Grant Wiley – Mountain and Tower (class reading)


             After reading the entirety of the second part of Ecology of Eden by Evan Eisenberg, I was most struck by his comparison of the mountain and the tower. Having read further into part three, I know that this distinction is very important to the rest of the book and thus I want to reflect on the distinction in this blog. Eisenberg describes the mountain as something like what we have previously defined as wilderness. On the other hand, there is the tower, which is basically just civilization. They both serve a similar purpose as the tower is literally a man-made mountain. What was really interesting to me was how cultures will define themselves around the two of these things. What comes into play in the next part is the attempt to find the middle-ground between the two which would be Arcadia, but I will hold off on discussing that until the next blog. 

            What I found interesting and applicable to the modern day is different people and their preference for an urban or a rural setting. To preface, I am not trying to equate a rural setting with the mountain, but I think that it is the best modern-day equivalent. My current roommate really enjoys the city and wants to live in a place like New York City in the future. I personally cannot stand the city and would rather live anywhere else. I find myself identifying more with the mountain. To be fair, I believe what I enjoy more would be something like Arcadia, although Eisenberg makes it clear that a place like Arcadia is idealized and really does not exist, at least not permanently. In sum, the distinction between the mountain and tower seems like it is going to be important for the rest of this reading, especially part three Idylls. I am interested to see more of the real-world translations of this ancient battle between the mountain and the tower seen especially in the Ancient Near East. 

-  March 8, 2021


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