Wednesday, 12 March 2014

The Great Mysteries of Archaeology


The Great Mysteries of Archaeology
The Pyramids

M.R. Luberto
A David and Charles Book (2007)


The Birth of Egyptology
(page 18-24)

July 1978, scholars arrived in Alexandria to study the Egyptian culture, particularly the Ancient Egyptian civilisation.
The commission of Arts and Sciences, led by Dominique Vivant Denon, calculated, measures and recorded everything about each monument they found. They collected samples of rock and plants.
The soldiers who escorted them did not understand why they were there and risking their life for it.

The outcome;

" Description de l'Egypt ou Recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont été faites en Egypte pendant l'expédition de l'armée français "   (page 18)
( Description of Egypt: collected observations and research carried out during the French Military expedition)  

They freed the pyramid of Khufu from the sand debris blocking the entrance, however the were called to retreat so their work was left unfinished.

In 1799 a soldier in Napoleons army discovered the Rosetta stone, which has a decree of Ptolemy V written in hieroglyphics, ancient Greek and demotic. In 1822 the hieroglyphs were translated by François Champollion.


The Prisoners Heads
(page 40 - side box)

A sculpture representing two prisoners, enemies captured by the Pharaoh.

Both subjects have their hair styled into two locks, however their faces have been sculpted very differently; the face on the right is believed to be a Libyan (portraying the western people)  with a short goatee, while on the left the man is portrayed with a full beard and moustache which cover the bottom half of his face (lips, cheek, chin) he is thought to be Asiatic (portraying the Oriental people.)

Showing people that have been defeated by the Pharaoh was a common theme, this was because it showed the Pharaoh as a great ruler and able to keep the peace and the world in order. Even in times of peace this theme was still common, I think it has been used as propaganda supporting the Pharaoh and showing what a great ruler he is and to help gain the support of the people as they will see him as a successful leader.


An Intricate Puzzle of Riddles
(page 44-47)

There are many theories about why and how the Pyramids were created.
" Gods came down to Earth to reveal secrets to the inhabitants of the Nile valley" (page 44)
" Preachers of obscure and esoteric doctrines applied strange theories or magic to these structures " (page 44)
" It was finally understood that these were monuments erected by the Ancient Egyptians to house the Pharaohs after death, monuments whose characteristics were intended to contribute to the eternal fame of the sovereign. " (page 44)
Another theory was that they were granaries.

Death was not the end for the Egyptians, it was considered the start of the journey into the afterlife. The death of a Pharaoh had meaning for the entire community because the Pharaoh was thought to be a god on Earth.
They believed that their afterlives were linked with his as their lives on Earth depended how the Pharaoh ruled.
The pyramids were built to protect the Pharaoh in his journey, so that he could avoid desecration.


Many other theories surround the construction of these pyramids:

when were they built?
how did they construct them?
why is there no evidence of machinery left?
how did they have the knowledge to make the calculations required?



Politics and Society in the Old Kingdom
(page 67-71)


society Hierachy :

Pharaoh and his family
vizier
high priests of various cults
high officials of the army

scribes
priests
soldiers
artisans
specialised workers

farmers
slaves


From the Concept of the Mastaba to the Pyramid
(page 88-91)


"  The three axes of the pyramids represented significant concepts: 
the vertical axis represented the aspiration to the divine that linked the Pharaoh to his father Ra; 
the north-south axis was the earthly axis, parallel to the Nile that was so important for the Egyptian people; 
the east-west axis, which indicated the path of the sun, represented the heavens, and its daily cycle of death and resurrection was a symbol of constant regeneration. " ( page 91)
What does the word pyramid mean?
(page 106 - side box)

Has a Greek origin, comes form 'pyramis'

" the name of a sweet made of grain, made typically in a conical form."

the Egyptians referred to te pyramids as 'mer' which translates into 'the site of ascension'

The way the monuments are coated with white limestone could be an attempt to visualise the sunlight that would carry the ruler to the heavens or down for his food offerings that were left for him.



The Funerrary Complex of Khufu and the Tomb of Hetepheres
(page 119-124)

chair from the tomb of Queen Hetepheres at Giza, c. 2580 bc

" Its thought that Khufu transferred the tomb furnishing the tomb furnishings of his mother to the tomb. "

The Solar Boat
(page 125-129)

 (insert picture from ipod)

" The Nile was the principal route for communications in Egypt. " (page 128)



The Sphinx: an Enigmatic Colossus
(page 134-137)


Khafre's desire to be better than his father (Khufu) led to the creation of the Sphinx,

This huge seated lion with stretched out front paws with a human head is representing the Pharaoh Khafre. The lions body is thought to be showing the king is with his human, divine and animal nature
he is represented.

Lions are thought to be the kings of the savannah, they are strong and fierce and will protect their pride of lions when they are in danger, I think the Pharaoh is trying to convey that he is going to protect Egypt with the same ferocity of a lion.

It is thought that the purpose of this monument was to keep guard over his pyramid and keep tomb raiders away. This is supported by a declaration that was later found :

" I protect the sanctuary of your tomb, I protect your crypt, I banish the stranger who attempts to enter, I fell your enemies with their own arm, I chase away the wicked from the funeral chapel of your tomb, I destroy your enemies in their dens so they may never come out. " (page 136)

The role of the Sphinx grew and it was later believed to go into battle with the king, it became a large military icon

In Greek mythology the Sphinx Oedipus is a female with the body of a lion and wings of a bird, she is a representation of sex which cruel characteristics.

The Dream Stele
(page 136- side box)

The role of the Sphinx was greatly increased after Thutmose IV constructed a tablet known as the Dream Stele, it was placed between the front paws of the creature and told the story that this creature had come to him in a dream and told him he would become Pharaoh if he freed it of the sand it was buried under. Thutmose worked to free the creature and built a wall that would stop the sand from surrounding it again. The Pharaoh of the time who was his brother was then killed in an attack which is still surrounded in mystery.


Art of the Old Kingdom
(page 147-149)

There was a symbolic language developed and the foundation of all creations was started.

Art was made for religious purpose, such as the pyramids, yet they did not see the works as Art but religious objects created for a purpose.

Works of art that have survived have only survived because of chance and those that have been found have all been found deep in the temples or tombs.


Paintings and Reliefs
(page 150-157)

Painters were educated in workshops where they learnt the guide lines and traditions that they were to follow.

Paintings followed a similar style to writing, it showed things both relating to afterlife or earthly life, the Pharaoh was depicted larger than the rest of the figures, the style is similar in that things are set out in strips.

The Pharaoh is shown in the main strip, other people were shown without features in secondary strips.

The bas-relief is the effect of figures emerging from the background by removing the stone around the figures. Engraved figures were sculpted by removing the figures from the stone.



Scultpure
(page 158-161)

There was still rigid guides and rules to be followed as with paintings, they believed the statues were incarnations of the subject and that using magic formula on the engraved names on the statues could be given life and power. There were rules to be followed when creating a statue of the Pharaoh, only 7 different poses could be used to portray him all of which clearly showed his divine nature. The most common pose was the King sitting or standing with his left foot forward. Within the temples the King was shown to be accepting offerings, resting on his kilt or kneeling with vases in his hands. He was also shown to be wearing his crown, his headdress and sometimes shown wearing a kilt or triangle loincloth, other symbols include his beard.


Art of the Middle Kingdom
(page 162-167)


Sculpture grew as it was created for private citizens rather than just the Pharaoh, a new style was developed called " the block statue " it evolved from the subjects sitting on top of a block to the subject being portrayed with their knees drawn up and arms crossed so the subject became the block.




Statue of Sensusret III ( Sesostris III) 1870-1831 bc
Senmut and Neferure, block statue from Karnak
c. 1470 bc


A new type of column capital was developed, decorated on both sides with the head of the goddess Hathor. This has been intimated quite often.

No comments:

Post a Comment