De Los Santos 1 Art History 1380 February 3, 2013 Costello Paper 1 Compare and contrast the Nanna Ziggurat and King Khafre’s Pyramid Many architectural structures have been built over time. They each have many different purposes and functions. Aside from their many differences, they have similarities as well. The Nanna Ziggurat and King Kahfre’s pyramid are somewhat similar in structure and form, but they also differ in many ways in purpose and context. Ultimately, they were both built with a specific purpose to each society that they were built in.
Although there is evidence of early Sumerian contact with the Egyptians, Egypt's civilization was largely self-generated and its history and cultural patterns differed from Mesopotamia. The early Dynastic Period was Egypt’s era of initial unification and state building under the guidelines of its first three royal dynasties. In the years between 2660 and 2180 B. C. the basic marks of the cultures of Egypt arose. Egypt was one kingdom and it was divided into provinces, or the names of provinces. Ruling over the kingdom was a pharaoh, who was not only a king but was also seen as a god.
These people were skilled carvers, they carved stone, jade and volcanic rock basalt which was used for their great stone heads. The calendar used for centuries in Mexico also originated with the Olmec. Their astronomy was carried on by later groups who were obsessed with the timing of religious ritual, as the Mayans and Aztec would be after them. The Olmec culture’s writing was developed in terms of symbols and pictograms, which was very unique. They were advanced with trade routes, had advanced infrastructures, and just were highly untouched.
Anais Ramos May 6th, 2013 Prof. Massey HIS111- “Storied Walls” Murals of the Americas” San Bartolo vs Bonompak The Mayan Civilization was a very interesting. Their resources were and still are crucial for humans’ survival. One of their many legacies was art. In the Harvard University Peabody Museum, where the Mayan civilization exhibition is located, we find the San Bartolo and Bonompak exhibits. One of the main attractions of these exhibits is two murals from the ancient Mayan city-states.
However they also share a number of differences because they developed in different regions with different natural influences. Egypt and Mesopotamia were both governed by god-kings. The idea of a god-king was common in early complex societies. A king established his rule by a divine right bestowed upon him by the gods of his people. Mesopotamia was broken into thirty-five separate city-states and “The ruler of each city-state claimed to rule with the support of the local guardian deity…” (Hansen and Curtis 36).
The Indus Valley and Egypt both had their own writing systems. The Egyptian script is called hieroglyphs and with the aid of the Rosetta Stone, have come to be deciphered, while the scripts of the Indus Valley has not yet been translated. Since hieroglyphs can be read, and the physical remains have been destroyed by the Nile, most interpretable remains that tell us about Egypt are written. On the other hand, most informative remains from the Indus Valley are physical. To further differentiate the two scripts, there is controversy over whether the script of the Indus Valley is a complete language or not, but it is known that hieroglyphs form a complete language.
Since the discovery, studies of his tomb and remains have revealed much information about his life and times. Using the remains of Tutankhamun and his tomb, archaeologists identified the customs, beliefs and lifestyle of the ancient Egyptians. The tomb provides evidence that Egyptians believed in the afterlife - a life after death. The Egyptians also believed their pharaohs were divine therefore, they believed if they did not serve the Pharaohs well, the Nile would not rise and they would not have a good farming season. The tomb generally is significant and useful as it was one of the only tombs to ever be discovered fully intact.
The Aztec and Maya were Mesoamerican civilizations (living in Mexico and Central America) while the Incas lived in South America. The religious beliefs and practices of the Mayans and Aztecs were similar, but the Incas worshiped the sun. The Mayans are credited for the Mayan calendar and the Aztecs also have a calendar, while the Incas are famed for their masonry and engineering skills. All three were great civilizations. The Mayans made several breakthroughs in these fields.
Icons were more religious than aesthetic in nature. Manuscripts was another major genre of Byzantine art. The most commonly illustrated texts were religious, both scripture itself and devotional or theological texts. Minor or luxury arts were produced in large number throughout the Byzantine era. These types of art include ivories, enamels, jewelry, metalwork, ceramics, etc.).
However not only did he build them he even had his named written on earlier monuments built by other pharaohs. One of the many building he built was the Hall of columns and obelisks. He was closely identified with the sun god, Ra. He even made statues of himself that where 67 ft high and had 25 ft long all together it weighed 1,200 tons. (8) He also ordered the construction of a new capitol which was named Pi-Ramses A-nakhtu or “The Domain of Ramses Great victories.” It has almost disappeared today but they did find it.