There are a number of ways to access the podcasts. First, you can go to the BBC's A History of the World homepage and navigate from there. Another option is to download the podcasts from iTunes. Finally, you can navigate from the British Museum's AHOW page. Any way you do it, there is no charge for the podcasts. Keep in mind these are podcasts not videos. You have options to look at the objects but this is mainly an exercise in listening. The BBC's web site for this is very good and you might want to explore it as you listen. All artifacts shown are copyrighted by the Trustees of the British Museum.
The objects are grouped by era and topic. There will be 10 questions that you will need to respond to in the comment section below (click on reply beneath each question). We will pace this out at ten artifacts per week for ten weeks. Responses should be made by the date and time listed by each question. My expectation is that you will write a response that considers all of the objects and how they relate to the questions (a good size , rich paragraph will likely do it). Feel free to respond to the remarks of others as remarks are written.
1. Making us Human 2,000,000 - 9000 BCE
ReplyDelete(Respond by June 13, 2014 By 11:59pm)
What is it about these objects that "make us human"?
These prehistoric objects, such as the Olduvai handaxe and the Olduvai chopping tool project many reasons why humans are set apart from other animals. Although many species use tools, we are the first and only one to develop and continue to improve on them. In this way, we can evolve and learn new things, so the human species can continue to change for the better. For example, the handaxe allowed us to leave Africa and spread out and thrive throughout the world. Without these useful and necessary objects, we would be no different than any other species and may have been content with simply surviving and not traveling outside of that small area. That is why these objects not only "make us human", but pushed us to continue to change and thrive.
DeleteIs is not the objects themselves that make us human, but rather, their purpose and the way in which they were made. Making things, and having to depend on the things that we create is what sets us apart as a species. Take, for instance, the Clovis Spear Point. This object enabled humans to thrive and expand throughout the globe. Our speaker, Neil MacGregor, says that "objects communicate", and what these objects in particular say is something innately human; the ability to innovate in order to survive.
DeleteThe creation of the first stone tools were momentous on our journey as homo sapiens. Prior to this point, we had taken the hunting shortcut; pelting animals with rocks was really the only way we knew how to hunt large creatures. Stone tools changed the way we looked at everything- we were now the predators, and no longer endangered by our larger food sources. We were able to shape tools for specific uses; hunting, chopping, and cutting could now all be done with specialized objects, making the job much easier. This ability to consciously create tools designed for specific uses is a large part of what defines us as humans, and sets us apart.
DeleteAdditionally, as we learn on the Olduvai axe podcast, the conscious creation of these tools was essential to the development of language. The part of the brain that worked to make the tools interacted with the language sector of the brain. Although language is not solely a human characteristic (we know of both whales and dolphins communicating through noise), it is one of our defining features, and has shaped us, and our world, into what it is today.
This set of objects defines what made us human during the prehistoric times, what “marked the emergence of modern humans” two million years ago in Olduvai Gorge. What began to set us apart from other animals were our large brains; our capacity for thought, imagination, and very importantly, planning, allowed us to continue to develop and grow as a species. Artifacts like the Olduvai handaxe and chopping tool demonstrate that early humans weren’t only hunting in the immediate moment, but that they made plans for hunting, envisioned tools with which to make hunting easier and more efficient, and had the capacity to turn their imaginings into physical objects. The swimming reindeer marks the beginnings of the development of art and culture; creating objects for beauty rather than for function. Today, these are the things that still define us as humans; imagination, thinking, art, and culture, all traits that separate us from animals with smaller brains.
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DeleteWhat sets us apart from other animals and "makes us human" is that we make things to aid our survival. It's not the object that we make but how we make it, why we make it, that we become dependent on these objects, and what results come from making things, that is what makes us human. Take the Olduvai Handaxe, we had to consciously create it and use it to hunt for things, and it was the creation of the handaxe that was vital to the development of language. It is proven that the areas of the brain used to create a handaxe overlaps with the areas of the brain used for speech. The Olduvai chopping stone is one of the first objects made by humans, made for hacking of flesh or hacking at roots, making hunting easier and more efficient. We became dependent on it and modified it over time, but essentially we still have the same object around today, it may look different but it can serve the same purpose. Humans also create art, as exemplified by the swimming reindeer, we take time to create things that not necessarily needed for our survival, but shows what is around us, what we believe in, what practices we have, our imagination. It is this that set us apart from other animals, we create things, we modify them, we learn from them, we depend on them, we create art, we survive because of them.
DeleteHumans today are much more different than our early ancestors who created these objects. Our brains are bigger than they were many years ago and because of this, we have a better understanding of our role as world citizens. However, regardless of the time period we are in, humans have two basic skills that separate us as a race from the rest of the animal kingdom: to learn and to create.
DeleteOur ancient ancestors created the Olduvai chopping tool, a tool considered by many to be a breakthrough in human history. Professor Clive Gamble, an archeologist at the Royal Holloway University of London, on the other hand, makes the statement that many other animals during that same time were making tools of the same magnitude. How exactly does this tool make us human? In order to understand this, consider the Olduvai handax, a tool that allowed the human race to migrate to other countries, according to British museum curator Nick Ashton. This tool is the evolved concept of the chopping tool, projecting that we as humans learned how we could build a better tool to use rather than the primitive object used before. After migrating to North America, the Clovis people created a spearhead as another tool, a better tool to use rather than the handax. This is how we as humans learned from our previous tools.
Finally our ability to create art, something not used for hunting or for some means of survival, but rather is something created just because of its beauty, is probably the biggest defining trait that makes us human. Our ancestors demonstrated the full ability of their newfound brain capacity by creating two reindeer swimming out of a mammoth tusk, or a golden sarcophagus out of wood. These features is what define us as humans, what “make us human.”
What sets humans apart from other animals is imagination. Human imagination is a strange characteristic that is made possible by other characteristics such as a sense of restlessness as well as hope and an inherent possession of wisdom. Evidence of the first uses of imagination can be found within the objects created and used by our earliest known ancestors. Much can be learned from these objects such as the relationships between ancient civilizations, the ways of life and beliefs of these civilizations, and the shared story of all of mankind. The basis of human nature is also reflected within these objects. Humans want more. We want to develop technology that will increase efficiency of tasks and we want to keep improving this technology with no end point in sight, only the desire for continual progress. Humans also desire to create objects of beauty with no purpose other than to be a symbol of beauty. Humans want to make things better, as opposed to other animals, who don’t posses the ability to make things better or even the ability to feel the desire to make things better. Ironically, through our plight to make things better, we have actually made a lot of things worse.
DeleteAs our ancestors were beginning their time in this world, mostly around Africa and the European continent, there is a noticeable change in their evolution process, and this is due to the objects they created. Just with this evidence, we can say that the homo sapiens species is human soley because we made things in order to aid ourselves in the developing world. We deliberately created objects, such as the Clovis Spear Point, or the Olduvai Handaxe over 15,000 years ago to survive. This began the evolution of humans advancing themselves, as well as their dependency on these man-made objects to become the dominant force in the world they lived in. Even now we do the same things, constantly modernizing to fill in the gaps where our weaknesses lie,a sort of defense mechanism like compensation that we associate with human traits. We can also take a look at the physical evolving that occurred during these Ice Ages and Stone Ages. The brain, for example is the control center of the body. As explained during the podcast of the Olduvai Stone Chopping Tool human brains slowly began to develop asymmetrically compared to their ancestral background, the apes, whom remained symmetrical. This brain difference distinctly heightened our abilities as a species to survive as well as realize the need for tool-making and especially artwork. We began to make tools before we ever needed them, and this the tipping point of the iceberg- through our want to fit into the world, to copy patterns and beautiful things in our everyday lives, and the creativity and imagination emerging, like the Swimming Reindeer, we became unstoppable and irrevocably "human".
DeleteWhat makes us most human is our ability to plan, create, and become dependent on the tools that have shaped our way of life. Each and every one of these objects has contributed to the modern day human and how we express our identities to a world that we are still struggling to understand. We owe the evolution and growth of our brains to the stone chopping tool, an object which eventually gave way to the portable axe that not only allowed us to spread across the globe but also pushed our species further, laying out the foundation for language that completely revolutionized our worlds. Through this ability to create, we learned to communicate. As our verbal language began to form, so did our physical expression- art. Speaking allowed us to communicate with each other but art provided a bridge to the natural world, a tool which humans used to memorialize how the natural world worked and what our role in that balance was. The Clovis Spear combines all these factors- a deadly weapon, artfully crafted. In this way, we have become us as a result of our desire to create tools that not only serve a function, but also represent our place in the world.
DeleteHumans are a lucky group (based on what school of thought you follow) for reaching above the cognitive ability of our relative primates by making tools before we need them but then we keep them afterwords in case we needed them again. Each handmade object shows ancient humans refining their ideas (the axe and knife to be specific) through thought and practice. These carving tools brought the ability to fight for our own food, hunting together instead of taking what was left from other predators, and also being able to collect things such as wood or vines with a few, well-placed swings. As we took these tools to gain food, supplies, and starting trade, humans began to migrate to places that were once unfathomable due to the inability to travel as a group and keep the tribe fed during the journey. Such travels brought about language for the early humans as well as artistic expression with the recordings of ancient hunts still visible to this day. The human mind began to seek out intellectual nourishment and enjoyed it so much that we began to ask more questions and try more solutions. Early tools brought us the foundations of our civilizations today and the basics of our intellectual evolution.
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DeleteHumans, in many different ways set aside from other species but not before these handmade tools were created. Were considered human because of our methods for survival, creativity, emmense intelligence, and our art. America was the first place to create, use and increase the art of these tools. For example, the Olduvai Stone Chopping Tool was created and brought many things. It brought extinction to mammals, survival and a greater understanding of how us humans could advance our use of handmade tools for our future. After this, humans had a continual determination for the advancement of our technology. They had goals in mind and eventually, the art, creativity, intelligence, and determination are what enhanced and made our civilization today. These tools were made so long ago, yet, brought things to the table that heightened our foundation of our civilization and gave us curiosity, allowing us do to more. For example, language. We discovered language not long after and learned how to communicate. This allowed us humans to broaden our horizon for ideas. If these tools/objects, language, creativity, and art were never found or utilized, we would never be set aside from any other species.
DeleteHumans are set apart from other animals because of our larger brain capacity. With the ability to think and image things we have set ourselves apart from the other life forms on this planet and used our vivid thoughts to create objects that help us survive. Take the hand oxe for example or even the Olduvai chopping stone, the oldest know chopping tool, these where all tools invented to help humanity grow. It is undoubtedly thanks to the invention of tools that human life grew to be as it is today because the first tools gave humans a way to not only make things but share things, adapt to new environments, and fight for their lives. These same tools can even be seen seen today, maybe not as exact replicas but objects with the same use are still needed even in our modern day society.
DeleteHumans are designed to find an easy way out of an circumstance. It is in our nature to make our lives as easy as possible (life is hard enough who wouldn't want to make it a little easier). During prehistoric times life was much harder than we could ever imagine. There was no Wi-Fi, no cell phones, no television, etc. Items we look at as a necessity of life we're far off in the distant future. However, the cell phones, Wi-Fi, and television were all created to make humans lives easier. Just like the these tools were created for, i.e. the Olduvai chopping stone and hand axe. Both of these items were designed to help with various daily activities such as hunting.
DeleteThe human mind is the most extravagant resource on earth and is always at work thinking of new ides constantly. The hand axe and chopping stone is a direct result of a hard working mind. A mind unlike no other that uses its resources to create objects to make human lives a breeze. This is why the objects make us human. We are unlike any other species. We may be looked at as lazy but in truth we are simply time efficient, which is what makes humans, humans.
The main idea that humans have of our identity is the separation of our kind from animals. Though we are animals, our species is far more advanced, and we view ourselves as higher organisms. These objects do not necessarily make us human, but the thought process and lifestyle behind them do. MacGregor speaks in these podcasts of tools and art, both of these eventually intertwining with one another. With the Olduvai stone chopping tool, and handaxe, we see both the the human desire to achieve more, and the emergence of art. Unlike animals, humans’ minds tell them to make a tool before they need it, and keep it after the job is done. Tools then became not only for use, but for show – making art. Art showed a deeper side to modern humans, letting us see that they wanted to be one with the world, and the first concepts of religion.
Delete2. After the Ice Age: food and sex 9000 - 3500 BCE
ReplyDelete(Respond by June 20, 2014 By 11:59pm)
How do these objects show the profound changes that occurred as a result of the Agricultural Revolution?
As humans learned how to farm, our relationship with the natural world changed- And that is quite evident in these objects. Humans wanted to overcome nature. We can see this led to the beginnings of religion (trying to change the weather/natural forces), and new foods in which we had to modify in order to be eaten (grains and later developing a tolerance for cows milk). Food led humans to expand their knowledge, ideas, and even their culture.
DeleteAs the ice age ended, the land became fertile and the game became plentiful. Humans no longer had to travel to follow their food source, as the food source stayed in one place. Settling down caused drastic changes in how we lived; we began to thrive rather than just survive. Our lack of mobility resulted in one of humankind's greatest accomplishments: we began to farm. Instead of gathering, we collected seeds and sowed them in patches of rich soil, gathering surpluses of food that we were able to keep and store. The Jomon pot and bird-shaped pestle are both examples of how our diet changed as farming became our main source of food; we were able to cultivate crops that were inedible eaten raw, but properly boiled or cooked, were enjoyable. Raising domestic animals was now, also, within our reach. The Egyptian clay model of the cattle shows how we depended on, and deeply venerated, the animals we raised. It is fascinating that the very ancient Egyptians used the cows not for their meat, but for their blood; a raw substance we would not be able to consume had the advanced cooking methods of the Agricultural Revolution been developed.
DeleteProperly fed, humans began to develop a substantial culture. The Ain Sakri lovers figurine demonstrates our ability to make art, as well as to enjoy sex as more than a means of reproduction. As Neil MacGregor hypothesizes, the figurine was not a plea to the fertility gods but an expression of human tenderness and affection. The Agricultural Revolution stimulated our bodies, minds, creativity, and sex drive.
The Agricultural Revolution was the result of humans changing their nomadic ways and settling in one place. Since they were no longer on the move, humans staying in one place had the capability to cultivate crops that would benefit them by providing a long-term food source. (This alone continues to highlight the unique cognitive capabilities of humans; our ability to plan for the future). It was after settling down that humans began to develop early cultures; the Jomon pot shows both artistry and function, the pot and pestle (and findings of seasonings like red pepper) reveal that these peoples weren’t just eating food to survive but that they were preparing it to taste good, and the Maize God statue indicates the “particular moment in human development” that we began to create stories and myths about the world’s creation, the seasons, and the food. These objects show that by settling down, we began to develop cultures.
DeleteEach of these items are the manifestation of a phenomenon that we began to witness during the Ice Age- that is, the broadening of the human understanding of the world. The Agricultural Revolution provided food on such a massive sale that we were able to turn our minds to new things- the pleasures found in art, food, and sex, as well as the worry and uncertainty of living in a world that you have limited control over. The pestle and the pot provided tools to deal with this drastic change in life style and diet while also incorporating humans new found time- if it is going to sit in your home all day, why not use the time you would have spent hunting or gathering to turn it into something beautiful? People were no longer subject to the will of wild animals- now their fate was determined by more abstract things like the weather and seasons that affected harvests. These forces needed to be explained somehow, hence the creation of deities like the cow goddess and the maize god. These stories not only explained the forces but they also gave people some semblance of control. Before, your meal was dependent on your hunter- there was a physical action you could take. After the Agricultural Revoltion, that physical action you could take to ensure your survival became pleasing the gods that controlled your fate. The final object, The Lovers Figurine, shows the importance of human connection in the newly formed communities. We began forming bonds with other people and our new sedentary lifestyles meant that people stayed together as family units, giving an entire new dimension to sex and our thoughts about it.
DeleteThese five particular artifacts all together form the basic processes in which humans began to change and evolve: food, sex, civilization. With the ending of the Ice Age and the more suitable climate changes, food became more abundant, and so did water. And with this new chance for plants to grow and thrive, cereal grains, for example were discovered by our hunter-gatherers. New foods caused new diets and the process of "farming." Although this was all happening over 11,000 years ago, our humanity was already beginning to show, even in our beginner stages. It can be assumed that early humans experimented with the new cuisine at their fingertips, from grinding foods with the Bird-Shaped Pestle, or perhaps cooking and creating some of the first stews in Japan with the ancient Jomon Pot by the sea. We may also take a look at our ways with animals and cattle with the evidence of the Egyptian Clay Model of Cattle, of which we began our worshipping of cow-gods and maize-god statues at Mayan Temples, as it was humanity's belief that with good graces with the gods came good harvest (though in reality it was just the climate. Can't ruin all the fun). With food's power to unite, and evidence of settling down into civilizations as large as 200-300 people, and food becoming abundant, the course of sex seemed to evolve, as explained by the Ain Sakri figurine. As surprising as it was that farming didn't exactly begin in the Fertile Crescent (though it was definitely beer central in a History of the World in Six Glasses), we can see here that as humans we were fitting into the big world around us one meal at a time.
DeleteThese objects are the fruits of the agricultural revolution. During that time period, humans discovered that they can take a part of a plant (the seed), put it in the ground, and within a month or so, they get an identical plant, which to those humans, was huge. It meant that they did not have to be hunter/gatherers and it began to pave way to the human civilized life. However, these objects show an even greater discovery leading to our advancement into the human beings we are today: mixing food or plants. In pots like the Jomon pot, early humans could take two different planets and grind them together, using tools like the bird-shaped pestle. These discoveries could have lead to the formation of early religion, like the how the Mayans would worship maize and pray to the maize god for a good harvest.
DeleteDuring the agricultural revolution humans discovered that taking the seed of one plant and planting it, the same plant would grow from the seed; this was the beginning of the farming lifestyle. Farming would mean that they no longer had to be nomadic, they could grow their own food (and store it) and live all in the same place, they no longer had to wander looking for food. The availability of crops on more constant bases also led to experimenting with different food combinations and ways to make them, as shown by the Bird-shaped pestle and the Jomon pot. They realized they can mix different types of food and create a different taste, the Jomon pot was most likely used to make some of the first stews. The bird-shaped pestle was used to grind up different foods, perhaps grinding them up and then mixing them. The pestle also shows that we evolved enough to make objects that weren't for everyday use, the neck of the pestle would not have been able to withstand day to day use, and was probably used for ceremonial purposes. Farming also meant that not only one family or person could settle down in one place but many people could settle down, creating a village or town of sorts. With the readily availability of food and the fact the humans no longer had to move around, gave way to more free time in which art and other activities began to fill. As exemplified by the Ain Sakri Lovers figurine, this time period was not only the discovery of farming but also exploration of art and sex seemed to emerge and evolve.
DeleteThe formation of villages, towns/cities also meant the humans would be more vulnerable to animal attacks, and at the mercy of the weather. An animal attack (or simply unwanted animals grazing in their fields) could be devastating to the community. In the same manner too much rain would drown their crops, too little rain would dry them up, and the climate couldn't be too hot or too cold. The early humans started praying to gods such as the Mayan Maize God, and others of the like. They would pray to their gods for a good harvest, the right amount of rain, and for other things such as warding of unwanted animals.
Any growing population needs two things in order to keep expanding: a steady food supply and sex. With agriculture being much more reliable than nomadic hunting, groups of nomadic people began to settle where they could plant crops and practice safety in numbers. Through these objects, we also see things such as pottery being used to experiment with what they grew and how it could be used for medicine or enhancing their food. We see more scientific exploration, botany as well as attempts to explain natural phenomenon such as flooding or droughts. Through religion, early peoples had their explanation for why rainbows stretched across the sky after the gods blessed them with rain. The search for answers continues to drive the human experience.
DeleteThe Agricultural Revolution changed not only the human diet, but also the way humans lived and interacted with each other. The bird-shaped pestle represents the alchemy of food humans created, setting them apart from all other animals, and the sacredness of meals as well as a need for community. The pestle’s purpose was to turn an inedible plant into an edible plant and it was daintier and less practical than a pestle used for everyday use, meaning that it was used for special meals and gatherings. Sharing food became a very important part of culture and it bonded people into communities. These communities, based around agriculture, gave people a secureness that allowed them to thrive. Human possession of cattle, which is represented by the Egyptian clay model of cattle, contributed to this secureness and created an intertwinement between humans and other animals. The Maya maize god statue illustrates the human dependence on few crops, which encouraged the worship of gods to influence the well being of these crops. The creation of belief systems further separated people into communities.
DeleteAfter the Ice Age ended, not only did the human diet change, but so did the plant life. Humans soon realized, that when they took the seed of plants, they could control and manipulate the plant to make more. This soon led to what is known as the agricultural revoloution. With planting and farms spreading out across the lands, it helped humans to interact more with one another. This allowed humans also to stay in one place, and helped them to evolve from their primitive ways of hunting and gathering. Also, there was pottery being used to experiment with what they grew and how it would be possibly used for medicine or making the food better.This soon led to communities, and eventually to civilizations.
DeleteWhen the agricultural revolution started, hunter gatherers quit their nomadic lifestyle. This allowed them to stay in one spot and efficiently grow healthy crops. They were forced to figure out ways to survive, besides hunting their food. Not only did this lead to a healthier lifestyle, they discovered natural herbs and medicines in these plants that eventually increased their longevity and health for themselves and their families. This revolution led to the discovery of planting food. Farmers discovered the duplication of a plant using a seed. Which also led to the discovery of different seasonings and healthier food. After the farming lifestyle started, storability was recognized and encouraged these people to stay and continue this lifestyle. They no longer had to search for their food and they always had a surplus amount of crops and had control over what they ate and grew to survive.
DeleteWhen the ice age came to an end the land became more fertile instigating the shift from a nomadic lifestyle to an agricultural society. As humans began to grow their own crops as a way of getting food, the way people lived changed. Instead of going where the food source lead them they settled down and began to farm, arguable one of the greatest things human have ever decided to do. With food readily (well at least after the harvesting season was over) at their fingertips the humans began to grind grains with bird-shaped stones and cook there food in pots such as the jomon pot, all things that helped build on society. As society began to take form humans began to raise cattle, thus starting the trend of worshiping cow gods and praying for good weather in order to grow abundant crops. This change from hunting and gathering to living in an agricultural society helped mold humanity into what it is today, one plant at a time.
DeleteThe agricultural revolution brought new knowledge and nourishment opportunities. When the ice age ended it left behind a highly fertile land that that was idea for agriculture. People began to realize with agriculture there was no need to move around anymore to follow the migration of animals. Being able to stay in one location and construct homes gave way to the formation of communities. New food source created a need for new tools such as the Pestle which helped speed up the farming process while making it easier.
DeleteThe changes agriculture brought were that of communities being formed and change in culture. Instead of hunting and gathering the new source of food was through agriculture and being able to stay near their homes to obtain food. Agriculture opened eyes and mind to new possibilities making people more excepting of change; change of knowledge, culture, and beliefs.
Our relationship with nature drastically changed when people began farming. Humans went from being dictated by nature and its unpredictable fits, to the dictators of nature developing precise ways to control the weather patterns and it’s effects on crop. People began developing specialized tools to modify their foods; improving their taste and nutrition. As the food they cultivated became more specialized, the ways in which they ate became more celebratory, giving occasion to food. Food bound people in a very different way than it had in the past.
DeleteNow that humans had become stationary, cultures developed and people created and practiced artwork to occupy the time that wasn't being spent chasing after food. The pestle, from the first episode, showed how our tools became ceremonial and more artistic, evolving into much more than just industrial equipment.
Cultures began developing stories to explain phenomena and they attributed these stories and unexplainable phenomena to higher powers, such as the Maize god of episode four.
These objects demonstrate the early formations of culture, distinguished by their unique artwork, stories and religion.
When the Ice Age ended and land became more fertile, humans learned to farm. With the end of a dramatic climate change, the animals came back in huge numbers. Once the humans saw this, they also took note that their game, animals such as gazelles, stayed in one place. In turn, the humans no longer had to run about everywhere to find food. Staying in one place encouraged the agricultural lifestyle. With these objects, we see the change in human behavior. Going from place to place nomadically was no more. Societies began to form, with bonds over food. This is seen with the Ain Sakri Lovers figurine, as sex becomes more for love rather than just mating. Changes can also be observed through the lens of the Maya Maize God statue. Humans were developing religions based upon food. Though they worshipped gods and goddesses, they prayed to them for hopes of changing their surroundings, as humans were becoming more aware that they were in charge of the Earth. The agricultural lifestyle led humans to expand past even their nature to, discussed in the last question.
Delete3. The First Cities and States 4000 - 2000 BCE
ReplyDelete(Respond by June 27, 2014 By 11:59pm)
What lessons can we learn about our own societies from exploring the earliest cities and states?
Humans tend to dislike change; as such, the way our societies and civilizations are governed are quite similar to the way they were governed thousands of years ago. By examining the first records of early civilizations (the Standard of Ur, King Den's Sandal Label, and the Clay Writing Tablet), we can easily identify the governing techniques and connect them with our own lives. We examine the first signs of propaganda and government coercion; now more feasible with hieroglyphics and primitive writing.
DeleteThe Jade Axe presents evidence of how the human brain was continuing to change, and how it was changing. As Neil MacGregor points out, this axe was not made to be used. Just as we would today, ancient people created exquisite jade axes such as this one for their sheer beauty. They were often used in religious ceremonies, or perhaps for life milestones; a birth or a death. Our brains were transitioning from stone age survival mindsets to artistic and rational things. We were creating for the enjoyment of creating, just as thousands of people all over the world do today.
The Indus Seal is a great example of just how far humans spread, and how they finally came to interacting with each other. As multiple civilizations were rising simultaneously, they came into contact with one another and took advantage of the goods and resources the other regions had to offer. Prehistoric humans paved the way to the globalized trading network we so cherish today. Additionally, from examining these early transactions, we can learn about the disagreements between certain cultures that still exist today; why certain cultures do not mesh well with each other, and how that can change in the future.
The focus of this set of objects is the continuance of the development of culture, specifically, how cultures were ruled after expansions. The ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus valley, Ur, and Britain all discovered that the easiest ways to control large populations are either through writing or through force. Writing emerged as a means of record keeping - who was paid what, how much beer each civilian received - in Mesopotamia around 5,000 years ago. Since it was used for governmental purposes, writing became a way to keep track of and control citizens, as seen with both the Mesopotamian tablet and the Indus seal. Force also emerged as an effective means of control. The Standard of Ur and the Jade Axe both demonstrate the ways in which societies equipped themselves with weapons and means of defense. We see not only similarities, but the exact same situations in our societies today. As shown in the Standard of Ur, nations still arm themselves against outward threats, and armies “compete” for military superiority. The Jade Axe belonged to an individual, and individuals still maintain the rights to possess their own weaponry, (now rifles instead of axes). Government documents and records are still kept, just as they had been when they began with the clay tablets of Mesopotamia. Through exploring these early cities, we can begin to understand just how effective they were in laying the framework for what our societies are today; while we have evolved and grown, the fundamental structures remain constant, something that becomes apparent when studying these first states.
DeleteBoth the objects and the cities they represent show us the origins and the potential of city life and city government. The earliest cities were amalgamations of communities and small groups unaccustomed to life among others and, in many cases, force was used as a uniting cause. King Den and the Standard of Ur are prime examples of this- it was believed that in order to create a unified and prosperous nation, violence must be used to destroy enemies inside and outside of the state. Once that wealth is secured, violence must again be employed to protect it. This is an idea which is extremely prevalent in our society. The Standard of Ur also shows us the consequences of success- class systems. This early depiction of a social hierarchy and the exchange of wealth that accompanies it is a familiar sight though out the centuries. These early cities are also a testament to the globalized trade and power of writing. Trade, as can be seen in the Jade axe, proves the power and wealth of a city and its individuals. Citites then, much like cities now, were a hub for exchange and trade unlike anything that had been experienced before. Writing also played a huge part in the formation of trade and the outline of modern government because it provided another way for the government to control its citizens, holding them accountable for their dues as wells as instilling fear in its enemies with threats like "they shall not exist" (King Dens Sandal Label). Finally, these ancient civilizations highlight the mortality of cities. Even in the Indus Valley, a civilization rather ironically named an early utopia, a civilization that seemingly did everything right, the power and prosperity was temporary.
DeleteWe as humans today see that during this period of time, we are almost the same as our ancient ancestors. Of course, we are much more advanced in many skills than they were, such as language and writing, but the fact that those existed at those times shows the turning point for mankind as we break away from our animalistic tendencies and form a civilized culture.
DeleteThe first example of this would be King Den’s sandal and the Standard of Ur. Both of these objects illustrate one of, if not the earliest form of government: the monarchy. In Egypt, a Pharaoh, chosen by the gods, would govern the people and would be seen as a symbol of order, and of religion, as well as in Ur. However, Mesopotamia at this time was not entirely united, but the cities still were governed by a king. Monarchy still exists in many countries today, proving that we have learned lessons from our ancestors, saw what worked and what didn’t, and established a government based upon what we learned.
Objects like the jade axe give us an idea of social classes, which still exist today. The jade axe shows the items a wealthy person would get to show that they are wealthy. This exists in many forms today, for instance, a wealthy person might drive a fancy car, or own a big fancy house, or some sort of object that shows the entire world that they have the money to spend on things like that.
Humans back then and humans now are almost the same. If one were to break down what an American in 2015 knows and what an Egyptian during the reign of King Den knows, we’d find that we share similar knowledge of certain things such as some sort of language, some sort of social class, some sort of government, some sort of art and culture, and much more. We learn what works and what does not by studying our history and seeing what our ancestors did.
DeleteAs a society, it is always beneficial to look at the cities and states that came before us and apply it to our current methods of rule and government. The history of these ancient societies help us better understand the highs and lows that occur in ours today. There is a great quote by philosopher Edmund Burke that encompasses this notion quite well, "In history, a great volume is unrolled for our instruction, drawing the materials of future wisdom from the past errors and infirmities of mankind." A prevalent theme throughout history is the the system of power and control, and by looking to our past, we can get a better idea of what that has meant throughout the ages. For instance, the image etched into King Den’s Sandal Label. This ruler wanted to be shown as a great figure of power, which is something that can still be found in our leaders today. Neil Macgregor even notes that the image looks strikingly like a political cartoon. We also notice a visible shift in social organization; the emergence of classes, and how they were categorized by their levels of power and use within the society. We learn where our structure began, where it failed, and how to prevent it from happening again.
Humans don't like things to change, so through out the ages we can find similarities from one time period to another. We look at other cities, states, and cultures and take bits and pieces from them and apply them to our own societies and governments, we learn about what worked and what didn't.
DeleteKing Den's Sandal Label is proof of early monarchy's, we still have monarchies in other countries today, they may have changed a little to become a better form of government such as the formation of a parliamentary monarchy instead of absolute monarchy, which was quite popular in throughout history. The jade ax was bought more for the purpose of flaunting wealth than for everyday use. Many people still do things of this nature today, such as buying expensive shoes and clothing, having fancy cars, buying yachts, and eating at fancy restaurants.These show how we adopted certain aspects of ancient societies and learned from them, but I think the biggest thing we learned form looking at the earliest cities and states is the formation of writing. As we look back we see early forms of writing, such as the Early Writing Tablet, the hieroglyphics from Egypt, and the Indus seal, we can see how we believed writing was important to us from the beginning. It shows us that we evolved from a more pictographic form of writing to a modern from of writing, it shows how writing was important and we learned how to write and from looking at things others wrote before us.
Many of these objects found around 2000-4000 BC really emphasize the need we express for communication between other individuals and our descent towards creating organization through recording. According to the Early Writing Tablet discovered from a Mesopotamian city written with records (of all things, beer), it becomes obvious that our natural instincts lean toward a spoken and written language that we may rely on as our civilizations become more complex: even at the beginning humans were trying to create balance and order. We might even take a look at the Indus Seal, though their language has yet to be deciphered, but the ruins of their once great civilization can tell us that the Indus Valley relied on communication amongst other people outside their valley, as there were uncovered plans concerning a major expanding in international trade.
DeleteWe can learn that, no matter what we do civilizations will continue to increase in complexity. Humanity began as a few traveling people, then experienced their first villages... and then great cities were flourishing, and if we can take a look at our cities and states compared to thousands of years ago, we have increased in our sheer numbers, when 3000 people were considered complex and overcrowded in older civilizations. Just as settling down by a river meant the creation of a new society, it can be confirmed that humans tend to stay clumped together, confine themselves closer to others.
The last lesson we can gain from these historical objects may be the fact that force with either bring us together, or break us apart. Exploring the famed Egyptian civilizations, or taking a look at King Den's Sandal Label discovered in the Nile, we know that some of the greatest history was made using force from their mighty Pharaohs...the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, their complex language, and their long-lasting societies. Like the Standard of Ur explains, there was some peace found in having one make all the decisions, one to exercise all their power and take care of them, but there was also that sense of too much power, the division of social classes that we still have today. We can obviously see that the Pharaohs did not last... perhaps because of this forceful will. Yet with such a dominating figure as King Den as the label suggests, we can look at our cities and states today and see the similiar traits in our leaders, very much like our presidents and generals; the need to have an iron will to control so many, and still make the country great.
Our minds, and the minds that built the first cities and states, are all human minds, so it can be expected that the creations of both are very similar. Due to this, many parallels can be made between modern cities and states, and the first cities and states, such as the establishment of leadership, warfare, agriculture, and international trading. All of these serve to unify a civilization and expand its influence. Studying the first cities and states sheds light to the things that were discovered long ago, which we now take for granted, such as the art of writing, and the love of expensive, exquisite, and exotic things. It also reminds us of how fragile and temporary every civilization is.
DeleteThroughout the course of history, humans have toyed with whats known as trial and error whether they knew it or not. Throughout the times, each civilization did something to mess, or slip up, that led to their personal downfall. Civilization after civilization, looked at those of the past, and learned what to do and not to do. We also took little pieces from them and altered them to our own unique civilization, and we learned about what worked and what unfortunately did not. The last thing we can learn from these historical objects may be may be that there is a definite force that can either bring us together, or break us apart. And that is historical facts.
DeleteIn reality, humans created our cities and states and the civilizations in them. Our historical theory's and facts, our education, and social stratification built the foundation and support of our societies. Humans learned through error and mess-up's that a society always could use improvement allowing room for alteration and fixation. Example, a society/civilization wouldn't be anything without agriculture, a leader, a system of finance, communication, etc... The people living in these societies learned to appreciate the gifts they have such as ability to write, come up with capable ideas for improvement, constructive criticism, and suggestion. Each civilization in these cities and states teach lessons to the people in them. Whether it's through success or failure.
DeleteSome things never change and one of those things is government. Looking at the world thousands of years ago and then comparing the way those ancient civilizations were run and how we govern our countries nowadays, there are many things that have stayed the same. In studying the artifacts it becomes present that keeping the civilians in order was done in two ways, through writing or through force. Writing became a useful weapon because it provided a way to mark down what people received (e.g. how much money was paid or how much beer was rationed), as people progressed this form of record keeping became a powerful tool in the hands of the government. With the ability to track the amount of supplies people were receiving, Pharose now had the ability to control the citizens, this is shown in both the Mesopotamian Tablet and the
DeleteIndus Seal. Force was the other big way the ancient governments (the pharoah kings) used as a form of control. Objects such as the Jaded Axe and the Standard of Ur are weapons used to fight back attacking enemies. The Jaded axe also is an object that supplied a sense of social class, the ornate weapon dividing the embellished tools of the wealthy from the duller ones owned by the poor. Today we would like to think the way we run the world is some vastly complex, brand-new idea, but it actuality very little has changed from the ancient civilizations to modern day. In every agendas meeting has a record keeper or a member of clergy, force is still used as a way of fending off unwanted foes, and just by driving for a few minutes it will become very obvious that social classes are still something our modern day society has yet to abolish. Despite the millions our society hasn't changed much since the first cities.
Comparing society today to earlier times show that we have not changed much through the years. Which is natural to humans. Most of usfeel most comfortable with stability in their life leaving a sense of security. Although humans change throughout their lives through growing up the human lifestyle does not. Babies born today will be born in a hospital and have checkups just how I did. Societies have evolved with the ever changing world of technology but still live by basic ideas. between 4000 and 2000 BCE humans would document events on a stone tablet, today we still document events however, its with a pen and paper or picture. Same core idea just with a different approach. Even the Jade Axe that was created over 6,000 years ago is identical to the axes produced today just made out of different materials.
DeleteSocieties in the past had to face more change then us but thanks to them all we have to do is evolve. No major steps just baby steps. In my life the biggest change I have faced is switching schools and soon going to college which is amazing considering societies of past time had to go through the ice age, hunting and gathering, building shelter, disease, starvation, etc. Our homes are ready for us to occupy and food is in many cases within walking distance if not in your pantry. We are spoiled compared to past societies with an easy lifestyle and living through the core beliefs set by the earliest societies
Ur was one of the earliest cities in the world and developed in the fertile crescent. These early cities like Ur were not unified into a single state but were individual self-governing of power, kind of like the city states of ancient Greece. “They were ruled by kings and contained palaces, temples and sophisticated irrigation systems.” The Standard of Ur depicted the city, its agricultural wealth, and citizens on one side and the necessary force to retain it. This demonstration of force to keep wealth still exists today in our modern governments and laws that address our political concerns in foreign countries to insure our economic interests remain stable. Stone seals, found in Pakistan from a lost civilization known as Indus, were used as symbols to link the civilization. Though it is still undecided for what these seals meant, it is believed they were a kind of stamp that was placed on goods that identified it as a product of the Indus civilization. This provided connection that is so key to identifying a specific place so that people know where to do trade. Stamps and labels are so key to successful modern economy, where cities and states -( within the U.S.) -have a specialized variety of products and companies unique to their city and state.
DeleteThe jade axe was an example of trade among civilizations. Found in Britain, was made from Italian jade. This trade between the groups remains today and is key to the complex world economy that exist today.
These early civilizations shared many of the foundations of our modern cities. There is such a common ground shared between people and so much similarity about how we do things.
We can learn a lot about the these early cities and states. There is such a common ground shared between people and so much similarities about how we do things, that it would be the easy to take that single idea away from this series.
But I believe we can learn something far greater than the similarities in our civilizations trade and exchange. If we are so similar to their economies, wouldn’t we and our civilizations history end up just as theirs has been if we continue similarly to the ways they had? Progress is something that we pride ourselves on. We progressed trade, distributing goods on a rapid and global scale, more vast than the ancient civilizations that traded those Jade swords or Indus seals ever could but, we must also look at how those same ancient civilizations decimated the people that inhabited them through their exchange. Wars and violence, human sprawl famine… Many of the cities were decimated by other more powerful civilizations over time. We need to learn more diplomatic resolves to our cultural feuds, that is one take away that could save our people. But their is a far more threatening cause to the death of human civilizations. Look at Indus, a city more culturally complex than any other at its time and it was destroyed by the peoples lack of care for their environment. Their environment which became so inhospitable after years of deforestation and over consumption they had to close up shop and move on, leaving behind the ruins of a desert Atlantis. By their own hand they destroyed their vibrant city.
This is something that we must learn from and take on into our modern civilizations. In our current climate crisis, we must learn from this ancient lost metropolis, commerce and a rich economy is important but, how do we co-exist with the environment so that we can continue trading and exchanging our culture for generations to come, without raping our environment into an inhospitable, desert wasteland.
Humans constantly strive for better, yet take baby steps - as a species, we are incredibly contradicting. Humans are constantly evolving, through genetics and with technology, but all of this growth is completely based off of known facts. We need a sense of stability, a platform of knowledge to stand on before we can take the next step. Through studying the first civilizations, we can see how much, and how little we've changed. Instead of keeping track of finances and trade on clay or bamboo, we went from small pocket books, to computers, to smart phones. We've seen the rise and fall of regimes, and the destruction of war. We do not look at the older civilizations to not repeat mistakes (if we did, maybe there would be less wars), but to create a cliff of wisdom where all we see are known and imagined options.
Delete4. The Beginning of Science and Literature 1500 - 700 BCE
ReplyDelete(Respond by July 11, 2014 By 11:59pm)
Compare the processes of scientists and artists. Do they have more similarities or differences?
During this period in time, the processes of scientists and artists were largely similar. As shown with both the Flood Tablet and the Rhind Mathematical Papyrus, writing had emerged as a way to continue and increase the complexity of each form. Literature was allowed to become more complicated since it did not have to be told and remembered, and math evolved in the same way; increasingly involved equations could be written down, which enabled math to become more intricate. Math and literature arose at the same time, from a common means of communication, linking the otherwise different forms of intellect.
DeleteThe purposes for each scientists and artists were more different than their processes. Math was used in government, usually to determine the rations allotted to each worker or individual. The Flood Tablet shows us that writing was no longer being used merely for government work, but also as an art form, and a way to tell stories. While both used the systems of writing, the purposes for each differentiated, and even the symbols and characters used began to diverge as well.
While math and literature share a common origin, they have become so alienated from each other that today, we view them as contrasts. If math is to represent science and literature the arts, our society today regards them as polar opposites. The processes of scientists and artists are now vastly different; scientists unearth and discover while artists imagine and create. At the time of the Flood Tablet or the Rhind Papyrus, science and art were both being created; there were no set rules or expectations about how each field was to operate. This enabled them to be more similar, but as the centuries went by, the two areas of study diverged. While the processes of scientists and artists once held similarities rooted in the beginnings of writing as we know it, they have since become more differentiated, and the processes of each hold more differences.
I find in the modern age that science and art share more similarities than we would care to admit; many consider the study of science to be a noble pursuit, while art is considered menial and little more than a hobby. However, the objects in this podcast set prove otherwise; they allow us to see just how closely science and art are intertwined, and how ancient people invented both.
DeleteIn my opinion, the statue of Ramesses II is the true epitome of the relation between science and art. As Neil MacGregor states, the creation of this statue would not have been possible without engineering technique and artistic vision. Although this work intended as an idol for reverence, rather than a work of art designed to be showcased in a museum, it definitely shows how art and science are necessary for one another. Without art we would have no application for science, and without science we could not create any works of art.
The beautiful Flood Tablet is one of the oldest works written in cuneiform that we know of, and also a great piece of literature. Unlike with engineering and the advancement of technology, I do not believe the author of the Flood Tablet really intended for their work to be preserved. The basis of written language was for accountancy and bureaucracy, so even while cuneiform was gaining popularity, we continued to tell stories orally or through song. It is a mystery, then, why people began to write down their stories; it is possible that with our settling down in agricultural societies we realized we could make our mark more permanent and we would not have to carry it with us, but I digress. Even in the Flood Tablet, we see the close relationship between the development of art and science: without advanced stone work, it would have been impossible to create the Flood Tablet. Additionally, it is interesting how this piece of literature causes such controversy about science and religion today; is the Noah's ark story true, and if so, what about the rest of the Torah and bible? It is a beautiful modern example of how science and art still manage to connect with one another.
The processes of art and science are incredibly similar and, more often than not, inextricably intertwined. Both science and art are created by groups, more the result of a civilization than the effort of one man or woman. Just as the statue of Ramesses II was created by a large group trying to memorialize a beloved leader, science and scientific thought is created when groups of people bounce knowledge off others, creating an exchange of ideas that leads to discovery. While art and science began in different ways and served different purposes in society, with the creation of writing the processes became similar, namely that everything was documented to be given to others. The original Flood Story and the Rhind Mathematical Papyrus were both written to be shared and extended upon. The creation of the bronze that makes up an artifact is science, just as the act of sculpting is art. The making of papyrus paper is an art, just as the formulas written on them are science. In these ways, the processes and the end results of science and art mimic each other, blending to create precise art and creative science.
DeleteStrangely enough, I would argue that the processes of scientists and artists have more similarities than differences. They seem to be polar opposites; one driven by data, the other by emotion. However, there is a likeness to them, in that their importance to history is arguably the same. For instance, the Rhind Mathematical Papyrus. Mathematics were used to solve everyday calculations. To pass down knowledge. The same can be said for art. Another similarity between the two is that it takes a society with sophisticated skills and social structures to accomplish them. Teams of people creating, and testing, and spreading. It’s all interconnected. Neil Macgregor states about the Mold Gold Cape, “It is just one of many precious objects that tell us societies in Britain must then have been extremely sophisticated within their craft and within their social structures”. And, as our discoveries of history continue to prove, the sciences and arts have a shockingly analogous outcome. Art and science give us a portal to the past, a means of tapping into the thought process of the ones who came before us. And regardless of the craft, they were working from a common goal; to understand and make sense of the world around them.
DeleteIt becomes obvious with time that the process of science and art go hand in hand. Over the course of history, as civilizations become more complex, and the way language was being recorded was altering (such as the Flood Tablet written in clay or the famous papyrus in Egypt), science/mathematics was also coming to light at about the same time, between 600-700 BC. This interconnectedness is most obvious through the Egyptians and the ruling Pharaohs of their time. As their great civilizations were expanded and conquered, by Kushites and other outside forces, their hieroglyphic systems were copied, their mathematics which were quite advanced according to the Rhind Papyrus soared, all due to the precision in their artwork. The Statue of Ramesses II is the best evidence of science working around artwork; this Pharaoh was very determined to be seen as a worshipful god even in the Afterlife, and so his successful ruling and the hundreds of statues and temples created in his name and image with their precision in detail and size have left a state of awe in the workmanship put into making these beautiful pieces of art (or even the famous Abu Simbel temple where sunlight hits exactly on Ramesse II's face on his birthday and coronation day!)We can even take a look at the Mold Gold Cape which was a feat unto itself for its fragility and skill that only someone with some sort of advanced scientific or mathematical knowledge could have obtained such a result. As pure gold is difficult to make into thin sheets with such a design, this is just one of many indications that life and art are not so different.
DeleteScience has obviously advanced further than we could have imagined, and much of that is associated with our need to determine what is truth and what is misguiding. We might look at something like the Flood Tablet and its early reading of Noah's Ark, or the Minoan Bull that based itself off Greek legends... though there are deep religious aspects to it all, artists have used that to their advantage which also gives people today the hint of globalization, trade, and advanced thought.
It is more of the reasoning that differs than the actual process of scientists and artists.
DeleteThe work of scientists is seen in the Flood Tablet and Rhind Papyrus, as writing became a vital part of society, whether it was to write out how to ration food or to write down stories and tales of what had happen or what was going on at that time. While artists created the Minoan bull leaper, mold gold cape, and the statue(s) of Ramesses II, to show status and honor gods and people and as offerings. The process of science and creating art is very similar. Take the Rhind Papyrus, it required a lot of skill to be able to figure out math problems such as how to ration food (what is 10 divided by 365? that's a lot harder to do with out a calculator) it shows the problem (in red ink), how to do the problem (in black ink) and explains each solution (in red ink). That takes quite a lot of thinking things through and planning ahead, which is also what you need to make art, especially figurines, statues and clothing items. The Minoan Bull Leaper statue/figurine would have taken a similar thought process as the papyrus. They would have had to come up with the idea (the problem) figured out how to make it (how to do the problem) and then make it (solve the problem). The statue of Ramesses and the mold gold cape would have also gone through the same thing, figure out what they are going to make, think out all the details, and then go through each step to make the item. For the gold cape the goldsmith would have thought out how they would flatten the metal into a paper thin sheet and then punched the design in, Ramesses II statue would have had to be thought out as to what materials they would use haw to transport it and how to chisel it out. But how much can we gain from these artifacts by themselves? If we had some thing written down that explained what they were and what they were used for it would make life much easier. So through the ages people began writing things, first just things such as records of crops but the Flood Tablet shows us that people began to write down their stories and myths instead of them being orally told. This would have also taken a lot of thought process, which version of the story do I write (the problem/what I’m making)? How far into detail do I go? Do I add my own flourish of exaggeration? (How do I do the problem/what steps do I take to make the item) and them finally choosing the right words and putting them down on paper, or clay in this case (solving the problem/ making the item). As you can see there are more similarities than differences, artists and scientists all follow a similar process as to how to do their work
The process of scientists and artists follow a similar path: the question at hand, how to solve/ answer the question, and then the response/solution. The Rhind Mathematical Papyrus made it very clear to see this process because the question and the explanation of the solution were done in red ink while the process of solving the solution was done in black ink. Other items do not have as clear showing of the work put into making them. Ramses's statue is magnificent, as we can all see, but consider the process it went through to get to the magnificence set before one's eyes. They had the problem, create the statue, then came the how do part, think out every step from the materials to the transportation, and then the solution, creating it. The mold gold cape and the Minoan Bull Leaper figure went through the same exact process. The Flood Tablet had the same process, what to write, the problem, how to write it, word choice, artistic flair/exaggeration, and then the final step of actually writing it down, the solution. As one would be able to see, both the scientific and artistic process follow the same basic outline making the similarities numerous and the differences few.
DeleteThere are a great deal of similarities and differences between scientific and artistic pursuits but in most instances, the similarities greatly outweigh the differences. Throughout history, artists and scientists have strived to share their discoveries and work in order to create a lasting influence on society. The Flood Tablet and the Rhind Mathematical Papyrus are evidence of this desire. The purposes they serve for the reader may be different, but the purposes they served for the creators are the same. Each was written in order to shape an idea inside of the creators mind so that the idea could be spread to many other minds without the pollution of other’s thoughts, which was inevitable when spreading messages through spoken word. This step to permanence of one’s creation can also be seen through the materials used to create works of art such as the Mold Gold Cape and the Minoan Bull Leaper. Another key similarity between scientists and artists is their tendency to be influenced by past works. Science and art have evolved tremendously since the beginning of time and this is due to the culmination of every scientist’s and artist’s work. The conduction of an experiment and the creation of a work of art both require very skillful techniques that have been created and perfected over centuries. These techniques often require the expertise and cooperation of many people as shown through the production of the statue of Ramesses II. The science and art worlds can both be described as complex machines that work in similar ways to do different things.
DeleteArts and Sciences are often said in the same sentence, and I have always found a distinct relationship between the two. And in the series ”A History of the World in 100 Objects” the relation is clear. As Science evolves so do the ways of creating art. And as art presents emotional explanation for phenomena, science finds a way to make sense of the emotional claims. As scientific discoveries are made through this series, ”A History of the World in 100 Objects,” they lead to better made and more complex art.
DeleteThe Minoan Bull Leaper from Crete made through the bronze lost wax technique is much stronger than other metals used, and allowed for a more complex design that is some what in still intact. The bronze was a recent discovery that was used for the making of stronger tools and weapons that proved ideal for large sculpture. The Rhind Mathematical Papyrus paper used originally to account for crop but then for the documentation of oral stories which led to the development of literature and a crucial role in the advancement of paper, which was less fragile and easily transportable compared to the clay tablets at the time. The intricate gold Mold of a Cape from wales showed that trading was occurring between cultures because large quantities of gold were not available in Wales. The cape also revealed how mathematics were becoming more prevalent in the creation of art due to the capes specific form and delicate structure. The Statue of Rameses II demonstrates the attention to material study that Egyptians had because of the use of granite and the structure of the features, all designed specifically to remain resilient in the climate of Egypt. The advancement of Science brings along the development of the Arts and vice versa. They evolve hand in hand, strengthening one another and give explanation to the complex world we live in.
Though today we like to pretend that there is a vast difference between the Arts and science, in actuality there very similar, intertwining themselves throughout history to create artifacts still looked at today. Mathematics and literature were created around the same time, both used as a way to keep track of things in government. As time went by the two practises progressed but continued to integrate themselves. As the ability to write down mathematical equations increased it allowed maths to become more complicated and with this more complicated math the ability to construct better planned out pieces of art became easyer..
DeleteAs the two practises grew people started trying to preserve there works.As shown in one of the oldest peaces of litterature, The Flood Tablet, people begain to write down there storys, trying to preserve the tails. In the realm of maths, The Mathematical Papyrus was created to be shared. Just in two artifacts alone art can be seen blended with science and math. The crafting of the pupyrus that the mathematics is written on in very much an art form just as the math written on it is a science. Together Science and Art blend to make things, though some artifacts may be considered scientific artifacts and others may be thought more as Art, nether could stand without the other. The creative thoughts and the pure curiosity put into science is what creates the final results and the carefully thought out calculations put into constructing pieces of art is what makes the piece look how it should. Despite what we might like to think of the two practices in society today, in actuality the two blend together to create beautiful things on both sides.
The common belief today is that science and the arts are vastly different, but in reality they are more alike than many other things. This is shown in the Rhind Mathematical Papyrus and the Flood Tablet, which was written in clay. These things used science to come up with ideas to make them and used art through story telling and information for generations to come. This greatly improved society and gave room for civilization to not make the same mistakes and make things better. The Minoan Bull Leaper, mold gold cape, and the statue(s) of Ramesses II, all proved that ancient humans used science to create great pieces of art. The Minoan Bull Leaper for example used the bronze lost wax technique, which made the metal stronger, so the piece could be more stable and bigger. This required a lot of scientific thinking, which proves that art and science go hand in hand. Although, today most people think that science and art are complete polar opposites, in the world, I believe that they are not only similar, but require each other to function.
DeleteArt and science have much more similarities than differences. The processes of art and science are basically dependent on one another. As a result of scientific exploration scientists found the historic background of art. Such as the statue of Ramesses II which was created thousands of years ago.
DeleteAlthough the two processes have different meanings the formation of writing gave way to a merge. Intricate designs that were created by beating a design into gold, creating products like the Mold Gold Cape, just like early tablets of writing were made. The only difference was the material, gold vs. stone. Even today the processes are closely bound. Many engineering degrees use art and science collaboratively. For example architecture and biomedical engineering. Architecture is art through the design process of creating a structure and also math to ensure stability. Biomedical engineering uses scientific processes to design in some cases artificial (prosthetic) body parts which uses both art and scientific reasoning therefore including both processes. With the to processes being so tightly intertwined many outstanding products are produced such as bridges, buildings, roller coasters, and much more hold places in both art and science. With the processes working so well together the sky was and still is the limit on what can be created.
Both driven by two completely different motives, I could still agree that Art and Science have many more similarities than differences. In a sense, they're dependent on one another making them even more similar than people would thing. The processes of these two are different, yes, but they eventually required each other to function. For example, the Mold Gold Cape, The Minoan Bull Leaper, and the statue of Ramesses II, are perfect objects that represent how science created art. Each of these pieces require scientific thinking in order to make them. Using different techniques to make the piece stronger or more stable, all used science. These historical pieces of art would've never been created without science. People today would first assume that science and art are opposite, but as the examples above are shown, you can see how art and science go hand in hand in many ways.
DeleteContrary to our societal views nowadays, art and science were alike fraternal twins. One creates the other, as observed with items such as the statue of Ramesses II. However, where the largest similarity in these times was writing. Writing was relatively new, but was used in both science and the art of literature. Abandoned was the short-term memory loss of humans when they could write! Literature and mathematics were now able to flourish, just like we see in the Flood Tablet and the Rhind Mathematical Papyrus.
DeleteThe main difference between art and science at the time was the purpose. With literature and statues mainly being for storytelling, science and math were used to determine one's status in countries such as Egypt. Today, we focus more on the differences of art and science, some even going as far as to say one for women, the other men. This is not true, and we need to learn to embrace the similarities, as well as the contrasts.
5. Old World, New Powers 1100 - 300 BCE
ReplyDelete(Respond by July 18, 2014 By 11:59pm)
How did the ancients use their artistry to express their beliefs? Do we continue to do this today?
Although art is largely appreciated as a form of self-expression, it often has underlying, and sometimes overt, tones of politics. As we have photo exhibitions and artistic documentaries that express our political and ethical beliefs, ancient people had their own forms of art that explored the controversial events of the time. Today, we find these pieces particularly fascinating, as they immediately lend themselves to modern connections and allow us to see a more realistic, and perhaps provoking, picture of ancient times.
DeleteThe Lachish Relief, particularly, brings to mind the refugees we hear about today; those drowning by hundreds on their way to Europe, or the millions of displaced people from Afghanistan. The Lachish Relief is the first substantial evidence we find of mass deportations, and terror tactics, being employed on such a large scale. The Relief depicts Judean people being pushed from their homeland, as a result of their king's display of rebellion to Assyria. The artist was hired by Sennacherib, the ruler of Assyria, and was most likely told to depict images of Sennacherib's might on a relief for his palace. Either to avoid disagreement with the king, or because he did agree with him, the artist chose to illustrate the consequences of rebellion against Assyria, as a way to display Sennacherib's power; a belief that was held by Assyria and its many conquered territories.
Similarly, both the Sphinx of Taharqo and the Zhou Ritual Vessel display the beliefs widely held by a group of people; in this case, the beliefs were appropriated by the conquering nations. Either as a political tactic, or because they admired the culture, both the Kush and Zhou people chose to maintain the customs and traditions of the Egyptian and Chinese people, respectively. Thus, their customs were preserved, with a twist, by their conquerors. Also like the Lachish Relief, this familiar story of domination and appropriation continues today, and often in the same manner.
With the last two objects, the Paracas Textile and the gold coin of Croesus, we see artistry mixing with class differences and wealth. The Paracas Textile was worn to indicate wealth and authority, just as the first coins, minted by King Croesus, were symbols of the age of capitalism yet to come.
With this set of objects, Neil MacGregor discusses the changing ways that power was exerted in the world. The objects, in various ways, illustrate the jurisdiction that empires sought over their own people, and how to expand their rule to other lands as well. These beliefs regarding power are preserved in the artifacts observed here today; the Lachish Reliefs, the Sphinx of Taharqo, and the Chinese Zhou Ritual Vessel.
DeleteThe Lachish Reliefs and the Sphinx of Taharqo are symbols of assertions of power over conquered lands. In the former, war is depicted on the largest scale humanity has seen to date; and along with it, the displacement of people and the creation of refugees. Memorialized in the Reliefs, the portrayal of the attack of the Assyrian army is carefully and artfully sculpted, allowing scholars today to easily gain access to their thoughts and beliefs regarding the age-old tradition of warfare. For the latter, the design cleverly appropriates that Egyptian power symbol, the Sphinx, while adding the Sudanese ruler’s face to represent the unity of the two “nations” under Sudan’s rule. The artifact is beautifully sculpted, and just as well preserved, and it has aided greatly in the understanding of the brief but prosperous Sudanese regime in Egypt.
The Chinese Zhou Ritual Vessel shows a different kind of power; power within an empire. When the Shang dynasty ended and the Zhou dynasty began, new ideals of power arose. It is during this time that the Mandate of Heaven is introduced, changing the way the Chinese perceived who was fit to hold power. The Ritual Vessel itself was a symbol of power; a bronze vessel that intricately designed would be a measure of one's social standing in Zhou China. The artistry of the vessel would seek to convey an individual’s importance and power; though different in the scope of the power that the Reliefs and Sphinx represented, the depiction of power through artistry remains constant.
The ancients used their art as a reflection of what was happening in the world around them. In this set of objects, the underlying theme was very much power and each of the artifacts shows the exchange of power at the time of its creation. In the pieces we see not only an account of what happened but also a view of what was being glorified and considered worth making art about. In both the Lachish Reliefs and the Chinese Vessel we see art used to express the joy and honor found in conquering. the Assyrians and the Zhou believed that they had achieved great feats and that is shown not only in the fact that the story is being told but also in the way that story is told. The act of creating these detailed and hardy works of art makes the glory of the King and the Zhou people indisputable. The artistry on the Gold Coin of Croesus as well as the mere concept of coins is also a testament to the belief that Croesus was a powerful and trustworthy leader. By putting a portion of the lion on each coin you ensure that each and every person that comes into contact with it will know about Lydia. Pride and the belief that Lydia was great was displayed for everyone to see with the artistry of the coin. The Sphinx of Taharqo is a unique piece of art that embodies what the King was trying to do with his power. This combination of culture from Sudan and Egypt depicts a symbolic mixing of the two nations uniting them into one statue and one civilization. The use of the traditional sphinx only furthered the belief that Taharqo was a rightful ruler because his statue blended in with those of past pharaohs, depiste his foreign lineage. This use of art to memorialize and glorify events and people is even more wide spread in todays world. Art then and now is used as a way to respond and remember.
DeleteIt seems that since the beginning man has solidified the use of various mediums to speak what words cannot. This is largely evident through the ancient tools or pieces of art that are all that is left of such fascinating civilizations, as they really do express so much about the people who made them and their purposes for humanity. Much of their artistry circled around religious or political aspects of their daily lives. The Chinese Zhou Ritual Vessel is a stunning vessel from 1050 BC that was believed to be used for feasts in order to pay respects to the dead. They were used to encourage life, rather than death, which is important to think about, especially as respecting one's ancestors goes back thousands of years with the Chinese and other ancient cultures (think Mulan). Political artistry was major at the heart of the Kush Empire, when the Kushites had invaded Egypt, according to the Sphinx of Taharqo. He was a black pharaoh, and one to combine the two regions in about 670 BC; Taharqo actually took in much of the Egyptian culture and was a great ruler, and his face retained the political value of the north and the south united. Around the same time, (according to the Lachish Relief that tells of King Sennacherib's perfect victory), the Assyrian King was in full conquest against the Hebrews and King Judan, in which Taharqo fought alongside those Hebrews. According to the artifacts, while the Assyrian King seemed to believe in crushing his enemies and using force, Taharqo seemed to believe in working together and combining strengths between nations.
DeleteEven the King of Lydia of Croesus and his gold coins stamped with his own imagery that retains very religious/mythological value as well as a way to trade is clever as it reveals to the world that it not only organized the civilization, but their beliefs were written all over it: the king has much financial power.
Even now art speaks in so many ways. We might look at our standard coins with an important president's face on it and the worlds "In God We Trust" across the bottom, or period pieces, such as Rosy the Riveter to emphasize the strength and endurance of women, giving off a strong sense of feminism. Or perhaps we can look at something more abstract, like Salvador Dali and his beautiful works of art that have so much meaning, to him as the painter, and to whoever might take a glance at it. There is so much power in the way we express our beliefs, through words or art or actions, and it will change the world over and over again.
The ancients used their art as a powerful form of political documentation. While I’m sure there are a few aimless decorative bowls floating about, the objects that we study in these episodes have strong undertones of societal commentary. Take the Lachish’ portrayal of their siege. Stone carved images showed the battle, the burning of their city, and the aftermath. This image, forever etched into time, served as documentation through art. A phenomenal example of this documentation would be the Paracas Textile, which gives us a rare glimpse into what life might have been like for a people that we still know rather little about. Art has always been a sort of response to the world around it. So it’s only natural that the art of the ancients would reflect their social and political predicaments. It is something that we absolutely continue to do today. In our pop culture icons being painted onto buildings, to protest songs, even to the faces we see on our currency.
DeleteArtistry has always incorporated peoples beliefs, the ancients were no exception. The Sphinx, for example, showed the typical Egyptian style "but it's not a typical Egyptian pharaoh's face, because this man is unquestionably a black African" this is one way the artist showed their beliefs in their work. It was during this time that that the Kush and Egyptian empires were combined under one ruler; many artifacts from this time indicate that the two cultures meshed in a way, the sphinx being one of them. The ritual vessel from the Zhou Dynasty is one of highest value and status because of the skill needed to produce it at that time. The vessel is known as a gui, used for food that would have been provided during big ceremonies about once a week or once every ten days. The ceremony being providing nourishment to your ancestors and in return it is believed the ancestors would watch over you, but you must provide the food and drink in the best way possible. Not only was the gui used in such an important ceremony it also had an inscription inside informing us that it was made in honor of a warrior, his dead father and to commemorate defeating the Shang Dynasty. The gui shows how artistry reflected the beliefs of that time.
DeleteIn today’s world we still tend to do things of the same nature, dedicating specific art works to people or to God, putting faces of pop culture and famous historic figures on everything from paper plates to money.
The reflection of belief in artistry is shown throughout history and into this day in age. Artifacts often involve a belief in something, the Chinese Zhou ritual vessel is a prime example. The vessel was used during a specific ceremony where you honored your ancestors and provided food and drink for them, the ceremony was done because they believed if they prepared food and offered it correctly to their ancestors the ancestors would in return watch over them and protect them. This vessel, known as a gui, was made in the best possible way known to them during this time period and was inscribes telling us that the gui was made to honor a warrior, his father and the rise of the Zhou Dynasty. The Lachish Relief and the Sphinx of Taharqo both express the honor found in conquering, while displaying magnificent artwork, incorporating the belief that their victory was a good thing into the artwork.
DeleteWe see evidence in today’s society that we still do things of this nature. We put faces of famous people and historic figures on everything we can. We dedicate our art to those we believe in and who are important to us as well.
This set of artifacts in which Neil Mcgregor discusses with us bring in another aspect of how power is used throughout time. Theses artifacts bring to life the dominion that empires sought over there people and their land. The Lachish Reliefs and the Sphinx of Taharqo both represent power asserted on conquered land, The Lachish Reliefs depicting the march of prisoners into exile and the Sphinx of Taharqo is shown mixing the face of the Sudanese ruler on the iconic Egyptian sphinx to represent the joining of the two nations. Different from the power depicted in the before mentioned objects the Chinese Zhuo Ritual Vessel and the Gold Coins of Coins of Croesus show power within the empire itself. The Chinese Zhuo Ritual Vessel, an ornate vessel used to perform ritual offerings to ancestors, what makes this vessel stand out though is the inscription written inside of it. On the inside of the vessel it tells that the ruler must be picked by the gods and that the people can replace an unjust ruler with one the gods have picked, a motor that would become very important in Chinese politics to come. The Gold Coins of Croesus are the first form of coin currency to be found, the elaborate gold coins show a lion stamped into the side with bull on the other .The lion is a symbol for the king, the coin representing the riches and power of Lydia. Like most things, the traditions of the past stay with us in some form through the years, and the use of power in works of art is something that still shows up today. If you look closely at contemporary art you will notice that there are many similarities to the art of the past.
DeleteSince art was first created it has been used to tell stories, convey messages, and express beliefs. These beliefs were most often centered around religion and politics. The Lachish Reliefs are carvings that portray the Assyrian domination of Lachish in 701 BC as well as the belief that militant domination is glorious and respectable. They represent the belief that demonstration of one’s supremacy is necessary in order to truly be supreme. The Sphinx of Taharqo represents two cultures mixing and is an example of the political method of mixing cultures when taking over a new territory in order to maintain respect. This portrays the belief that different cultures should be respected. The Chinese Zhou Ritual Vessel encompasses several Religious beliefs of the Chinese such as the belief that deceased family members watch over their loved ones, that there is an afterlife, and that the dead should be respected. This leads into other beliefs such as the belief in a mandate of heaven, meaning that rulers are blessed by the gods, but that blessing can be taken away. We continue to express our beliefs though art today in many ways such as in the form of religious art and political cartoons.
DeleteArt is a fantastic means of propaganda. It appeals at a deeply emotional level, far beyond any puff piece could ever do. So, it seems obvious that in a government takeover or exchange, the best way to sway favor is to produce compelling artwork that demonstrates the legitimacy of the new government.
DeleteThe Sphinx of Taharqo is monstrous and created to demonstrate the new Suddanese Kings attempt at fusing the cultures of Sudan and Egypt. The Sphinx of Taharqo combines two icons, the sphinx with a black african face, united into one statue. The statue was a statement that attests to the pharaohs divine right to rule because of the placement of his black face onto a very iconic Egyptian motif despite being a foreign leader.
The union of art and power to retain public support is also shown in the Chinese Zhou ritual vessel. Created during the time of new Cho rule that replaced the Chang dynasty, the vessel was used in offertory to the dead, a huge part of the Cho culture. And so by the Cho government creating the vessel, they demonstrate respect for the past culture while gaining favor from the people of China.
Using art to display belief and power still remains today. Within the US capital, the architecture is designed to demonstrate our nations power and democracy as shown in the Neoclassical Architecture style of the US Capital buildings that are inspired by ancient Geek and Roman architecture, two cultures that founded the democratic beliefs.
Art has been around and used to express people's opinions and their beliefs since before the ancient times. It lets people be themselves and project feelings that words cannot portray. This lets historians not only have a detailed look into the past, but also lets them connect with people living during that time.
DeleteThe pieces of art discussed in this podcast show the variety of ancient cultures and different people from the past. The Lachish Relief portrays a massive amount of Judean people being deported from their homes because of their leaders act of rebellion towards Assyria. The artist was probably hired by the ruler of Assyria to create this, due to the fact that it highlights the consequences of rebelling against them, and this is a way to show power and control over a territory. The Sphinx of Taharqo is a very interesting piece because it portrays a combination of two different societies into one. It is shown with the face of the Sudanese king (Taharqo) onto the well-known Egyptian sphinx to celebrate the joining of Sudan and Egypt.The King of Lydia of Croesus even had all of his gold coins marked with his own personal images to show the other empires the power of his country and that that the king as access to a plethora of financial resources.
Today, we still use art heavily to express our beliefs. From contemporary art hanging up in galleries around the world, to documentaries, to even our currency we use today, we still use art as a way to communicate our thoughts and beliefs in a way that isn't speaking.
All these objects were created as a way for the ancient people to express how they felt and their beliefs about what was happening to and around themselves. At this time artistry was very much glorified and also a way to show power. Artistry was a way of documentation of what made people proud such as the pride of conquering the king had. The Sphinx of Taharqu was created to document Egypt being conquered by Sudan.
DeleteToday we still use artistry to document. Rather that's through pictures, paintings, sculptures or more we like to have proof of what we have achieved and what we believe in. Artistry is even more wide spread with the advancements in technology and will continue to grow with the varying beliefs and powers as we as a human race do.
These objects Neil MacGregor examines are power plays. Political, borderline propaganda, and power plays. Take the Lachish Reliefs. This is a documentation of the siege of their city shows one side of the story, the Lachish as their best. This is also seen in previous works of art like Ramesses II depicting himself in statues as a constant winner. Government was at the tip of everyone's tongue; it was only natural that art was used to express such reliefs.
DeleteToday we still express our beliefs through art. Be it political, religious, or even just your belief of love, you can safely bet that there is an Instagram post, song, painting, or tweet about it. In the 21st century, we have expanded upon what art can be, almost anyway you express a belief is art.
Neil MacGregor examines objects that are used to express how they felt about what was happening. They were propaganda. Art was praised and glorified and was a way to show your status of power. I feel like even today, we can express emotion through art. Through paintings, pictures, or sculptures, you'll always see an artist create it through an emotion he/she is feelings. The true definition of "art" in the 21st century can somewhat be overrated. Social media can be perceived as "art" only because it's when someone expresses their feelings/emotions. The Lachish Reliefs has a role on the goverment but also has to do with art. Art was used to expres these reliefs. You can express your feelings and it would be considered art.
Delete6. The World in the Age of Confucius 500 - 300 BCE
ReplyDelete(Respond by July 25, 2014 By 11:59pm)
The British Museum owns many works of art and artifacts as a result of their empire building. Who should own the cultural legacy of a civilization?
This question is, to say the least, a loaded one. The key to answering it personally is found in my ideas of ownership and the purposes of ancient artifacts in a modern world. Firstly, I would say that the cultural legacy of a civilization belongs to that civilization. The ideas, the discoveries, the architecture, the food, and the credit belongs to the civilization that created it. At the same time, I don't that possession of an artifact is necessary to have ownership of culture. While culture and artifacts are certainly related, they are not mutually exclusive of each other- you can posses an artifact not of your culture and you can have culture not represented by an artifact. For this reason, I stand by the British Museums possession of the artifacts they have, regardless of what culture they are representative of. This entire podcast is a testament to the good that can be done when a museum collects items across cultures. Museums makes history accessible. They allow us to connect the dots between civilizations, to understand the links and to discover the development of all of humanity, not just one culture. If all of these artifacts had not been compiled and studied together, we would have small snapshots of the ancient world rather than the global picture we have now. Museums safe guard history, drawing attention to the artifacts and the significance of their cultures, paying an homage to those before us while also protecting them from war and weather. Because of this, it is important that the legacy belongs to the civilization while the history and the chance to learn belongs to everyone.
DeleteThe question of ownership among ancient artifacts has been hotly debated for hundreds of years; those who were colonized fighting for their taken treasures, and the colonizers defending their right to keep them. Thus, there is no one answer; rather, each person has her own opinions of who should safeguard the legacy of an entire civilization.
DeleteI recently traveled to the city of Copan, Honduras, which is famous for its incredibly well preserved Maya city. While it is breathtaking to see the huge ball courts and impressive stepped pyramids, there is an unfortunate lack of smaller, mundane objects that would tell us even more about the daily lives of the Maya. Like all of the objects in this podcast, the artifacts of the Maya people are scattered among museums all over the world, leaving the people of Copan with just a few items. I believe that this reality should be reversed; Copan should keep the bulk of its heritage, while only a few items are spread worldwide; even with a few items from each former colony, the British Museum would still be packed with artifacts.
One object I found particularly interesting in this series of podcasts, were the Basse Yutz Flagons, beautiful works of art by the Celts. The flagons are a wonderful example of the consequences that come with the preservation of a culture through the conquering power (in this case, the Greeks and Romans). While the Greeks and Romans were each anal about their record keeping, there is not much written about the culture of the Celts, or what they were like prior to southern influence; we don't know what they called themselves, what language they spoke, or how they related to the world around them. If the Celts had been able to maintain their own artifacts, and preserve their own culture, who knows how much we would know about them today. Thus, I believe it is the duty and honor of each country to maintain their own culture and historical significance, and in the case of the British, take only minimal objects from previously conquered regions.
Britain’s imperialist legacy has garnered the British Museum a plethora of worldwide antiquities, art, and artifacts. Though the Elgin Marbles are the most prominent example, controversy has long surrounded the Museum’s practice of removing cultural artifacts from the site of their origin. While such a complicated question might require case-by-case consideration - in the Middle East’s volatile political climate, ISIS’s destruction of monuments and artifacts might have been prevented had they been in a museum - the place of origin of the artifact should own the cultural legacy of that civilization. When an object is placed in a museum, we see it as just that: an object. In the organized, academic, removed atmosphere of a museum, we experience the artifacts with no context. An intricately painted vase is interesting for a few moments, but rooms and rooms filled with glass-cased antiquities quickly become repetitive. Sure, there are panels to provide further information, but their formality and pedantic tone alienate the viewer from emotional or cultural connections they might feel to the artifacts. When an object is displayed in its originating location, however, it is provided with context. How strange would it be to view the Pyramids not at Giza but instead in the middle of London? The surrounding desert environment is integral to the experience of the Pyramids, just as any environment would be to the objects that originated there. Providing even more context is the culture that exists in each place today. If you were to visit the ancient Aztec city of Teotihuacan in modern-day Mexico, it would be impossible to separate the cultural influence the Aztecs had on current Mexican culture. The physical aspect of linking heritage and artifacts to modern culture presents an experience completely the opposite of viewing those same objects in museums.
DeleteThus, the cultural legacy of a civilization belongs to the civilizations that grew from them; Mesopotamian artifacts belong to Iraq, Egyptian artifacts belong to Egypt, Aztec artifacts belong to Mexico, Athenian artifacts belong to Greece. Worldwide resentment towards Britain has long existed as a result of their imperialism and colonization, and the removal of historic heritage continues Britain’s trend of taking what isn’t theirs and claiming it as their own. The Elgin Marbles, as mentioned previously, are being fiercely debated over, as Greece wants its cultural artifacts to display in their country as a representation of their history and culture. Other countries may be soon to follow suit, and it will be interesting to see how the British Museum responds in this struggle that is soon to unfold.
The cultural legacy most naturally belongs to the civilization it was derived from. Even though this belief has not held up in the past, the fact that another culture has been "taken" by other civilizations or integrated into their own growing societies is common. For example, the Persians and their mighty empire. Each time they expanded and took over civilizations to join their own, there was always an integration of the other culture and it was one of the first empires to tolerate multiple religions, languages and because of this, the Persians lasted as a major superpower. The Olmec Stone Mask, born from the one of the first cities in Central America that ruled for 1,000 years as the "mother culture" is a major artifact that originated in Mexico, and the representation between bells and harmony dates back to the Chinese thousands of years. Our cultures, no matter how old have interspersed, taken a bit here, and a bit there, so some things are difficult to determine which cultural legacy it came from.
DeleteIt seems such a simple answer, but, like Avocet explained, there is major controversy on the fact that the British Museum or any museum for that matter hold these artifacts when they rightfully belong to the culture they originated from. I think this is important to keep in mind, but I also believe the British Museum is doing right by obtaining all these pieces from ancient civilizations. They respect the culture they're derived from, and the museum takes very good care of all their artifacts. Not only that, but museums are here to house those dying or growing cultural legacies, to bring them back to life, to inform and reveal... and so even though the British Museum has obtained all of these historical pieces, the cultural legacies still live on for that particular culture.
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DeleteThe repatriation of cultural property seems, at a glance, the correct thing to do. After all, it is only fair that the civilization that created the artifacts should be able to own and observe them. But could history suffer when these artifacts are returned? If a museum does return the objects to their place of origin, it could mean that we can no longer be able to study them. In doing this, we run the risk of having precious works lost, stolen, or destroyed.
DeleteNow, if the country of origin provided means of proper conservation, historical documentation, and public access, then my answer would be a resounding yes. But until those means are provided for in full, I have to argue that The British Museum is the best place to house these artifacts. Such is the case of the Parthenon Sculpture. Greece believes that the sculpture rightfully belongs to them, while London insists that it is an integral part of the story of world cultures. There is an air of total respect that comes with the British Museum's dealings of such artifacts, which is what drives my argument. The museum treats these objects as a way to learn more about our history, and share those discoveries with the public. It is not an exclusive building, shut off to only scientists and historians, it is a place for anyone and everyone to come and observe. And it is for that reason that I believe the artifacts are in good hands, and should stay in those hands.
This is a question that ties to a debate in which I have opposing opinions. Upon first glance the answer seems clear, the artifacts in question should rightfully belong to the civilizations that crafted them. The act of keeping artifacts out of reach of the countries that created them seems wrong, why deprive a nation from having the puzzle pieces that connect their history together. It sort of seems unjust for museums to keep artifacts out of reach of their nation of grain, especially The British Museum which sits in a country that for centuries was famed for literally decimating cultures. The idea that The British Museum has now has these artifacts on display in their museum seems a little unfair, as if they're trying to say ‘Oh look, all the things we got when we invited ourselves onto your land,’ which is not a fair trade for the other nations. At first glance the whole argument seems rather one sided, obviously the nation is which the artifact was created should keep their own cultural legacy.
DeleteBut first glances don’t tell you everything. When I was younger I used to love to go to museums, looking through glass panes at what life was like mellenas before me was fascinating. At museums I had the chance to experience cultures that I never would have seen as an eight year old living in the middle of Ohio, museums provide a chance for everyone to travel through time as they walk through dimly lit rooms full of artifacts with labels far too long for anyone to actually read as the pass by. Bigger museums like The British Museum are a safe place to keep the aging memories of the earth, with their reliable caretaking skills, the museum is an excellent place to store artifacts. You see this is the problem, if artifacts stay in where they were born we may never get to experience the history of the world as easily as we can today. Most artifacts are very delicate and need to be taken care of in very special ways,reputable museums have systems for taking care of their artifacts and thats a magnificent thing. If artifacts are to go back to their homes we risk the chance of it getting destroyed or the possibility that instead of being placed in a display for tourist to marvel at, it could be put in a room for only scientist to observe.
It is important for a civilization to keep their legacy but, it is also important for us to learn about them. Does taking an artifact and putting it in a museum such as The British Museum really mutilate legacies left by civilizations? No, museums help spread the legacy, they help to inform everyone of the past, no matter where you live. And sure it would be great to experience artifacts in their original places of origin but then cultures could be lost to the world outside of them. Because artifacts in museums don’t weaken legacies, they spread the legacy and that is very important.
No museum has the right to take away the culture or art found in a different civilization without the approval of that country or civilization. The artifacts define the history, the legacy of that civilization and should be seen in the glory of its original location in order to grasp the full legacy of the artifact. Sure, a museum can do the artifact justice by creating an exhibit for it and teach visitors about its history and legacy, but no museum can reach the same glory of seeing an item such as the Centaur and Lapith in its true home. Then, the money that the museum would spend to take these objects could be used to restore the fantastic monuments that these items belong to.
DeleteA museum takes away the legacy of a civilization by putting the culture inside a glass cage in a room inside of a building somewhere as part of an exhibit. The only true good thing about a museum is that some exhibits can tour to other museums, taking civilizations hundreds of miles away from their real homes. However, the true way to celebrate the glory of a civilization is to see the wonders left behind in their respective countries, the centaur and the lapith in the parthenon, the Chinese bronze bell in China, and the other artifacts where they belong.
What belongs to a country stays in the country, its a basic principle of ownership. A museum does not have any privilege or exception over this principle. the centaur and lapith belongs in the parthenon, the Olmec stone mask belongs in Mexico, the basse youth flagons in France, not a museum. If the countries want to sell these items to a museum, they have a right to do so, but unless they don't, it belongs in the country, not a museum.
I have to agree with Mahmoud here, museums have no right to own the cultural legacy of a different civilization with out permission artifacts belong where they were found, they can be seen in their natural glory and the full meaning for them can be seen and understood better if they are where they were meant to be. the artifacts in these podcasts, such as the Olmec Stone Mask and the Centaur, would be best in their home where they are seen in their glory and the stories behind them is better seen and is easier to grasp their purpose and how people lived and what they believed in.
DeleteA museum can borrow artifacts, as in the artifacts go on a 'tour' to different museums but they go back to their home at the end, or a museum could buy the artifacts from the country from which they originated. Museums should not have the power to just take them from their homes.
I'm not saying museums are awful because they have bits and pieces from around the world behind glass cases for all to see, museums are fantastic and teach you about different civilizations and what life was like thousands of years ago. I'm saying that the ownership of objects of cultural legacies from different civilizations should be more fairly dealt with.
Determining who should own the cultural legacy of a civilization is a problematic question because several factors that are different within each culture must be weighed. In some cases, cultures of the past do not have clear, present day descendants, such as the Persian Empire and the Olmecs, so granting someone ownership over artifacts such as the Oxus chariot model and the Olmec stone mask simply due to their ancestry would not be possible. In other cases the descendants of a past cultures are clear, such as with the Greeks and the Chinese, and in those cases I believe that they should have ownership over their cultural legacy if its desired. The only instance in which a present day culture should not have ownership of their past legacy is when the environment within the present day culture is extremely volatile, putting their legacy in danger.
DeleteThe question of ownership of cultural legacies of a civilization has, like others, no definite answer, and I believe no right one. This is because both sides of the fence have valid points. First, the idea that the country of origin has complete ownership of it's cultural legacy and history seems obvious. When important events happen in a county, it seems right for that country to have control over preserving that history and keeping it for themselves and tourists who visit that said country. And, it is understandable that countries these days are angry that a lot of their historical artifacts are hanging up in a Museum 1,000 miles away in a country that has been continuously oppressive and dominant over that country.
DeleteHowever, as shown in this podcast, The British Museum has given access to information from these artifacts to millions and continues to educate and enlighten an enormous amount of people . Also, if you take into consideration the amount of care these items might take to preserve and keep alive, it might be best to have them in a safe and reputable environment, other than in a possible less-developed country that doesn't have the resources to continue to preserve these important historical artifacts.This is a great plus for the side of this question that supports these items being shown in countries other than their origin.
DeleteCountries strengthen their current identities by drawing from particular moments in the past. When those moments are displaced, cultures become lost and forgotten. Artifacts and objects can sometimes be the last remains of those moments and the last connection a people have to their past.
The British Museum contains an extensive collection of objects and artifacts extending over a vast number years from a multitude of countries and continents. This collection of thousands of cultures is sometimes seen as an illegally possession of stolen artifacts. But, the possession of these artifacts can also be seen as a salvage and preservation of lost history, which is how I tend to view the museums collection.
Though removing artifacts from their home can deprive the original owners sense of place and purpose, it does provide a piece of history to the masses that visit this museum who want to learn more about human history and the cultures that shaped it.
The British museum has had much controversy concerning their collections rightful owners, but, criminalizing the museum would be doing a disservice to their preservation efforts. Human history has been safely stored and displayed for the world to admire. The museums collection has thousands of years of history that might otherwise been destroyed or lost had they not saved it from oblivion.
In my opinion the ownership over a cultural legacy should lie with the people that started and lived the certain culture because it was their way of life. With that said I would also argue that a cultural legacy does not have an owner it has followers. Those that chose to follow a culture are the people that carry on the legacy, therefore not having one specific owner but a group.
DeleteWhen it comes to a museum, Like the British museum, I believe they have the right to have artifacts on displace to show respect to that cultures legacy if they do so without destroying meaning. For example, if it is a part of a culture to have a statue in a given location a museum or anyone else should not touch it unless they are apart of the culture itself. For a museum to remove an artifact for their own benefit would be disrespectful and insulting to the cultural legacy that would have been left behind had the piece stayed in its intended location.
I guess all in all ownership would have to be taken case by case. If an artifact was abandoned and discovered then it would be appropriate for a museum to house the piece but never should a cultural piece be removed from its original and intended location for it would take away its cultural meaning and destroy the possible legacy it could've left behind.
This question is being debated currently, not only among countries, but in my head. When I first read the question, I immediately thought the rights to a civilization's legacy should lie with the civilization itself. They created it, it's theirs. Why should other countries get to claim it for their museums? But when I thought more about it, I realized that through keeping all of your culture to yourself, you cannot grow as a world unit, nor would there be this amount of diversity in the world today. I believe that if the British Museum proudly displays the objects as other cultures', it should be okay, although, I do think the original country should have a say in which objects it chooses to keep.
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DeleteObviously, one should immediately think the civilization is responsible for the creation of it. Yes, I can see where the debate would come in about museums sort of "inherited" the artifacts so these other countries should take credit? I disagree. The people living in these civilizations are the ones that have created them. Their culture, their language, everything. The British Museum does a wonderful job recognizing these civilizations but I definitely believe that, without these people, we wouldn't have a diverse community or any genuine civilizations. The original countries deserve the credit.
Delete7. Empire Builders 300 BCE - CE 1
ReplyDelete(Respond by August 1, 2014 By 11:59pm)
Given their level of technological knowledge, what things did early empires use to control their territories?
The empires of the past were gargantuan; huge regions reigned in by bureaucratic systems, far larger and more complex than any modern country's government. The feats these rulers performed are even more incredible considering the limited knowledge of technology, at least by today's standards. To the rulers of the past, however, the technology was the most advanced they had known, and they used it in any way they could; the act of controlling these vast empires required new and creative tactics aside from brute force.
DeleteAn effective governing technique was one still utilized today: propaganda. Exemplified in the coin featuring Alexander the Great and the bust of Caesar Augustus. The coin relied on the people's nostalgia and sympathy for the late Alexander; the expectation was that ordinary people would link the stable and powerful Alexander the Great to the current ruler, thus securing the people's respect and loyalty. We are surrounded by this sort of propaganda constantly; the American currency is decorated with past presidents and significant historical figures, a reminder of our country's humble yet impressive beginnings and a hopeful outlook for America's future. The bust of Augustus's head is employed with a different outcome in mind. If the people of the Roman empire were surrounded with images of their young, ambitious leader, then allegiance to him would be a no-brainer; literally, the cult-like worship of Augustus practically brainwashed his citizens into loyalty. This is quite similar to the propaganda employed by the figurehead royalty in Thailand; the Thai king's portrait is on billboards, pamphlets, on pendants swaying from taxi mirrors. And it certainly works! When the Thai king fell ill the entire country went into mourning, the exact effect Augustus was searching for.
Winning over the people, however, was merely have the battle. Rulers had to convince their competition (priests, aristocrats, military lords) of their right to govern. In this case, bribery was frequently used, as we see in the lacquer cup and Rosetta Stone. Both objects send a clear message: the ruler is not ashamed of plying the upperclass with presents in order to maintain their station.
The craftsmanship, large scale distribution, and hard work put into all of these objects shows just how far rulers would go to control their territories. Fortunately, their efforts benefit us today; the technological advances employed in the past were the foundations of our advancements, and gave our current politicians a few ideas of how to win the loyalty of a large group of people.
Though early empires lacked the technology of today, the methods they used to control their societies would be easily recognizable today. Alexander the Great and Caesar Augustus worked to build their reputations and public images; being liked enabled them to rule, and enabled them to rule with less dissent from the people than a tyrannical ruler may have encountered. As Neil MacGregor mentions, this technique has been used countless times in politics since, and the carefully crafted images of these rulers allow them to live on as ideals of leadership. Other civilizations, such as Han Dynasty China, relied on near-bribery to control their territories. The vast empire’s various territories each had regional leaders, and to keep them loyal to the Emperor, they were given beautiful gifts, such as the lacquer cup here. In building his Indian empire, Ashoka and his father, Chandragupta, initially used force, a common practice to control territories. Yet Ashoka, after adopting Buddhism, soon turned to more peaceful methods of ruling, including values such as religious tolerance, equality for all (regardless of gender), and an emphasis on health and education. Like Alexander the Great and Caesar Augustus, being well-liked enabled Ashoka to effectively govern his vast territories; unlike Alexander and Augustus, however, Ashoka’s being-liked was related more to his actions than to his image.
DeleteBeginning in the earliest empires, there was always a new way for a ruler (emperor, king, etc.) to assert their power. For many that meant being represented as someone far greater and superior than the rest of the population, and in this particular time period, it's interesting to see that though military might was important for an empire to control, force was not necessarily perceived as the best way to rule. Alexander the Great and Augustus of the Romans can be considered quite similar in their standings amongst the people (as Augustus did follow the image of Alexander). Both men were raised around military power and were ambitious, both asserting their power through their images and rising belief that they were indeed gods of their own will. Alexander the Great was revered by his people as both man and god on everyday coin and Augustus, with the thousands of statues and the young image in which he put himself used propaganda to create his dominance, and as we can see, both tactics worked very well.
DeleteIndian Emperor Ashoka, on the other hand, used religion and philosophical wisdom of the Buddhist nature, which made an impression on his people; originally a ruthless killer as a youth, he turned into the benevolent ruler that depended on the happiness and welfare of his people. There was a bridge between status that Ashoka crossed often. And while this power to rule so benevolently worked for Ashoka, we might take a look at the Han Dynasty in China, where wealth and bribery were still seen as a controlling method for the people. With China's constant threat of outside forces, and the need for its emperors to seem great, rather than assert their image, they gifted allies and prized military personnel with beautifully crafted gifts such as the lacquer cups to symbolize dominance, and bind people.
I think as these empires and dynasties were moving along, it really depended on the image of the ruler, and the state of peace; if the ruler was perceived as weak, there seemed an increased rule through force, as we might look at Cleopatra. She was great in her time, but she was also a woman without a ruling husband which greatly agitated her people. She had to show her dominance one way or the other while maintaining the major threat that loomed at Egypt from all sides by the Romans. Many rulers like her did the same, and even now we can see varied methods depend on the person who's making the decisions.
Alexander the Great was the first known ruler to have his image placed on currency. Now, some two thousand and three hundred years later, this doesn’t seem like a strange idea; let alone a control tactic. But with a closer look at the image on the coin, we see that it narrates to the observer two things. The first would be a clear portrayal of dominance over the people. The second, with his great horns Ammon, serves to suggest that he was both human and god. This was the earliest form of propaganda, a tactic used to this day to place an image into the public’s mind that will sway their thoughts and ideas toward a person of power.
DeleteCommunication can also be a potent tool of control. The Pillar of Ashoka was a way in which the ruler Ashoka used communication through written word to reach his people. Ashoka promoted his code of ethics inspired by that practiced in Buddhism. And this object was only a small portion of an even greater one, carved on a great circular column, about thirty feet high, and three feet wide. Ashoka had many of these spread throughout his empire, to be seen by everyone.
It was not unlike Caesar Augustus’ strategic plan to establish himself as one of Rome’s most well known faces. An image that promotes beauty, authority, dignity, and power. And, as noted in its program, a “very successful marketing plan”. All in all, the most efficient way to influence your empire is to spread yourself throughout them. Propaganda, text, and reminders of an ever-powerful presence seem to be a great way to command people's attention.
These empires were vast, and it would take a lot more than just a massive artillery and a large army to ensure dominance over a conquered people and an easy way to do this is money. With money, it's easy to send subliminal messages to the people while keeping a sort of consistency among the empire. Consider the coin with the image of Alexander the Great. At the first appearance, it is a coin, an item of monetary value that unites the empire in its consistency among the empire, but at a closer look, it is actually a subliminal message to the people, making a person look at their controller every time they were to go to make a person. This ensures the loyalty of the people and the dominance of the empire.
DeleteAnother method to assure the control of the empire is putting the image of the ruler everywhere. For instance, Caesar Augustus would put statues of himself throughout the Roman empire, and statues were even found in Egypt. These statues were used as propaganda in order to remind the people of who is in charge. Using these methods, empires were able to control people for many years without much uprising.
Early empires used objects to glorify their leaders and instill a sense of patriotism, which unified their territories. Objects such as the coin with the head of Alexander, and the head of Augustus are portraits of leaders, which were circulated to illustrate the leaders supremacy and remind all of citizens of their achievements. They were used as marketing tools. Other objects such as the Rosetta Stone and the Pillar of Ashoka were used to circulate proclamations which made a more personal connection between citizens and their leaders and they glorified the ideas leaders wanted to spread. Lastly, the Chinese Han lacquer cup is an example of an object that emperors would give to their governors to keep loyalty and connect emperors with the rest of their state.
DeleteMoney was a very smart way to keep control of early empires with out the need of huge military force. Everyone used money, Alexander the Great put his face on coins, so you would constantly see his face and have a subtle reminder of who your ruler was. Ashoka had pillars carved with his ethics and spread around the empire, as to show and remind his subjects who he was. Caesar had statues of himself put all around his empire, used as propaganda to show his might and who was in charge.
DeleteAn empirical currency stamped with the leaders face, tablets describing the new leader’s divine right of power and the giving of lacquer cups to sway favor were all tactics used 2000 years ago in maintaining influence and asserting power over people. They were creative uses of the contemporary technologies to advance ones power, but among the podcasts I listened to, the one that I believe best answers this question, is the podcast on the Pillars of Ashoka.
DeleteAshoka’s rule is one of the best examples for answering this question, though not directly. Ashoka placed inscribed pillars throughout his lands all displaying with positive messages for his subjects to realize and live by. The columns/pillars were all site specific, created in the native tongue of those who would be reading it. I say read but, in those times most people were illiterate and so the messages were most likely read aloud by a literate interpreter according to the podcast. Ashoka expertly created a very successful way to govern and control the people. He allowed the people to maintain practicing their own religion, even though he was a Buddhist, and continue to speak their native tongue even after he controlled the land they lived on. He valued their happiness because happy people make a successful nation. All Ashoka’s beliefs from happiness, to his ways on ruling, and the morals which he lived by, were all laid in stone, displayed publicly on these large columns for all to see and understand. These pillars provided clear communication to govern the people and when there is clear communication, the empire can run smoothly and business makes progress.
The pillars he used to control the people were not radically advanced. They were a simple way to relate to the subjects through the display of his humanity and deep concern for their well-being. Ashoka was able to control an empire that lasted his lifetime through a simple technology of communication.
With this consistent urge from rulers to expand their empires, came new creative ideas to conquer and rule over a territory. The first of these new tactics was propaganda and symbolism. This was used to project a ruler's greatest attributes and characteristics, so the people would accept them. This was done with Alexander The Great creating coins with his face on it. Not only is this a very effective method, but it also pleases the people in showing that their ruler is brave and strong. Caesar also did this with statues rather than coins, but had the same idea of displaying his power in mind.
DeleteAnother differing tactic is Ashoka's method of displaying religious messages of peace and other Buddhist ideals by putting pillars up all around his empire. This was to get the people on his side and accept him as a ruler and religious leader. The people adored the messages, which not only kept Ashoka in power, but also led to more peaceful relations between people.
During the Han dynasty, bribery was also used to control their empire. The emperors used a corrupt system of giving lavish and expensive gifts (for example the lacquer cups) to regional leaders to assert their power and still have control over that specific territory. All of these methods are still used in some form today, to control and hold power over nations and are still very effective in doing so.
Question Seven
DeleteThe Ancient Empires controlled their territories using techniques still used today. Propaganda was a vastly used technique, images of leaders plastered onto anything and everything. Money was the place where faces could most often be seen, similar to the large stamp of George Washington on the U.S. dollar or the print of Queen Elizabeth the II that shows up on your 50 quid, the use of pounding a leader's face onto currency was widely used in the Ancient Empire. Alexander the Great was most popular for doing so, his face appearing on the currency even long after his reign. The successor of the renowned leader, Lyshus, took it upon himself to place Alexander the Great's face (or at least a version of it) onto coins to show that he was just as powerful as the leader before him. This was a sort of propaganda move, showing the puissant leader of the past in order to secure the empire's idea of the new leader, as if telling the citizens that this new leader believes in the same objectives as the last. It’s a move many nations take today, China for example, print Mao Zedong on there Yaun as a way to exemplify that there leaders still wish to continue Mao's famed communist rule. Placing a leader's face on currency (or on just about everything if you have some sort of napoleon complex) is a fantastic way to spread a message through to the citizens of a nation. Through this form of propaganda, the people are thoroughly submerged in the leaders making their influence grow throughout the empire. Currency is something that people use quite regularly and by printing a face on it suddenly there recognition is present whenever anyone goes to pay for something. This form of contro was used widely in the Empires of the past and becouse it was effective the traditon continued on till present time. Even leaders who are the exact opposite of all powerful tyrant are used, for instance Ashoka, a ruler who believed wholeheartedly (you know after he slaughtered a bunch of people and then felt bad about it, but that’s besides the point) in Dharma and then writing all his thoughts down on to an artifact now known as the Pillar of Ashoka, can be found with his face imprinted onto a coin.
Emperors used power, authority, and fear to protect their empires. Power and authority were both projected through images such as the images of past leaders on their currency. Having powerful faces on a object used all the time was a constant reminder to the people what their leader was capable of. In some cases past leaders were placed on currency to remind people of how far the empire has come especially during communist time and creating fear to the thought of that possibly happening again.
DeleteThe Head of Augustus also proved as power over the people. The bust commanded attention in a room. The head has eyes they may look as if it is looking at a person but in reality it is looking past them to its future of becoming a God creating the sense of authority over its people.
With this overwhelming sense of authority and power the empire displays, through currency and busts, a sense of fear becomes apparent in the people. Having your powerful leader on your currency makes a person realize how much power they have over their life. If their face is on the currency than they must have control over the currency which controls what can be purchased by the people. Without currency people are unable to buy necessary items to their lives such as food and water.
The technologic advancement comes from the realization of the effect imagery has on their people, thus protecting their empires and themselves from becoming overthrown.
They always say money is the motive. Emperors used their status of power, currency, discipline, and authoritative figures to control their territories. Small things would remind these people who their ruler was and who had control over them. Putting faces on coins or simply just a strict look on their face disciplined and put the fear of God into these people, making them know 100% who their ruler was and what he/she was capable of. These gestures are to show these people how far the empire has come during the communist time. A powerful ruler was The Head of Augustus. He had a sense of authority over these people and showed it through different objects and gestures, just as any other ruler would do. People took this authority seriously because they knew without money, they couldn't buy resources to survive. i.e. food and water so these people did a great job of obeying their ruler so their empire, ruler, or even themselves don't get overthrown.
DeleteWhen looking at the way emperors gained authority in the past, it is a surprise that they did not study psychology. Propaganda was an extreme factor in securing power in an empire. For example: currency. It is needed to buy food, and other necessities. Needless to say, the people of the empires came in contact with it often. Alexander the Great was the first known ruler to actually put his face on currency. With Alexander the Great thought to be the son of Zeus and Ammon, his god-like horns on the currency struck awe in citizens. How lucky they were to be in an empire previously ruled by a god! This is observed today with the appearance of leaders in currency becoming very common in numerous countries around the world. Currency was not the only way of asserting dominance. Everywhere Romans turned was a bust of Caesar Augustus, almost brainwashing them into worshiping him. Imagery was a major part of the technological advancement of psychological propaganda.
DeleteDespite the evolution of humans, society, and technology since the time these kingdoms thrived, the way these rulers controlled their territories is remarkably similar to the methods politicians use today. At its root, the coin with the head of Alexander, the Pillar of Ashoka and the head from the statue of Augustus are all about image. In kingdoms as large as Greece and Rome it was impossible for a leader to be everywhere. By creating a coin with your own face on it, you ensure that your face, your image, and your power stretch to all lands that that coin is used. When a leader engraves his own face on something as common and integral as a coin, he insures that everyone knows what he looks like and how far his power extends. In the same vein, the head of Augustus with its wide open eyes is a symbol of power letting you know that even though the emperor isn't there, he is always watching. When the army from Sudan decapitated the head from the statue, it was yet another display of power. They took what was once a symbol of Augustus' control, and destroyed it enforcing themselves as the controller. The Pillar of Ashoka does much the same thing, this time showing off the wealth and prestige of the ruler, creating a reputation of someone strong, sturdy, and uncrossable. The Chinese Lacquer cup shows another form of manipulation, namely bribery. The Han emperor who gifted this to someone was confident in both his power and his wealth and he used that as a way of control. The gift of a golden cup shows that the emperor has the resources to reward those who serve him and, in kind, destroy those who disobey him. This is yet another timeless way to get people to do whatever you tell them to. The final item, The Rosetta Stone, is an example of propaganda, a tool even more present now than it was during the Egyptian rule. By creating this text about the pharaoh in all of these languages, you ensure that everyone knows what you want them too- an effective way to control the masses.
Delete8. Ancient Pleasures, Modern Empires CE 1-600
ReplyDelete(Respond by August 8, 2014 By 11:59pm)
How has our view of 'pleasure' changed over time? Are there some leisure activities that we indulge in today that are missing from this group?
As a general whole, these objects serve to show that over time, our view of ‘pleasure’ has remained relatively constant. These objects, depicting sex, smoking, sports, and spices, represent activities that we find enjoyable today. As we see with the Roman pepper pot, the appreciation of food has continued through the ages. We may appreciate food in different forms - fine dining restaurants, for example, are something the Romans may not have enjoyed in the way we do today - but as Tom Standage mentions, our dinner parties of today are scenes ancient Romans would immediately recognize. The Aztec obsession with sports has also very prominently remained in our culture. Sports have evolved past being solely local and regional traditions, and in our global society, sports teams from across the globe interact in events like the Summer and Winter Olympics and the soccer World Cups. Like food, sports have retained much of their original excitement throughout time.
DeleteSex and smoking, while very notable pleasures in our culture, carry societal taboos not associated with either food or sports. The perils of smoking tobacco - as was popular with the Native Americans and still is today - have been made so widely known in recent decades that the stigma associated with smoking is an intensely negative one. (Smoking tobacco is on the decline, but the as a result its legalization in various states, smoking marijuana is on the rise.) Sex has always had a complicated role in society. To begin with, since the biological purpose for sex is to create offspring, the argument of sex for pleasure vs. sex solely for procreation has remained a prominent one, and at that, an argument heavily imbued with clashing religious beliefs. Even in our post-sexual-revolution society, sex remains a more secretive pleasure.
Certainly, these objects are not comprehensive of our leisure activities today. No books or literature are found in this set of artifacts, nor were any objects indicating listening or playing music. Modern technological advances have provided us with more leisurely activities including cinema and the internet. Still, the objects shown here do an excellent job at relating the pleasures of the past to the not-so-different pleasures of today.
To me, this set of podcasts brought a certain tenderness and intimacy to the people of the past that I had not experienced with the previous episodes. I felt uncannily like the slave depicted in the Warren Cup, as though I had just walked in on a private moment, yet was fascinated enough to observe awhile longer. While previous podcast sets discussed the rise and fall of empires and the daily tools used for survival, these objects brought liveliness and character to our ancestors; by learning how they sought enjoyment and pleasure, we observe that it is not so different than the way we, today, seek to entertain ourselves.
DeleteSex, sports, smoking, and food are pleasures we have been indulging in since ancient times. However, it is not merely the activities, but society's view on the activities, that can determine whether or not we take part in them. Two great examples of this, are the Warren Cup and the North American Otter Pipe. The Warren Cup, a beautifully worked silver goblet illustrating men engaged in sexual intercourse with one another, shows the parallels between humanity's thoughts on sex in Ancient Rome, as well as modern times. In Ancient Rome this cup would have been reserved for male-exclusive dinner parties. At these lavish, upper-class events, the cup could be admired for its craftsmanship and spark discussions about homosexuality; while it was common for men to mentor boys, and often have sex with them, the stigma surrounding homosexuality discouraged any public mention of it. While modern opinion attempts to imitate this Roman approach to sex and sexuality, we have twisted it in the process. Although the taboo on sex remains, our consumer-driven society is exposed to a great deal of sexually charge advertisements, these days involving mostly women. Society teaches us that sex is wrong, yet we see it everywhere, all the while wondering how a nation so desensitized to violence could be so stimulated by sex; but I digress.
The societal opinion on smoking as changed a great deal over the 2,000 year period between its first use and now. The first people to smoke, The Native Americans, smoked tobacco containing hallucinogenics; a way for them to connect with their religion. Thousands of years later we learned about the dangers of smoking, and the verdict is in: society does not approve of smoking, and the connotation of a cigarette is generally a poor one.
These objects are only the start of the ways that humans have entertained themselves: literature, movies, music, shopping, and television are all additional widely enjoyed activities. Yet the human take on pleasure is constantly changing, and what is acceptable now, may not be very soon.
When taking a look at what we considered pleasurable during this period of time, our tastes have not really changed in the long run. Acquiring the enjoyment of sex, food, smoking, and sports seems to be something of the past that continues to follow our daily lives.
DeleteSex, even from the very beginning (referring back to the love carving found in the cave) has dominated our lives, being one of the more natural indulgences, though the Warren Cup especially signifies our change, or perhaps acknowledgement towards who we enjoy this particular pleasure with (which I thought extremely interesting that the Romans, of all people, knew about it even if wasn't so accepted). Smoking, whether it's tobacco or cigarettes or another form is still growing quite popular, though it's downsides are repeatedly shooting it down for its detrimental effects that outweigh the enjoyment, and the "pleasure" notion of smoking, once considered sophisticated and spiritual (kudos to the otter carvings) has now become a way to join particular groups, or get away from daily stress on life. Sports now, though not meant to determine the fate of the opposing team's lives, have not particularly changed since it originated in Mexico since we still see it as a form of entertainment, and the use of a ball has been emphasized through the multiple types of sports, yet now its less about pain and religion, and more based on a career, a life, and still more, competition. We can also study the Admonitions Scroll, which was less of a pleasure of the heart, but rather a telling of how a young, wealthy woman could indulge her family and society at court and still remain in a good stance of power. And pepper (or any spice, really) with cooking has remained virtually unscathed. Food I believe (with sex close in second) remain the top pleasures of people everywhere as we can see through the growing industries of restaurants, fast-food, grocery stores, and the abundant amount of home-cooked meals that accompany our daily lives.
All of these these pleasures, I noticed, had a couple things in common. While we may see these actions, or objects, as significant toward our own individual enjoyment, many of them were considered great under religious and spiritual aspects. These days, this is not so much the case in all societies, but I think it interesting upon speculation.
Also, humans are always changing. The podcasts in this particular time period did not mention any objects that included the submergence of music and its significance in daily life which is a major pleasure today, and we might even take a look at fashion and how we not only indulge in it, but differentiate ourselves and our tastes as individuals in extremely diverse societies.
Throughout time, our views of pleasure have remained the same. And, while we have modified some of the leisure activities, we certainly still indulge in them. In fact, a few of which could be argued as an integral part of human life. Take for instance the Warren Cup, mixing two things that are often synonymous; sex and alcohol. Or the North American Otter Pipe, used originally for ritual, now because of the act associated with it. While maybe not in use of ritual, smoking is seen as a cool and calming act (if you overlook the extreme health risks), which is certainly still practiced today. And perhaps an activity most widely recognized; sports. Even though we have grown as a people, and our ways of obtaining pleasure have changed, it all boils down to a means of fun and entertainment.
DeleteThe pleasure activities of the past are relatively similar to the ones of present day, the newer ones are only slightly more evolved. Pleasure activities such as sex, sports, spices, and smoking are all leisure atcs that we as the human race still actively participate in today. As with most things throughout history though, these activities have grown, evolved. No longer do we play sports for rules purposes (though some can have religious aspects), and sports teams are no longer solely for the locals to play as a village, but the act of getting together to watch a sports game is something largely done throughout the world. Now we have bigger sports teams with renowned players from across the globe but like in the ancient times, sports are a way for people to gather together and enjoy themselves. New pleasure activities have also been added as the world progressed, people nowadays consider watching movies or television a pleasure activate, a fleet that ancient people could not even dream of being possible.
DeleteThese artifacts support that our view of pleasure has not necessarily changes but has grown and developed. Sports, smoking, drinking, and sex are all sill looked at as pleasure. Now their are more options thanks to technology. Something that has changed is peoples outlook on activities such as smoking and drinking. Both are viewed now as dangerous due to the health hazards that come along. People aren't proud of their smoking or drinking habits like they are about their sport or their new cell phone. Listening to music, playing video games, and surfing the web are all leisurely activities that people partake in everyday that were not part of the pleasure group due to the fact that the technology needed was not yet available.
DeleteTechnology has benefited the pleasure group by adding new activities and has also eliminated some because of the discovery of the health issues smoking and drinking can cause. Now people are more aware of the consequences and are more cautious about what 'pleasure' activities they partake in.
Our view of pleasure has fluctuated over time due to the advancement of our knowledge in the consequences of our indulgences as well as the natural evolution of society and what it deems acceptable. All of the acts these objects represent still remain very important in our society today but the acts as well as our opinions about them have surely changed. The Warren cup which illustrates homosexual acts between people of varying ages is a perfect representation of an act that has garnered a constantly fluctuating public opinion. In general, our views on sex have fluctuated wildly, but our views on homosexual acts have fluctuated, even more so. The North American Otter pipe represents an act that our view's have changed about due to the discovery that it isn't very healthy. The ceremonial ballgame belt, Admonitions Scroll, and the Hoxne pepper pot, represent our fascination with sports, arts, and food, which still remains today. These indulgences are much less controversial so the public opinion on them has not changed much but the acts themselves have. There are plenty of activities that we indulge in that were not represented in these objects such as the use of other recreational substances and other hobbies such as video gaming that were not as prevalent in the past for obvious reasons.
DeleteOur view of leisure activities has changed significantly over time. Some activities mentioned are smoking and having sexual intercourse. History shows us that ancient cultures participated in these activities as shown in the North American Otter Pipe and The Warren Cup. With our growing advancement of technology, however, society no longer approves of smoking because of the health risks involved and generally has a bad connotation to it. Some healthier alternative leisure activities that people participate in today are surfing the web and reading books. This shows that throughout the human race, we are always looking to have a little fun and not think about the stress of our daily lives.
DeleteI have noticed, specifically in American culture, people, including myself, desire and need to fulfill their pleasure quota. Whether it be having sex, shopping, snorting coke, walking on a beach, smoking tobacco, drinking, etc. Whatever releases the dopamine needed to feel perfectly satisfied, we will continue to explore our options until we’ve fully satisfied that need.
DeleteIt’s completely natural to want pleasure and reach homeostasis. And as our civilizations and cultures have evolved, certain pleasure options have become off limits, sometimes spurring a social taboo like cocaine or gay-sex, or spur irrelevance of a pleasure like smoking tobacco, which once was a widely popular act, has become outcasted into the rain after a cultural realization of its dank smell and deadly side effects.
Our view of pleasure is constantly evolving and developing social and political taboos along the way. Our current materialistic culture, where Americans purchase stuff to fulfill that emotional hole in their heart, is a pleasure seeking activity missing from this group of pleasure activities. It is also a contemporary activity that is constantly shifting to meet its customers pleasure quota or else face irrelevance.
The word and meaning of "pleasure" has definitely changed over time. Everyone depicts this word differently. Some enjoy sex, some enjoy smoking, some cooking, some sports, shopping, etc. These things give certain people a sense of pleasure and certainty but other people's sense of pleasure ha eithe been shunned upon or banned. i.e. gay intercourse, public smoking, drugs, etc. These are things that yes, some people enjoy doing pleasurable yet they can't because it's been shunned. Pleasure in these ways are all humanly possible and some, normal. This word is continuously evolving to something greater on a social and political level. We seek for pleasure to fill voids in our lives. Everyone's needs of pleasure are different.
DeletePleasure has remained almost the same. It is a blanket word, enveloping such activities as sex, drinking, smoking, and cooking. The only difference that pleasure has developed is the emergence of embarrassment. Most activities that seemed to be pleasurable in the past have now become shunned. Homosexuality is still looked at in some places of the world as vile, smoking is outlawed in most public places, and age restrictions have been put on both smoking and drinking. With new research, we have found smoking is bad for your lungs, and that drinking is bad for your liver. We no longer have the joyful ignorance, and now we see the bad boys in movies smoking, the bad parents drinking. The changing views of what constituted as a viable pleasure showed the growth of both knowledge, and prejudice. The knowledge, of finding out new health facts. The prejudice, of judging one’s sexual preference.
DeleteMuch like the things that control us, the things we find pleasure in have changed very little. Just as we saw in the second set of objects, since the beginning of humanity we have found interest and pleasure in things like art, stories, sex, games, and food. The Warren Cup combines sex and alcohol, two things that have and continue to capture our interest.In this way, some of our basic pleasures have remained the same. An interesting thing about this cup is the specific imagery on its surface- depictions of gay and underage sex- two types of pleasure which are seen as taboo or amoral in modern day society. While we are seen as a much progressive society, this image of Roman pleasure is no longer tolerated. The Otter Pipe is an artifact which has many modern day counterparts. Just like the Native Americans who used this pipe, today smoking is often a relaxing, communal event. People gather around and smoke hookah, pipes, cigars, or cigarettes as a way of bonding and sharing. Sports and the ceremony involved with sports has become even more popular over the years. We find pleasure in the competition and sportsmanship found in games and sports and while rituals wearing large belts no longer exist, we devote shows, parties, and events to "pre game" shows and the communal viewing of sports. The poem and art work depicted in the recreation of the Admonitions Scroll echo our continued love for stories and art, something that we find increasing pleasure in today. The final object depicts our love for food, an affair that humans have participated in since the bringing. We love food, we love how it makes us feel, and we love how it can become an extension of ourselves as people. Food brings us together and nourishes us and it will always play an important role in our lives. One thing that I might say would be missing is an artifact that represents our fascination with violence. We are often violent by nature and take a sort of sick pleasure in seeing violence play out in front of us. A look at the movies and media we have today show us that and it would have been interesting to see something that reflected a similar interest in older civilizations.
Delete9. Rise in World Faiths CE 200 - 600
ReplyDelete(Respond by August 15, 2014 By 11:59pm)
How did empire and religion go hand in hand?
Due to the vast territories dominated by ruling empires, the spread of religion was easier than ever. The unification of different lands brought the religious, cultural, and social traditions of each region together; the empire would often pick and choose aspects of each culture for a comprehensive and unique representation of the conquered lands. Although territories controlled by empires such as the Roman and Gupta were far from close knit, the political impact of obeying the same law resulted in increased trade of goods and ideas; it is much easier to trade within an empire or country's boundaries than without. Amongst the pepper, textile, and silver, religion took its place along trade routes, as well as coat tailing the expansion of the empire. A great example of this, is the Hinton St Mary Mosaic. Although Christianity was founded in modern day Israel, it spread rapidly after being adopted as the official religion of the Roman Empire. Found with additional mosaics depicting the Roman gods Bacchus and Mars, Jesus Christ was another god brought to modern England through the trade routes of the Roman Empire; ironically, Bacchus and Mars did not originate in Rome, but were Greek gods commandeered by the Romans when they took over Greece.
DeleteJust as empires could spread and popularize religions, they could also destroy them. The Arabian Bronze Hand found in Yemen reminds us of a local Yemen religion that existed before Islam. Yet when the Yemen empire collapsed, due to decreased profits in the incense trade, the religion went with it, and was replaced by different, more promising gods.
The size and might of empires often served to facilitate the spread of religion. As Neil MacGregor says, “the religions that survive today are the ones that were spread and sustained by trade and power.” Due to Gandhara’s advantageous position along the Silk Road, they spread Buddhist ideology, and the wealth and stability of their empire - aided by the selling of precious silk - enabled Buddhism to flourish and thrive. Though the Roman Empire initially opposed Christianity, Constantine’s acceptance of the religion allowed it to spread throughout the empire, where the practice of that religion continued on even after the fall of the empire. Just as Gandhara and the Roman Empire show, the the rapid expansion of the Gupta empire after the year 300 allowed Hinduism to spread. The Guptas, however, are also set apart by their religious tolerance and acceptance toward other faiths in the empire, including Buddhism. Zoroastrianism was the prominent religion of the Sasanian Dynasty, where it flourished in their vast empire.
DeleteThe Arabian Bronze hand and the Silver Plate represent religions that have declined in prominence since the time of these objects. Zoroastrianism, while still existing, holds many fewer followers than it did near 2000 years ago. Ta'lab Riyam, however, is a non-existent religion in the present day. These two religious traditions, however, are important in the way they’ve influenced future religions; Zoroastrianist teachings can be recognized in Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, and the Ta’lab Riyam laid some foundation for Islam as well.
Religion has dominated every civilization and society, and it seems that, depending on how powerful that religion became, and how far it expanded across the vast continents was directly linked to how that particular civilization fared; either they became lost and died out, or are remembered now or discovered as superpowers of their own time. Not only this, but Neil McGregor speculates that as all civilizations have a golden age at some time of their existence, with wealth, power, and peace came the rise of religion for every individual. For example, Zoroastrianism was a Middle Eastern superpower in its own right during the 4th century beside Christianity, Judaism, etc. The Silver Plate convinces that at the time this artifact was created (as it in a silver dish), during Shapur II's rule, which was a prosperous time, the religion was a direct rival to Rome and its hold on Christianity, even though, Zoroastrianism retained many values of the Christian religion. But, though it was a golden era, eventually those die out, and Islam overtook the Sasan religion, and Zoroastrianism disappeared. Why? Because the people who retained these values were a minority, and without the spread of the religion it was easily wiped out. Buddhism and Christianity, on the other hand were easily taken up by many people. The Seated Buddha from Gandara shows this, as before recreation of this statue and several others Gandara never worshipped Buddhism, or at least there was no definite image to worship. At this time, the religion was being spread wide by missionaries from other civilizations, and with that constant need for something real and visible, the Buddhist's image was created. It was spread particularly through the Silk Road and power, and there it evidently flourished. Christianity was the same. The Hinton St. Mary Mosaic was at a time when Christ was just one of many gods, and because it was a Roman deity, there was no particular human form for him. Practiced Christians were actually persecuted in Roman culture during this age, but when their ruler, Constantine demanded a mosaic with his own interpreted version of Christ, this open converting of their ruler brought not only myth into faith, but gave Christ a physical form, made him seem more real, thus spreading his religion far and wide.
DeleteI could go on and on about religion as it's such a wide-spread topic; like the Arabian Bronze Hand in Yemen, the dying out of Talab was due to the decrease in trade of frankincense to Rome, and Hinduism rapidly became a third superpower as King Gupta I, through priests, temples and missionaries expanded its power. Religion seems to not only depend on the spread of its culture, mainly through trading, but also on physical attributes to whom they worship, to make them more visual, real, and perhaps human.
The Empires of the past all had a religion of that they practised, and the large domain the Empire held was what helped spread the religions and even form new ones. The control the ancient empires had over certain areas helped their religion spread to other place, for instance the silk road helped spread Buddhism because of the Gandara position in the whole ordeal. Other religions such as Zoroastrianism, where the main religion of a state specifically. Zoroastrianism is not only the first religion to go of off scriptures, but the first Iranian dynasty state to promote zoroastrianism as their state religion. Other religions spawn off of existing Empire religions. Christianity was first seen in ancient Rome, but not as we are used to seeing Christ, he appears in the Roman gods as a deity. The mosaic of St. Mary Mosaic depicts Christ but the ever so popular Christian religion was not one that would become popular until much later, in fact during a fair amount of time in the Romans reign Christianity was banned. Not until Emperor Constantine began to spread christianity as a religion did it begin to take of. As Empires fall, sometimes there religions due as well. The previously mentioneded Zoroastrianism is not practiced widely nor is the Ta’lab Riyam, an old pagan practice from Yemen that is no longer practiced in our modern age. These ancient religions fall of there piller, leaving us with artifacts such as the Arabian Bronze Hand and the Plates of Shapur II, lasting relics of the once renowned religions and their Empires.
DeleteReligion has, and perhaps always will be, a powerful thing. It has shaped governments, started wars, and of course, built empires. And the empires, in return, helped spread religions at a rapid rate. Often, Emperors would believe that they were agents of the deities in which they worshiped. Such is the case with the Silver Plate showing King Shapur II. It is that kind of rule (one that is so based on beliefs) that lends to the dispersion and expansion of a belief across an empire.
DeleteAn empire and religion go hand in hand because an empire based its beliefs from a specific religion and everyone apart of that empire were all apart of the same religion. They also work together because an empire works through a religion in order to gain followers along with territory and approval. Having the approval of the Gods was important to every emperor because it gave a sense of security. Their beliefs was if they had the Gods on their side those in the empire would follow, decreasing chances of an overthrow. This also worked in reverse for the people. If they saw their emperor following their same religion they would have more trust in their leader and the decisions he makes. Religion is the beliefs behind an empire and without empires religion may have not been as popular as it was.
DeleteThe connection between empire and religion was a strong one and in some cases the success of an empire even depended on religion and vice versa. Religion was an important tool of unification within empires. A great example of this is the Seated Buddha from Gandara and other pieces of art like it such as the Hinton St. Mary Mosaic. Empires began to create visualizations of their gods in order to communicate with their entire, multilingual empire and provide a deeper connection between their citizens and their gods. This deep connection not only strengthened each citizen’s connection to religion but also to their leaders because of the connections leaders displayed with the gods. The Gold Coin of Kumaragupta displayed the idea that leaders enjoyed a special favor with heaven and therefore ruled under the grace of god and should be obeyed. The Silver plate showing Shapur II shows an image of the King slaying a beast seen as evil within the religious community and this represented his devotion to religion as well as his people. Images like this strengthened the empire and the religions of the empires alike and prompted people to be loyal to their leaders and their gods. The Arabain Bronze hand which was a skillfully crafted bronze right hand which was given as a gift to the god Taleb Riham is an example of just how much people would give for their gods.
DeleteReligion is a powerful thing. Religion can cause arguments, debates, and some very powerful bonds and connections with new people. However, empire and religion go hand in hand as well. Religion can be used as a unification tool in many empires. Everyone in an empire is part of the same religion. These people living in the empire work together through religion to improve their empire and beliefs. Having security from the Gods was a way to give the empire a sense of approval and safety. Having the Gods approval, they felt a lessened fear of their empire being overthrown. Religion is needed for a secure empire.
DeleteEmpire and religion go together like the nonsense babbled in Grease's "We Go Together." The common connection between the two is that there are figureheads at the top of both. People have a natural self-doubt, and tend to look for a sense of security both in their government, and the gods and goddesses. Humans give ultimate power to the two. Empires can either take advantage or not, some claiming to even be gods, as seen with the Coin of Kumaragupta. With the spread of certain empires and their trade, came the spread of religions such as Buddism. Often, Emperors believed that they were helpers of the deities for which they worshiped, observed with the Silver Plate showing King Shapur II. If the rulers were agents for the gods, that automatically gave them approval from the skies.
DeleteTo put it simply, empires are shaped and created through religion. Communities are formed and held together by mutual belief in a religion or set of customs. As the community grows into an empire, the religion spreads with it until it reaches everyone. Just like the spread of Buddhism along the Silk Road and Hinduism on the surface of a coin, these religions united a group of people that then spread their ideas to others. The consequences of this spread of ideas is exemplified in the finding of the St Mary mosaic in Rome, a place that had its own established religion before Christianity. Through the spread of religion, Christianity gained strength and sway until it was more common than the original religion. Religion is can also be used to keep an empire together or justify its actions. Divine right and manifest destiny show us that rulers have used religion as a way to prove their worth and explain their actions- using religion to their advantage.
DeleteEmpires and religion very much did go hand in hand over the course of history. As empires spread, so did the religion that was being practiced in that said territory. And, even trade influenced the spread of certain religions, as shown in Buddhism on the Silk Road. As trade spread new ideas and beliefs, it brought Buddhism with it. This was due to the perfect spot of Gandhara, where as they sold precious silks and became very wealthy and Buddhism spread like wildfire. Another example of Religion and empire going together is when Emperor Constantine started spreading Christianity and enticed people to join the practice because of how successful the empire was. Obliviously, religion has played a huge part in global affairs, but it is important to note how religion and empires go together with the creation and downfall of these places.
Delete10. The Silk Road and Beyond CE 400 - 700
ReplyDelete(Respond by August 22, 2014 By 11:59pm)
I find this title (Silk Road and Beyond) to be misleading and not terribly accurate for the group of objects. How might you re-title this group of objects? Using the artifacts, explain why you chose the new heading.
I agree that with Silk Road in its title, one expects to experience more artifacts that concern this trading route (other than the vague mentioning of it in the podcasts, and the Silk Princess Painting). But in all honesty, the sense of Beyond works in the sense that these artifacts came from some civilizations and individuals that only time can speak of.
DeleteAt first, I was going to go with something concerning the golden ages of these particular civilizations we learn about in each artifact, as that seemed to play major roles in when these objects were created, but then I began to think about what was mentioned in the last podcast; the Silk Road did not actually come by that name until the 1800s, and it was named by western civilizations, seen as a beautiful fantasy, mysterious, rich (as silk was indeed revered as well as many of the exotic goods traded on that 4,000 mile network). In itself, the Silk Road created its own identity through how it was used, who used it. I think the title, "Evolution of Identity", or at least something like it would be a more appropriate title for this group of objects.
We can take a look at the gold coins of Abd al-Malik following the ever growing Islamic Empire soon after the prophet Mohammed's death. When Abd al-Malik came into rule, he transformed the currency in order to gain more political and religious standing in Islam, yet soon after his image appeared on the coin it vanished, becoming one of the first civilizations to use words rather than images on their currency. This was a new identity for them and the world since it meant they were no longer abiding by an old empire's ideas. The Moche Warrior Pot idealizes a typical individual in Central America at the time they were a great people, since it was seen that they celebrated wars and warriors through sacrificial means, but their beautiful pots found in several burials speak of a people who identified themselves as advanced and experts in creating these beautiful pieces; evidently their secrets were buried with them. The Korean Roof Tile actually originated in an ancient capital city in China, seen as one of Asia's advanced technology, replacing thatch that could burn easily with tiles that were beautiful and sophisticated. Soon after, Korean roofs had the same trademark, adding dragons and faces to theirs to use against evil spirits. This was an identifying artifact for these ancient people, that gave them their own sophistication. The Sutton Hoo Helmet is very much legend in its own right (or now believed to be a historical story) of Beowulf, but I can't help but compare this to the Silk Princess Painting. After all, both maintain a sense of adventure and legend and fantasy to themselves and so I think this is a particularly important aspect of identity that has kept them going for centuries; the thieving pirates and their bounty of riches, and the silk princess, glorious in depiction, spreading silk and its beauty to the world through the Silk Road and the new city she called home.
I believe Neil McGregor has done amazing so far in bringing these artifacts to our attention. They really shed light on how humans have developed, both physically and mentally, and has shown us a far greater conquest of ideas and images to think upon and enjoy.
I would re-title this group the Establishment of political Systems because all of the civilizations that the objects are from were new empires and the objects represent different advancements that caused and were caused by the establishment of a successful political system. The gold coin of Abd al-Malik represents the change of coinage the young Islamic Empire experienced. The Sutton Hoo helmet was found in a ship buried during a time that Beowulf was written marking the beginning of literacy in the British empire. The Moche warrior pot represents the Maya civilization’s mass production of pots, which coincided, with the building of pyramids and palaces. The roof tile, represents the trend of having tile roofs in the early Korean empire, which represents how developing empires felt the need to symbolize their wealth. All of these objects surely contributed to each empires success. Lastly, the Silk princess painting represents the silk road, which emerged due to the empires’, such as the Chinese and Persian empires, developing successful political systems.
DeleteI would have to agree that the title is very misleading and definitely needs to be revised. After listening and analyzing the various artifacts I would have to say a fitting title that encloses all five artifacts would be "Golden Empire". I think this because all of these artifacts are pieces from the Golden Age but also of the culture and empire that was present at this time. Especially through the Sutton Hoo helmet which was buried with a soldier. The soldier himself is an obvious representation of empire. The designing present on the helmet is what makes it also fall under golden age. the helmet would be worn everyday all day by the soldier on guard. For a piece so heavily used and not very important it is a beautiful piece of art.
DeleteAll the pieces are representative of culture and its empire through the type of pieces they are and the style they are made. They also fall under the golden age because of the advancements made during this time. This is clear in the elaborate designs and various coloring. This is why I find the title "Golden Empire" to fit these five artifacts much better than "The Silk Roads and Beyond".
I found that through each podcast set, there tends to be one episode, one object, that does not quite fit with the theme that ties the other four together. In the case of The Silk Road and Beyond, I could find very little similarity between any of the objects. While I agree that the title is misleading and inaccurate, I have a hard time imagining how I would re-name the group of objects, mostly because I would never group these five objects together!
ReplyDeleteIt's a bit of a stretch, but a broad topic which ties all five objects together is the concept of a Golden Age; what defines a Golden Age? Which civilizations experienced one? How do we, in the present, know for sure if these Golden Ages existed? In the case of the Gold Coins from Abd al-Malik and the Korean Roof Tile, we have had previous proof that each civilization experienced a period of wealth and stability, a Golden Age. These two podcasts explore the individual cultures and experiences of an Islamic state and Korean city, and how they profited and prospered from the trade of goods and ideas across the silk road.
A different aspect of the Golden Age theme is represented in the Sutton Hoo Helmet and Moche Warrior Pot; the first discusses a lost Golden Age, while the second discusses a lost people. The Sutton Hoo Helmet, found in the tomb of an Anglo-Saxon warrior, questions just how dark the dark ages were for the Brits, after the fall of the Roman Empire. New archaeological finds, including the helmet, have led us into the world of a people that flourished amidst chaos and change; their prosperity, artwork, and cultural legacy is astounding. This highly developed culture had their own Golden Age even after the fall of one of the greatest empires. The Moche Warrior Pot brings us to Peru, where archaeologists continue to explore the world of the Moche, a lost civilization brought to light. The rich legacy the Moche left, includes evidence of a ritualistic, war-like, culture, celebrating birth, death, and religion, through beautiful, yet haunting, sacrificial pots, such as the one shown in the podcast.
I suppose a fitting, official heading would be Secrets of Golden Ages; not only do the podcasts disclose each civilizations tricks and schemes to success, they also happen to discuss civilizations which are rarely discussed and that most people have not heard of. Thus, both the civilizations and their Golden Ages are secrets. As for the Silk Princess Painting, this object is rather more fitted for the original topic, The Silk Road and Beyond. However, in the spirit of Neil MacGregor, I will include it as my random object in the Secrets of Golden Ages podcasts, and because it is absolutely stunning.
After initially listening to the podcasts, the strongest connection these objects have, it seems, is that they originated from the same period in history. The Gold Coins of Abd al-Malik depict the various ways new rulers might assert their power through economic change; on another level, the coins demonstrate the governmental shifts from Christianity to Islam, and following, the shifts that occurred within the Muslim community and how they presented their religion. The Sutton Hoo Helmet, completely different than the coins, was a ritualistic burial, and an assertion of wealth and respectability. The thing that might tie these two objects together is a slight overlap in economic statements to the greater world; both statements of wealth and power, through new coinage or intricate burials. The Moche Warrior Pot takes us halfway around the world to Peru, and the pot is a beautiful work created by a people often overshadowed by the Mayas and Aztecs. The Moche were a successful and thriving society, which might tie into the themes of wealth, but the pot itself was not a particular representation of economic fortune. The Korean Roof Tile, as explored in the podcast, was one of tens of thousands, and while it too is a wonderful artifact, the fact that they were so common in the Korean culture doesn’t lend itself to fitting in the theme of excess and prosperity. The Silk Princess Painting might; the silk trade was an extremely lucrative market for China, as they alone knew the secrets to silk manufacturing, and had a monopoly on the market. Prior to the spread of silk making to other parts of the world, the wealth that silk garnered would tie in this artifact with the themes of large wealth.
ReplyDeleteSince the objects don’t particularly fit together cohesively from a historical standpoint, perhaps there is another way to look at grouping them. What ties these objects together is not what they meant then, but how they are redefining us now. The Sutton Hoo helmet is helping to reinvent the notions we have about the “dark ages” of British history; with an artifact as purposeful and artfully crafted as this, historians are beginning to reevaluate the type of culture that existed in this region, a culture not as barbaric as is usually believed. The Moche Warrior Pot, as Steven Bourget discussed, will help to bring illuminate the cultural legacy of the Moche, and influence the identity and heritage of Peru today. The Korean Roof Tile represents the Silla culture that united both North and South Korea. The ways in which each respective country views the Silla today are reflective of each country’s values, of what this cultural heritage means to them; the North dismissing the Silla as being historically over-emphasized, and the South appreciating the Silla’s ability to repel Chinese influence and develop a unique culture. The Silk Princess Painting celebrates one of the most historically important trade goods - silk - that helped cement China as the successful empire it was, and the successful nation it is today.
Before this set, the artifacts represented societies that seemed very distant from our modern world. In this set, the traditions and cultures Neil MacGregor discussed provided modern peoples with cultural heritage and historical context. With this in mind, I might entitle this set something along the lines of “Cultural Foundations of Today,” with the thought that, while our civilizations have most certainly changed over the centuries, these objects represent the cultures that laid the framework for our modern day world.
The name alludes to the idea that the set of podcasts will focus around the silk road, that is not the case. The first two podcast don't mention the silk road, the first one focusing on the history of the islamic religion, the second spending its time diddling on about beowulf and the spread of the anglo saxon beliefs. It isn't really until you reach the last podcast that the words silk road pop up, with the silk princess painting. Not unusually throughout the podcast sets is it to find that one or two podcast don’t quite fit in with the rest of the group, the black sheep of the artifacts so to speak, but this set just simply seems to be mis-named. Each artifact seems to be linked together, as siena said, by a golden age,, as well as each artifact focusing slightly on a part of history that helped shape the world into what is is today. Perhaps the name should have been named,”Past Ways to Today's foundations,” but in complete honesty if I wouldn't have out the artifacts together in the first place.
ReplyDeleteThe title "Silk Road and Beyond" seems entirely unrepresentative of the artifacts in this set. Looking at them all, I can hardly see why they would be put under that category, let alone what ties them together. I think that if I were to rename the set, it would be something along the line of "Creations Representative of an Empire", simply because all the items are artifacts that were created when these civilizations were seemingly at their peaks that portrayed things that were central to their lives. The Gold coin of Abd al-Malik is representative of a major shift in the thinking and ruling of the early Islamic civilization. This transition from faces to words from a religious text shows a major historical fulcrum that changed the empire permanently and, in the end, is responsible for the islam we know today. The Sutton Hoo helmet is representative of the violent spirit that made the Anglo Saxon world what it is. This artistic creation buried with a warrior king is a display of the power that came out of the early Anglo Saxon spirit while also shedding some light onto an era where little is known. The warrior pot is representative of the importance of savage warfare in the Moche society. It also shows the intense structure that made the Moche civilization what it was, everyone had their place, including the warriors responsible for protecting both the living and the dead. The roof tile, while less representative of culture than the other objects, still shows us a snapshot of Korean art. It was one of many just like it and in that way, shows us what art would have looked like during this era. The final object, the silk painting, is representative of the Central Asian mastery of silk and its distinct style of art. The ability to make silk was a huge game changer for Asian society- it made them extremely powerful and wealthy, and is responsible for much of the trade leaving Asia at the time.
ReplyDeleteAll of these objects are artifacts that are somehow representative of the cultures and the time they come from. That being the only thing i can see uniting these objects, I think the name "Creations Representative of an Empire" seems to be the most fitting title I can come up with.
I found it interesting that the title of this series was called "The Silk Road and Beyond", when it was more beyond than Silk Road. For the most part, the objects (sans the British Sutton Hoo Helmet and The Moche Warrior Pot of Peru) were found and are focused around the transitions being made to the Asia. If I were to rename this podcast, I would change it to “Transforming the Middle East”, because that seems to be the primary focus. For instance, the Gold Coins of Abd al-Malik represent a huge shift for Syria in becoming a huge Islamic empire. Or a look into old Korean culture via the Roof Tile. However, there is little to no discussion about trade or the Silk Road.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that this title was misleading. First of all, almost half of these objects didn't even mention the silk road, including the gold coins of Abdu al-Malik and the Sutton Hoo helmet. With the coins portraying the shift from Christianity to the Islamic faith and, the Sutton Hoo Helmet showing how it changed the view of Anglo-Saxon life forever. The other podcasts barely even use the word "Silk Road" and focus more on "the beyond" part of the title. Since all of these objects come from many different parts of the world, and don't have many similarities, it is very difficult to title this group of artifacts. If I had to make one, I would say, "The Roots of Today's World", just because it does talk about how many of these objects define and influence our world today, with the coins showing how Islam became the dominant religion of that area (and still is today) and the Korean roof tile still influencing the architecture of today's world. However, I most likely would not group these objects together in the first place, due to all of these differences and how unique all of them are.
ReplyDelete