Heavy winds sweep across the grazing plains. Herds of cattle stamp their hooves against the dry earth. Men watch their bulls breed without failure. The air smells of animal sweat and burning brush. This immense wealth in livestock requires vast tracts of open land.
Ancient nomadic pastoralists operated along the fringes of the Syrian desert around 800 b.c. Elite landowners controlled territories spanning hundreds of miles to support their growing herds. They built permanent agricultural estates near trade routes to export meat and wool to the expanding Assyrian and Babylonian empires.
These estates feature massive animal enclosures and elaborate burial sites. Workers constructed long protective walls standing six feet tall to guard the breeding cows. The rich men who owned these complexes lived free from fear and watched their children dance to the tambourine. They built secure tombs to hold their bodies when their sudden deaths arrived.
The prosperous landowner breeds his cattle and descends to the grave in complete peace.
The grave waits for the wealthy rancher and the bitter laborer alike. Worms consume both bodies in the dark dirt. The observation of unpunished corruption shatters the strict moral equations of the ancient world. The wicked finish their days in total comfort before the earth claims them forever.