arberry, A. J. (Eds.). 2007. The Cambridge history of Iran. Vol. 3 (2): The Seleucid, Parthian and Sasanian Periods. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press.</ref> Once again, trade played an important role in creating incentives for states to adopt and integrate foreign cultures, while allowing them to retain more clearly their own distinct identities. Not only in the ancient Near East but by the time the Roman Empire emerges in the Eastern Mediterranean and Near East, we see multiculturalism spreading to the Mediterranean basin. While the Romans did sometimes persecute faiths that they deemed threats, they also largely adopted a tolerant policy towards others cultures. <ref>For more information about Rome's relatively tolerant rule of foreign populations, see: Árnason, J. P., & Raaflaub, K. A. (Eds.). 2011. The Roman Empire in context: historical and comparative perspectives. Chichester, West Sussex, U.K. ; Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.</ref>

The rise of common languages during this time, first expressed in Aramaic, also likely explains how multiculturalism flourished. <ref> For information on how Aramaic plays an important social role, see: Folmer, M. L. 1995. The Aramaic Language in the Achaemenid Period: A Study in Linguistic Variation. Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta 68. Leuven: Uitgeverij Peeters en Dép. Oosterse Studies.</ref> In effect, while cultural groups were free to worship as they please pleased in most periods and conduct their own affairs, common language enabled the creation of an identity that groups could relate with to enable the state and, more significantly, the multicultural system to persist. Therefore, while ethnic groups retained their own sets of ideas and religions, they were also integrated into a larger society where a common language allowed them to communicate with others more easily.<ref>For more information about common languages in the Near East in the Classical Age, see: Noble, T. F. X. 2013. Western civilization: beyond boundaries (Cengage advantage edition, Seventh edition). Boston, MA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, pg. 149.</ref>

Given this rise Perhaps one good example of multiculturalism, it is perhaps not surprising that when we do get how multicultural ideas began to persist and penetrate societies can be found in the rise ancient city of Christianity and JudaismDura Europos, religions that were universal found in modern day eastern Syria. While this region might be known for strife and monotheisticravages created by ISIS today, they seem to have been accepted or tolerated the reality was very different in many areas of the Near East ruled by Iranian dynasties1 century CE. During that time, Dura Europos was a thriving small city that had such languages as the Parthians and Sasanians. These groups recognizedLatin, Greek, perhapsSyriac, the benefits of keeping a united state through the tolerance to different groupsPersian, even those that emphasized a narrower worldview of salvation that Rome found so threateningand others. <ref> For information on religious tolerance in the Parthian The many temples and Sasanian periodsplaces of worship represented gods across Europe, see: Curtis, John, Vladimir Grigorʹevich Lukoninthe Near East, and British MuseumIndia, eds. 2000. Mesopotamia and Iran in reflecting perhaps the Parthian and Sasanian Periods: Rejection and Revival C. 238 BC-AD 642: Proceedings diversity of a Seminar people found in Memory of Vladimir Gthe city. Lukonin ; Funded by a Gift from Raymond and Beverly Sackler. London: Published for the Trustees of the British Museum by British Museum PressCultures also began to influence each other.</ref>

[[FileFor instance, one famous find in the city is a synagogue with beautiful style frescoes. However, many of these frescoes were influenced or mixed Near East styles with classical art, showing that cultures began to borrow ideas from each other. This is something we call as artistic syncretism (Figure 5).<ref>For more information on how Classical art influences and blends with Near Eastern art and styles, including in religion, see:4496698964 ed80712436 bReid, P. V. 1987. Readings in Western religious thought.jpg|thumbnail|Figure 2New York: Paulist Press. Darius I depicted as Pharaoh </ref> What was happening was not bad copies of Classical art in Egyptthe Near East, but art began to now be influenced by local cultures mixed with new populations who had come to the region, including Greeks and Romans.]]

[[File:Reliefs.jpg|thumbnail|left|250px|Figure 34. Reliefs from Persepolis depict Egyptian (1), Greek (2), and Assyrian (3) style influences (a & b). By the 6th-5th centuries BC, populations were heavily mixed in major population centres.]]Given this rise of multiculturalism, it is perhaps not surprising that when we do get the rise of Christianity and Judaism, religions that were universal and monotheistic, they seem to have been accepted or tolerated in many areas of the Near East ruled by Iranian dynasties, such as the Parthians and Sasanians, by then had a long experience with multiple cultural groups and beliefs. These groups recognized, perhaps, the benefits of keeping a united state through the tolerance to different groups, even those that emphasized a narrower worldview of salvation that Rome found so threatening. <ref> For information on religious tolerance in the Parthian and Sasanian periods, see: Curtis, John, Vladimir Grigorʹevich Lukonin, and British Museum, eds. 2000. Mesopotamia and Iran in the Parthian and Sasanian Periods: Rejection and Revival C. 238 BC-AD 642: Proceedings of a Seminar in Memory of Vladimir G. Lukonin ; Funded by a Gift from Raymond and Beverly Sackler. London: Published for the Trustees of the British Museum by British Museum Press.</ref> While this was never a smooth process, and persecutions against groups did exist, we see that attitudes towards multiple cultures allowed also the freedom to develop new thoughts and ideas, giving way to the rise of very different and new religions that attempt to bond people even closer through common and universal faiths.

In the Near East, 20th and unlike Europe21st centuries, multicultural empires persisted long after the fall of Rome and, conflicts in fact, continued until the fall of the Ottoman Empire in World War I. HoweverNear East perhaps reflect this great, the rise of nationalism in the 19thlong-20th centuries and creation of modern nation states did create the opportunity for new political identities term conflict that have, to some extent, led to is about the rise of some identity of the current conflicts in various regions within the Near East that appear to have some ethnic basis. What Regardless of this case, what this shows is that more recent history does not necessarily reflect a historical pattern, where current conflicts between ethnic groups are more likely reflecting new power realities that did not translate to past societies in the region. <ref>For information on how nationalism shaped the more modern Near East, see: Schumann, Christoph, ed. 2010. Nationalism and Liberal Thought in the Arab East: Ideology and Practice. SOAS/Routledge Studies on the Middle East 10. London ; New York: Routledge.</ref>