arguably the most ancient civilization in Africa, with initial settlements in the territory dated as far back as 8200 BC. The innovations and technological improvements pioneered by the Nubian culture, over time, would spread throughout the continent (most notably into Egypt). Among these advances were the establishment of efficient food production, dogma that would lay the foundations for Egyptian concepts of the afterlife and the birth of material culture. Though their Egyptian neighbors…
out to me from ancient Egypt. When an individual hears Egyptian art they mostly think about mummies, pyramids, or Pharaohs. But I came across The Great Sphinx, which had not met the expectation of Egyptian art. After taking a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City I came across another artwork that looked similar entitled The Sphinx of Hatshepsut. Among observing these two artworks I found some similarities and differences, although they both are ancient Egyptian art.…
This week we learned about the chapter, Egypt Under the Pharaohs in the Old, Middle, and New Kingdom. I will be cornering in on the art of the Palate of King Narmer, the Fragmentary head of Senuret III, and Akhenaton, Nefertiti, and three daughters. I will also be discussing “Egypt’s Golden Empire: The Warrior Pharaohs”. In the Old Kingdom, the front and back carvings on the Palette of King Narmer were of big focus. Dated circa 3000-2920 BCE, from Hierakonpolis, Egypt, in the Predynastic era,…
There are ruined citadels and imposing public squares that reveal three stages of development in which evolved temples, plazas, altars, and ball courts. Art and hieroglyphs adorn the ruins. Archaeologists discovered a monumental stairway in the plaza that depicts the history of Copan with more than 1800 individual glyphs. The Mayan elite had a practice of burying their ancestor’s in front of their dwellings, they considered this a place of honor. This is important to archaeologists as it enables…
In this paper, I am going to talk about the statue of Pharaoh Tanwetamani who is a Nubian king of the 25th dynasty. He is the person who is actually not an Egyptian but had ruled the Nile valley temporarily. Therefore, he was allowed to possess the Egyptian royal title as well as the sculptured style. I am going to compare this statue with both the works of same culture, such as Khafre, and the works of different culture, for instance, Kroisos and the Doryphoros. The Statue of Pharaoh…
Imagine you are walking among the ancient people who developed one of the greatest monuments in the world Stonehedge. The authors John Hudson Tiner and Majorie Frank both did a great job at describing Stonehedge. Tiner however did an extraordinary job at explaining the different ideas and theories about the mysteries of Stonehedge. He gave different interpretations about the transportation, construction, and the use of Stonehedge. The transportation of the stones at Stonehedge is impossible to…
The Great Sphinx of Giza Introduction The ancient Egyptians were a very advanced society and great architects but there are many questions surrounding the pyramids but something that stands out is the Sphinx. Why did the Egyptians build it, no one knows. Most Egyptologist believe that the Sphinx is supposed to represent Pharaoh Khafre or Pharaoh Djedefre. One of the first things you will notice when you first see the Sphinx is what happened to it’s nose. The Sphinx is used as a tourist…
The Mayan creation story compares with other creation when discussing the remembrance of the dead. They believed the dead still played a role with those living on earth, which was a very important factor of almost all ancient religions. Mayan beliefs system believed in many gods also known as polytheism. Mayans believed that the gods were involved with every aspect of life such as, the weather, the crops, and etc. When comparing Mayan creation with other creation stories Mesopotamian were very…
The color blue (irtiu and khesbedj) in ancient Egypt represented the color of royalty. Egyptian jewelry and regalia was usually blue and gold. Synthetic pigments were used to produce dyes and pigments. Blue is associated with the sky, water, prime-evil waters and the heavens. It signified the Nile River and all of it’s associated offerings, fertility, and crops. The inundation of the Nile which was an annual reminder or re-enactment of the watery origins of the world. The annual flood of the…
The first piece of art that I have decided to discuss is a prehistoric monument in Ireland called Newgrange. It was built during the Neolithic period around 3000 BC to 2500 BC, making it older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids. The Newgrange monument primarily consists of a large mound, built of alternating layers of earth and stones, with grass growing on top and a reconstructed facade of flattish white quartz stones studded at intervals with large rounded cobbles covering part of the…