Yesterday at 3:30 p.m. in Gardner Auditorium, there was passionate talk about Syria and the many tribes that reside there Dr. Susan Ellis gave insight on how Syria got to the state the country is in today.

As an archaeologist, Ellis has had opportunities to visit Syria and other countries in the Middle East. She said that when she was digging in Jordan, she could hear the machine guns and the bombs in Syria.

To help understand why Syria is in its current state, Ellis summarized the history of Syria and the Middle East by going back thousands of years. Syria was founded by Cyrus the Great, and was taken over by Romans later on. She showed a few pictures of many different Roman ruins, and pictures of the rocky terrain that covers most of Syria.

Syria consists of many different tribes of many different ethnicities and religions, and are very family-oriented. Important decisions are made by a consensus, and share the same values, philosophies and are fiercely loyal to one another.

The families live in these large tents, where there is a common room, a woman’s room and a kitchen as well. The tents are cool and comfortable, according to Ellis, and there are also strict hospitality rules throughout the tribes.

Gold coins are sewn onto the wives’ clothing to show off the wealth of the family, and there was an older woman with tattoos along her chin and hands. Ellis explained how these tattoos use symbols to show the family history and other things.

Ellis also talked a little bit about the possible future of the Syrians, and talked about how there will be people seeking vengeance with all the family members lost in the bombings. The people of Syria were all so very nice and Ellis said that she has never really had a problem with any of the natives.

“They want the same thing as you, and that is to be happy,” Ellis said.