tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39284392024-03-05T16:40:41.333-08:00Passionate about HistoryAn online magazine featuring articles about current archaeology and research into the art, literature, politics, warfare, entertainments, music, religion, cuisine and daily lives of inhabitants of the past other than those of the Greco-Roman period edited by a history enthusiast and technologist who is particularly interested in integrating technology and history education. For those who interacted with the Roman world, see "Roman Times."Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.comBlogger771125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3928439.post-38831923046191786422023-03-26T11:06:00.003-07:002023-03-26T15:32:59.527-07:00Examining the achievements of Thutmose III: Using ChatGPT to provide more detail for existing articles <p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: #333333; float: left; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 4px; position: relative;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-jMsKsP0XfnyseF0Rh9C9WLHxeSj6AoKkCZI15V0wjjtreagCnl9P1brPUHOl2MXIu_HiCRAWY4pq-0-El-EEu4axN2j-YpiX_BHhosGSAyW7MVIrAck67AlgciOTtPnNPpWAxIBJwcJSDLFQcaZPR2ykHaY-xuwP0FZKX3dLFFk6idqSwg/s1024/Relief%20depicting%20Thutmose%20IIII%20at%20Deir_el-Bahari%20WM%20Hedwig%20Storch.jpg" style="color: #336699; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="862" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-jMsKsP0XfnyseF0Rh9C9WLHxeSj6AoKkCZI15V0wjjtreagCnl9P1brPUHOl2MXIu_HiCRAWY4pq-0-El-EEu4axN2j-YpiX_BHhosGSAyW7MVIrAck67AlgciOTtPnNPpWAxIBJwcJSDLFQcaZPR2ykHaY-xuwP0FZKX3dLFFk6idqSwg/w336-h400/Relief%20depicting%20Thutmose%20IIII%20at%20Deir_el-Bahari%20WM%20Hedwig%20Storch.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="336" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 11.88px; text-align: center;">Relief depicting Thutmose III at Deir_el-Bahari courtesy of<br />Wikimedia Commons contributor Hedwig Storch</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto"><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have run a number of experiments using ChatGPT to analyze various aspects of ancient culture. My primary concerns have revolved around the sources ChatGPT has used for its training model. Its “provide references” feature appears to be more of a suggested reading list generated by using an “OR” search of keywords specified in your query. This procedure will generate a list of sources with at least some relationship to your query but not a list of sources with the specific context I require. So, I decided to take a different approach and begin my research with an existing article and see how much additional detail I could glean using ChatGPT. That way I begin with a known source and work from its already-defined topics.
I read a solid article, Thutmoses III, Famed Warrior King of Ancient Egypt, written by Aleksa Vučković. I know enough about the major achievements of Thutmoses III and the famous battle of Megiddo to hopefully recognize inconsistencies in the responses generated by ChatGPT but I am not an expert on the topic. I don't know if Vučković had help from ChatGPT either but the points he raises are consistent with what I have learned from courses about ancient Egypt including a course entitled Superpowers of the Ancient Near East, Famous Battles of the Ancient World, and journal articles about Thutmose III.
https://www.ancient-origins.net/hist.../thutmose-iii-0018105
I enjoy specific details, though, so I thought this piece would be a good one to use to examine the achievements of Thutmose III in more detail using ChatGPT.
Although Thutmose III's reign officially began in 1479 BCE, he was only a child of two at the time he was crowned and his father's Great Royal Wife Hatshepsut served first as regent and later as pharaoh until Thutmose III reached the age of 25. Some of the technological achievements mentioned by ChatGPT could have been initiated during her rule (especially some of the building projects) rather than his independent rule but are credited to him by historical sources. But I was still impressed with the level of detail provided by the AI:
Mary (opening query): What did the pharaoh Thutmosis III achieve during his reign?
Thutmose III was one of ancient Egypt's greatest pharaohs, who ruled from around 1479 to 1425 BCE. During his reign, he accomplished several significant achievements, including:
Military Conquests: Thutmose III was a great military leader who led several successful campaigns, expanding the Egyptian empire's boundaries to their greatest extent. He conducted numerous military campaigns, including the famous Battle of Megiddo, where he defeated a coalition of Canaanite kings.
Building Projects: Thutmose III also carried out extensive building projects, including the construction of several temples and monuments throughout Egypt. One of his most famous buildings was the Great Temple of Amun at Karnak.
Religious Reforms: Thutmose III also undertook several religious reforms, aimed at strengthening the position of the god Amun, who he believed had helped him in his military campaigns. As a result, Amun became one of the most powerful deities in the Egyptian pantheon.
Cultural and Scientific Developments: Thutmose III was also a patron of the arts and sciences, and he commissioned many works of art, including statues and reliefs. He also supported the work of the great Egyptian astronomer, Amenemhet, who calculated the length of the year with remarkable accuracy.
Overall, Thutmose III's reign was a time of great expansion and cultural achievement, which helped shape the course of ancient Egyptian history. – ChatGPT
Mary: List the military campaigns of Thutmosis III.
Thutmose III was a successful military commander who led numerous campaigns during his reign. Some of the most significant military campaigns of Thutmose III include:
Campaign in Nubia (Year 22): In this campaign, Thutmose III led an army into Nubia, subduing several tribes and extending Egyptian control over the region.
Campaign in Megiddo (Year 23): This was one of Thutmose III's most famous campaigns. He led an army through the coastal plain of Palestine, where he faced a coalition of Canaanite kings at Megiddo. Thutmose III emerged victorious, and this victory is considered one of the greatest military achievements in ancient Egyptian history.
Campaign in Syria (Year 33): In this campaign, Thutmose III led his army to the Euphrates River, defeating the Mitanni and their allies, and bringing large portions of Syria under Egyptian control.
Campaigns in Canaan and Palestine (Years 34-42): Thutmose III conducted a series of campaigns in Canaan and Palestine, establishing Egyptian dominance over the region and capturing several cities, including Gaza, Joppa, and Ashkelon.
Campaign against the Hittites (Year 42): Thutmose III led an army into Syria to confront the Hittites, who had been causing problems for Egypt's Syrian vassals. Although the campaign did not result in a major battle, it helped to stabilize the region and secure Egyptian control over its territories.
These campaigns helped establish Thutmose III as one of the greatest military leaders in ancient history and expanded the Egyptian empire's borders to their greatest extent.
[Note: I read that ChatGPT has a built-in restriction on the amount of material to include in a response. This may be why only five of the 17 campaigns were listed.]
Original article: "Over the course of 17 campaigns, most - if not all - of his enemies were subdued, the foremost being the Mitanni."
Mary: Which enemies did Thutmose III fail to subdue?
Thutmose III was a highly successful military leader who waged numerous campaigns throughout his reign, and he was able to conquer many of Egypt's enemies and expand its territory. However, there were a few enemies that he was not able to subdue completely.
One of these enemies was the kingdom of Kadesh, which was located in modern-day Syria. Thutmose III waged several campaigns against Kadesh but was not able to conquer it completely. The city remained a thorn in Egypt's side for many years and was eventually conquered by Thutmose's successor, Amenhotep II.
[Note: Amenhotep II, known for his physical prowess, is said to have singlehandedly killed 7 rebel Princes at Kadesh, which successfully terminated his first Syrian campaign.]
Another enemy that Thutmose III was not able to subdue completely was the kingdom of Mitanni, which was located in modern-day northern Syria and eastern Anatolia. Mitanni was a powerful kingdom that posed a significant threat to Egypt's interests in the region, but Thutmose III was only able to secure a tenuous peace with them rather than defeating them completely.
Despite these setbacks, Thutmose III is remembered as one of the greatest military leaders in ancient Egyptian history, and his reign saw Egypt reach the height of its power and influence in the ancient world. ChatGPT
Original article: "His first successes began almost immediately after he assumed the throne: he led a campaign deep into modern-day Israel, where he won a masterful battle at Megiddo, defeating the King of Kadesh. With a daring move, he marched his armies to the rear of the Megiddo forces, crushing them decisively...Another contributing factor to Thutmose’s military success is a number of innovations and new technologies that placed him one step ahead of his enemies. Roughly two centuries before his time, Ancient Egypt came under the brief rule of the Hyksos, foreign invaders who brought with them new and never before seen tools and weapons. New unique swords were quickly absorbed by the Egyptians, as well as new forging techniques, as well as powerful two-wheeled war chariots. With all these innovations, the Egyptian army was well suited for conquest."
Mary: What strategies were used by Thutmose III at the battle of Megiddo?
The Battle of Megiddo was one of the most significant military campaigns of Thutmose III's reign, and it involved a complex set of strategies and tactics that allowed the Egyptian army to achieve a decisive victory over a coalition of Canaanite city-states.
One of the key strategies used by Thutmose III at the Battle of Megiddo was the element of surprise. Rather than attacking the city directly, Thutmose III led his army on a long and difficult march through the mountains to the rear of the city, where they could attack from an unexpected direction. This allowed the Egyptian army to catch the Canaanite forces off guard and quickly overwhelm their defenses.
Another important strategy used by Thutmose III was the coordination of different units within the Egyptian army. Thutmose III divided his forces into multiple units, each with its own specific objective. This allowed the Egyptian army to attack the city from multiple directions simultaneously, and it prevented the Canaanite forces from being able to focus their defense in any one area.
In addition, Thutmose III made use of advanced weapons technology, including the newest and most advanced chariots, to gain a technological advantage over the Canaanite forces. The Egyptian chariots were faster and more maneuverable than those of the Canaanites, and they were equipped with advanced weaponry, such as composite bows and javelins.
Overall, the Battle of Megiddo was won through a combination of careful planning, strategic positioning, and advanced weapons technology. Thutmose III was able to use his army's strengths to overcome the Canaanite defenses and achieve a decisive victory that solidified his power and influence in the region. – ChatGPT
Mary: (exploring the "advanced weapons technology") What new forging techniques were introduced during the reign of Thutmose III?
There is limited information available regarding specific forging techniques introduced during the reign of Thutmose III, but it is known that metallurgy was a highly advanced field during this time period.
One of the key technological advancements in metallurgy during Thutmose III's reign was the development of a new type of high-quality bronze. This bronze, known as "hardest bronze," was made by adding arsenic to the alloy, which made it harder and more durable than previous bronze alloys. This new alloy was ideal for use in weapons and armor, and it helped to give the Egyptian army a significant technological advantage over its enemies.
Thutmose III was a great patron of the arts, and he commissioned a large number of metal objects, including statues, jewelry, and ceremonial objects. These objects often incorporated intricate designs and patterns, which were created using a variety of techniques, such as engraving and inlay.
One of the most notable examples of metalworking during Thutmose III's reign is the golden throne that he commissioned for his wife [should be Step Mother or Regent - the Great Royal Wife of his father], Queen Hatshepsut. The throne was made from a single sheet of beaten gold, and it was decorated with intricate designs and hieroglyphs. [This is an example of an event that probably occurred during the rule of Hatshepsut and not under the actual reign of the adult Thutmose III]
Overall, the reign of Thutmose III saw significant advancements in metallurgy, particularly in the development of new alloys and the refinement of metalworking techniques. These advancements helped to establish Egypt as a center of metalworking and decorative arts in the ancient world.
Mary: Did the design of swords change during the reign of Thutmose III?
There is limited information available about the specific changes to the design of swords during the reign of Thutmose III. However, it is known that metallurgy and weapons technology were highly advanced during this time period, and the Egyptian army was renowned for its mastery of weapons and tactics.
During the New Kingdom period, the Egyptian army made use of a wide range of weapons, including swords, axes, spears, and bows. These weapons were made from a variety of materials, including copper, bronze, iron, and wood, and they were often decorated with intricate designs and hieroglyphs.
One of the most famous swords from ancient Egypt is the "Khopesh," which was a curved sword with a sickle-shaped blade. The Khopesh was primarily used for slashing and chopping, and it was particularly effective at disarming opponents by hooking their weapons with the curved blade.
It is possible that the design of swords and other weapons may have evolved over time, as new materials and techniques were developed. However, there is limited information available about the specific changes that may have occurred during the reign of Thutmose III.
Overall, the Egyptian army was renowned for its mastery of weapons technology, and their weapons were highly effective in battle. The design of swords and other weapons may have evolved over time, but the specifics of these changes are not well documented. – ChatGPT
Mary: Was the khopesh sword used by common Egyptian warriors?
The khopesh sword was primarily used by elite warriors and members of the nobility in ancient Egypt, rather than by common soldiers. It was a prestigious weapon, and its distinctive shape and design made it an icon of Egyptian warfare.
The khopesh sword was a symbol of authority and power, and it was often depicted in ceremonial contexts, such as in depictions of pharaohs and other high-ranking officials. However, it was also a functional weapon, and it was highly effective in battle.
[Note: the ceremonial nature of the khopesh sword was discussed at length in the course “Superpowers of the Ancient Near East.”]
While the khopesh sword was not typically used by common soldiers, there were other types of swords and weapons that were more commonly used by the Egyptian army. These included straight swords, spears, axes, and bows, which were used by soldiers of all ranks.
The use of the khopesh sword was primarily limited to the New Kingdom period, which lasted from around 1550 BCE to 1077 BCE. It was a unique weapon that reflected the sophistication and innovation of Egyptian weapons technology during this time period. – ChatGPT
Mary: Did the Hyksos introduce the khopesh sword?
The origins of the khopesh sword are not entirely clear, and there is some debate among historians about where and when it first emerged. The khopesh sword is a distinctive weapon with a curved blade that was used in ancient Egypt during the New Kingdom period.
It is possible that the Hyksos, who were a group of foreign invaders who ruled Egypt for a time during the Second Intermediate Period, introduced the khopesh sword to the Egyptians. The Hyksos were known for their advanced military technology and tactics, and they may have brought new weapons and equipment with them when they invaded Egypt.
However, there is also evidence to suggest that the khopesh sword existed in Egypt prior to the Hyksos invasion. Some historians believe that the khopesh was an adaptation of earlier Egyptian swords and sickle-shaped knives, which were used for hunting and ritual purposes.
Regardless of its origins, the khopesh sword became a signature weapon of the New Kingdom period, and it was used by Egyptian soldiers and generals in battle. Its distinctive shape and design made it a highly effective weapon in close combat, and it is remembered as one of the most iconic weapons of ancient Egypt. – ChatGPT
Mary: How did Egyptian swords differ from the swords used by the Hyksos?
The swords used by the ancient Egyptians and the Hyksos invaders were quite different in terms of their design and construction.
The swords used by the ancient Egyptians were typically straight and double-edged, with a long, narrow blade and a straight hilt. These swords were often made from bronze or copper, although some were also made from iron later on.
In contrast, the swords used by the Hyksos were typically curved and single-edged, with a shorter blade and a curved hilt. These swords were often made from bronze or a composite of bronze and iron, which made them stronger and more durable than the Egyptian swords.
The Hyksos swords were also designed for use on horseback, as the Hyksos were skilled horsemen and used their horses to devastating effect in battle. The curved design of their swords allowed them to deliver powerful slashing attacks while riding on horseback, which gave them a significant advantage over their opponents.
Overall, the swords used by the ancient Egyptians and the Hyksos were quite different in terms of their design and construction, and each type of sword was suited to the specific needs and tactics of its respective army. – ChatGPT
Mary: Were changes made to chariot design during the reign of pharaoh Thutmose III?
Yes, during the reign of Pharaoh Thutmose III, changes were made to the design of chariots in ancient Egypt. Thutmose III was known for his military campaigns and his innovative tactics, and he recognized the importance of having a fast and maneuverable chariot in battle.
One of the significant changes made to chariot design during his reign was the use of a lightweight, two-wheeled chariot instead of the traditional four-wheeled chariot. The two-wheeled chariot was more maneuverable, allowing the Egyptian army to outflank and outmaneuver their enemies. Additionally, the lightweight design of the two-wheeled chariot made it faster and more agile, which gave the Egyptian army an advantage in battle.
Thutmose III was also responsible for the development of new tactics and training methods that maximized the effectiveness of the chariot. He trained his troops to use the chariot as a mobile platform for archery, allowing them to rain arrows down on their enemies from a distance. He also utilized the chariot as a shock weapon, charging into enemy lines to break them up and create openings for his infantry to exploit.
Overall, the changes made to chariot design and tactics during the reign of Thutmose III helped to make the Egyptian army one of the most formidable fighting forces of the ancient world. – ChatGPT
Mary: How did the chariots used by Thutmose III differ from the original chariots introduced by the Hyksos?
The chariots used by Thutmose III were different from the original chariots introduced by the Hyksos, who had invaded and conquered Egypt in the Second Intermediate Period. While the Hyksos chariots were an important innovation in warfare, they were heavy and cumbersome, designed for use on the flat plains of the Near East.
The chariots used by Thutmose III were a significant improvement over the Hyksos chariots. They were lightweight and designed for speed and maneuverability, making them ideal for use in the rough terrain of Egypt. They had a simple but effective design, with a lightweight frame made from wood and leather, and a pair of spoked wheels with bronze rims. The chariot was pulled by two horses, which were harnessed in tandem to provide maximum speed and agility.
Thutmose III's chariots were also equipped with a quiver for holding arrows, and the charioteer would use a composite bow to shoot arrows at the enemy. The charioteer also had a shield and a short sword for close combat.
Overall, the chariots used by Thutmose III were a significant improvement over the original Hyksos chariots. They were faster, lighter, and more maneuverable, making them ideal for use in the challenging terrain of Egypt. The new chariot design and tactics helped the Egyptian army to become one of the most formidable fighting forces of the ancient world. – ChatGPT
Original article: "Luckily, we know a lot about Thutmose’s military achievements because of fairly detailed records that survive. Many of his triumphs were inscribed onto the walls of the Temple of Amun in Karnak, accompanied by stunning reliefs of the king subduing his enemies. Furthermore, Thutmose had a royal scribe and a loyal commander, Thanuny, [also known as Tjaneni] who kept meticulous records of his king’s campaigns. Fragments of these scripts allowed us a greater insight into methods of ancient warfare and strategy."
Mary: Which type of troops did Thanuny command?
Thanuny was an Egyptian general who served during the reign of pharaoh Thutmose III. He is best known for his military campaigns in Nubia and his role in the Battle of Megiddo.
According to the inscriptions at Karnak, Thanuny commanded a unit of elite troops known as the "Sherden," which were a group of highly trained and skilled warriors who served as the personal bodyguard of the pharaoh. The Sherden were known for their bravery and ferocity in battle, and they were often used as shock troops in the front lines of the Egyptian army.
[Note: The Sherden, possibly Akkadian, were one of the groups of sea peoples who were active in the eastern Mediterranean during the Late Bronze Age, and they were known for their maritime skills and prowess as warriors. They were known to hire out as mercenaries. A further query about these troops, however, included the statement “The role of the Sherden in Thanuny's campaigns is not specifically documented, but it is likely that they played an important role in the Egyptian army's efforts to maintain control over the eastern Mediterranean region.” This would seem to contradict the statement that the inscriptions at Karnak recorded a unit of elite troops known as the Sherden that were commanded by Thanuny. According to N. Grimal’s “A History of Ancient Egypt, pp. 250-253, the first certain mention of the Sherden is found in the records of Ramesses II (ruled 1279-1213 BCE), who defeated them in his second year (1278 BCE) when they attempted to raid Egypt's coast. The pharaoh subsequently incorporated many of these warriors into his personal guard. Ramesses II was a later New Kingdom pharaoh although these “Sea Peoples” had been appearing in fragmentary historical and iconographic records (ancient Egyptian and Ugaritic) from the Eastern Mediterranean since the 2nd millennium BCE. According to Jeffrey P. Emanuel in his article "Sherden from the Sea: The arrival, integration, and acculturation of a Sea People".Journal of Ancient Egyptian Interconnections. 5 (1): 14–27, the earliest known mention of the Sherden is in correspondence between Rib-Hadda, mayor (hazannu) of Byblos, to the Pharaoh Amenhotep III known as Akhenaten in the 14th century BCE. But, it is plausible]
In addition to commanding the Sherden, Thanuny also led a larger contingent of soldiers, which included charioteers, archers, and infantry. His troops were well-trained and well-equipped, and they played a crucial role in the Egyptian victories in Nubia and at the Battle of Megiddo.
Overall, Thanuny was a highly respected and skilled commander who played a key role in the military campaigns of Thutmose III. His leadership of the Sherden and other elite troops helped to secure the pharaoh's power and influence in the region, and he is remembered as one of the most important generals of the New Kingdom period. – ChatGPT
Mary: How were the Sherden armed?
The Sherden were a group of elite warriors who served as the personal bodyguard of the pharaoh during the New Kingdom period of ancient Egypt. They were known for their bravery and skill in battle, and they played a crucial role in securing the power and influence of the pharaoh.
According to historical records and artistic depictions, the Sherden were typically armed with a variety of weapons, including:
Swords: The Sherden were known for their proficiency with swords, and they often carried curved swords, such as the khopesh, which were highly effective in close combat.
Shields: The Sherden carried large shields made of wood or animal hide, which provided protection against enemy attacks.
Axes: The Sherden were also known to carry battle axes, which were used for both offense and defense.
Javelins: The Sherden were skilled at throwing javelins, which were used to weaken enemy formations and disrupt their defenses.
Bows: Some Sherden were also trained in the use of the bow and arrow, which could be used for both long-range attacks and for hunting.
Overall, the Sherden were highly skilled and versatile warriors who were armed with a variety of weapons that allowed them to adapt to different combat situations. Their skill and bravery made them a highly respected and feared unit within the Egyptian army. – ChatGPT
Original article: "Thutmose III was also inclined to spur other developments within Egypt as well. New construction projects were begun, and new technologies mastered. Glass-making was refined, and a number of new lavish buildings were raised in Karnak. Several monumental obelisks from this time also survive."
Mary: How did glass-making change during the reign of Thutmose III?
During the reign of Thutmose III, there were significant advancements in glass-making technology in ancient Egypt. Glass had been produced in Egypt since the late third millennium BCE, but it was during the New Kingdom period that the technology for making glass was significantly improved.
One of the most significant changes in glass-making during Thutmose III's reign was the development of a new technique for producing colored glass. Prior to this, colored glass was made by adding metallic oxides to the glass mixture, but this resulted in only a limited range of colors. The new technique involved melting together different colored glass rods to create a patterned effect, which allowed for a wider range of colors and designs.
Another innovation in glass-making during Thutmose III's reign was the use of molds to create more complex shapes and designs. This allowed glassmakers to produce intricate vessels and figurines, which were highly prized for their beauty and craftsmanship.
Thutmose III was a patron of the arts, and he commissioned a large number of glass objects, including vessels, figurines, and jewelry. Many of these objects were highly decorative, and they often incorporated intricate designs and patterns, which were created using the new techniques of glass-making.
Overall, the advancements in glass-making during Thutmose III's reign helped to establish Egypt as a center of glass production in the ancient world. The development of new techniques and technologies helped to expand the range of colors and designs available to glassmakers, and this had a significant impact on the decorative arts of the time.
Mary: List the Building projects of the pharaoh Thutmose III.
Thutmose III was not only a successful military leader but also a prolific builder. He commissioned many building projects throughout Egypt, including:
Great Temple of Amun at Karnak: Thutmose III made significant additions to the temple of Amun at Karnak, including the Festival Hall, which was used for religious celebrations.
Temple of Mut at Karnak: Thutmose III built the Temple of Mut at Karnak, dedicated to the goddess Mut, the wife of Amun.
Temple of Montu at Armant: Thutmose III expanded the Temple of Montu at Armant, dedicated to the god of war, Montu.
The Ramesseum: Thutmose III began construction on the Ramesseum, a temple complex dedicated to his grandfather, Ramesses I.
Palace at Malkata: Thutmose III built a palace at Malkata, located on the west bank of the Nile. The palace was used for the pharaoh's summer residence.
Tomb in the Valley of the Kings: Thutmose III built a tomb for himself in the Valley of the Kings, although he was eventually buried elsewhere.
These building projects demonstrate Thutmose III's commitment to promoting Egyptian culture and religion and his desire to leave a lasting legacy for future generations. – ChatGPT
Mary: Describe the religious reforms of Thutmosis III.
Thutmose III is known for his religious reforms, which aimed to promote the god Amun's worship and elevate his position within the Egyptian pantheon. Some of the key religious reforms of Thutmose III include:
Promoting the Cult of Amun: Thutmose III believed that Amun had aided him in his military campaigns, and so he sought to promote the god's worship throughout Egypt. He commissioned many temples dedicated to Amun and encouraged his subjects to worship the god.
Consolidating the Power of the Priesthood: Thutmose III recognized the power of the priesthood in Egypt and sought to consolidate their power under the authority of the pharaoh. He granted many privileges to the priests of Amun and appointed high-ranking officials to oversee religious affairs.
Encouraging Pilgrimage: Thutmose III encouraged pilgrimage to the major religious centers throughout Egypt, including the temple of Amun at Karnak. He believed that these pilgrimages would help to reinforce the religious and cultural unity of the country.
Establishing Religious Festivals: Thutmose III established many religious festivals, including the Beautiful Festival of the Valley, which was held annually to celebrate the New Year and the rejuvenation of the land.
Overall, Thutmose III's religious reforms aimed to promote the worship of Amun and to strengthen the authority of the pharaoh over religious affairs. His efforts helped to solidify the power of the priesthood and reinforce the central role of religion in Egyptian culture.
Mary: What scientific developments occurred during the reign of Thutmosis III?
During the reign of Thutmose III, there were no significant scientific developments in the modern sense of the term. However, there were some notable advancements in fields such as astronomy, mathematics, and medicine. Some of these developments include:
Astronomy: Egyptian astronomers during the time of Thutmose III were able to calculate the length of the solar year to within a few minutes. They also tracked the movements of the stars and planets, which they believed had a significant impact on human affairs.
Mathematics: Egyptian mathematicians during the time of Thutmose III used a decimal system based on ten, as well as fractions and basic algebra. They were also able to calculate areas and volumes of various shapes.
Medicine: Egyptian physicians during the time of Thutmose III made significant advances in medicine. They were skilled in treating injuries and illnesses and used a wide variety of remedies, including herbal medicines and surgical procedures.
Technology: During the reign of Thutmose III, the Egyptians continued to develop their technology, including improvements in metalworking, construction techniques, and agriculture.
While these advancements may not seem significant by modern standards, they represented an important step forward for ancient Egyptian society and helped to lay the groundwork for future scientific developments.
Mary: Were there changes in art styles during the reign of Thutmose III?
Yes, there were significant changes in art styles during the reign of Thutmose III. Thutmose III's reign is known as the "Golden Age" of Egyptian art, and it saw a flowering of artistic creativity and innovation.
One of the most significant changes in art styles during Thutmose III's reign was the introduction of a more naturalistic and realistic style of representation. This is particularly evident in the depictions of the pharaoh himself, which show him in a more lifelike and dynamic way than in previous periods.
Another innovation in art during Thutmose III's reign was the development of the "Amarna style," which was characterized by a more relaxed and informal approach to representation. This style is best exemplified by the famous bust of Queen Nefertiti, which shows her in a more naturalistic and intimate way than previous depictions of royalty. [Note: this occurred during the New Kingdom but not during the reign of Thutmose III]
Thutmose III was also responsible for commissioning a large number of public monuments and works of art, which helped to promote his image as a powerful and successful ruler. These included colossal statues, obelisks, and temple reliefs, many of which were decorated with elaborate scenes depicting the pharaoh's military campaigns and religious activities.
Overall, the changes in art styles during the reign of Thutmose III helped to usher in a new era of creativity and innovation in Egyptian art, which would continue to influence artists and sculptors for centuries to come.
I am still amazed by the level of detail and volume of information ChatGPT provided. The few "hiccups" I pointed out are relatively minor and, for the most part, were included because Thutmose III ruled during the New Kingdom so ChatGPT supplied the information because the beginnings of new innovations are not always clear. Now if they would just give us footnote references!</span></span></p></div></div>Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3928439.post-60817567974278866482021-07-18T15:30:00.004-07:002021-07-18T15:30:57.803-07:00The Storm God of the Hatti then Hittite<p>During the early Bronze Age the Hatti, who were neither Semitic nor Indo-European, inhabited central Anatolia. They were actually distinct from the Hittite but as the Hittite expanded beginning about 2000 BCE, the Hatti were gradually absorbed into the Hittite political and social order. </p><p>The Hatti were organized in monarchical city-states. These states were ruled as theocratic kingdoms or principalities. Hatti regions of Anatolia came to be influenced by mighty Mesopotamian polities, in the form the Akkadian Empire (24th-22nd century BCE) and the succeeding Old Assyrian Empire (21st-18th century BCE), both of which set up trading colonies called karum, located throughout eastern and central Anatolia. During the first centuries of the 2nd millennium BCE, an Assyrian trade colony existed in the city of Hattush, and several Assyrian inscriptions mention the existence of local rulers (kings) of Hattush, also referring to their relations with other city-states in the region.</p><p>Fortunately, a few fragments of text in the language of the Hatti were discovered among the Hittite archives. Their language is now believed by some scholars to be related to the Northwest Caucasian language group.</p><p>The Hatti worshiped a mother goddess Kattahha (or Hannahanna) who gave birth to the storm-god Taru represented by a bull. The Hittites subsequently adopted much of the Hatti pantheon. Taru was adopted as Tarhunt and referred to as 'The Conqueror', 'The king of Kummiya', 'King of Heaven', and 'Lord of the land of Hatti.' His image was paraded through the streets at the festivals of Puruli in the spring, the Nuntarriyashas festival in the autumn, and the Ki Lam festival of the gate house.</p><p>The Puruli festival celebrates the battle between the dragon Illuyanka and the Storm God. Initially the Storm God is defeated by the serpent. The Storm God then goes to the Hatti goddess Inaras for advice. Having promised to sleep with a mortal named Hupasiyas in return for his help, she devises a trap for the dragon. She goes to him with large quantities of food and drink and entices him to drink his fill. Once drunk, the dragon is bound by Hupasiyas with a rope. Then the Storm God appears with the other gods and kills the dragon.</p><p>In an alternative version of the myth, the dragon takes the Storm God's eyes and heart when he initially vanquishes the Storm God. To avenge himself upon the dragon, the Storm God marries the daughter of a poor man. They have a son, who grows up and marries the daughter of the dragon Illuyanka. The Storm God tells his son to ask for the return of the Storm God's eyes and heart as a wedding gift and he does so. His eyes and heart restored, the Storm God goes to face the dragon Illuyanka once more. At the point of vanquishing the dragon, the Storm God's son finds out about the battle and realizes that he had been used for this purpose. He demands that his father take his life along with Illuyanka's and so the Storm God is forced to kill them both.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7jmH-6nLHAmtkNPgPc2kLa9jL2QwsD8hbrAy2P7t2ABm0UAqrmDC1_5QHLHtltfwzuERtOtAeph_ZthC0TfzpqOYRb7vztSV9DTpp1v2TErhPwmPXDZ8ZedpmINGHkYpSqKgs/s2048/DT864.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1589" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7jmH-6nLHAmtkNPgPc2kLa9jL2QwsD8hbrAy2P7t2ABm0UAqrmDC1_5QHLHtltfwzuERtOtAeph_ZthC0TfzpqOYRb7vztSV9DTpp1v2TErhPwmPXDZ8ZedpmINGHkYpSqKgs/w496-h640/DT864.jpg" width="496" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Standard with two long-horned bulls, 2300-2000 BCE, Hattian, now in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, image courtesy of the museum.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhts7yy_lBtiK7CONwbf6xIkk9h6_1jZUY1wzemqzH7mbTMYQ0wqKnM-W0NjCM6MkMwJkl19QcEuiuRN_f4U-2q-YhUE_yDE-oasERfOAPqMe97TpI5Mdr8yG05huqK2SWPIsKN/s600/600px-Vessel_terminating_in_the_forepart_of_a_bull_MET_DT6177.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhts7yy_lBtiK7CONwbf6xIkk9h6_1jZUY1wzemqzH7mbTMYQ0wqKnM-W0NjCM6MkMwJkl19QcEuiuRN_f4U-2q-YhUE_yDE-oasERfOAPqMe97TpI5Mdr8yG05huqK2SWPIsKN/w640-h640/600px-Vessel_terminating_in_the_forepart_of_a_bull_MET_DT6177.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vessel terminating in the forepart of a bull, Hittite, 14th-13th century BCE, Silver, now in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, image courtesy of the Museum and Wikimedia Commons.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjufC_wt3cALcBY_oGBU6L8nD9xkhEvECpN3PnQ50WQ2eNL4aqmS2dGKs850dhfFKWxyJi8yxnND6y97n9ZqMrijXkzjUBaTUCBckEDi1Fn_u-00k5bVo_4A9uTupmu74flSdqV/s756/768px-Bull-hittite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="588" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjufC_wt3cALcBY_oGBU6L8nD9xkhEvECpN3PnQ50WQ2eNL4aqmS2dGKs850dhfFKWxyJi8yxnND6y97n9ZqMrijXkzjUBaTUCBckEDi1Fn_u-00k5bVo_4A9uTupmu74flSdqV/w498-h640/768px-Bull-hittite.jpg" width="498" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silver bull figure from Alacahöyük, 2300 BCE, now in the collections of the British Museum, image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Ollios.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ0CrApABT5Wngx93vBscsoWx6T2VohPwRr7DW6RGzw1kzCyE7jLreH6DCS3OZTxum6e3WIGzaiCXZWf8p9FyWwEb9Tfmw4-nmKw4-FKy0tkMVJX6ycDNFADgwu40nhKM2S9vf/s1024/768px-Hittite_fruit_cup_detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ0CrApABT5Wngx93vBscsoWx6T2VohPwRr7DW6RGzw1kzCyE7jLreH6DCS3OZTxum6e3WIGzaiCXZWf8p9FyWwEb9Tfmw4-nmKw4-FKy0tkMVJX6ycDNFADgwu40nhKM2S9vf/w480-h640/768px-Hittite_fruit_cup_detail.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vase with bull protome, first quarter of 2nd millenium, now in the collections of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Homonihilis.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLfeOhSk0Uan9HIUrCkGMTgra4lthvIiXZAbrmFgif2wln81swtOmmrilNuUkQvNCx62cF_VRTp64amFG1mRGhbQRPgRUXPb1ZcGrBWCCHquMQQcfqwC9TYlUxwwa3IPcjksMZ/s1468/Museum_of_Anatolian_Civilizations052_kopie1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1468" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLfeOhSk0Uan9HIUrCkGMTgra4lthvIiXZAbrmFgif2wln81swtOmmrilNuUkQvNCx62cF_VRTp64amFG1mRGhbQRPgRUXPb1ZcGrBWCCHquMQQcfqwC9TYlUxwwa3IPcjksMZ/w524-h640/Museum_of_Anatolian_Civilizations052_kopie1.jpg" width="524" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ceremonial vessels in the shape of a team of sacred bulls made of baked clay, called Hurri (Day) and Seri (Night), Hittite Old Kingdom, 16th century BCE, Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, Ankara, Turkey, image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Georges Jansoone.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4uaea-aisjUFuX2DFKZjVaPzCa_EZLe6WNV32SQWLsqfu_b6zEF_5S3wEW_73KtJYbkLjJwsFqElU5kb8T2u6CTqpiFRjDkNUi970jmyG00EOpNRsSNwDa10wg-Qm4ub5TpXj/s1111/Museum_of_Anatolian_Civilizations082_kopie1jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="464" data-original-width="1111" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4uaea-aisjUFuX2DFKZjVaPzCa_EZLe6WNV32SQWLsqfu_b6zEF_5S3wEW_73KtJYbkLjJwsFqElU5kb8T2u6CTqpiFRjDkNUi970jmyG00EOpNRsSNwDa10wg-Qm4ub5TpXj/w640-h268/Museum_of_Anatolian_Civilizations082_kopie1jpg.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Depiction of the myth of the Sky God (in human form) killing the dragon Illuyankas, Neo-Hittites, 850-800 BCE, from the Lions Gate at Malitiya, now in the collections of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, Ankara, Turkey, image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Georges Jansoone.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p> </p>Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3928439.post-62139112273224393212021-07-15T10:34:00.000-07:002021-07-15T10:34:16.347-07:00Were women dominant in Minoan society?<p> Art historian Christopher L. C. E. Witcombe points out there is plenty of archaeological evidence to indicate that women occupied an important if not dominant position within the practice of Minoan religion and possibly the entire society as well. In scenes of ritual worship, women appear to dominate the proceedings and far outnumber male priests and attendants.</p><p>"Moreover men are rarely seen in commanding positions, despite attempts to identify them in such positions," Witcombe says. "Even the lifesize male figure in the reconstructed frescoed stucco relief at Knossos which Evans identified as the "Priest-King" is now believed to be made up of fragments of several different figures. The only thing that seems relatively certain is that one or more of the figures was male."</p><p>He also observes that typical evidence of a male-dominated society in the second millennium including walled citadels, fortifications, temples to gods, large public sculpture and boastful inscriptions are essentially absent.</p><p>When Sir Arthur Evans found fragments of faïence figurines, one which he dubbed the "snake goddess," in 1903, he asserted it was clear from the evidence that the Minoan religion was based on a dominant goddess of fertility just as described by James Frazer in his text "The Golden Bough" that had been published in 1890.</p><p>"Part of the attraction of the figurines is that they can be interpreted as embodying many of the perceived, and admired, characteristics of the Minoans: their elegant, fashionable costumes, their physical gracefulness, their sensitive yet forthright personalities, their sophisticated tastes and love of luxury, their refined manners and worldly ways, their seemingly high intelligence combined with an endearing forthright innocence, and their apparent love of beauty, nature, and peace," says Witcombe.</p><p>What I was surprised to learn is that the figurine widely known as the "Snake Goddess" was categorized by Evans as just a votary. The figurine he called the "Snake Goddess" wore a tall hat and stood with her arms extended out and down with palms up. She grasps the head of a snake in her right hand and it winds up the upturned flat underside of her forearm over her right shoulder, down one side of her back, over her buttocks, up the other side, over her left shoulder, and down her right arm. A second snake is looped over her right ear and winds down over her right shoulder following the curve of her exposed breast continues down below her waist, then loops back up the left side of her torso, up in front of her left ear, and up her tall hat to the apex. A third snake entwines her waist. Only her torso, right arm, head, and her hat (except for a portion at the top) were found.</p><p>The figurine now known as the "Snake Goddess" was missing its head, most of its hat, the right arm, the lower part of the snake held in the right hand, and large segments of the flounced skirt. It is assumed Evans used images of women in Minoan frescoes to fashion a new head.</p><p>Read much more about Minoan Women and the Snake Goddess here: <a href="http://arthistoryresources.net/snakegoddess/discovery.html">http://arthistoryresources.net/snakegoddess/discovery.html</a></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmp3U7S9k6GsDgl0m1bbFqS9XGcIph4Z7HK3XN_fwAcKIoNClBaq35ZUx37rct8v9TiLA1-JDzfSkMlqvSEPESVBwu6pyQVPE9kPqmsp9v1nKEGQExEHfnJRKM66wkVBvYZjLB/s1600/P6071794+NW+PE+DYN+CON+ENH+TEX+80P+HDR+GLOW+VG+SUBTLE+1600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmp3U7S9k6GsDgl0m1bbFqS9XGcIph4Z7HK3XN_fwAcKIoNClBaq35ZUx37rct8v9TiLA1-JDzfSkMlqvSEPESVBwu6pyQVPE9kPqmsp9v1nKEGQExEHfnJRKM66wkVBvYZjLB/w480-h640/P6071794+NW+PE+DYN+CON+ENH+TEX+80P+HDR+GLOW+VG+SUBTLE+1600.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Reproductions of restored faience figurines that Sir Arthur Evans found in the Temple Repositories of Knossos, Crete. The figurine on the left was originally dubbed the "Snake Goddess" by Evans while the figurine on the right is the one most recognized today as the Minoan "Snake Goddess". I photographed these figurines at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5L_-5wLkadFSlrZFjCha9njlAxXjh02MF6dxwCWHmIyVYiJWiZie1DQe5Smitkuftrc2OWJ9HZqV9wBSTXjb7gGbsqGNpx2yMQnt33PvB2fD_ivPvjrelGKCmXU2JPHXXgk7A/s868/download+%252870%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="843" data-original-width="868" height="622" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5L_-5wLkadFSlrZFjCha9njlAxXjh02MF6dxwCWHmIyVYiJWiZie1DQe5Smitkuftrc2OWJ9HZqV9wBSTXjb7gGbsqGNpx2yMQnt33PvB2fD_ivPvjrelGKCmXU2JPHXXgk7A/w640-h622/download+%252870%2529.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Figurine of Female Worshiper, Minoan, 1600-1500 BCE, in the collections of the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio, image courtesy of the museum. This extremely rare Minoan bronze statuette represents a girl worshiping a deity. It was probably left as a dedication to a divinity. She wears a flounced skirt over a sleeved robe open at the front. The figure shows a remarkable degree of detail, including looped earrings, bracelets, and a necklace. Her shaved hairstyle, not found on any other Minoan bronze statuette, matches that of painted figures in roughly contemporary frescoes uncovered on the island of Thera, north of Crete. Its excellent condition, rarity, fine detail, and balanced proportions set it apart from other statuettes of its type to have survived.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV3s7TMcXh5TF69u9Z8oxjXMC08Xg5WclLOcAjl54b4YjjFGJ2A-7DDgAshBADwPSoAROveLgkmt3i6xnLJg6iImRW-9X8bTk89iHYGT3-908qXOb74wy4fJji9o0Xeu9SiQJH/s1024/Cueilleuse_de_safran%252C_fresque%252C_Akrotiri%252C_Gr%25C3%25A8ce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="816" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV3s7TMcXh5TF69u9Z8oxjXMC08Xg5WclLOcAjl54b4YjjFGJ2A-7DDgAshBADwPSoAROveLgkmt3i6xnLJg6iImRW-9X8bTk89iHYGT3-908qXOb74wy4fJji9o0Xeu9SiQJH/w510-h640/Cueilleuse_de_safran%252C_fresque%252C_Akrotiri%252C_Gr%25C3%25A8ce.jpg" width="510" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Minoan girl from the fresco "The Saffron Gatherers" in Akrotiri, 1600-1500 BCE, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Yann Forget</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijqxJcrPPYuKhZVLjAcDz7WDnUulEfcg1igujFX40dFJFBxl9Ix4yiJZ_rG5RyYJ-LmoR5PptCjLoSFzqjkvIFud4is5rbacEu4Yaz3qopQwSrqVRp7rOADWis_xwREKe1lOzJ/s960/Santorini_girl_picks_flowers-standard-scale-2_00x-gigapixel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijqxJcrPPYuKhZVLjAcDz7WDnUulEfcg1igujFX40dFJFBxl9Ix4yiJZ_rG5RyYJ-LmoR5PptCjLoSFzqjkvIFud4is5rbacEu4Yaz3qopQwSrqVRp7rOADWis_xwREKe1lOzJ/w640-h480/Santorini_girl_picks_flowers-standard-scale-2_00x-gigapixel.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Closeup of Minoan girl from the fresco "The Saffron Gatherers" in Akrotiri, 1600-1500 BCE, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkbSobwR2n2o-DgUfrRvHDu5zUp1I0u_xgXb12FhgmxCrfOb-D32hiIh7GSnuevHr0iz_RZQF56ufKLwQbZPBUyBocKn7ZOJhfYmBGoURF6QWgSFg0LjGOwGJbb87-h39urCaP/s599/399px-Wall_painting_of_two_ladies_and_papyrus_plants_from_Akrotiri_%2528house_of_the_ladies%2529_-_Thera_MPT_-_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="399" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkbSobwR2n2o-DgUfrRvHDu5zUp1I0u_xgXb12FhgmxCrfOb-D32hiIh7GSnuevHr0iz_RZQF56ufKLwQbZPBUyBocKn7ZOJhfYmBGoURF6QWgSFg0LjGOwGJbb87-h39urCaP/w426-h640/399px-Wall_painting_of_two_ladies_and_papyrus_plants_from_Akrotiri_%2528house_of_the_ladies%2529_-_Thera_MPT_-_02.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Closeup of Minoan lady from Room 1 of the House of the Ladies in Akrotiri courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor ArchaiOptix</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh64BMLvehXxy50othi2OPr0Ykpcr-u6jD5nFZQifhOeg82_Jnso5xi730_vbB3qOL8JLoj76zRBbQhjAPyv4bPyDh3oLj1OMTVAR64HQwukEfxktroa1hFPefKLXBsocx7pmp0/s1024/629px-Wall_painting_of_two_ladies_and_papyrus_plants_from_Akrotiri_%2528house_of_the_ladies%2529_-_Thera_MPT_-_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="629" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh64BMLvehXxy50othi2OPr0Ykpcr-u6jD5nFZQifhOeg82_Jnso5xi730_vbB3qOL8JLoj76zRBbQhjAPyv4bPyDh3oLj1OMTVAR64HQwukEfxktroa1hFPefKLXBsocx7pmp0/w394-h640/629px-Wall_painting_of_two_ladies_and_papyrus_plants_from_Akrotiri_%2528house_of_the_ladies%2529_-_Thera_MPT_-_01.jpg" width="394" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Minoan lady from Room 1 of the House of the Ladies in Akrotiri courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor ArchaiOptix</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEzt7uhoJ7CoL83fikQOq3kb4k6B5gVuOKD8v10Pwq4iQWPytWaZedCxyKNTi2Gv4Osrp3xIXjyxNnUk956ns19SzPtXOaqS9bsWOJTHnsoI-Ymxw-Gpqq7dJbLm9WblHvxr8M/s600/450px-Pr%25C3%25A4historisches_Museum_Thira_Haus_der_Damen_Figur_A_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEzt7uhoJ7CoL83fikQOq3kb4k6B5gVuOKD8v10Pwq4iQWPytWaZedCxyKNTi2Gv4Osrp3xIXjyxNnUk956ns19SzPtXOaqS9bsWOJTHnsoI-Ymxw-Gpqq7dJbLm9WblHvxr8M/w480-h640/450px-Pr%25C3%25A4historisches_Museum_Thira_Haus_der_Damen_Figur_A_02.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Fresco from room 1 (“vestibule”) in the “House of the Ladies” of the excavation site near Akrotiri (Santorin) in the Prehistoric Museum of Thira, Santorin (Thira), Cyclades, Greece, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Olaf Tausch</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbpNBFuwXFH4I0de3YCt5q9At24aCqG2GyhVc3q2FTv2bLRz0UqSbneMxk1n2Sla64WF_yn9VWXxO-hniQ3lhNK7pJAi1CCiOo-Rncq7kX_-SppJyN9UEIb1am56CeGeP3ohI/s1023/682px-Fresco__Ladies__detail_1700-1600_BC%252C_PMTh_261-265_0503190.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1023" data-original-width="682" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbpNBFuwXFH4I0de3YCt5q9At24aCqG2GyhVc3q2FTv2bLRz0UqSbneMxk1n2Sla64WF_yn9VWXxO-hniQ3lhNK7pJAi1CCiOo-Rncq7kX_-SppJyN9UEIb1am56CeGeP3ohI/w426-h640/682px-Fresco__Ladies__detail_1700-1600_BC%252C_PMTh_261-265_0503190.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Closeup of Fresco from room 1 (“vestibule”) in the “House of the Ladies” of the excavation site near Akrotiri (Santorin) in the Prehistoric Museum of Thira, Santorin (Thira), Cyclades, Greece, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Olaf Tausch</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYGjmf3Api8TgyRZ9HY8tVg2K9FCrtOGV_x7xoP77ASViDke9XTR449R3e6XVo6NFSimaUh_5Tw_CIfJeS8l_KSJ2rnDsofq8Or2GQrgTGJnAXKHvnKDc5q857TOk0XXk2j7J7/s1024/753px-Priesterin_Akrotiri_Westhaus_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="753" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYGjmf3Api8TgyRZ9HY8tVg2K9FCrtOGV_x7xoP77ASViDke9XTR449R3e6XVo6NFSimaUh_5Tw_CIfJeS8l_KSJ2rnDsofq8Or2GQrgTGJnAXKHvnKDc5q857TOk0XXk2j7J7/w470-h640/753px-Priesterin_Akrotiri_Westhaus_01.jpg" width="470" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Fresco of a priestess from the passage from room 4 to room 5 on the upper floor of the west house of the excavation site in Akrotiri on Santorini, Cyclades, Greece, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQaDbepgpCxFlUaWc8dcbD-Hng3JXTZOhaAcYN9sDJJqaVCs63OSH3OZrxSqKRpP5zmUv46XG52l33VQQmHgaTJ5VQqhITPD1NL6OvhFIAudo8qx2BFwZbM6Kaht19Tq6nAVZU/s1024/Knossos_Pariserin_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="539" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQaDbepgpCxFlUaWc8dcbD-Hng3JXTZOhaAcYN9sDJJqaVCs63OSH3OZrxSqKRpP5zmUv46XG52l33VQQmHgaTJ5VQqhITPD1NL6OvhFIAudo8qx2BFwZbM6Kaht19Tq6nAVZU/w336-h640/Knossos_Pariserin_01.jpg" width="336" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Fresco of the so-called Parisian woman from the Palace of Knossos (1450–1350 / 1300 BCE), exhibited in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, Crete, Greece courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Olaf Tausch</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p> </p>Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3928439.post-88333483266478134222021-06-18T15:46:00.000-07:002021-06-18T15:46:02.006-07:00Mycenaean gold "seal" rings with Minoan-style iconography<p> When the so-called "Griffin Warrior" was discovered near the Palace of Nestor in Pylos, the young man who died around 1500 BCE was buried with some 2,000 objects, including silver cups, beads made of precious stones, ivory combs, a sword and four intricately decorated solid gold rings. Archaeologists Shari Stocker and Jack Davis from the University of Cincinnati that excavated the warrior's burial think these grave goods provided evidence that Mycenaean culture recognized and appreciated Minoan culture more than previously believed, especially the gold rings. Made of multiple sheets of gold, the rings depict detailed scenes including bull leaping and iconography such as sun symbols and mythological genii creatures from Minoan mythology. </p><p>Originally the rings were thought to have probably been crafted on Crete where they were used to seal documents or indicate ownership of goods or other objects and pillaged in warfare. But, after extensive study, Stocker and Davis have expressed their opinion that these items were probably not plunder but examples of exchanged ideas and the adoption of certain aspects of Minoan culture including religious concepts and symbols of political power.</p><p>Cynthia W. Shelmerdine of the University of Texas, an expert on the Bronze Age in the Aegean, observes, "These things clearly have a power connection…[and] fits with other evidence that the elites on the mainland are increasingly closely connected to the elites on Crete whether or not the rings were used in the Minoan way for sealing objects.”</p><p>"The elite of Pylos at this time knew what these symbols and objects meant. The Griffin Warrior was not simply imitating the Minoan world but he was a part of it, just as he was a part of the Mycenaean world. His burial serves as a testimony that the transition between the two eras was neither abrupt nor concrete, but that the process was much more complex. There was a time, at least in Pylos, where the two cultures seemingly blended and coexisted." - Uncovering Pylos, The Archaeological Institute of America.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_UQtCWxagpCTd0MMLWTds-Agu4Dipqc37E5v33VmxiEm-RuMZP8BhWJlCnDvxm2fSkrHXGYNgY32_7cenOaqRccNNCCUdaGplzKRZS5uTvBbQDucf918x8k7Y7f0eNWqZewNk/s1626/Gold_Mycenaen_Seal_Ring_with_two_female_figures_praying%252C_end_of_15th_century_BCE%252C_NAM_Athens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1332" data-original-width="1626" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_UQtCWxagpCTd0MMLWTds-Agu4Dipqc37E5v33VmxiEm-RuMZP8BhWJlCnDvxm2fSkrHXGYNgY32_7cenOaqRccNNCCUdaGplzKRZS5uTvBbQDucf918x8k7Y7f0eNWqZewNk/s320/Gold_Mycenaen_Seal_Ring_with_two_female_figures_praying%252C_end_of_15th_century_BCE%252C_NAM_Athens.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Gold Mycenaen Seal Ring with two female figures with raised arms praying by a shrine or altar. The branches on either side of the central structure may indicate that the ritual is related to seasonal cycles and fertility, end of 15th century BCE, now in the NAM Athens. I photographed this ring at "The Greeks: From Agamemnon to Alexander the Great" exhibit at the Chicago Field Museum.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSvLxltJM_GxnQEV0_mhwzSPuMFwX_kwx_aoF_e83SjMad8tY8PUaHWpRMZBndLDAAimb3Zk7WWudDs25Gh_4RCsVV9R1ljvIe1y2-QAWcHAAdgsVP9Y8JQfnXpnEp6Y9QFgfm/s1678/Mycenaean_gold_signet_ring_depicting_a_man_with_a_branch_approaching_a_building_with_a_goat_behind_him_intended_for_sacrifice_1500_BCE_NAM_Athens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1317" data-original-width="1678" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSvLxltJM_GxnQEV0_mhwzSPuMFwX_kwx_aoF_e83SjMad8tY8PUaHWpRMZBndLDAAimb3Zk7WWudDs25Gh_4RCsVV9R1ljvIe1y2-QAWcHAAdgsVP9Y8JQfnXpnEp6Y9QFgfm/s320/Mycenaean_gold_signet_ring_depicting_a_man_with_a_branch_approaching_a_building_with_a_goat_behind_him_intended_for_sacrifice_1500_BCE_NAM_Athens.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Mycenaean gold signet ring depicting a man with a branch approaching a building with a goat behind him intended for sacrifice 1500 BCE NAM Athens. I photographed this ring at "The Greeks: From Agamemnon to Alexander the Great" exhibit at the Chicago Field Museum.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtmn1LMBIx9qgx1KtjE9JhlvPhq0qVrN2IRCqBsAztKg7yZalZ634tgCuadM0FeKp2bMTYDdyZinq_d1-s06DrVYxoIAsvAIIoa1notKpUW2v3SA9_PH3ptoEBSjtHMZYS9ltV/s1607/Findings_from_Grave_IV_%2528Grave_Circle_A%2529_6_%2528cropped%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="993" data-original-width="1607" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtmn1LMBIx9qgx1KtjE9JhlvPhq0qVrN2IRCqBsAztKg7yZalZ634tgCuadM0FeKp2bMTYDdyZinq_d1-s06DrVYxoIAsvAIIoa1notKpUW2v3SA9_PH3ptoEBSjtHMZYS9ltV/s320/Findings_from_Grave_IV_%2528Grave_Circle_A%2529_6_%2528cropped%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Gold ring from grave IV of grave circle A at Mycenae 1500-1200 BCE courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Schuppi</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Ybqtpi98DkUDak_It1NIy_EvJTAJ5-rR6YYdJ_bZnJsoBrb4y0b-dw2LevMSN_n6E4eaBT4k2XI41Zzlxx7VV3l8smFyY6QDKGbajc56ozzjMkLlZ8az96UrCSIsqhkno1Uy/s1493/Findings_from_Grave_IV_%2528Grave_Circle_A%2529_7_%2528cropped%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="930" data-original-width="1493" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Ybqtpi98DkUDak_It1NIy_EvJTAJ5-rR6YYdJ_bZnJsoBrb4y0b-dw2LevMSN_n6E4eaBT4k2XI41Zzlxx7VV3l8smFyY6QDKGbajc56ozzjMkLlZ8az96UrCSIsqhkno1Uy/s320/Findings_from_Grave_IV_%2528Grave_Circle_A%2529_7_%2528cropped%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">National Archaeological Museum of Athens, NAMA 240: Gold ring from grave IV of grave circle A at Tiryns, 1500-1200 BCE courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Schuppi.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8oA6J9OP_zxrwp4Ue4HAxsPufW57u1N8lE7DCPqWubSVnblR-WQV4JPAsLVhX5KJP8APZz_9xpGN3oJFa_Fdzkk96hVbDMCPxC-76OhhdLoIdQdIxDR_eODmdEhyRvE47FyOl/s1381/Mycenaean_Gold_Signet_Ring_MN_1005_-Aidonia-Museum_of_Nemea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="1381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8oA6J9OP_zxrwp4Ue4HAxsPufW57u1N8lE7DCPqWubSVnblR-WQV4JPAsLVhX5KJP8APZz_9xpGN3oJFa_Fdzkk96hVbDMCPxC-76OhhdLoIdQdIxDR_eODmdEhyRvE47FyOl/s320/Mycenaean_Gold_Signet_Ring_MN_1005_-Aidonia-Museum_of_Nemea.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Archea Nemea, Corinthia, Greece: Mycenaean Gold Signet Ring MN 1005 showing a chariot. Part of the Repartriated Mycenaean Treasure of the Mycenaean cemetery of Aidonia in the Archaeological Museum of Nemea courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Schuppi.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1UT_H-NsAN5xQECAGMS8NbWmnZRVICbpGBWuc7krvyBJqu9SeGn640fmL0ulNeDcU-6bcPbsNqKD-Hy3BQVRygBRIrKZQcqOzNGm1qLdk1Pf4USGOwDmu0o6jNp0cISz3iQM7/s1617/Mycenaean_Gold_Signet_Ring_MN_1006_-Aidonia-Museum_of_Nemea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="953" data-original-width="1617" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1UT_H-NsAN5xQECAGMS8NbWmnZRVICbpGBWuc7krvyBJqu9SeGn640fmL0ulNeDcU-6bcPbsNqKD-Hy3BQVRygBRIrKZQcqOzNGm1qLdk1Pf4USGOwDmu0o6jNp0cISz3iQM7/s320/Mycenaean_Gold_Signet_Ring_MN_1006_-Aidonia-Museum_of_Nemea.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Archea Nemea, Corinthia, Greece: Mycenaean Gold Signet Ring MN 1006 showing two woman holding flowers. Part of the Repartriated Mycenaean Treasure of the Mycenaean cemetery of Aidonia in the Archaeological Museum of Nemea courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Schuppi</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibn2ojN0gpRY1Wnxy-DtiaOVfEwXNkdhl6U16oEr6iKftzQFOWSlHhaN35osxb76HnQh0AY9G9NvPHooIgU9CqNwgUOqt5pG_h6RxmD_R3n9NRhMqsh8toxgPlsNtsN3PErbvA/s860/Ring%252C_lions_to_pillar%252C_Mycenae%252C_1700-1400_BC%252C_Gold%252C_AshmoleanM%252C_AN_1938.1126.142532_%2528cropped%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="677" data-original-width="860" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibn2ojN0gpRY1Wnxy-DtiaOVfEwXNkdhl6U16oEr6iKftzQFOWSlHhaN35osxb76HnQh0AY9G9NvPHooIgU9CqNwgUOqt5pG_h6RxmD_R3n9NRhMqsh8toxgPlsNtsN3PErbvA/s320/Ring%252C_lions_to_pillar%252C_Mycenae%252C_1700-1400_BC%252C_Gold%252C_AshmoleanM%252C_AN_1938.1126.142532_%2528cropped%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Mycenaean gold seal ring, two lions tied to a pillar, said to be from Mycenae, 1700-1400 BCE, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Zde</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8WVkydzQzKskm0gWzzb6XPiDeon8C0Lxc97hGs7_pBIlxru05JatVCFDKK_hNFGNcEyfbSmI0-CizMUQvJ1gOgjaHj2I_Xi8LFtnwZskncJG1zLwQOzbbB5s1C2fUVKv5Wvqj/s2048/Ring_with_a_hunting_scene_%25281%2529+Cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1564" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8WVkydzQzKskm0gWzzb6XPiDeon8C0Lxc97hGs7_pBIlxru05JatVCFDKK_hNFGNcEyfbSmI0-CizMUQvJ1gOgjaHj2I_Xi8LFtnwZskncJG1zLwQOzbbB5s1C2fUVKv5Wvqj/s320/Ring_with_a_hunting_scene_%25281%2529+Cropped.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">A ring with a hunting scene from the Minoan and Mycenaean culture, around 1400 BCE. Gold, Historical Museum of Serbia. Inv. No. 50/A, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor M Todorovic</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiajQM-aA9eHf5sNKDaprXsWQhbv2XrnxSpvuYBcQPXoOIAwdfvjSqzeCTwdzr9wxUMHALgVWE9tGNua7eKNQ7FEl-av8hyphenhyphensqjBBcbAdxelgo9JV5cQr47IAqn02g6xOP6mtKeS/s1457/Gold_ring_with_relief_Sitting_Goddess_and_seahorses_Mycenaean%252C_NAMA_6208_080858.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1140" data-original-width="1457" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiajQM-aA9eHf5sNKDaprXsWQhbv2XrnxSpvuYBcQPXoOIAwdfvjSqzeCTwdzr9wxUMHALgVWE9tGNua7eKNQ7FEl-av8hyphenhyphensqjBBcbAdxelgo9JV5cQr47IAqn02g6xOP6mtKeS/s320/Gold_ring_with_relief_Sitting_Goddess_and_seahorses_Mycenaean%252C_NAMA_6208_080858.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Gold ring with relief: Sitting Goddess and procession of seahorses. Mycenaean Late Bronze Age. Tiryns, 15th cent. BCE. National Archaeological Museum of Athens N 6208, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Zde.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p> </p>Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3928439.post-62830571428412715072021-05-30T11:23:00.000-07:002021-05-30T11:23:04.207-07:00Changes in historical perceptions of Qin Shi Huangdi, first emperor of unified China<p>My husband and I have been watching the "Qin Empire Epic", a Chinese produced series, on Amazon Prime. Although I can't always keep up with the subtitles (I can't read that fast from across the room!) I have found the history of the unification of China under Qin Shi Huangdi, initially called Yíng Zhèng, very interesting. Most references to China's first emperor that I had read, mostly information accompanying the three different Terracotta Warriors exhibits I have attended, seemed to emphasize the emperor's brutality, as portrayed in traditional Chinese historiography. But, I discovered, like Roman propaganda vilifying the emperor Nero, perceptions of Yíng Zhèng's actions need to be considered in the political context of the fierce competition between warlords that dominated the tumultuous Warring States Period.</p><p>Although I haven't seen any reference to burying Confucian scholars alive yet (we're on episode 78), I was researching some of the portrayed events and found that recent research suggests that the "burying of the Confucian scholars alive" tale, one of Qin Shi Huangdi's most heinous reported acts, is now considered a Confucian martyrs' legend. It is based on an incident where the emperor ordered the execution of a group of alchemists who had attempted to mislead him. But later, during the Han dynasty, Confucian scholars, who had served the Qin loyally, used that incident, claiming the alchemists were Confucianists, to distance themselves from the failed dynasty and ingratiate themselves to the new administration. So, just like in the west, tales of martyrdom were apparently used for political manipulation.</p><p>Reassessments of Qin Shi Huangdi's rule in more modern times seem to oscillate between the traditional view and a perception of the first emperor as a hero of Chinese history. In Hong Shidi's biography "Qin Shi Huang," published by the state during the Maoist period, the first emperor is portrayed as a far-sighted ruler who destroyed the forces of division and established the first unified, centralized state by rejecting the feudal past. He was criticized, though, for not being as thorough as he should have been, in crushing counter-revolutionaries which resulted in hidden subversives under the leadership of the chief eunuch Zhao Gao seizing power after the emperor's death and using it to restore the old feudal order. His famous quest for immortality, so widely acclaimed in exhibit literature, was scarcely mentioned (and hasn't been in this Prime series either so far). The series does portray the emperor as occasionally short-tempered and impulsive, even stubborn, however, although ultimately he is seen willing to reconsider some of his more drastic edicts if provided with convincing argument. </p><p>As a Roman history enthusiast, what I find totally astounding about the Warring States Period is the sheer number of combatants reported in the battles. These events coincide roughly with the Second Punic War in the west. Military engagements during the Warring States Period in the east are described as involving hundreds of thousands of soldiers on each side. In fact, during the series, one state boasts of being able to supply over one million soldiers. In contrast, at Cannae, according to Polybius, the Romans fielded 86,400 infantry and cavalry and Hannibal's Carthaginians only 50,000 and it is considered to be one of the largest engagements during that conflict. By the time the decisive battle of Zama was fought, the Romans fielded less than half that number.</p><p>I told my husband that the Romans were really fortunate the Chinese "world" did not encompass them at the time!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi06Yhn3_8FBloxC3srrOWBHIeWTAUn6zToladG9WMtNS09s46Vvqo7FQ062wL2v2YACNWHVVrLLhvwKihWYQAgTM5UKVb7yxspasGey9J4Y3CPu_-GVcfKAZFarivaD4J4YJRI/s1600/36833218000_7c3cb0e20a_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi06Yhn3_8FBloxC3srrOWBHIeWTAUn6zToladG9WMtNS09s46Vvqo7FQ062wL2v2YACNWHVVrLLhvwKihWYQAgTM5UKVb7yxspasGey9J4Y3CPu_-GVcfKAZFarivaD4J4YJRI/w480-h640/36833218000_7c3cb0e20a_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Reproduction of Terracotta Warrior "painted" with colored light to illustrate how the figure once appeared before being interred in the tomb of Emperor Qin Shihuang in 3rd century BCE China that I photographed at the "Terracotta Warriors of the First Emperor" exhibit at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle Washington.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC-6DpcJ9ZeYJ9P_S1FhqOhg1gIbQswS4hSA9X-9ow1QznCdh9A1GA48M0HhI87b6MGLa-VT8TAU2J3nG1Bcah3IrqgVg52vUfJ6E6Z9nEMuXA_92eUDG96u_aqxAyzqAs_kZ-/s1600/33059773722_bef9a48874_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC-6DpcJ9ZeYJ9P_S1FhqOhg1gIbQswS4hSA9X-9ow1QznCdh9A1GA48M0HhI87b6MGLa-VT8TAU2J3nG1Bcah3IrqgVg52vUfJ6E6Z9nEMuXA_92eUDG96u_aqxAyzqAs_kZ-/w480-h640/33059773722_bef9a48874_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">A Qin Dynasty terracotta warrior from the tomb of Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang 210 BCE that I photographed at The Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVbYaLI1qPRcPrLBdZSgz2edw6Dl53-hf-Sws2CZvMp33YxsNdVgyi8tDQPvx7uhtvZuaH_Uf0hcTCDrYXKpe2VIh4kfdV4LhkLRyFsA9EASc3v-P84CHErVXZ6HxSQwQetwvE/s1600/36194878924_bf8db882b3_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVbYaLI1qPRcPrLBdZSgz2edw6Dl53-hf-Sws2CZvMp33YxsNdVgyi8tDQPvx7uhtvZuaH_Uf0hcTCDrYXKpe2VIh4kfdV4LhkLRyFsA9EASc3v-P84CHErVXZ6HxSQwQetwvE/w480-h640/36194878924_bf8db882b3_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Terracotta Commanding General from the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang China 210-209 BCE that I photographed at the "Terracotta Warriors of the First Emperor" exhibit at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle Washington.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgby2gbj4oPeaA7l4sNgu01hcxfqKVpHsBPMY3W4WxZEKk7yeONKbq84zhWl3g57Onwoex-Nd8siEmWfeKod_H4b4yLMtQUZw77fC2R5dM_mSJHXeLNxrARzHx41yna8ot59jyC/s1600/36222466773_c091bc3f55_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1141" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgby2gbj4oPeaA7l4sNgu01hcxfqKVpHsBPMY3W4WxZEKk7yeONKbq84zhWl3g57Onwoex-Nd8siEmWfeKod_H4b4yLMtQUZw77fC2R5dM_mSJHXeLNxrARzHx41yna8ot59jyC/w456-h640/36222466773_c091bc3f55_o.jpg" width="456" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Closeup of a Terracotta Qin archer's braided hair from tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang China 210-209 BCE that I photographed at the "Terracotta Warriors of the First Emperor" exhibit at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle Washington.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ns_ERTuXoBKktnNbBYcjbbBpTVptzurZ2SNWqSNrvvJx_Ax4lq8MSn7X2kEkvQ267xaryZGILcjBEv9pOwu5SNPfjSbYt4nntIpT6-F4N2cCNVyhsQhZb9neW1ncPLXVvuWH/s1600/36430677144_d72f1329cb_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ns_ERTuXoBKktnNbBYcjbbBpTVptzurZ2SNWqSNrvvJx_Ax4lq8MSn7X2kEkvQ267xaryZGILcjBEv9pOwu5SNPfjSbYt4nntIpT6-F4N2cCNVyhsQhZb9neW1ncPLXVvuWH/w480-h640/36430677144_d72f1329cb_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Model of workers assembling the terracotta army for Emperor Qin Shihuang's tomb in the 3rd century BCE that I photographed at the "Terracotta Warriors of the First Emperor" exhibit at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle Washington.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkuM35Pqp1Fp8JE-I5K3deOgENgPXRAsGZGjX-w0CVNhMnxrVPzdl1t1xkArh9IbbT57J5c4cBGE7szITW1zjL6VljvGgx97pbrP7HNP4J_SSSFW6F87yXpqEZw-AXFetf8i8R/s1600/36430679634_c4de046312_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1194" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkuM35Pqp1Fp8JE-I5K3deOgENgPXRAsGZGjX-w0CVNhMnxrVPzdl1t1xkArh9IbbT57J5c4cBGE7szITW1zjL6VljvGgx97pbrP7HNP4J_SSSFW6F87yXpqEZw-AXFetf8i8R/w478-h640/36430679634_c4de046312_o.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Model of workers assembling the terracotta army for Emperor Qin Shihuang's tomb in the 3rd century BCE that I photographed at the "Terracotta Warriors of the First Emperor" exhibit at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle Washington.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhphze02ud3LImkiHHMHJqSXyhjDotE3I_OxESRBtSD3SvbVtI8FPPmiYAZwfSpsWb9p4QN4oWwTvE27dRLYaQmyz5NYPU0L-Zr-Lov5qOL8L8HhMwX0OJXxsNITY6V-cQlEDNZ/s1600/36430696104_49c95a7143_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1313" data-original-width="1600" height="526" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhphze02ud3LImkiHHMHJqSXyhjDotE3I_OxESRBtSD3SvbVtI8FPPmiYAZwfSpsWb9p4QN4oWwTvE27dRLYaQmyz5NYPU0L-Zr-Lov5qOL8L8HhMwX0OJXxsNITY6V-cQlEDNZ/w640-h526/36430696104_49c95a7143_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Bronze Goose found in the tomb of Emperor Qin Shihuang Qin Dynasty China 221-206 BCE that I photographed at the "Terracotta Warriors of the First Emperor" exhibit at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle Washington.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimEdaN7VwOgOb9YQ1VDgmrmulz0ZuiaczHhWSK2dVLkEZVDHUMoLGweVRtlDciYFOUF7eRPjq63-ov0JlpecvJwa3X004S9jBCt6IXjvDu4AtmhoaJUDIP5likZuOtUFbCxULm/s1600/36529453960_3a7717ccc0_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimEdaN7VwOgOb9YQ1VDgmrmulz0ZuiaczHhWSK2dVLkEZVDHUMoLGweVRtlDciYFOUF7eRPjq63-ov0JlpecvJwa3X004S9jBCt6IXjvDu4AtmhoaJUDIP5likZuOtUFbCxULm/w640-h480/36529453960_3a7717ccc0_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Model depicting workers assembling a terracotta horse from the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang China 210-209 BCE that I photographed at the "Terracotta Warriors of the First Emperor" exhibit at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle Washington.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJaWfdV4SHsImmAkzGUXEcbP0jGvVpbfjDzuesGtvarvda0GOAZMk77jS0_nFubNNz4Ob09iVk2kqTxluu3lfa2ZdcvNAN-oIBY6EzOuo8rBZWfHYlcAflSFRYA0TAqWQsZ2a/s1600/36529455320_2ee33af05c_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJaWfdV4SHsImmAkzGUXEcbP0jGvVpbfjDzuesGtvarvda0GOAZMk77jS0_nFubNNz4Ob09iVk2kqTxluu3lfa2ZdcvNAN-oIBY6EzOuo8rBZWfHYlcAflSFRYA0TAqWQsZ2a/w480-h640/36529455320_2ee33af05c_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Stone armor from the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang China 210-209 BCE that I photographed at the "Terracotta Warriors of the First Emperor" exhibit at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle Washington.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwggqh7hvsdpekORvSQGnQ7zHLRT_F-NsJRbkqmz_3VphJ-UTVJmMl9YtGyhX_IxoBr2yymT0x-i8kug0IjosP7v9dRNA0rHdZK0VSCEZG9wrz4r2jT7kBGNgrOIPpujEWEPuo/s1600/36529456290_6424692d9f_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1165" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwggqh7hvsdpekORvSQGnQ7zHLRT_F-NsJRbkqmz_3VphJ-UTVJmMl9YtGyhX_IxoBr2yymT0x-i8kug0IjosP7v9dRNA0rHdZK0VSCEZG9wrz4r2jT7kBGNgrOIPpujEWEPuo/w466-h640/36529456290_6424692d9f_o.jpg" width="466" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Replica of a 2-ton bronze chariot from the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang China 210-209 BCE that I photographed at the "Terracotta Warriors of the First Emperor" exhibit at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle Washington.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3f6rJ31dBZ2fgzO9Zc-HiszhJYWiiNtQd1YIOovV6x5uWhUqhyphenhyphenzHjoMnGqMM64xC9oBKJZcbAyQySMmLJ41YwXuB-4hQ9J0b0r9YieaPfLjCY-0hIbSDDWkt8NmqFJY_QV4z/s1600/36754727522_975bf736f8_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3f6rJ31dBZ2fgzO9Zc-HiszhJYWiiNtQd1YIOovV6x5uWhUqhyphenhyphenzHjoMnGqMM64xC9oBKJZcbAyQySMmLJ41YwXuB-4hQ9J0b0r9YieaPfLjCY-0hIbSDDWkt8NmqFJY_QV4z/w480-h640/36754727522_975bf736f8_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">A terracotta cavalryman and his horse from the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang China 210-209 BCE that I photographed at the "Terracotta Warriors of the First Emperor" exhibit at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle Washington.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgueZ6cPJD2MV1kyX_NKvlpTR11dBakDxFulOjLasJ4VsELmeLed0Wl7eU2LKgFbenFU3iRXaQDErAALk_3rpjRtNFsbUA0WdBTmyoX-UUbl1HJhlVvVwVMKQvDDu60AXq7alBK/s1600/36793726310_f25bd073c9_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgueZ6cPJD2MV1kyX_NKvlpTR11dBakDxFulOjLasJ4VsELmeLed0Wl7eU2LKgFbenFU3iRXaQDErAALk_3rpjRtNFsbUA0WdBTmyoX-UUbl1HJhlVvVwVMKQvDDu60AXq7alBK/w640-h480/36793726310_f25bd073c9_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Bronze tiger-shaped weight from the Warring States period China 475-221 BCE BCE that I photographed at the "Terracotta Warriors of the First Emperor" exhibit at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle Washington.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p> </p>Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3928439.post-5586833022938984752021-05-18T11:19:00.005-07:002021-05-18T11:19:28.791-07:00Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru to open October 16 at the Boca Raton Museum of Art<p>Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru featuring 192 Artifacts, Including the "most-impressive collection of Andean gold ever to travel the world", is coming to the Boca Raton Museum of Art, Boca Raton, Florida, October 16, 2021. Artifacts in the exhibition are on loan from Museo Larco in Lima, Peru, and Museo de Sitio Manuel Chávez Ballón, in Aguas Calientes, Peru. Objects that belonged to noble Andean lords, include a fully intact gold attire of a Chimú Emperor that dates to 1300 CE. Said to be rivaled only by Ancient Egypt in longevity and by the Roman Empire in engineering, Andean societies dominated a substantial segment of South America for over 3,000 years until the fall of the Incan Empire in the 16th century CE. </p><p>Guests will be taken to the mysterious city in the sky, Machu Picchu, built and abandoned within a century. They will continue on a journey through the vast expanse of Andean history, traveling alongside the mythical hero Ai Apaec, and discovering the mysteries of Andean cosmology.</p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nzT-Ngkegw4" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkEYFOdgK1JJPIADfo9o62TsvZgoInguxNWN0wDdEPI18gf7OAzL7u-bHx8fU3u_L_2vDaoJCYapAKUo9D_08gVcgu0bTQ3QdZC465e6eyaprSDNSGl1L-ALUOQipACZ_qy409/s750/5be273a65773dd1c1438ae78949ab9fb.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="498" data-original-width="750" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkEYFOdgK1JJPIADfo9o62TsvZgoInguxNWN0wDdEPI18gf7OAzL7u-bHx8fU3u_L_2vDaoJCYapAKUo9D_08gVcgu0bTQ3QdZC465e6eyaprSDNSGl1L-ALUOQipACZ_qy409/s320/5be273a65773dd1c1438ae78949ab9fb.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Gold headdress depicting feline head with feathers, bird-beak nose, and stepped designs with volutes, 1300-1532 CE, courtesy of Museo Larco, Peru</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYCak6rAVIKfXy6BCOsT5fs-ALxfQFL8sPfySrzyTWVu-b8wNak72BclCowuVOhCbCAkuT717trttoVy0qp4XEcaZ6AiXzECwtLMkk0XsIvB1yKVxRmAyG5MM8r8QZ6OkuT4En/s700/6ca7fb00c76c0568c405ec403ed20332.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYCak6rAVIKfXy6BCOsT5fs-ALxfQFL8sPfySrzyTWVu-b8wNak72BclCowuVOhCbCAkuT717trttoVy0qp4XEcaZ6AiXzECwtLMkk0XsIvB1yKVxRmAyG5MM8r8QZ6OkuT4En/s320/6ca7fb00c76c0568c405ec403ed20332.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Image: 1 - 800 CE 14-karat gold allow headdress depicting human head with half-moon headdress and zoomorphic figures (dragons) with feline heads, courtesy of Museo Larco, Peru.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZd986F8O-tTXSuoMFjJac_p2EGnfBXTi9DBAZigzTNzehRIJmEA2v76BsHMszTCkCLi6M1TfZ3C_Io8SSEmEtH-56Tzud1uGhejvRgUmid6d8dGfQOGYrlnGt4lTlwIeUrBF-/s764/099e81aad420fad97b94bfca3ba06896.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="764" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZd986F8O-tTXSuoMFjJac_p2EGnfBXTi9DBAZigzTNzehRIJmEA2v76BsHMszTCkCLi6M1TfZ3C_Io8SSEmEtH-56Tzud1uGhejvRgUmid6d8dGfQOGYrlnGt4lTlwIeUrBF-/s320/099e81aad420fad97b94bfca3ba06896.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Gold and turquoise nose ornament depicting figure with half-moon and club-head headdress, circular ear ornaments and loincloth, holding a rattle, 1 - 800 CE, courtesy of Museo Larco, Peru</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibdKfyXa5al4OlVKveghz5hvBdQD2IfsY4Gd342BjGkiCvy7o2_RGt3PnKCFZ7TB-GRZcIMTNM_0cSHDvKZkSCJMaeQlPS4r_Hwh3VF57m3coK7QlsIpH3EGO0tAYmPmiWvvUy/s800/bd1d34ee9a226bf8db3e6f6c6fa3c95e.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibdKfyXa5al4OlVKveghz5hvBdQD2IfsY4Gd342BjGkiCvy7o2_RGt3PnKCFZ7TB-GRZcIMTNM_0cSHDvKZkSCJMaeQlPS4r_Hwh3VF57m3coK7QlsIpH3EGO0tAYmPmiWvvUy/s320/bd1d34ee9a226bf8db3e6f6c6fa3c95e.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Ear ornament of gold, shell, and stone (turquoise or malachite), depicting eight iguanas. Four of the iguanas are gold and four are turquoise, 1-800 CE, courtesy of Museo Larco, Peru</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdjAx8qyrMIZ82JytRQGr1_BSAASkuTo8XU9n1XyfgUG0xxKO9ZReB7GDVI8KC5htTDhX-EoN4n4OqE76lZfkUjvNMWm0PjJSmcTCvJ8aUZJkGV4P1bdc1CYRiOsbFXFAmqqRH/s700/f0fcaa9a2e2f9f8617e27c9c0318aa18.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="541" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdjAx8qyrMIZ82JytRQGr1_BSAASkuTo8XU9n1XyfgUG0xxKO9ZReB7GDVI8KC5htTDhX-EoN4n4OqE76lZfkUjvNMWm0PjJSmcTCvJ8aUZJkGV4P1bdc1CYRiOsbFXFAmqqRH/s320/f0fcaa9a2e2f9f8617e27c9c0318aa18.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Copper funerary mask with applications of shell and stone, depicting an anthropomorphic visage with feline fangs, 1 - 800 CE, courtesy of Museo Larco, Peru</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div>Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3928439.post-26521469637463573092021-05-13T16:19:00.005-07:002021-05-13T16:19:42.876-07:00The use of color on early Mesopotamian sculpture<p>Researchers using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy have discovered ancient Mesopotamian art, like classical art of Greece and Rome, was often brightly colored although studies have shown the number of colors used appears to be limited to shades of red and black. </p><p>"Red pigments consist almost entirely of haematite, black is either bitumen or a carbonized product. White is almost non-existent (white lead, gypsum), apart from rare cases where it is used as color lightener for the skin. We did not find either blue or green. It is difficult to judge whether this lack reflects an ancient reality or not. On statues, as well as in most wall paintings, pigments were hardly ever mixed. This seems to be a conscious choice, as mixing pigments is not technically difficult." - Astrid Nunn, Adjunct Professor for Near Eastern Archaeology (retired) at the University of Würzburg.</p><p>However, scholars noted distinct shifts in color intensity over time. Skin color in the third millennium was depicted as orange, yellowish brown, red brown, and brown but in the second millennium, there was a general change to bright red and red brown. By the first millennium, skin color became notably darkened.</p><p>Reading this, I couldn't help but wonder about any correlation between changes in skin tone depictions and recorded migrations and conquests by different groups. However, Professor Nunn does not mention any studies of that nature. However, she does point out that skin color was derived from a combination of realism mixed with artistic conventions and social determinants, which in turn are subject to symbolic meaning.</p><p>This is further complicated by the ancients descriptions of color including textures and other characteristics.</p><p>"Taking the materiality of colors (and not simply their hue and chroma) as a starting point enables us to understand why ancient terms that are translated as dazzling, shining, lustrous, brilliant and translucent, or, inversely, dark, poorly lit, dim and dull, must be considered a – positive or negative – color category," Nunn observes. "In Akkadian literature, red on the body, especially on the face, was very positive...However, in Sumerian and Akkadian texts, gods (in particular the sun god Utu), heroes and kings sport beards referred to as lapis lazuli. Thus these words also mean bright and shiny. Despite the reference to lapis lazuli (blue) being conceivable, the shininess of the beard was just as important as its hue."</p><p>Of course I have seen objects such as the bull-headed lyres recovered from the royal cemetery of Ur, dated to 2550-2450 CE, with beards literally made of lapis lazuli so describing beards in this way could have been quite precise if the statues of the gods were thought to represent the gods themselves.</p><p>Surprisingly, researchers found that even sculpture crafted of expensive, imported stone like diorite was often painted over, despite the lustrous beauty of the stone itself.</p><p>Read more about it: <a href="https://www.asor.org/anetoday/2021/05/mesopotamian-sculpture">https://www.asor.org/anetoday/2021/05/mesopotamian-sculpture</a> </p><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNwMZ7tCqSSdF-wFNeZTSFo0SQmuB3ZdHe9fR9cC7QmG3YHTilEsooiWLfB78XxZkzOqqUDgBLPc0MfnVCySDT_vQlzhUkY5qp6sMcoIaVjRqpeViwP9iOw40ERH68nvLWehyphenhypheng/s800/64319210_334063f1c0_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNwMZ7tCqSSdF-wFNeZTSFo0SQmuB3ZdHe9fR9cC7QmG3YHTilEsooiWLfB78XxZkzOqqUDgBLPc0MfnVCySDT_vQlzhUkY5qp6sMcoIaVjRqpeViwP9iOw40ERH68nvLWehyphenhypheng/w480-h640/64319210_334063f1c0_o.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Millenium, Gypsum, that I photographed at University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Philadelphia</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Gcm3vZ1yWAzsqTjn8aD6va5ZmjlilcAcLKTjskP3KyhMpsmPsBQ3DR8G1QkAGz5-BX4l4ykc-5iSjZoljSYN4D3BCAiM8_jWh2UrjpwvN6yeEzst4qsDhif5Cuwz_dnaMvoy/s600/Fig6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="560" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Gcm3vZ1yWAzsqTjn8aD6va5ZmjlilcAcLKTjskP3KyhMpsmPsBQ3DR8G1QkAGz5-BX4l4ykc-5iSjZoljSYN4D3BCAiM8_jWh2UrjpwvN6yeEzst4qsDhif5Cuwz_dnaMvoy/w598-h640/Fig6.jpg" width="598" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Reconstructed color on the statue of a man with similar garment now in the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, courtesy of Astrid Nunn.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrZBqXUBma0wBWwOSpRgXA0RuvE5C-wis5l0bPbD0UiJPP7QH3jJu7x9BnvHsd2xoUDpe8KhnL9dGFY3ZRDpON-kqkMzVdNW11Hn5ngD5FRS81eD7t-OJyw-_zbuiV4h7-yg6d/s1600/33557232055_7a2e1e8892_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1191" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrZBqXUBma0wBWwOSpRgXA0RuvE5C-wis5l0bPbD0UiJPP7QH3jJu7x9BnvHsd2xoUDpe8KhnL9dGFY3ZRDpON-kqkMzVdNW11Hn5ngD5FRS81eD7t-OJyw-_zbuiV4h7-yg6d/w476-h640/33557232055_7a2e1e8892_o.jpg" width="476" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Bull-headed lyre recovered from the royal cemetery of Ur, Iraq, 2550-2450 BCE, Gold, with Lapis Lazuli beard that I photographed at University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Philadelphia</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3928439.post-87322613795731428042021-05-07T15:03:00.004-07:002021-05-07T15:03:49.161-07:00First Look - Mesopotamia: Civilization Begins at the newly reopened Getty Villa<p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Today's featured "Antiquities Alive" virtual exhibit - The first batch of images from my friend Allan Gluck of the "Mesopotamia: Civilization Begins" exhibit at the newly reopened Getty Villa:</span> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVnOHAJJCXscnzMlebFhV7UUuwLPwxSNqbWlELmTJYcu6gJU-MapWSGoScP7DhFHl2ODAEzTQ_S7L1x0jTNJF9yLk_Hzsdzq_5UdbMSxhd4vV8m50hwvHrvLw6BJ3wMr5xwfwk/s1303/Head+of+a+God+Neo-Sumerian%252C+2150+-+2000+B.C.+Terracotta+Musee+du+Louvre+VEX.2020.1.19+%25286%2529+ACR+TOPAZ+SHRPN+MOTN+BLUR+ON1+DYN+CON+SURREAL+50P+VG+BIG+SOFTY+1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVnOHAJJCXscnzMlebFhV7UUuwLPwxSNqbWlELmTJYcu6gJU-MapWSGoScP7DhFHl2ODAEzTQ_S7L1x0jTNJF9yLk_Hzsdzq_5UdbMSxhd4vV8m50hwvHrvLw6BJ3wMr5xwfwk/w502-h640/Head+of+a+God+Neo-Sumerian%252C+2150+-+2000+B.C.+Terracotta+Musee+du+Louvre+VEX.2020.1.19+%25286%2529+ACR+TOPAZ+SHRPN+MOTN+BLUR+ON1+DYN+CON+SURREAL+50P+VG+BIG+SOFTY+1024.jpg" width="502" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Head of a God, Neo-Sumerian, 2150-2000 BCE, Terracotta, now in the collections of the Louvre, courtesy of Allan Gluck</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNyi61QtvmgEh-3a9gQUWaZGTmMYWk5j47dcAtSp7ybljTSCnIRzWa2kOB2CaQ9ePZh6WTdy5vw0PA3Po64ac4A-GTyE8e15ak7tAJ9Yots6ykCT40Q3AnltT9r8sS2jIKA-u5/s1360/Head_of_a_Man%252C_Possibly_a_Ruler_Sumerian%252C_2700_-_2600_B.C._Limestone%252C_schist%252C_and_shell_Musee_du_Louvre_VEX.2020.1.140-7ON1+TONE+COLOR+DYN+CON+SURREAL+50P+VG+EDGES+TOPAZ+SHRPN+MOTN+BLUR+1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1360" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNyi61QtvmgEh-3a9gQUWaZGTmMYWk5j47dcAtSp7ybljTSCnIRzWa2kOB2CaQ9ePZh6WTdy5vw0PA3Po64ac4A-GTyE8e15ak7tAJ9Yots6ykCT40Q3AnltT9r8sS2jIKA-u5/w482-h640/Head_of_a_Man%252C_Possibly_a_Ruler_Sumerian%252C_2700_-_2600_B.C._Limestone%252C_schist%252C_and_shell_Musee_du_Louvre_VEX.2020.1.140-7ON1+TONE+COLOR+DYN+CON+SURREAL+50P+VG+EDGES+TOPAZ+SHRPN+MOTN+BLUR+1024.jpg" width="482" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Head of a Man, possibly a ruler, Sumerian, 2700-2600 BCE, Limestone, now in the collections of the Louvre, courtesy of Allan Gluck</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCh5hSNqB1M1nieBfkJ7N31wyJ-xoOqf2zqNBHm-VU9nRCXNvIyJLqm-8zOj5LRRadujUoNF7QTAAsS7Z76KerRgAwrC-N3JM6kwn2iEVcj1aFqxDn27Z1WnvfcMKJVicwh_lT/s1389/Head_of_a_Ruler_Amorite%252C_about_1840_B.C._Gabbro_Musee_du_Louvre_VEX.2020.1.128-8ON1+TONE+COLOR+DYN+CON+SURREAL+50P+VG+BIG+SOFTY+TOPAZ+SHRPN+MOTN+BLUR+1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1389" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCh5hSNqB1M1nieBfkJ7N31wyJ-xoOqf2zqNBHm-VU9nRCXNvIyJLqm-8zOj5LRRadujUoNF7QTAAsS7Z76KerRgAwrC-N3JM6kwn2iEVcj1aFqxDn27Z1WnvfcMKJVicwh_lT/w472-h640/Head_of_a_Ruler_Amorite%252C_about_1840_B.C._Gabbro_Musee_du_Louvre_VEX.2020.1.128-8ON1+TONE+COLOR+DYN+CON+SURREAL+50P+VG+BIG+SOFTY+TOPAZ+SHRPN+MOTN+BLUR+1024.jpg" width="472" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Head of a ruler, Amorite, about 1840 BCE, Gabbro, now in the collections of the Louvre, courtesy of Allan Gluck</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqczAtZVYYEk_okPcvk6uzA2aDDPU2v-gVJcaiDkW4kwhlA2DQq5Xbft7aWXSWdxH9gMiW6wctLExQo6_VJCkN-UZP5VcDsoLODAf8ruviM5lHl5HP9vKur0UleYyFkoedY074/s1545/Model_of_a_Chariot_Mesopotamia_Sumerian%252C_2900_-_2340_B.C._Bronze_Musee_du_Louvre_VEX.2020.1.59_-19-2ON1+TONE+COLOR+DYN+CON+SURREAL+50P+VG+BIG+SOFTY+TOPAZ+SHRPN+MOTN+BLUR+1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1545" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqczAtZVYYEk_okPcvk6uzA2aDDPU2v-gVJcaiDkW4kwhlA2DQq5Xbft7aWXSWdxH9gMiW6wctLExQo6_VJCkN-UZP5VcDsoLODAf8ruviM5lHl5HP9vKur0UleYyFkoedY074/w640-h424/Model_of_a_Chariot_Mesopotamia_Sumerian%252C_2900_-_2340_B.C._Bronze_Musee_du_Louvre_VEX.2020.1.59_-19-2ON1+TONE+COLOR+DYN+CON+SURREAL+50P+VG+BIG+SOFTY+TOPAZ+SHRPN+MOTN+BLUR+1024.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Bronze model of a chariot, Sumerian, 2900 - 2340 BCE, now in the collections of the Louvre, courtesy of Allan Gluck</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirf-DQpRzcVZM-arFIn-RJvwtLUI5kVeH_i5GLU6UiNgWy_EC45DIb04Ft_9rM_yo38r8VVuEO9DzmLAKEfEATyfThkAqYscReghHll5tyukUj02xM_7Q3BhmmbrdIN0zxugjE/s1361/Plaque+with+King+Gilgamesh+Killing+the+Monster+Humbaba+Amorite%252C+2000+-+1600+B.C.+Terracotta+Musee+du+Louvre+VEX.2020.1.57+%25284%2529+ACR+TOPAZ+SHRPN+MOTN+BLUR+ON1+DYN+CON+SURREAL+50P+VG+BIG+SOFTY+1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1361" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirf-DQpRzcVZM-arFIn-RJvwtLUI5kVeH_i5GLU6UiNgWy_EC45DIb04Ft_9rM_yo38r8VVuEO9DzmLAKEfEATyfThkAqYscReghHll5tyukUj02xM_7Q3BhmmbrdIN0zxugjE/w640-h482/Plaque+with+King+Gilgamesh+Killing+the+Monster+Humbaba+Amorite%252C+2000+-+1600+B.C.+Terracotta+Musee+du+Louvre+VEX.2020.1.57+%25284%2529+ACR+TOPAZ+SHRPN+MOTN+BLUR+ON1+DYN+CON+SURREAL+50P+VG+BIG+SOFTY+1024.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Plaque with King Gilgamesh killing the monster Humbaba, Amorite, 2000 - 1600 BCE, terracotta, now in the collections of the Louvre, courtesy of Allan Gluck</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7k6J8Av9kVra6PdFJoQBrWXqWpFqzcutImMBF0rzT2sQu2a7CCI0WrxTSlYpvBMTZ90LboBVOt3T7EXoQm3QqMnKey_FZi7ZXhN7o2mYZdOGDu5Z5EegjjAAft9xG8-sk2-JS/s1425/Relief_Fragment_with_a_Royal_Chariot_and_Officers_Neo-Assyrian%252C_668_-_627_B.C._Gypsum_Musee_du_Louvre_VEX.2020.1.150-3ON1+TONE+COLOR+1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1425" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7k6J8Av9kVra6PdFJoQBrWXqWpFqzcutImMBF0rzT2sQu2a7CCI0WrxTSlYpvBMTZ90LboBVOt3T7EXoQm3QqMnKey_FZi7ZXhN7o2mYZdOGDu5Z5EegjjAAft9xG8-sk2-JS/w460-h640/Relief_Fragment_with_a_Royal_Chariot_and_Officers_Neo-Assyrian%252C_668_-_627_B.C._Gypsum_Musee_du_Louvre_VEX.2020.1.150-3ON1+TONE+COLOR+1024.jpg" width="460" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Relief fragment with royal chariot and officers, Neo-Assyrian, 668-627 BCE, Gypsum, now in the collections of the Louvre, courtesy of Allan Gluck</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8hFSBfRxVsk2VYKhKUjFRXb7LcvObeOUZCsRQ1H44aqmI9GBPZfLdd6hXoZt2t3mbDMpqiU_70k-ZF80JWq2CIuiLKgl6Cdd7yG8EfpPcWNnz8GpujGNiHhXYN4m1qYHUR3Pi/s1334/Statuette+of+a+High-Status+Woman+Neo-Sumerian%252C+2150+-+2000+B.C.+Chlorite+Musee+du+Louvre+VEX.2020.1.111+%252810%2529+ACR+TOPAZ+SHRPN+MOTN+BLUR+ON1+DYN+CON+SURREAL+50P+VG+BIG+SOFTY+1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8hFSBfRxVsk2VYKhKUjFRXb7LcvObeOUZCsRQ1H44aqmI9GBPZfLdd6hXoZt2t3mbDMpqiU_70k-ZF80JWq2CIuiLKgl6Cdd7yG8EfpPcWNnz8GpujGNiHhXYN4m1qYHUR3Pi/w492-h640/Statuette+of+a+High-Status+Woman+Neo-Sumerian%252C+2150+-+2000+B.C.+Chlorite+Musee+du+Louvre+VEX.2020.1.111+%252810%2529+ACR+TOPAZ+SHRPN+MOTN+BLUR+ON1+DYN+CON+SURREAL+50P+VG+BIG+SOFTY+1024.jpg" width="492" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Statuette of a high-status woman, Neo-Sumerian, 2150-2000 BCE, Chlorite, now in the collections of the Louvre, courtesy of Allan Gluck</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGYdx-1ypbJxu3zW09LirHccc2Hcl8qpyf5cwVdx9ls6Pxf0P9ThBfHk7YbZK-ZA72uGgtobxPfjQFJV0rDVWt91g-rf5tfkcjq53fhp15gb_3BCAXnmLFYIAOuER5tQ_UEopp/s1488/Statuette+of+a+High-Status+Woman+Neo-Sumerian%252C+2150+-+2000+B.C.+Chlorite+Musee+du+Louvre+VEX.2020.1.111+%252830%2529+ACR+1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1488" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGYdx-1ypbJxu3zW09LirHccc2Hcl8qpyf5cwVdx9ls6Pxf0P9ThBfHk7YbZK-ZA72uGgtobxPfjQFJV0rDVWt91g-rf5tfkcjq53fhp15gb_3BCAXnmLFYIAOuER5tQ_UEopp/w440-h640/Statuette+of+a+High-Status+Woman+Neo-Sumerian%252C+2150+-+2000+B.C.+Chlorite+Musee+du+Louvre+VEX.2020.1.111+%252830%2529+ACR+1024.jpg" width="440" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Statuette of a high-status woman, Neo-Sumerian, 2150-2000 BCE, Chlorite, now in the collections of the Louvre, courtesy of Allan Gluck</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgba8ZkQNXYkGs_zhkn_yFoBOTkmg_Rnr50qaHM9eNUMNqiszx_oYjNE6Qa72i3JuRwBCdOS9RN6UX2HsZaAd0ptO4sOh89cPSc0jKgiPO2yoxIZHOpzvFnX7WiUFzbPiSbOgtK/s1464/Statuette_of_a_Bull_Mesopotamia_Proto-urban%252C_about_3000_B.C._Black_limestone_Musee_du_Louvre_VEX.2020.1.20_-5ON1+TONE+COLOR+ACR+TOPAZ+SHRPN+MOTN+BLUR+ON1+DYN+CON+SURREAL+50P+VG+BIG+SOFTY+1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1464" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgba8ZkQNXYkGs_zhkn_yFoBOTkmg_Rnr50qaHM9eNUMNqiszx_oYjNE6Qa72i3JuRwBCdOS9RN6UX2HsZaAd0ptO4sOh89cPSc0jKgiPO2yoxIZHOpzvFnX7WiUFzbPiSbOgtK/w640-h448/Statuette_of_a_Bull_Mesopotamia_Proto-urban%252C_about_3000_B.C._Black_limestone_Musee_du_Louvre_VEX.2020.1.20_-5ON1+TONE+COLOR+ACR+TOPAZ+SHRPN+MOTN+BLUR+ON1+DYN+CON+SURREAL+50P+VG+BIG+SOFTY+1024.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Statuette of a bull, Proto-urban, about 3000 BCE, black limestone, now in the collections of the Louvre, courtesy of Allan Gluck</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz_96kTLoYPO2wgSLNzZNWZAw87v1Jb4VUCOVmdC6gXLNfUTLCVk6dg_9Lsd88GMY43AqXmqNrdymrrIUfmCNhvUkrqarQOE6DKdgVuCtOPhJuB4BhR8DfgAxnTLCARQFKpKfZ/s1476/Statuette_of_a_Dog%252C_Dedicated_to_the_Goddess_Ninisina__Mesopotamia_Amorite%252C_1894_-_1866_B.C._Steatite_Musee_du_Louvre_VEX.2020.1.49-3ON1+TONE+COLOR+DYN+CON+SURREAL+50P+VG+EDGES+TOPAZ+SHRPN+MOT+BLR+1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1476" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz_96kTLoYPO2wgSLNzZNWZAw87v1Jb4VUCOVmdC6gXLNfUTLCVk6dg_9Lsd88GMY43AqXmqNrdymrrIUfmCNhvUkrqarQOE6DKdgVuCtOPhJuB4BhR8DfgAxnTLCARQFKpKfZ/w640-h444/Statuette_of_a_Dog%252C_Dedicated_to_the_Goddess_Ninisina__Mesopotamia_Amorite%252C_1894_-_1866_B.C._Steatite_Musee_du_Louvre_VEX.2020.1.49-3ON1+TONE+COLOR+DYN+CON+SURREAL+50P+VG+EDGES+TOPAZ+SHRPN+MOT+BLR+1024.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Statuette of a dog dedicated to the goddess Ninisina, Amorite, 1894-1866 BCE, Steatite, now in the collections of the Louvre, courtesy of Allan Gluck</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC7lOx-c7FXbF1U5fEctlDI2pabewMvfvrblFIAZWLJZnN6OA8Mr-wNoPPUuOBt11tRQsF2DP8LtrvTwV4R4K1jr-80Yh50ISp3N2ZywDJpUjMIH0L32ntTXBsNNIGVBuzyF2A/s1591/Statuette_of_a_Dog%252C_Dedicated_to_the_Goddess_Ninisina__Mesopotamia_Amorite%252C_1894_-_1866_B.C._Steatite_Musee_du_Louvre_VEX.2020.1.49-8ON1+TONE+COLOR+DYN+CON+SURREAL+50P+VG+EDGES+TOPAZ+SHRPN+MOTN+BLUR+1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1591" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC7lOx-c7FXbF1U5fEctlDI2pabewMvfvrblFIAZWLJZnN6OA8Mr-wNoPPUuOBt11tRQsF2DP8LtrvTwV4R4K1jr-80Yh50ISp3N2ZywDJpUjMIH0L32ntTXBsNNIGVBuzyF2A/w412-h640/Statuette_of_a_Dog%252C_Dedicated_to_the_Goddess_Ninisina__Mesopotamia_Amorite%252C_1894_-_1866_B.C._Steatite_Musee_du_Louvre_VEX.2020.1.49-8ON1+TONE+COLOR+DYN+CON+SURREAL+50P+VG+EDGES+TOPAZ+SHRPN+MOTN+BLUR+1024.jpg" width="412" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Statuette of a dog dedicated to the goddess Ninisina, Amorite, 1894-1866 BCE, Steatite, now in the collections of the Louvre, courtesy of Allan Gluck</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqL_EQWcPMGr0hSphqu_Ic-Aq9WVww_56h-V506cJRMp_XojHzxRtB3jbA8DAz1uuzVNfarehw1FXWxMHqs7H2LG3ENy61W3kmD5JXW5QyiZCSk_kQhD1eSrB1iEIAbdSo2iru/s1330/Statuette_of_a_Dog%252C_Dedicated_to_the_Goddess_Ninisina__Mesopotamia_Amorite%252C_1894_-_1866_B.C._Steatite_Musee_du_Louvre_VEX.2020.1.49-23ON1+TONE+COLOR+DYN+CON+SURREAL+50P+VG+EDGES+CROPPED+1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1330" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqL_EQWcPMGr0hSphqu_Ic-Aq9WVww_56h-V506cJRMp_XojHzxRtB3jbA8DAz1uuzVNfarehw1FXWxMHqs7H2LG3ENy61W3kmD5JXW5QyiZCSk_kQhD1eSrB1iEIAbdSo2iru/w492-h640/Statuette_of_a_Dog%252C_Dedicated_to_the_Goddess_Ninisina__Mesopotamia_Amorite%252C_1894_-_1866_B.C._Steatite_Musee_du_Louvre_VEX.2020.1.49-23ON1+TONE+COLOR+DYN+CON+SURREAL+50P+VG+EDGES+CROPPED+1024.jpg" width="492" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Statuette of a dog dedicated to the goddess Ninisina, Amorite, 1894-1866 BCE, Steatite, now in the collections of the Louvre, courtesy of Allan Gluck</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0IY7KsO7zYan5C5nAHd49rpfNjofmrvIntYbKhO3u2BLL2VpcFRkjGZwDYJWyrgeksH3wtslXonCnE3B2D0JPbLlQ3EsDGcCJnEVl2DKulJH9YtZitNyiB54f9Ge2z2W7Wusf/s1435/Statuette_of_a_High-Status_Woman_Neo-Sumerian%252C_2150_-_2000_B.C._Chlorite_Musee_du_Louvre_VEX.2020.1.111_-3ON1+TONE+COLOR+DYN+CON+SURREAL+50P+VG+EDGES+TOPAZ+SHRPN+MOTN+BLUR+1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1435" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0IY7KsO7zYan5C5nAHd49rpfNjofmrvIntYbKhO3u2BLL2VpcFRkjGZwDYJWyrgeksH3wtslXonCnE3B2D0JPbLlQ3EsDGcCJnEVl2DKulJH9YtZitNyiB54f9Ge2z2W7Wusf/w456-h640/Statuette_of_a_High-Status_Woman_Neo-Sumerian%252C_2150_-_2000_B.C._Chlorite_Musee_du_Louvre_VEX.2020.1.111_-3ON1+TONE+COLOR+DYN+CON+SURREAL+50P+VG+EDGES+TOPAZ+SHRPN+MOTN+BLUR+1024.jpg" width="456" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Statuette of a high-status woman, Akkadian or Neo-Sumerian, 2200-2000 BCE, Alabaster with traces of pigment, now in the collections of the Louvre, courtesy of Allan Gluck</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoPXyisouf4sYuKu3fqJPT_r2uV9bLF51APbgTidJSIZNb1a4dFdJCIBcbO8J8GoqfmL75J5OlrdXC3fssrfrAY_XQAYxGnFYkWXho2Fe1t0VhPPfb2edsoSsqehi_b2hZuNH7/s1348/Statuette_of_a_Human-Headed_Bull_Mesopotamia_Neo-Sumerian%252C_2150_-_2000_B.C._Chlorite_Musee_du_Louvre_VEX.2020.1.38_-5ON1+TONE+COLOR+DYN+CON+SURREAL+50P+ACR+TOPAZ+SHRPN+MOT+BLUR+1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1348" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoPXyisouf4sYuKu3fqJPT_r2uV9bLF51APbgTidJSIZNb1a4dFdJCIBcbO8J8GoqfmL75J5OlrdXC3fssrfrAY_XQAYxGnFYkWXho2Fe1t0VhPPfb2edsoSsqehi_b2hZuNH7/w640-h486/Statuette_of_a_Human-Headed_Bull_Mesopotamia_Neo-Sumerian%252C_2150_-_2000_B.C._Chlorite_Musee_du_Louvre_VEX.2020.1.38_-5ON1+TONE+COLOR+DYN+CON+SURREAL+50P+ACR+TOPAZ+SHRPN+MOT+BLUR+1024.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Statuette of a human-headed bull, Neo-Sumerian, 2150-2000 BCE, Chlorite, now in the collections of the Louvre, courtesy of Allan Gluck</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNSGdL8yCkJFt52d15N73lWxL_hTjRdv9LcwGJFu7H1NinUULC-HSk24fSvp5NNbS3wxokW0a8OCQ_T3pULdpFoUgnknOVHKaQCAsECASF8ZCSwNOv3z5pI0KJbJFY3GR7VnEt/s1567/Statuette_of_a_Woman_Holding_a_Branch_Mesopotamia_Sumerian%252C_about_2450_B.C._Alabaster_Musee_du_Louvre_VEX.2020.1.26_-5ON1+TONE+COLOR+ACR+TOPAZ+DN+ON1+DYN+CON+SURREAL+50P+1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1567" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNSGdL8yCkJFt52d15N73lWxL_hTjRdv9LcwGJFu7H1NinUULC-HSk24fSvp5NNbS3wxokW0a8OCQ_T3pULdpFoUgnknOVHKaQCAsECASF8ZCSwNOv3z5pI0KJbJFY3GR7VnEt/w418-h640/Statuette_of_a_Woman_Holding_a_Branch_Mesopotamia_Sumerian%252C_about_2450_B.C._Alabaster_Musee_du_Louvre_VEX.2020.1.26_-5ON1+TONE+COLOR+ACR+TOPAZ+DN+ON1+DYN+CON+SURREAL+50P+1024.jpg" width="418" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Statuette of a woman holding a branch, Sumerian, about 2450 BCE, alabaster, now in the collections of the Louvre, courtesy of Allan Gluck</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2fj9Oo4EPedhvzSUejjF7zyvXpka_vR6mhCDOriMuNa0gx4VZ-4lFC0KJEPGfYhFK8DmLp0qPEUkBKUzKkGcL42isHNUZy2oKuzUYqF1UYal-7Il1IedHy7ikowv8tY8uPzu4/s1535/Statuette_of_a_Woman_Holding_a_Branch_Mesopotamia_Sumerian%252C_about_2450_B.C._Alabaster_Musee_du_Louvre_VEX.2020.1.26_-10-2ON1+TONE+COLOR+DYN+CON+SURREAL+50P+TOPAZ+SHRPN+MOTION+BLUR+1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1535" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2fj9Oo4EPedhvzSUejjF7zyvXpka_vR6mhCDOriMuNa0gx4VZ-4lFC0KJEPGfYhFK8DmLp0qPEUkBKUzKkGcL42isHNUZy2oKuzUYqF1UYal-7Il1IedHy7ikowv8tY8uPzu4/w426-h640/Statuette_of_a_Woman_Holding_a_Branch_Mesopotamia_Sumerian%252C_about_2450_B.C._Alabaster_Musee_du_Louvre_VEX.2020.1.26_-10-2ON1+TONE+COLOR+DYN+CON+SURREAL+50P+TOPAZ+SHRPN+MOTION+BLUR+1024.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Statuette of a woman holding a branch, Sumerian, about 2450 BCE, alabaster, now in the collections of the Louvre, courtesy of Allan Gluck</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJ4c4ioh8ShEhMfW-OWOE14MB_tPOoY3A8vChJR3soIT2h4rkgZGQlSqW2JGuxjjQQfwuK_XIOBHwnkHkRK-NutelYn5vTH8tcrYj08XXsWgiona0nDG6_xAh_SptPnj0LM8p/s1615/Statuette_of_the_Demon_Pazuzu_Mesopotamia_Neo-Assyrian%252C_934_-_610_B.C._Bronze_Musee_du_Louvre_VEX.2020.1.63-6-2ON1+TONE+COLOR+DYN+CON+SURREAL+50P+VG+EDGES+ACR+TOPAZ+SHRPN+MTN+BLUR+1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1615" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJ4c4ioh8ShEhMfW-OWOE14MB_tPOoY3A8vChJR3soIT2h4rkgZGQlSqW2JGuxjjQQfwuK_XIOBHwnkHkRK-NutelYn5vTH8tcrYj08XXsWgiona0nDG6_xAh_SptPnj0LM8p/w406-h640/Statuette_of_the_Demon_Pazuzu_Mesopotamia_Neo-Assyrian%252C_934_-_610_B.C._Bronze_Musee_du_Louvre_VEX.2020.1.63-6-2ON1+TONE+COLOR+DYN+CON+SURREAL+50P+VG+EDGES+ACR+TOPAZ+SHRPN+MTN+BLUR+1024.jpg" width="406" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Statuette of the demon Pazuzu, Neo-Assyrian, 934-610 BCE, Bronze, now in the collections of the Louvre, courtesy of Allan Gluck</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVkEvq6epaPqcTknCwi2Y7LkAtecriHglICedOmL_UKiiYKil97B3TcZst8lkKySjD0X1kx6NUbNhdpmEUg4BwxsbIj5FJIbWlzqb61UlaW-lc6N51LwlAMS49H8xzhyphenhyphen3DnnW9/s1073/Wall-Painting_Fragment_with_a_Man%2527s_Head__Mesopotamia_Neo-Assyrian%252C_850_-_650_B.C._Painted_clay_Musee_du_Louvre_VEX.2020.1.85_-6-2ON1+TONE+COLOR+DYN+CON+SURREAL+50P+VG+EDGES+TOPAZ+DN+1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1073" height="610" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVkEvq6epaPqcTknCwi2Y7LkAtecriHglICedOmL_UKiiYKil97B3TcZst8lkKySjD0X1kx6NUbNhdpmEUg4BwxsbIj5FJIbWlzqb61UlaW-lc6N51LwlAMS49H8xzhyphenhyphen3DnnW9/w640-h610/Wall-Painting_Fragment_with_a_Man%2527s_Head__Mesopotamia_Neo-Assyrian%252C_850_-_650_B.C._Painted_clay_Musee_du_Louvre_VEX.2020.1.85_-6-2ON1+TONE+COLOR+DYN+CON+SURREAL+50P+VG+EDGES+TOPAZ+DN+1024.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Wall painting fragment with a man's head, Neo-Assyrian, 850-650 BCE, painted clay, now in the collections of the Louvre, courtesy of Allan Gluck</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3928439.post-65465637491007075442021-05-04T15:00:00.001-07:002021-05-04T15:00:15.262-07:00Neolithic cheese production<p> In 1981, archaeologists studying key farming developments proposed that farm communities adopted dairying sometime between 4,000 and 3,500 BCE and began using livestock for more than just meat.</p><p>"Animal bones from sites in the British Isles showed patterns of which cows were slaughtered—lots of young males and older females—it is consistent with what you would find in a dairying economy,” observed archaeologist Peter Bogucki. </p><p>Bogucki had also noticed an unusual type of pottery at a number of sites around Poland: fragments of pots that had been perforated with small holes. Sieve sherds were frequently found at sites dating as far back as the Neolithic period. But other archaeologists proposed they may have been used only as honey strainers or for braziers.</p><p>Bogucki analyzed animal remains from Linear Pottery Culture settlements and concluded that Linear Pottery settlers seldom hunted for food and relied heavily on cattle. There were also almost no remains of pigs, a far more efficient meat source than cattle. He concluded that raising cattle for meat alone would have made no economic sense as the herds would have consumed too much food over too long a time. Furthermore, production of milk alone would not justify dairy farming either unless it could be converted into something more storable. So, he proposed the sieves were being used to produce cheese. </p><p>In 2013, using a technique to analyze lipid remnants in ancient pottery developed by Biochemist Richard Evershed of the University of Bristol, Bogucki was finally able to provide compelling evidence that ancient farmers used 7,200-year-old perforated pottery to separate low lactose cheese curds from whey, an important innovation since Neolithic Europeans were generally unable to digest lactose. Researchers also think the development of cheese production along with other fermented milk products may have reduced infant mortality as well and allowed for earlier weaning, decreasing the birth interval and potentially increasing population.</p><p>Read more about it: <a href="https://phys.org/news/2018-09-earliest-mediterranean-cheese-production-revealed.html">https://phys.org/news/2018-09-earliest-mediterranean-cheese-production-revealed.html</a> and <a href="https://www.futurity.org/neolithic-strainer-hints-at-origin-of-cheese/">https://www.futurity.org/neolithic-strainer-hints-at-origin-of-cheese/</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIkBf2K0TKx-P5XUsszb1Y7zOHbDdq7ptaa2xNRV8C9yLGTkl0avbOksI9wvaV18-rwK8XMnTMfCsoMvzaM06De5ZMS8rww94YRUz6evTkewwVWpzc2KC0rQxjE00YFRvJOWIu/s1040/1-earliestmedi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="702" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIkBf2K0TKx-P5XUsszb1Y7zOHbDdq7ptaa2xNRV8C9yLGTkl0avbOksI9wvaV18-rwK8XMnTMfCsoMvzaM06De5ZMS8rww94YRUz6evTkewwVWpzc2KC0rQxjE00YFRvJOWIu/w432-h640/1-earliestmedi.jpg" width="432" /></a></div><br /><p>Images: Neolithic pottery from Dalmatia that was found to contain milk and fermented milk products when residue within the vessels was analyzed for carbon isotopes. Image courtesy of phys.org.</p><div><br /></div>Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3928439.post-66848990100839845642021-04-23T11:31:00.005-07:002021-04-23T11:31:59.922-07:00Mesopotamia: Civilization Begins exhibit now open at the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, California<p>The Getty Villa has reopened and is now hosting the special exhibit "Mesopotamia: Civilization Begins." Some of the objects are from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Others are on loan from The Louvre and the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. Ancient Mesopotamia, centered in present-day Iraq, occupies a unique place in the history of human culture. It is there, around 3400–3000 BC, that all the key elements of urban civilization first appear in one place: cities with monumental infrastructure and official bureaucracies overseeing agricultural, economic, and religious activities; the earliest known system of writing; and sophisticated architecture, arts, and technologies. For some three thousand years, Mesopotamia remained the preeminent force in the Near East. In 539 BC, however, Cyrus the Great captured Babylon and incorporated Mesopotamia into the Persian Empire. Periods of Greek and Parthian rule followed, and by about AD 100 Mesopotamian culture had effectively come to an end. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqtKjfjg1oHma3bj07g0fkaMNuPFzY_Qqr0VRR9H1odbipFGdSWScswhGGH23biS9lCGpH_1QCpxCe9ovRjBy71Y84R-ldV9d0JDdSHDy3o8mCKNqUsEeVKvkiOSrXdUXn8dMn/s800/459943054_b9d7af88b9_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqtKjfjg1oHma3bj07g0fkaMNuPFzY_Qqr0VRR9H1odbipFGdSWScswhGGH23biS9lCGpH_1QCpxCe9ovRjBy71Y84R-ldV9d0JDdSHDy3o8mCKNqUsEeVKvkiOSrXdUXn8dMn/s320/459943054_b9d7af88b9_o.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Closeup of a Head of Prince Gudea, Ruler of Lagash, Neo-Sumerian 2120 BCE, Diorite, that I photographed at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art in Santa Barbara, California. The sculpture of this prince at the Getty exhibit is from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOj1EWzC3GsxThv71FRI7ZWeblWwl5A0k206wESnnjSBwZKEnREsBcLLG6CdOWxATWAi_rE29866ITjs6bMVhcCGPxbF3w58_4ml3k9wuSqwFut_W6I2yY8OfCrLM5LrUtbIMy/s1600/16266858509_dbe7cb5eaf_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1007" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOj1EWzC3GsxThv71FRI7ZWeblWwl5A0k206wESnnjSBwZKEnREsBcLLG6CdOWxATWAi_rE29866ITjs6bMVhcCGPxbF3w58_4ml3k9wuSqwFut_W6I2yY8OfCrLM5LrUtbIMy/s320/16266858509_dbe7cb5eaf_o.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Elamite Head of a Ruler Iran (?) 2300-2000 BCE Arsenical copper that I photographed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The headdress seems related to Elamite works of southwestern Iran and resembles another bronze head of the late third millennium BCE found at Nineveh.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2GEevfr5Y9JO4BKN70V262ro4EwyBmc4OET9xL3GpGHGpkU7BMJElNgkEpTtCqCl496CQU67_B1atQeIeme_hxJCd43qVZU5LvARA5Cq7Y0mSRW3P3m0ik0Ky6Kfxl9EWbyK_/s1308/16428869342_55c940b88b_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1308" data-original-width="1107" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2GEevfr5Y9JO4BKN70V262ro4EwyBmc4OET9xL3GpGHGpkU7BMJElNgkEpTtCqCl496CQU67_B1atQeIeme_hxJCd43qVZU5LvARA5Cq7Y0mSRW3P3m0ik0Ky6Kfxl9EWbyK_/s320/16428869342_55c940b88b_o.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Although you will see a statuette of a Neo-Sumerian human-headed bull dated 2150-2000 BCE from The Louvre at the exhibit, this is an image I took of a very similar sculpture at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It is identified as Kursarikku associated with the sun god Shamash Reign of Ur-Ningirsu of Lagash 2150-2100 BCE, crafted of Serpentine. This serptentine (lizardite) sculpture is from southern Mesopotamia, probably Tello (ancient Girsu). The inscription proclaims the sculpture is dedicated to the goddess Nanshe for the life of the Sumerian ruler Ur-Ningirsu.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0cGg7JjsvQuwvPXrlY37H3ECM-AXf7IdcIRd6lNgBIJQF6414JkZE0ZmAoIZG7x0RA3BpPIDluZX337ucb7N5c9csO2zb_fqLlI3-9-CLourtutQC9xk56GfjI7q3jOz3CamO/s651/Demon+Pazuzu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="651" data-original-width="508" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0cGg7JjsvQuwvPXrlY37H3ECM-AXf7IdcIRd6lNgBIJQF6414JkZE0ZmAoIZG7x0RA3BpPIDluZX337ucb7N5c9csO2zb_fqLlI3-9-CLourtutQC9xk56GfjI7q3jOz3CamO/s320/Demon+Pazuzu.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Statuette of the Demon Panzuzu, Neo-Assyrian, 934-610 BCE Bronze now in the collections of The Louvre, image courtesy of the museum</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJhW5jxsu2XDmepArMn8iPgM5IAswr5CIIyXcffujp2AA2_0qO73DJFdOq7osBGmjiaFx8cvG-ZeCXWqECihRBs3M2PYe-L6qftvxrV-dyX3c02WmeHDVGR93b2bt0L4XLW3ix/s717/Gilgamesh+killing+Humbaba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="717" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJhW5jxsu2XDmepArMn8iPgM5IAswr5CIIyXcffujp2AA2_0qO73DJFdOq7osBGmjiaFx8cvG-ZeCXWqECihRBs3M2PYe-L6qftvxrV-dyX3c02WmeHDVGR93b2bt0L4XLW3ix/s320/Gilgamesh+killing+Humbaba.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Plaque with King Gilgamesh killing the monster Humbaba, Amorite, 2000 - 1600 BCE, terracotta, now in the collections of the Louvre, image courtesy of the museum</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgog4moDp9Zb14wXk2lEJlwtGEAZn2wObvuHXyYLDnYYuAaTUM57dWsJYTl9B586VnRYODSUgZrTew5RNceCJuAdJ00LVewei3MAeWvuZe4Dw0yGV8g3iMA7b7Iaz9E0wNNK0ka/s594/Mesopotamian+dog+sculpture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgog4moDp9Zb14wXk2lEJlwtGEAZn2wObvuHXyYLDnYYuAaTUM57dWsJYTl9B586VnRYODSUgZrTew5RNceCJuAdJ00LVewei3MAeWvuZe4Dw0yGV8g3iMA7b7Iaz9E0wNNK0ka/s320/Mesopotamian+dog+sculpture.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Statuette of a dog dedicated to the goddess Ninisina, Amorite, 1894-1866 BCE, steatite, now in the collections of The Louvre, image courtesy of the museum.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5QxYAX8e2WcY0_qQ8p1zjF_BwT-3xTOM8zGcZjRDZKAknWPfx4fq_1i84l_H-AcwcLww48GeUunHptXoMoMScb5m0WspgyjyLFmYMvoSEArx5AQN1nE7v-lYdSEHdMriQZOYS/s573/Mesopotamian+portrait.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="573" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5QxYAX8e2WcY0_qQ8p1zjF_BwT-3xTOM8zGcZjRDZKAknWPfx4fq_1i84l_H-AcwcLww48GeUunHptXoMoMScb5m0WspgyjyLFmYMvoSEArx5AQN1nE7v-lYdSEHdMriQZOYS/s320/Mesopotamian+portrait.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Wall fragment with a man's head, Neo-Assyrian 850-650 BCE now in the collections of The Louvre, image courtesy of the museum.</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3928439.post-61524770191819200082021-04-22T10:58:00.000-07:002021-04-22T10:58:00.062-07:00Iron Age III gold cuirass fragments from Northwestern Iran, 8th-7th centuries BCE<p>In 2015, I had the opportunity to photograph artifacts in the Smithsonian's Sackler Gallery of Asian Art. In it, I found this spectacular fragment of a gold breastplate dating to the Iron Age III period. Other fragments of this breastplate are today in the Cincinnati Art Museum and in the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. Fragments from a second gold breastplate found in the burial mound near the village of Ziwiye are in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and in the National Museum in Teheran.</p><p>"This is a fragment from the lower part of a much larger pectoral, or breastplate, made of sheet metal and embellished with figures and ornament arranged in horizontal bands. A breastplate shielded the chest from arrows or other weapons. The decoration on this example consists of mythical guardian creatures, whose images were believed to provide magical protection for the wearer."</p><p>"A pectoral made of thin sheet gold, like this one, would have been attached to a sturdier material, probably leather. Given the fragility and cost of the material and its intricate decoration, the pectoral may have been fashioned specifically for ceremonial use or burial equipment." - Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian, Washington D.C.</p><p>"This plaque, perforated around the edge, was perhaps once attached to a garment of a wealthy lord or to the shroud of a prince. Its design is similar to contemporary art of Assyria, Urartu, and Scythian-style objects. The plaque was originally composed of seven registers decorated in repoussé and chasing; two were separated and are now in the collection of the Archaeological Museum, Tehran. The registers display the familiar composite creatures of the ancient Near East striding in groups of three toward a stylized sacred tree, the central motif. The human-headed, winged lion, seen in the first and third register, is a creature that also appears as a gate guardian on the doorjambs in the palace of Ashurnasirpal II at Nimrud. A sphinx struts along the second band, followed by winged lions and an ibex. The bodies of the fantastic creatures are composed of unusual combinations of animal and bird parts: in the uppermost register, the lions sport ostrich tails, while in the second, their tails are those of scorpions. The trees of life bear pomegranates, pine cones, and lotus flowers. Each scene is framed and separated by a delicate guilloche pattern." - Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJv-cb42rNe-23r5LW9Fr7CI-GisXxqUQrAatO1bEK_iKKmkNWflQPNv3PIF8doKJCAk57Ltv4D8AJstyjpebQIGBbiyYBVP9DDzDPXLB4mwbB00AYyDviPHCvEr744ev6w6Yo/s1600/19401607628_0bc4bcff8c_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJv-cb42rNe-23r5LW9Fr7CI-GisXxqUQrAatO1bEK_iKKmkNWflQPNv3PIF8doKJCAk57Ltv4D8AJstyjpebQIGBbiyYBVP9DDzDPXLB4mwbB00AYyDviPHCvEr744ev6w6Yo/w640-h480/19401607628_0bc4bcff8c_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Closeup of the Iron Age III gold cuirass fragment from Northwestern Iran that I photographed at the Sackler Gallery of the Smithsonian in Washington DC.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWBNGp_v-MqeuTPf-3vHYahkWDh7QBlWehb83KSG-wR_XBuiFP3-v9ABDOTll9WWnlzYw4Cr7SMK4j8UpTaCrMllpTcGLuavnFHL_Yy_cSOE-MEMRTByuD3vHL6LpGs67CUvI2/s1600/19593902731_cc1015182d_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWBNGp_v-MqeuTPf-3vHYahkWDh7QBlWehb83KSG-wR_XBuiFP3-v9ABDOTll9WWnlzYw4Cr7SMK4j8UpTaCrMllpTcGLuavnFHL_Yy_cSOE-MEMRTByuD3vHL6LpGs67CUvI2/w640-h480/19593902731_cc1015182d_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Iron Age III gold cuirass fragment from Northwestern Iran that I photographed at the Sackler Gallery of the Smithsonian in Washington DC.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUC6WmrGBsucFNOm2JroioKQPfkKYvMskSK42rVsYUK9RExe5Yod3Gs4xIrtU7wiicvVKyhe4MxROhmrLi784OND_udl_00xMYy13_zdMX0PlCiqAjyk9pBehDYgbBNv_TjSzu/s2000/an62.78.1a%252C+b.R.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1654" data-original-width="2000" height="530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUC6WmrGBsucFNOm2JroioKQPfkKYvMskSK42rVsYUK9RExe5Yod3Gs4xIrtU7wiicvVKyhe4MxROhmrLi784OND_udl_00xMYy13_zdMX0PlCiqAjyk9pBehDYgbBNv_TjSzu/w640-h530/an62.78.1a%252C+b.R.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Another Iron Age III gold breastplate found in the same burial now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3928439.post-83072682455047115312021-02-22T14:09:00.001-08:002021-02-22T14:09:47.417-08:00Spotted cats: Mythological beasts of both the Old World and the New <p> This unusual vase shows a human head of which all but the area of the eyes, nose, and mouth is enclosed in the head of an animal. The softness of the pelt is indicated by the way in which it tightly fits the human head. The small ears and spots are further animal attributes. It is difficult to identify the figure. It may possibly be a very Egyptianized interpretation of Herakles wearing the lion skin. - Metropolitan Museum of Art</p><p>This vessel caught my attention because it reminded me very much of ancient pre-Columbian American art. All major Mesoamerican civilizations prominently featured a jaguar god, and for many, such as the Olmec, the jaguar was an important part of shamanism. The jaguar's formidable size, reputation as a predator, and its evolved capacities to survive in the jungle made it an animal to be revered. The Olmec and the Maya witnessed this animal's habits, adopting the jaguar as an authoritative and martial symbol, and incorporated the animal into their mythology. </p><p>In the surviving Olmec archaeological record, jaguars are rarely portrayed naturalistically, but rather with a combination of feline and human characteristics. These feline anthropomorphic figures may range from a human figure with slight jaguar characteristics to depictions of shamanistic transformations in the so-called transformative pose, kneeling with hands on knees, to figures that are nearly completely feline.</p><p>One of the most prominent, distinctive, and enigmatic Olmec designs to appear in the archaeological record has been the "were-jaguar". Seen not only in figurines, the motif also may be found carved into jade "votive axes" and celts, engraved onto various portable figurines of jade, and depicted on several "altars". The were-jaguar figure is characterized by a distinctive down-turned mouth with fleshy lips, and almond-shaped eyes.</p><p>The Maya, whose territory spanned the Yucatán Peninsula all the way to the Pacific coast of Guatemala, depicted gods with jaguar attributes as well. The jaguar is said to have the ability to cross between worlds, and for the Maya daytime and nighttime represented two different worlds. The living and the earth are associated with the day, and the spirit world and the ancestors are associated with the night. As the jaguar is quite at home in the nighttime, the jaguar is believed to be part of the underworld. Thus, Maya gods with jaguar attributes or garments are thought to have represented underworld gods. One such god is Xbalanque, one of the Maya Hero Twins who descended to the underworld, and whose entire body is covered with patches of jaguar skin. Another is God L, who is the primary lord of the underworld and often is shown with a jaguar ear or jaguar attire, and atop a jaguar throne.</p><p>This reverence for the jaguar carried forward to the much later Aztec civilization where their military elite were inducted into a unit dressed in jaguar regalia. To become a jaguar warrior, a member of the Aztec army had to capture a total of four enemies from battles. This was said to honor their gods in a way far greater than killing enemy soldiers on the battlefield. They also used spears and atlatls and fought with a wooden club studded with obsidian volcanic glass blades, called a macuahuitl. </p><p>Jaguars, of course, were not known in the ancient Mediterranean world but the First Dynasty Egyptian deity Mafdet was often depicted wearing the skin of a cheetah. She was associated with the protection of the king's chambers and other sacred places, and with protection against venomous animals, which were seen as transgressors against Maat. She also represented the personification of legal justice. It was said that Mafdet ripped out the hearts of wrong-doers, delivering them to the pharaoh's feet like cats that present humans with rodents or birds they have killed or maimed. During the New Kingdom, Mafdet was seen as ruling over the judgment hall in Duat where the enemies of the pharaoh were decapitated with Mafdet's claw.</p><p>During the reign of Tutankhamun, leopards were highly prized as symbols of royalty and divinity. A leopard skin mantle or a cloth imitation of one was worn by the high priest during the opening of the mouth ceremony at royal burials.</p><p>Although a panther is often referred to as an attribute of the god Dionysus, the god was also depicted wearing leopard skin and using leopards as a means of transportation. In one myth, the god was captured by pirates but two leopards appear and rescue him. </p><p>I find it interesting that cultures so far removed from each other wove their reverence for their respective spotted cats into their myths and religious practices. I can't help but wonder if the leopard-shrouded Greek figure of the 6th century BCE may have presided over one of the mystery religions as a similar priest in ancient America did.</p><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihCsoEk50hf_3M7KrSFZdfOmmHt8HCrYS7anco82hEZfTuTt4FQgNVnoKJFTeCv8i1JvWpXjKkvMQard7XohtBNLkQ5KP4AfFMivqp1SaKZkggtfrZEU-ux7qG0oYsNt8ED_cu/s2048/DP114703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihCsoEk50hf_3M7KrSFZdfOmmHt8HCrYS7anco82hEZfTuTt4FQgNVnoKJFTeCv8i1JvWpXjKkvMQard7XohtBNLkQ5KP4AfFMivqp1SaKZkggtfrZEU-ux7qG0oYsNt8ED_cu/w640-h640/DP114703.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Faience aryballos (oil flask) in the form of a head wearing an animal skin, 6th century B.C.E., East Greek, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. </td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM1XXjsj60xgOE5wO2pihh7Wps4jxX6xg8DVGOE-rdr02KQb5ioJlOq7Ec3bn7YM_Y_FN70bexoufAwFHnLNkSXcyTj7zlBVWm4usinvA4wDfHurTps9Hj7cOZSHdqzdVH1_Bx/s750/tumblr_lzrs7f9cDf1qgg0ixo1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM1XXjsj60xgOE5wO2pihh7Wps4jxX6xg8DVGOE-rdr02KQb5ioJlOq7Ec3bn7YM_Y_FN70bexoufAwFHnLNkSXcyTj7zlBVWm4usinvA4wDfHurTps9Hj7cOZSHdqzdVH1_Bx/w426-h640/tumblr_lzrs7f9cDf1qgg0ixo1_500.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;"> An Aztec jaguar warrior created by GodotDraws on DeviantArt</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmj9yP1OZYmZnCMEGHAKg6tYU7Grqhj8T1kBpLoLBYfvMfDlcmcae86PHW0oy5tLnL2F5D7pF1syPnlCOBfr1Kz4bTj958Efagth_0naemKSv2Se2VXNrnh3RiPqbpwH2rSPr/s675/Rdb3cd47d1ba7edfaf869b51b47c6a1bf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="455" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmj9yP1OZYmZnCMEGHAKg6tYU7Grqhj8T1kBpLoLBYfvMfDlcmcae86PHW0oy5tLnL2F5D7pF1syPnlCOBfr1Kz4bTj958Efagth_0naemKSv2Se2VXNrnh3RiPqbpwH2rSPr/w432-h640/Rdb3cd47d1ba7edfaf869b51b47c6a1bf.jpg" width="432" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aztec jaguar warriors based on codex illustrations created by American miniaturist George S. Stuart. Photograph by Peter D'Aprix.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYc-aLWnoTuHh4ziaCvgk7MxeK3_Ke2ZuJwzKUeaUnQZ09z5Sfq3K0x3UEkMVsqG84rdG1V_KMRRFm9qhA4TYKYOXGuV9yj9xrOolrRvB-uLtV5D1nZKj6tL5UtD6aZmuBy9Pr/s500/R6b98367d62470eb961227694e0dd9201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYc-aLWnoTuHh4ziaCvgk7MxeK3_Ke2ZuJwzKUeaUnQZ09z5Sfq3K0x3UEkMVsqG84rdG1V_KMRRFm9qhA4TYKYOXGuV9yj9xrOolrRvB-uLtV5D1nZKj6tL5UtD6aZmuBy9Pr/w426-h640/R6b98367d62470eb961227694e0dd9201.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aztec jaguar warriors based on codex illustrations created by American miniaturist George S. Stuart. Photograph by Peter D'Aprix.</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3928439.post-56134299217033179722021-02-16T11:08:00.001-08:002021-02-16T11:08:16.145-08:00Pre-Achaemenid art: Neo-Assyrian or Median?<p>The Medes were an ancient Iranian people who spoke the Median language and who inhabited an area known as Media between western and northern Iran. Around the 11th century BCE, they occupied the mountainous region of northwestern Iran and the eastern region of Mesopotamia located around Hamadan (Ecbatana). Herodotus reports the Medes played a determining role in the fall of the Assyrian Empire and "could" have formed an empire at the beginning of the 7th century BCE that lasted until the 550s BCE. It was originally thought they competed with the kingsoms of Lydia and Babylonia for hegemony. However, the Medes left no written account of their history. Archaeologists have had to rely upon foreign sources such as the Assyrians, Babylonians and Greeks for Median history, instead, as well as a few Iranian archaeological sites, which are believed to have been occupied by Medes. Some scholars have gone so far as to suggest a Median kingdom as a political entity never existed at all, even though it was reported to have been conquered by Cyrus the Great in 549 BCE.</p><p>Materials found at Tepe Nush-i Jan, Godin Tepe, and other archaeological sites located in the area known as Media, together with Assyrian reliefs, show the existence of urban settlements in Media in the first half of the 1st millennium BCE which had functioned as centers for the production of handicrafts and also of an agricultural and cattle-breeding economy.</p><p>From the 10th to the late 7th centuries BCE, the western parts of Media fell under the domination of the vast Neo-Assyrian Empire that imposed Vassal Treaties upon the Median rulers, and also protected them from predatory raids by marauding Scythians and Cimmerians. During the reign of Sinsharishkun (622–612 BCE), the Assyrian empire, which had been in a state of constant civil war since 626 BCE, began to unravel and subject peoples, such as the Medes ceased to pay tribute.</p><p>Neo-Assyrian dominance over the Medians came to an end during the reign of Median King Cyaxares, who, in alliance with King Nabopolassar of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, attacked and destroyed the strife-riven Neo-Assyrian empire between 616 and 609 BCE. The newfound alliance helped the Medes to capture Nineveh in 612 BC, which resulted in the eventual collapse of the Neo-Assyrian Empire by 609 BCE. The Medes were subsequently able to establish their Median Kingdom (with Ecbatana as their royal capital) beyond their original homeland and had eventually a territory stretching roughly from northeastern Iran to the Kızılırmak River in Anatolia.</p><p>Artwork from this period was heavily influenced by the Neo-Assyrians but scholars hesitate to associate it specifically to the Medians due to the swiftly changing alliances of various tribes, clans, and regional groupings of western Iran at the time. Winged creatures or deities with human heads reflected Assyrian influence as well as sculptures depicting bulls or lions. Scholars believe Assyrian graphically detailed works of violence were meant to advertise the power of the empire and its rulers and to intimidate their enemies. Often precisely rendered animal carvings and statues were viewed as protective forces containing religious significance. </p><p>Lions regularly appear in Assyrian art. In ancient days, the Asiatic lion (slightly smaller than the African) roamed the Near East. To hunt the lions was a kingly activity of great importance. Famous carved reliefs of lion hunts show King Ashurbanipal hunting lions in an arena, sometimes from a chariot. The lion was also important as a symbol of the goddess Ishtar, the Queen of Heaven, one of the two most important deities in the Assyrian pantheon. - Metropolitan Museum of Art</p><p>A lion was thought to be a symbol of the Neo-Assyrian King Sargon II during the Neo-Assyrian period as well.</p><p>Bulls are another common motif in Assyrian art. The bull was more than just an important food source. Sumerian and Akkadian traditions describe the Bull of Heaven, which features in a conflict between Ishtar and Gilgamesh in the Epic of Gilgamesh. The bull remained an important symbol in Assyrian and other Mesopotamian cultures. It also was combined with human, lion, and avian traits to form mythical creatures. - Metropolitan Museum of Art</p><p>Triangular compositions featuring two rampant wild animals over a third creature, often a domesticated one, occur on Mesopotamian cylinder seals of the thirteenth century B.C.E., one of which shows two rampant lions sparring over a bull. But the motif is uncommon in later Mesopotamian art until it reappears again in the art of western Iran between the ninth and the seventh centuries B.C.E. The motif of a single lion attacking a bull is visible on the remains of Persepolis but its use appears to end there. </p><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhobsJYhoRbdzztNO4-rWW0WmOPgnjEvA_-WxFlc6oGtnGzJAmS2eYWRDAZPgYsZIaBN5YexLklIsZtzMGVRM_UUdNnIrmZSdujZ5-4DcE-WP_EwYP2i6m1PLCAYutL0Zvmm6ZI/s793/4637652519_0b49752173_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="552" data-original-width="793" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhobsJYhoRbdzztNO4-rWW0WmOPgnjEvA_-WxFlc6oGtnGzJAmS2eYWRDAZPgYsZIaBN5YexLklIsZtzMGVRM_UUdNnIrmZSdujZ5-4DcE-WP_EwYP2i6m1PLCAYutL0Zvmm6ZI/w640-h446/4637652519_0b49752173_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre-Achaemenid Silver and Gold Vessel in the Form of a Lion Attacking a Bull, Silver and gold, 8th-6th century B.C.E. at the Miho Museum in Kyoto, Japan</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZA5kvwqFsvMlVfk0XM8a_DlEcimIMO6IGsJ0BaOSc2KT2DOPkd_vU1qxAs1ij8TS0jvldES6PMU8MtOu-IU7YPNJpl-3NRINz8Tb_ktYCKiJf401zPo8b3MJlG_cEkjJnxhzW/s592/4638107180_a8d0b0f8b6_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="486" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZA5kvwqFsvMlVfk0XM8a_DlEcimIMO6IGsJ0BaOSc2KT2DOPkd_vU1qxAs1ij8TS0jvldES6PMU8MtOu-IU7YPNJpl-3NRINz8Tb_ktYCKiJf401zPo8b3MJlG_cEkjJnxhzW/w526-h640/4638107180_a8d0b0f8b6_o.jpg" width="526" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption">Pre-Achaemenid Silver Compound Zoomorphic Vessel of two rampant lions over a prostrate bull, Silver, 8th-6th century B.C.E., at the Miho Museum in Kyoto, Japan. This unusual vessel features a pair of rampant lions, interlocked forelegs on each other's shoulders, standing on a prone bull. The lions are identical, not mirror images, each with its head turned to the right and its right hind leg up on the bull. The lion that treads on the bull's head has a round opening in the back of its snarling mouth that serves as a spout. The gaping mouth of the second lion is solid, but a small, carefully finished circular hole in its head provides the opening through which the vessel can be filled. A narrow depressed rim around this hole suggests that a stopper once sealed it. Each lion's body is formed in two pieces, upper and lower cylinders whose joining is marked by a narrow rib. The two pieces of each cylinder fit together; no solder is visible. The hollow forelegs of the lions are formed of open tubes that fit one into the other, allowing fluid to run from the filling hole to the spout. The bull, whose cylindrical body is also hollow, serves as a base. There is no internal connection between the lions and the bull. Reputed to be part of a silver treasure found in a cave in western Iran some years ago, this remarkable piece presents a puzzle not easily solved. The orthography of Akkadian inscriptions found on some pieces of the supposed hoard show Elamite influence suggestive of a date in the second quarter of the first millennium B.C.E. If this vessel was part of that so-called Cave Treasure, it should have a similar date and place of origin. While this association cannot be documented, the imagery of the piece supports a date in the second quarter of the millennium. But the motif reappears in the art of western Iran between the 9th and 7th centuries BCE.<br /><br /></td><td class="tr-caption"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLfGc75f-ycO0zs9yndU8G01IkqqBHvZ6iCdUq2jATtg9WWIUZu_0W-1fVbbKlRz8i2Ov-66M8S8zwBa0iNis8HtQAFjfEllnMfXjEt6YE4-qkvrc3HfVabfl7om0lHCWSmTxD/s555/4638260922_a475c7aff3_o+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="555" data-original-width="405" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLfGc75f-ycO0zs9yndU8G01IkqqBHvZ6iCdUq2jATtg9WWIUZu_0W-1fVbbKlRz8i2Ov-66M8S8zwBa0iNis8HtQAFjfEllnMfXjEt6YE4-qkvrc3HfVabfl7om0lHCWSmTxD/w468-h640/4638260922_a475c7aff3_o+%25283%2529.jpg" width="468" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre-Achaemenid Silver and Gold Vessel in the Form of a Hero and a Winged Bull Ibex, Silver and gold, 8th-6th century B.C.E. at the Miho Museum in Kyoto, Japan</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD93qv5eiLL23natIIQg3-KXHSmt_jUzfIobTYo-dKGWdX9oqCFEXSdnkd2ka6d_oCDz1EHJezZxDtd9vue2GoJDNp9S5Cb-mjWw18YmmJ8AYhxLv2vavbX5Pu9i3KXzd_LbGq/s521/4638262864_162e3866f9_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="521" data-original-width="412" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD93qv5eiLL23natIIQg3-KXHSmt_jUzfIobTYo-dKGWdX9oqCFEXSdnkd2ka6d_oCDz1EHJezZxDtd9vue2GoJDNp9S5Cb-mjWw18YmmJ8AYhxLv2vavbX5Pu9i3KXzd_LbGq/w506-h640/4638262864_162e3866f9_o.jpg" width="506" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre-Achaemenid Silver Rhyton with Ibex Protome and Appliques, Silver and electrum, 8th-6th century B.C.E., at the Miho Museum in Kyoto, Japan<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3928439.post-36338299235375898812021-02-13T08:02:00.003-08:002021-02-13T08:02:33.190-08:00Bust of a Priest with Silver Inlaid Eyes: Roman or Sasanian?<p>While I was researching the Cypriot ear spirals yesterday, I noticed this bronze bust of a priest with silver inlaid eyes dated from the 3rd - 4th century CE at the Miho Museum. The museum identified it as late Roman but the museum's image had been shared on Flickr and I noticed that someone with the username eternal persia commented on the piece and insisted it was Sasanian. He/she pointed to the monogram on the hat, clothes, hair design and leaves that decorate the bust and insisted these are Sasanian elements.</p><p>Intrigued, I researched the item a little further. At first, most Sasanian portrait sculptures I reviewed were all bearded. Then I saw an image of a relief depicting Kartir, a high priest and vizier serving during the reigns of Shapur I, Hormizd I, Bahram I, and Bahram II. Not only is Kartir clean shaven, he sports the corkscrew curls and crested hat worn by the priest of the bust at the Miho Museum.</p><p>Some scholars think Kartir may have been a eunuch, due to being depicted without a beard in the Sasanian reliefs. He first appears in historical records in Shapur I's inscription at the Ka'ba-ye Zartosht, which was most likely created between 260–262 CE. Kartir is the only religious bureaucrat mentioned in the inscription. Shapur I, termed a "lukewarm Zoroastrian", was known for his tolerance towards other religions. Although admiring the teachings of his own religion and encouraging the Zoroastrian clergy, Shapur I allowed the Jews, Christians, Buddhists, and Hindus to freely practice their religion. He was also friendly towards the founder of Manichaeism, Mani, whom he allowed to preach freely and even to be an escort in his military expeditions.</p><p>Shapur I's religious practices seems to have been somewhat unusual, though, with animal sacrifice being made for the soul of the kings and queens of the Sasanian family. Kartir, who "abhorred animal sacrifice" was unable to stop Shapur I from performing them. Shapur I died in 270 CE, and was succeeded by Hormizd I, who gave Kartir clothes that were worn by the upper class including the cap and belt (kulāf ud kamarband) and appointed him as the chief priest (mowbed).</p><p>Hormizd I died the following year and Bahram I, who was never considered a candidate for succession of the throne by his father, ascended the throne with the aid of Kartir, whose authority and influence had greatly increased. Bahram I then made a settlement with his brother Narseh who he asked to give up his entitlement to the throne in return for the governorship of the important frontier province of Armenia, which was constantly the subject of war between the Roman and Sasanian Empires. Although Narseh held the title of Vazurg Šāh Arminān ("Great King of Armenia"), scholars think he probably still viewed Bahram I as a usurper.</p><p>Although previous Sasanian shahs had pursued a policy of religious tolerance towards the non-Zoroastrian minorities in the empire, with Bahram I's accession to the throne, and the rise of the authority of the Zoroastrian priesthood under the leadership of Kartir, this changed. When Mani, still the leader of the Manichaeists, arrived in the city of Gundishapur, Kartir and his cadre of Zoroastrian priest protested, viewing Mani as a threatening heterogeneous philosopher who presented an obscure perception of Zoroastrianism tainted by Jewish, Buddhist, and Christian ideas. Kartir pressured Bahram I to have Mani imprisoned and sentenced to death in 274 CE. Mani's death was followed by the persecution of his followers by Kartir and the Zoroastrian clergy, who used the persecution of religious minorities as a method to increase and spread their vast influence. With the backing of Bahram I, Kartir laid foundations for Zoroastrianism's adoption as the state religion.</p><p>When Bahram I died, his son viewed Kartir as a mentor and granted him the rank of grandee (wuzurgan), and appointed him as the supreme judge (dadwar) of the whole empire. Thereafter, Zorastrian priests were given the office of judge. Kartir's intolerance continued and his inscription at Ka'ba-ye Zartosht boasts that he "struck down" non-Zoroastrian minorities, although modern scholars point out that Jewish and Christian sources makes no mention of persecutions during this period.</p><p>When Bahram III succeeded his father, Bahram II, something changed, however, in Kartir's relationship with the royal family. Kartir inexplicably threw in his lot with Narseh and, along with a group of Sasanian nobles, supported Narseh's overthrow of Bahram III. But Narseh's reign marked the return to the policy of religious tolerance which had been practiced by his father, Shapur I, all those years ago, and Kartir finally fades from history. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHJSC7fh2JahMMj_zHR5FI-ZeTPlV4WuaASz9ax3cDvG8lolCbxsMM_ZN5m-sf7K5Mj2ULOv22g-3RgSMgyuP9WXDAPcrD0p_OhuswwZV_-jt4MVfqRE5nDeKK-u2TdeUcDvql/s1092/4641091444_170b13a872_o-compressed-scale-2_00x-gigapixel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1092" data-original-width="906" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHJSC7fh2JahMMj_zHR5FI-ZeTPlV4WuaASz9ax3cDvG8lolCbxsMM_ZN5m-sf7K5Mj2ULOv22g-3RgSMgyuP9WXDAPcrD0p_OhuswwZV_-jt4MVfqRE5nDeKK-u2TdeUcDvql/w530-h640/4641091444_170b13a872_o-compressed-scale-2_00x-gigapixel.jpg" width="530" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Bust of a Priest with Silver Inlaid Eyes, Bronze and sliver, 3rd-4th century C.E., courtesy of the Miho Museum in Kyoto, Japan.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsEeh7M6BSSEBHeHbG7LSsuhZRsqSUJnCCJc4mtJKr6KBk20ZL48F55RB7MQXBk-exe27XzVqyNgAKHJGpOWueb1YqTeo6sWLG4KhYz0gBcrd40ZfhdHjfeC_anteBG4UmA_qI/s1024/Naqshe_Rajab_Darafsh_Ordibehesht_93_%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="1024" height="498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsEeh7M6BSSEBHeHbG7LSsuhZRsqSUJnCCJc4mtJKr6KBk20ZL48F55RB7MQXBk-exe27XzVqyNgAKHJGpOWueb1YqTeo6sWLG4KhYz0gBcrd40ZfhdHjfeC_anteBG4UmA_qI/w640-h498/Naqshe_Rajab_Darafsh_Ordibehesht_93_%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Relief of Kartir, the Zoroastrian high priest at Naqsh-e Rajab courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor درفش کاویانی.</p><div><br /></div><p> </p>Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3928439.post-81630922727736647462021-02-12T10:19:00.003-08:002021-02-12T10:19:30.548-08:00Cypriot gold spiral earrings: Local fashion or the result of Achaemenid influence?<p> According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, spirals with ornate animal-head terminals are frequently found in Cypriot tombs of the Classical period. Terracotta and limestone votive statues illustrate that from the Archaic through the Classical period it was customary for Cypriot men and women to wear such ornaments in large holes pierced through their earlobes.</p><p>When I saw these earrings, I wondered if this Cypriot practice of making large holes in their earlobes to accommodate these ornaments was a local fashion or adopted as a result of Persian rule beginning in 545 BCE, especially since most examples I have seen are dated between the late 6th century to the 5th century BCE. I managed to find images of Achaemenid bracelets similarly made of gold tubing but each example of similar earrings I found in my research were all labeled Cypriot. Since the Cypriots were ruled by the Assyrians and even the Egyptians for a short time, I researched the jewelry of those cultures as well but found nothing similar. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr1_cBkI39K-VVssXK6MghbnPpl1CBcB_LzXGzRTigFcksGCQ6YRVW0gVP-OLxC_8i8R9M9unTOZEsFgXrsyyKdo1qg8mNsbIvwfQhyphenhyphen4OX639FQyK5ZxmFKAwkkqv_zXaD7okz/s2048/GR687.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1368" data-original-width="2048" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr1_cBkI39K-VVssXK6MghbnPpl1CBcB_LzXGzRTigFcksGCQ6YRVW0gVP-OLxC_8i8R9M9unTOZEsFgXrsyyKdo1qg8mNsbIvwfQhyphenhyphen4OX639FQyK5ZxmFKAwkkqv_zXaD7okz/w640-h428/GR687.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Cypriot Earrings or spiral with lion-griffin terminals, Gold and Silver, 400-350 BCE and Lion headed spirals from mid-5th century BCE, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG6nmGpkDRcyyuh2NHCSHGQW-9VrtweQ6rD1CN4sPAMAb61ygwSPBTc0fK1e5YeVRPSoBBIY87pjPAoWJRUXbwsRiKqy5tncu7B1s3ESSjKkNEUE7vHcmLyOL3HOB64DZU6vWE/s698/GR567.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="653" data-original-width="698" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG6nmGpkDRcyyuh2NHCSHGQW-9VrtweQ6rD1CN4sPAMAb61ygwSPBTc0fK1e5YeVRPSoBBIY87pjPAoWJRUXbwsRiKqy5tncu7B1s3ESSjKkNEUE7vHcmLyOL3HOB64DZU6vWE/s320/GR567.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Cypriot Gold and copper alloy spiral with lion-head terminal, 2nd half of the 5th century B.C.E. at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The lion-head is made in two halves (left and right) from sheet gold.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy6cVCCbaz6Ar1rinZ8yy1-wyt4EyLtsMBSMrvfynfER7jHcx1ZL82-fTLqOrzM7qX81MYoirYgoQYNCrLPvUfj1hO3Q27e_aI78JKqbycE8WawXn0-PY3_ydlTwSi9XlgLrKv/s690/Gold_spiral_with_double_lion-griffin-head_terminal_MET_GR564.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="690" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy6cVCCbaz6Ar1rinZ8yy1-wyt4EyLtsMBSMrvfynfER7jHcx1ZL82-fTLqOrzM7qX81MYoirYgoQYNCrLPvUfj1hO3Q27e_aI78JKqbycE8WawXn0-PY3_ydlTwSi9XlgLrKv/s320/Gold_spiral_with_double_lion-griffin-head_terminal_MET_GR564.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Cypriot Earrings or spiral with lion-griffin terminals, Gold and Silver, 400-350 BCE, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWhA5UE1x90_CxBDpKaVwNIC0Qp0BfiDP4CWrUH9Je0xH9yKN0FxiydusioznkhUjXbWXAMwfjJjsZPEG0CCIa5UXEHoPMrTymUqQxKUqrXgzv7pGG0Y285rhe3xysqV6QgDf/s675/Gold_spiral_earring_with_lion-griffin_terminal_MET_GR561+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="633" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWhA5UE1x90_CxBDpKaVwNIC0Qp0BfiDP4CWrUH9Je0xH9yKN0FxiydusioznkhUjXbWXAMwfjJjsZPEG0CCIa5UXEHoPMrTymUqQxKUqrXgzv7pGG0Y285rhe3xysqV6QgDf/s320/Gold_spiral_earring_with_lion-griffin_terminal_MET_GR561+-+Copy.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Cypriot Earrings or spiral with lion-griffin terminals, Gold and Silver, 400-350 BCE, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghSeVarduU2HNoM9miNIYnm83ifkzGvKNu_el2zLh-LGlroD7rXMftG5SqQgG2azw8yyhoyTK8FWLhUmgOnxQgxsY5nmTWWDk2NTaDCAclDVvgEB2WuhmVL5xzLVCkQqvg6HeU/s804/db3ccad84adf223307017bf3005e443e.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="804" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghSeVarduU2HNoM9miNIYnm83ifkzGvKNu_el2zLh-LGlroD7rXMftG5SqQgG2azw8yyhoyTK8FWLhUmgOnxQgxsY5nmTWWDk2NTaDCAclDVvgEB2WuhmVL5xzLVCkQqvg6HeU/w640-h422/db3ccad84adf223307017bf3005e443e.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Pair of gold spiral earrings with terminals in the form of a crested griffins head. Cypriot, 475-400 B.C.E. British Museum</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMAUsvk5NLa-HdeFl54l7i4ldR6xZdjArbD_5oPeG_5FrKgNO_s9x2bfP1DzYVWbUVK5VXLZlQADWBRF7yYn3ccM2pKIMcKN43vEec9CjFpoUDhy9DhmM1HaqRy9lhA43o1eQ3/s708/7873ac032f10ced3dc8aa52bf39a0ce5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="555" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMAUsvk5NLa-HdeFl54l7i4ldR6xZdjArbD_5oPeG_5FrKgNO_s9x2bfP1DzYVWbUVK5VXLZlQADWBRF7yYn3ccM2pKIMcKN43vEec9CjFpoUDhy9DhmM1HaqRy9lhA43o1eQ3/w502-h640/7873ac032f10ced3dc8aa52bf39a0ce5.png" width="502" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gilt bronze spiral with griffin terminal. Period: Classical. Date: ca. 400–350 B.C.E. Culture: Cypriot. Medium: Gold, bronze. British Museum</td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZAZ8HobSX3sa0EhyphenhyphenbJ4nSx_58vc4GuINaYdDg4cCpHdXmLJseCrHi-86_NpnwTVkOno9UMC5_BGcEC55ZFwarruLAzC0zuaWolnUWdLSAvg6dI-_Ddu1FGwTjLnB5yI9Vc5MC/s1320/British_Museum_-_Room_72_%252822656892065%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="908" data-original-width="1320" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZAZ8HobSX3sa0EhyphenhyphenbJ4nSx_58vc4GuINaYdDg4cCpHdXmLJseCrHi-86_NpnwTVkOno9UMC5_BGcEC55ZFwarruLAzC0zuaWolnUWdLSAvg6dI-_Ddu1FGwTjLnB5yI9Vc5MC/w640-h440/British_Museum_-_Room_72_%252822656892065%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Cypriot Gold allow spiral earings with Griffin terminals 5th century BCE at the British Museum courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Paul Hudson. (digitally enhanced and recomposed)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgowNBe6VH24N-OOEX60XD_vVP8M0_QrXOvwJ2653xN6zP7Y0K521lB6yeDEElZWybF7pKc5BDK1o4UUR9Cny91OFXbuQxQw2BfxUELSG2gmstRwJH2hL4fo8p0n4PptwkOshaN/s1024/991px-Antikensammlung_Berlin_-_Cyprus_-_Ring_-_5-4th_century_BC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="991" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgowNBe6VH24N-OOEX60XD_vVP8M0_QrXOvwJ2653xN6zP7Y0K521lB6yeDEElZWybF7pKc5BDK1o4UUR9Cny91OFXbuQxQw2BfxUELSG2gmstRwJH2hL4fo8p0n4PptwkOshaN/s320/991px-Antikensammlung_Berlin_-_Cyprus_-_Ring_-_5-4th_century_BC.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Cypriot Gold alloy spiral earring with horned mythological creature terminal and floret, 5th century BCE, at the Antikensammlung Museum in Berlin courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Marsupium</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA2-LkEMPWjKDS2-x1XYR2F5YLNb-y1DXsrV4rvsKy6ognxM4Uz_uWXe4xaoLAPd63IgCY9XUll6NkkRnnXDD8l218q8Fy8Qxgs7vrT9tCMHlPqBK5BEafqrxNXGZR_kmmwMpq/s802/3c9f44b3a192c62fe0d7754489f6094b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="802" data-original-width="570" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA2-LkEMPWjKDS2-x1XYR2F5YLNb-y1DXsrV4rvsKy6ognxM4Uz_uWXe4xaoLAPd63IgCY9XUll6NkkRnnXDD8l218q8Fy8Qxgs7vrT9tCMHlPqBK5BEafqrxNXGZR_kmmwMpq/w454-h640/3c9f44b3a192c62fe0d7754489f6094b.jpg" width="454" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Achaemenid Gold Bracelet with Inlaid Termini in the Form of Duck's Heads, Gold with lapis lazuli, agate, and carnelian inlay, mid-6th-4th century B.C.E. at the Miho Museum in Kyoto, Japan. The ducks are reduced to protomes with their heads turned back in a typical Achaemenid fashion. The bracelet is constructed of hollow gold tubing, and the duck protomes were formerly elaborately inlayed with colored stones. One duck bill is made of agate, the other of carnelian. The ducks were both made separately and were in all likelihood originally joined together at their breasts. In order to put on the bracelet, the birds could be separated from the circlet by removing the rivets.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">The bracelet type is preserved in much simpler versions of bronze or golden wire, and details like the turned heads resting on the animals' backs seem truly Achaemenid, but a certain naturalistic tendency along with the concept of a removable part may point to a later period and attribute this piece to the circle of Achaemenizing art fashioned in the Hellenistic period. It must be stressed, however, that at the moment, this is nothing but a hypothesis. - Miho Museum, Kyoto, Japan</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvz34I-A9tHc0v35AGDkS8OZplFVy5QKEX9x6qbOoSq9rustqJXKe1gBCLm_xhr7uHW8CwaUJ4DKz0ymXLJ7CLKPKvKk2jEsoSv36hc49Wa3DtUb-IjzCUreHW3Et451TKvP1j/s700/1-3-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="649" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvz34I-A9tHc0v35AGDkS8OZplFVy5QKEX9x6qbOoSq9rustqJXKe1gBCLm_xhr7uHW8CwaUJ4DKz0ymXLJ7CLKPKvKk2jEsoSv36hc49Wa3DtUb-IjzCUreHW3Et451TKvP1j/w594-h640/1-3-1.jpg" width="594" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Achaemenid Gold Bracelet with Inlaid Termini in the Form of Seated Ducks, Gold with lapis lazuli, turquoise, onyx, and rock crystal inlay, mid-6th-4th century B.C.E. at the Miho Museum in Kyoto, Japan. The jeweler of this bracelet chose ducks as terminal figures and combined them with a rather heavy looking circlet that can be opened. The ducks were fashioned separately, and all the feathers and the eyes were originally characterized by inlays. The ducks' bills are not preserved. The birds are fixed to a single massive tubular circlet, which originally had colored inlays at the junction between the ducks. The use of colored inlays for the details of the feathering is a feature of Egyptianizing tendencies in Achaemenid craftsmanship. Though the "Great Kings" are known to have employed Egyptian craftsmen, the use of this technique does not necessarily imply that the jeweler was an Egyptian, because the technique was widely used on objects of truly Achaemenid style.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table>Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3928439.post-6115478994790320852021-02-10T08:45:00.003-08:002021-02-10T08:47:44.104-08:00Wheeled cauldron stands<p>I've photographed a number of huge bronze cauldrons, including spectacular examples found in the Midas Mound Tumulus at Gordion in Turkey. But I had never given any thought as to how these huge vessels were transported when full. I had assumed they were carried manually by servants. But today, while researching something else, I came across images of wheeled stands that were used to transport large cauldrons in ancient Cyprus. Somehow I must have overlooked these interesting objects on my visits to both the British Museum and the Neues Museum in Berlin. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5R-Ccvgc5FemrUGAiDmMM9eu2Wj_tiCyI8NOdir4IwU7YMeYotp2PiI1YHoZkFqA-3bGCUvN8rMTn_WlRhMumJd1XvpGEx7Z94zsEfIhBOv8JeEbhN9G1aY0X-ymHyXsbpjO2/s1024/681px-Cypriot_bronze_wheeled_stand_with_an_animal_frieze_on_the_ring_and_figures_in_the_side_panels.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="681" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5R-Ccvgc5FemrUGAiDmMM9eu2Wj_tiCyI8NOdir4IwU7YMeYotp2PiI1YHoZkFqA-3bGCUvN8rMTn_WlRhMumJd1XvpGEx7Z94zsEfIhBOv8JeEbhN9G1aY0X-ymHyXsbpjO2/w426-h640/681px-Cypriot_bronze_wheeled_stand_with_an_animal_frieze_on_the_ring_and_figures_in_the_side_panels.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Bronze wheeled stand for a cauldron with an animal frieze on the ring and figures in the side panels. The panels depict a seated harp-player approached by a musician and a serving boy, a winged sphinx, a lion gripping a water bird by its neck, and a chariot, Cypriot, 13th or 12th century BCE, at the British Museum courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor George Groutas.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvUCnpoJTQ4AdNZC__0OKTp8q5jucxStyzj3xa1pZzfVPtjZ7gHQgVpfV0ZAHv8XeZJ85L0TbPB_ynmj0IT06OfivSpa1GyywMmtwebZTRB6uq3tCFyinGIXAJtD9vbPsQbjGa/s2048/Cypriot_wheeled_stand_for_a_cauldron_Neues_Museum_26042018_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1639" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvUCnpoJTQ4AdNZC__0OKTp8q5jucxStyzj3xa1pZzfVPtjZ7gHQgVpfV0ZAHv8XeZJ85L0TbPB_ynmj0IT06OfivSpa1GyywMmtwebZTRB6uq3tCFyinGIXAJtD9vbPsQbjGa/w512-h640/Cypriot_wheeled_stand_for_a_cauldron_Neues_Museum_26042018_1.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wheeled stand for a cauldron, bronze, 12-11th century BCE. Probably from Kition, Larnaka district, Cyprus. Currently in the Neues Museum, in Berlin, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Vassil.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3928439.post-39622010093187551782021-02-09T15:39:00.004-08:002021-02-09T15:39:35.305-08:00More Urartian Art!<p>Most of the knowledge regarding Urartu comes from a series of clay tablets found among ancient Assyrian ruins. They hold the reports from Assyrian intelligence agents that were sent to various cities in Urartu. These clay tablets give us a record of history for a period of time around 714 BCE. </p><p>The people of Urartu referred to themselves as “Biainili.” Urartian texts have shown that the kings of Urartu often called themselves the “king of the land of Biaini,” and in Assyrian texts, Urartian kings were labeled the “king of the land of Nairi.” The land of Nairi/Biaini is known to be the land surrounding Lake Van (or the Sea of Nairi). Hebrew texts referred to Urartu as the “Kingdom of Ararat.” Historians believe that over the entire span of the kingdom’s life, people of Mitanni, Khurry, Khaldea, and Hittite blood lived among the Urartians during its early history. Its later inhabitants, those that eventually brought the kingdom to its end, were the Phrygians, Moskes, Armens, Scythians, Alans, and Cimmerians. Some of these groups were brought to Urartu as prisoners of conquest and were often put to work in labor forces. - Armenian National Committee of America Western Region.</p><p>Lake Van at the heart of the kingdom is a salt water lake which provided salt and an ecosystem that sustained diverse agricultural products including cotton, mulberry trees, grapevines, apricots, peaches, pomegranate, other fruit trees, and rice. The surrounding mountains were rich in minerals as well, yielding crystals, naphtha, copper, salt, iron, lead, silver, gold, borax, arsenic, and semi-precious stones. Urartians were expert metal workers and also practiced forestry and raised cattle. Their horses, were trained for cavalry and chariots and Urartian charioteers were renowned.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibhT9uxhwiiZ4Rmqrtn6seey1R_1pxZpcKQ5bQCWu1p4MROPKwdnUYZG9oKx9GqoAbUjZ2JrtvFhUSGZA_76JsB3vqWSYhlHCWcpC8kBe5wF3ByjwZQFHe4ucyBwDDx5l6huvy/s1024/579px-Griffin-headed_demon_blackened_ivory_Toprakkale_BM_118953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="579" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibhT9uxhwiiZ4Rmqrtn6seey1R_1pxZpcKQ5bQCWu1p4MROPKwdnUYZG9oKx9GqoAbUjZ2JrtvFhUSGZA_76JsB3vqWSYhlHCWcpC8kBe5wF3ByjwZQFHe4ucyBwDDx5l6huvy/s320/579px-Griffin-headed_demon_blackened_ivory_Toprakkale_BM_118953.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Griffin-headed demon, blackened ivory. Forms a pair with another similar sculpture, but made in white ivory. They may have been part of the decoration of a throne. 8th-7th century BC, Urartu, from Toprakkale (East Turkey) now in the British Museum, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Zunkir.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNgf4bPvRxS8wHq46ib-Tt8qV_PXn7gJtkXL3-s9bHnowXQZYgOYI1kmywCDBDSRa_7DNSM9xkqm4X3pIA-3OWzsRU7LDz_51lwDuar7QUdvhxxaiDwIHo0avZ-RmvSB_Z4dLR/s811/675px-Lead_figure_with_glass_and_ivory_inlays_-_Toprakkale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="811" data-original-width="539" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNgf4bPvRxS8wHq46ib-Tt8qV_PXn7gJtkXL3-s9bHnowXQZYgOYI1kmywCDBDSRa_7DNSM9xkqm4X3pIA-3OWzsRU7LDz_51lwDuar7QUdvhxxaiDwIHo0avZ-RmvSB_Z4dLR/s320/675px-Lead_figure_with_glass_and_ivory_inlays_-_Toprakkale.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lead figure with glass and ivory inlays, 8th-7th century BCE. From Toprakkale, eastern Turkey, kingdom of Urartu, now in the British Museum, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Zunkir.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinaRx-JLdjl8SLdZ2_7LpTNNvVhgtbvfyud2xGOuSBF_u9qHgME7hjIZPKZXDrHV9DykhM9ti69TIEUz2d-XPnmB3G_XREQCmkFenKK59PfiTAOHU_ZHYDcR4tXIBB8-INHhK_/s1024/774px-ShoeLikeGoblet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="774" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinaRx-JLdjl8SLdZ2_7LpTNNvVhgtbvfyud2xGOuSBF_u9qHgME7hjIZPKZXDrHV9DykhM9ti69TIEUz2d-XPnmB3G_XREQCmkFenKK59PfiTAOHU_ZHYDcR4tXIBB8-INHhK_/s320/774px-ShoeLikeGoblet.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption">Urartian goblet shaped like a shoe courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor EvgenyGenkin<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1I7MBtZjhi_UcNMaAY2m4v-AiSOQECGXk-eOLaJ4ZXhwHSToBA-Ek-fl4F4DfApyRG2FZVWTNEKO8vWdzpc5URl9lgIGgFXmU3zBxRtwwkfyRkVOlHv9C-CXN0QbrJ9D7tqDe/s1024/962px-Urartian_Fresco02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="962" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1I7MBtZjhi_UcNMaAY2m4v-AiSOQECGXk-eOLaJ4ZXhwHSToBA-Ek-fl4F4DfApyRG2FZVWTNEKO8vWdzpc5URl9lgIGgFXmU3zBxRtwwkfyRkVOlHv9C-CXN0QbrJ9D7tqDe/s320/962px-Urartian_Fresco02.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Urartian fresco courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor EvgenyGenkin</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik_MVI2uksfYsgZVGSaY53qi9B4byLauCIyZdj2MLreOQIm3TkSDr3cTB16Adqkus49PcrNNZDe_Pj4A1xaQ2GWPTHcrplTns58PUDqKulH8aWWEoRs73KL9k9x_6lgHoS-m3T/s1037/1037px-Clevelandart_1942.204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1037" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik_MVI2uksfYsgZVGSaY53qi9B4byLauCIyZdj2MLreOQIm3TkSDr3cTB16Adqkus49PcrNNZDe_Pj4A1xaQ2GWPTHcrplTns58PUDqKulH8aWWEoRs73KL9k9x_6lgHoS-m3T/s320/1037px-Clevelandart_1942.204.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption">Urartian bull head probably once an attachment to a bronze cauldron courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-VrTMX3AnTrAKsEOqWUReYWRPErBnJjwos37luBP5X2U-w3z9sSu4h7aKVNPVo6xS9mSpEiCCaomzhQ-71t7_27KZ9xwyQFhTqGuTDlxypznk983wQ0Jsj2HKowHKIwZaTaHL/s1047/1047px-Urartian_Art_04b_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1047" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-VrTMX3AnTrAKsEOqWUReYWRPErBnJjwos37luBP5X2U-w3z9sSu4h7aKVNPVo6xS9mSpEiCCaomzhQ-71t7_27KZ9xwyQFhTqGuTDlxypznk983wQ0Jsj2HKowHKIwZaTaHL/s320/1047px-Urartian_Art_04b_.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Urartian bronze Lamassu figurine from Toprak-kale, 9th-7th centuries BCE at The Hermitage Museum courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor EvgenyGenkin</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioOAInQPDgFJ3nClV1KYtJGjAP34HLxkC0JYsMp4CeD32GxMc1TEcMThYSjdR01a7DSS9ZBMQibcee0Lc1F_zfOE0EyxrFAG2uFFVWuODP-ij-q0qj_T094N9MrXmzawBHiBcm/s1101/1101px-UrartianCaldron02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1101" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioOAInQPDgFJ3nClV1KYtJGjAP34HLxkC0JYsMp4CeD32GxMc1TEcMThYSjdR01a7DSS9ZBMQibcee0Lc1F_zfOE0EyxrFAG2uFFVWuODP-ij-q0qj_T094N9MrXmzawBHiBcm/s320/1101px-UrartianCaldron02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption">Urartian cauldron at the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara, Turkey courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Evgeny Genkin<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJfaqgOA-RTMRFC6LdJV-runTmdLJa3kjoGR-s2dI7xhb4yBoWKWgC5VPdDckBuAGSIc28S3H5WAA5TeS6DIqOdDQyjrPEgUYacqcL4z44NEk37CO409dIE0lKpe2dEKJxAI9_/s1192/1192px-Pectoral_depicting_a_figure_in_adoration_before_an_enthroned_female_deity._From_Toprakkale%252C_Turkey._8th-7th_century_BCE._Pergamon_Museum%252C_Berlin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJfaqgOA-RTMRFC6LdJV-runTmdLJa3kjoGR-s2dI7xhb4yBoWKWgC5VPdDckBuAGSIc28S3H5WAA5TeS6DIqOdDQyjrPEgUYacqcL4z44NEk37CO409dIE0lKpe2dEKJxAI9_/s320/1192px-Pectoral_depicting_a_figure_in_adoration_before_an_enthroned_female_deity._From_Toprakkale%252C_Turkey._8th-7th_century_BCE._Pergamon_Museum%252C_Berlin.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An alloy of gold and silver pectoral depicting a kneeling figure (bringing a sheep; sacrifice) in adoration before an enthroned deity (holding a bowl in one hand and a plant in the other). The scene is flanked by 2 stylized trees. From Toprakkale (Rusahinili), Turkey. Urartian, 8th-7th century BCE. Pergamon Museum, Berlin, Germany, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg).</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi20yNX5WadvA2I3ngXoKJL8HPVYN4n6X8az_C3CXdQRPkMO61rFnc6WIturaFrDbS7bWoODcRadBBszqqfz1_SwwumB9KQ6NQ1s0p4QoEoX8GLYnMPCWUSA1yxCzumTZWnwNSW/s1280/1280px-RusahiniliWall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi20yNX5WadvA2I3ngXoKJL8HPVYN4n6X8az_C3CXdQRPkMO61rFnc6WIturaFrDbS7bWoODcRadBBszqqfz1_SwwumB9KQ6NQ1s0p4QoEoX8GLYnMPCWUSA1yxCzumTZWnwNSW/s320/1280px-RusahiniliWall.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fragments of a horse engraving from a wall in Rusahinili, ancient Urartian fortress built by Rusa I, 735–714 BCE, located near the modern city of Van in eastern Turkey courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor EvgenyGenkin now in The Hermitage Museum.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglW9ZLiZCaXiwzdoOgIb_VZXSSoaCnSVxvDUhciDS3kfLEi2QxIwtqMSHEFzAcDEL_9RB8DtG6cPZzUP3GDsO8Sdyz6W0cXVzYcHQwylMDe_ESrNi17wgynojk8TB7vWq57Kk5/s1280/1280px-SarduriQuiverHorizontal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="332" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglW9ZLiZCaXiwzdoOgIb_VZXSSoaCnSVxvDUhciDS3kfLEi2QxIwtqMSHEFzAcDEL_9RB8DtG6cPZzUP3GDsO8Sdyz6W0cXVzYcHQwylMDe_ESrNi17wgynojk8TB7vWq57Kk5/s320/1280px-SarduriQuiverHorizontal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Urartian bronze quiver with chariots motif that once belonged to Sarduri II, 764–735 BCE, at The Hermitage Museum Turkey courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor EvgenyGenkin</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8n-A_OoqIZ6vc8vi6SIYe6S3Bbq5uenM4rqVS9SAF-7h5lAm7a8les1YZeo1MvY3sZom8XCmFkYjKqiKeNLp-iYXATdOdr8gEy84odze-ZfdbQ7_NP3d3-ERGhg14aAu8YI10/s1320/Cast_and_Incised_Bronze_Furniture_Fittings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1048" data-original-width="1320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8n-A_OoqIZ6vc8vi6SIYe6S3Bbq5uenM4rqVS9SAF-7h5lAm7a8les1YZeo1MvY3sZom8XCmFkYjKqiKeNLp-iYXATdOdr8gEy84odze-ZfdbQ7_NP3d3-ERGhg14aAu8YI10/s320/Cast_and_Incised_Bronze_Furniture_Fittings.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cast and incised bronze furniture fittings. Urartian, late 8th century BC from Toprakkale now in the British Museum courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor ClaireH.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFj5pHuW6Q-ZpD2NGuYcLfnFPKYlvIcPdT8Gw8jIMLdV3g200xazPp2ymkgsX63xEouyXdpu7m3k5TrDUhSWIjwtoviKeC9UikuLhP7K7Z02dvFSDUjISzRAagkqGHHBfvaKnW/s1000/SC3252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="762" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFj5pHuW6Q-ZpD2NGuYcLfnFPKYlvIcPdT8Gw8jIMLdV3g200xazPp2ymkgsX63xEouyXdpu7m3k5TrDUhSWIjwtoviKeC9UikuLhP7K7Z02dvFSDUjISzRAagkqGHHBfvaKnW/s320/SC3252.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption">Urartian Bronze Finial in the shape of a winged and horned lion 8th-7th century BCE courtesy of Phoenix Ancient Art.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSGCH5mRQBvaLhGi3OgSwKnTkACGadoumHMcWeQ_H2mmX9ZfLXe20uNkncXZtqyduwXACInVtOcj3tC7CMd7pJEO5IePmd2GIIoG_bp6b-jhq2QMvQymYEKctyVLmsnsFf-RNF/s446/Spitzhelm_urartaisch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="336" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSGCH5mRQBvaLhGi3OgSwKnTkACGadoumHMcWeQ_H2mmX9ZfLXe20uNkncXZtqyduwXACInVtOcj3tC7CMd7pJEO5IePmd2GIIoG_bp6b-jhq2QMvQymYEKctyVLmsnsFf-RNF/s320/Spitzhelm_urartaisch.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pointed Urartian helmet at the Badisches Landesmuseum in Karlsruhe, Germany courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Thomas Ihle.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSDnGPaQxqpv_Ae759TIh0PcZQ9tbZMlO7b3vguTOw9RKLDJvmYm8gHVD8ewmUecc6o3_OJIklYI-ldYTCPGgepMQnTPBTO7QaAnmzDYxtpXiAzI80aLs8AHQ3jJG2HdtxfJbV/s1514/Urartian_Art_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1514" data-original-width="1047" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSDnGPaQxqpv_Ae759TIh0PcZQ9tbZMlO7b3vguTOw9RKLDJvmYm8gHVD8ewmUecc6o3_OJIklYI-ldYTCPGgepMQnTPBTO7QaAnmzDYxtpXiAzI80aLs8AHQ3jJG2HdtxfJbV/s320/Urartian_Art_03.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Urartian throne leg with male ruler or deity standing over a kneeling bull, 8th-7th century BCE at The Hermitage Museum courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor EvgenyGenkin</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-cf5YhtSHLJ0e-rZoelY34Zd6o7MswAChKf1Xp4KN0AJGWaafK_kEXH9BL4ULZll05XzC3bjX4caV278kXvv0a7o0cK4DBIAyoNddUHKERNk9CsfZRnWgdsf8G0FOrvclSqzf/s1664/Urartian_Art_04a_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1664" data-original-width="1248" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-cf5YhtSHLJ0e-rZoelY34Zd6o7MswAChKf1Xp4KN0AJGWaafK_kEXH9BL4ULZll05XzC3bjX4caV278kXvv0a7o0cK4DBIAyoNddUHKERNk9CsfZRnWgdsf8G0FOrvclSqzf/s320/Urartian_Art_04a_.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Urartian bronze Lamassu figurine from Toprak-kale, 9th-7th centuries BCE at The Hermitage Museum courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor EvgenyGenkin</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMSpuwEDJo0JbgjmqX_drXzcSZyESDHTLlioecv2lN0L0qHS0s_7qvc_JM3z_LktMlhxcRwW7_IJ4ROtazoWmD3qYeO3AD-oObJGC40Bhs_cWKru6PhfAxVjsYU7FwRRqYxU6i/s1600/Urartian_inscribed_bronze_Shield_with_incised_decoration.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMSpuwEDJo0JbgjmqX_drXzcSZyESDHTLlioecv2lN0L0qHS0s_7qvc_JM3z_LktMlhxcRwW7_IJ4ROtazoWmD3qYeO3AD-oObJGC40Bhs_cWKru6PhfAxVjsYU7FwRRqYxU6i/s320/Urartian_inscribed_bronze_Shield_with_incised_decoration.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Urartian, about 650 BCE From Toprakkale. Inscription reads "Rusa, son of Erimena, mighty king, great king, lord of the city of Tushpa, now in the British Museum courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor ClaireH.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghWgYu3AQ9L_ol7pRzAm-CKPtzTfu8s6JhelQi_IgO902Hsh9zKCJo26R0_Gt2I7g8JWVZG7cBpm7mY5Gh2gRGBNJ6dwxuQeoSgYVNunmpmAXC9naaplz4NuAcf4CyK6K28V7O/s889/Urartian_pottery%252C_Erebuni_museum_6a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="858" data-original-width="889" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghWgYu3AQ9L_ol7pRzAm-CKPtzTfu8s6JhelQi_IgO902Hsh9zKCJo26R0_Gt2I7g8JWVZG7cBpm7mY5Gh2gRGBNJ6dwxuQeoSgYVNunmpmAXC9naaplz4NuAcf4CyK6K28V7O/s320/Urartian_pottery%252C_Erebuni_museum_6a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Urartian pottery with bull protomes at the Erebuni Museum in Armenia courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Gegman.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEHgpfOUjmR8-kxutBFdu8vGpwDe_krUET968NtuYbCouCW5uARfZ9KOto0kTbHJCfGw1h-jww90OBtlCZc045gqLCyXHzcd8ls-MDRyfkuODPkO8X-W4BDieHZb6aYv9r6uZl/s909/UrartianArt11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="790" data-original-width="909" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEHgpfOUjmR8-kxutBFdu8vGpwDe_krUET968NtuYbCouCW5uARfZ9KOto0kTbHJCfGw1h-jww90OBtlCZc045gqLCyXHzcd8ls-MDRyfkuODPkO8X-W4BDieHZb6aYv9r6uZl/s320/UrartianArt11.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ivory carvings of Urartian protective deity now in the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara, Turkey, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor EvgenyGenkin</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuAqx4ddp3NMEAh8cM1OCWHyw9gJxNdHl7Sh0XwbUAXvqXSg3FGCAWnuVvScxJLqExM8Sz2mubgl4azC7aP7r3pEaT3gZYcjrMFDvMyYihTqSR_RCx47bL-vG155MwiI0Kvw3r/s578/UrartianArt13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="391" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuAqx4ddp3NMEAh8cM1OCWHyw9gJxNdHl7Sh0XwbUAXvqXSg3FGCAWnuVvScxJLqExM8Sz2mubgl4azC7aP7r3pEaT3gZYcjrMFDvMyYihTqSR_RCx47bL-vG155MwiI0Kvw3r/s320/UrartianArt13.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Urartian Tree of Life courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor EvgenyGenkin.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAubIdRawYRC0r6MvpnEVEUtu_AzzeBlxgvqiaUjbAv0UHxr7SoQiBtWKfsXUV8-tVepV9paYDtQ82TvA__1voYdvoE17pMjQt2hj9tLZhn5Qu-H-bee1auWUhlRs6tMzXAcON/s1032/UrartianCandelabrum01_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="767" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAubIdRawYRC0r6MvpnEVEUtu_AzzeBlxgvqiaUjbAv0UHxr7SoQiBtWKfsXUV8-tVepV9paYDtQ82TvA__1voYdvoE17pMjQt2hj9tLZhn5Qu-H-bee1auWUhlRs6tMzXAcON/s320/UrartianCandelabrum01_.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A leg of the Urartian chandelier found at Rusahinili now in the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara, Turkey, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor EvgenyGenkin</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOGJuXPavLf-iISQPIbeM0e23i7n4KjFDsKXkauLKFXbzVjlXAY1zw2_TeRT37-E4amwLnoRGRfBthNqTv3alCUfKoXj2Az3PzuMnYI1bNJtTeLjl9-46GDyGzOw7hG3pp7uqW/s954/Urartu_Quiver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="954" data-original-width="855" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOGJuXPavLf-iISQPIbeM0e23i7n4KjFDsKXkauLKFXbzVjlXAY1zw2_TeRT37-E4amwLnoRGRfBthNqTv3alCUfKoXj2Az3PzuMnYI1bNJtTeLjl9-46GDyGzOw7hG3pp7uqW/s320/Urartu_Quiver.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Urartian bronze quiver with chariots motif that once belonged to Sarduri II, 764–735 BCE, at The Hermitage Museum Turkey courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor EvgenyGenkin</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><div><br /></div>Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3928439.post-89348248849075949922021-02-08T07:26:00.002-08:002021-02-08T07:26:27.975-08:00Part of an Urartian throne with deity on a bull, ca. late 8th–7th century B.C.E. <p>Assyrian inscriptions of Shalmaneser I (c. 1274 BCE) first mention Uruartri as one of the states of Nairi, a loose confederation of small kingdoms and tribal states in the Armenian Highlands in the thirteenth to eleventh centuries BCE which he conquered. It extended from northeastern Turkey into northwestern Iran with its cultural center around Lake Van. Its settlements were palace-fortresses that protected agricultural production and supported many crafts, especially an extensive metalworking industry. </p><p>The Nairi states were repeatedly subjected to further attacks and invasions by the Middle and Neo-Assyrian Empires. But Urartu, united under King Arame (860-843 BCE), reemerged in Assyrian language inscriptions in the ninth century BCE as a powerful northern rival to the Neo-Assyrian Empire. Urartologist Paul Zimansky speculated the Urartian ruling class were few in number and governed over an ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse population. This diversity may have extended to the royal line themselves who may have come from various ethnic backgrounds.</p><p>Although the Urartian capital was captured by the Assyrians during the reign of Shalmaneser III, Assyria fell into a period of temporary stagnation for decades during the first half of the 8th century BCE, which aided Urartu's growth. During sporadic periods of peace with Assyria, it is thought Urartu traded cattle, horses, iron, and wine. From cuneiform sources, it is known that in Urartu grew wheat, barley, sesame, millet, and emmer, and cultivated gardens and vineyards. Many regions of the Urartu state required artificial irrigation, which was organized by its rulers. </p><p>The art of Urartu is especially notable for fine lost-wax bronze objects: weapons, figurines, vessels including grand cauldrons that were used for sacrifices, fittings for furniture, and helmets. There are also remains of ivory and bone carvings, frescos, cylinder seals and of course pottery. Unfortunately, archaeology has produced relatively few examples of the jewelry made of precious metals that the Assyrians boasted of carrying off in great quantities from the Urartian city of Musasir in 714 BCE during the campaigns of Sargon II. </p><p>During this time the Urartian kingdom also suffered heavily from Cimmerian raids as well. but Urartu made peace with Assyria in 705 BCE when Sennacherib ascended the throne and Urartu entered a long period of development and prosperity. But when Cimmerians and Scythians resumed their attacks, Urartu became dependent on Assyria, like a vassal state. Inscriptions reveal Urartu's king Sarduri III (645-635 BCE) referred to Assyrian king Ashurbanipal as his "father" at this point.</p><p>Late during the 7th century BCE, Urartu was once again invaded by Scythians, this time accompanied by their allies—the Medes. In 612 BCE, the Median king Cyaxares the Great together with Nabopolassar of Babylon and the Scythians conquered Assyria after it had been irreversibly weakened by civil war. The Medes then took over the Urartian capital of Van in 590 BCE, effectively ending the sovereignty of Urartu.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmsiS4N5kURjMYLgQ3hyphenhyphenpptLbciDxJndqjLf-jMQJ3QuSd9wz9g47UmDAVo-ixbjtknaRVsPT5flCV44CcDf0RfCmH5hJRLvACaqf_w8acoRY3LB75AHGsCKZQWOQjD2HsFrjf/s2000/h1_50.163.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1743" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmsiS4N5kURjMYLgQ3hyphenhyphenpptLbciDxJndqjLf-jMQJ3QuSd9wz9g47UmDAVo-ixbjtknaRVsPT5flCV44CcDf0RfCmH5hJRLvACaqf_w8acoRY3LB75AHGsCKZQWOQjD2HsFrjf/w558-h640/h1_50.163.jpg" width="558" /></a></div><br /><p>Image: Part of a throne with deity on a bull, ca. late 8th–7th century B.C.E., Urartian, courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This fragment, with the lower part of a figure standing along the flanks of a bull, was most likely part of a throne. From better-preserved examples, we know that the figure wore the horned crown of a deity. The whole would have been gilded. A throne and footstool supported by four deities and their animal companions would have been a potent symbol of the Urartian king's power.</p><div><br /></div>Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3928439.post-10833375455323818562021-02-07T13:35:00.002-08:002021-02-07T13:36:40.144-08:00Sasanian royal gifts of silver<p>Sasanian silver plates were usually hammered into shape and then decorated using a variety of complex techniques. Gilding was often used to highlight the hunter, usually the king, and sometimes extra pieces of metal were added to create high relief.</p><p>The king as hunter became a standard image on silver plates during the reign of Shapur II (r. 310–379 CE). The motif symbolizes the prowess of Sasanian rulers, and these royal plates were often sent as gifts to neighboring and vassal courts. Some plates included inscriptions with the king's name and the plate's weight. With other plates, art historians must attempt to identify the king by his distinctive apparel or shape of the crown he wears. Each Sasanian king wore a different personal crown, which became more and more elaborate during the four centuries of the dynasty. Fortunately, the different crowns have been identified from coins or sometimes compared with existing rock reliefs with inscriptions such as those at Ṭāq-e Bostān or Naqš-e Rostam, Iran.</p><p>"In a few cases identification by crown can be reinforced by the presence of contemporary inscriptions. The best instance of this – and a very important example - is the Investiture of Ardašir I at Naqš-e Rostam. This magnificent relief shows two mounted horsemen, one handing the ribboned diadem or symbol of kingship to the other, and both with defeated enemies lying dead beside them. The left hand figure is wearing the skull-cap surmounted by korymbos, the final version of his personal crown developed by Ardašir (224-241 CE), seen on both his gold and silver coins. The figure on the right wears the mural crown, his hair arranged in a top-knot as well as falling in luxuriant curls to his shoulders." - <a href="http://iranicaonline.org" target="_blank">iranicaonline.org </a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm1lBLDetaZu3K5ooirTUkC_IrWx_8Vy6jmBsC4X5Lsggpbh1_4wSctRDUFbaswj7u3amZ53sutVhBkKOOx5Uj4WEeafg6IUxDGgYqm2tTHoFIZPJW_9AhlAeJWBALerP_JKN-/s1159/1159px-Plate%252C_Iran%252C_Sasanian_period%252C_4th-5th_century_AD%252C_silver_and_gilt_-_Arthur_M._Sackler_Gallery_-_DSC05801.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm1lBLDetaZu3K5ooirTUkC_IrWx_8Vy6jmBsC4X5Lsggpbh1_4wSctRDUFbaswj7u3amZ53sutVhBkKOOx5Uj4WEeafg6IUxDGgYqm2tTHoFIZPJW_9AhlAeJWBALerP_JKN-/s320/1159px-Plate%252C_Iran%252C_Sasanian_period%252C_4th-5th_century_AD%252C_silver_and_gilt_-_Arthur_M._Sackler_Gallery_-_DSC05801.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">King Hunting Plate, Sasanian period 4th-5th century CE silver and gilt courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Daderot</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXtr-A3cWbV9Vn0xNnRxmWJzNg4cconJ0w73ZXU_5IkiS-sVN4XRnM4RYkwUy_H4HGcCPjeimWrw3jKrNA_mcz0ehqDXdBPaEKr0xSNx2wcppVZzG4YhH8GD-bbFSzVWJ8EOWl/s1600/18911767134_3bd9944afd_o+%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXtr-A3cWbV9Vn0xNnRxmWJzNg4cconJ0w73ZXU_5IkiS-sVN4XRnM4RYkwUy_H4HGcCPjeimWrw3jKrNA_mcz0ehqDXdBPaEKr0xSNx2wcppVZzG4YhH8GD-bbFSzVWJ8EOWl/s320/18911767134_3bd9944afd_o+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Closeup of a Plate depicting a boar hunt Persia (Iran) Sasanian Period 4th century CE Silver and Gilt that I photographed at the Smithsonian's Sackler Gallery of Asian Art in Washington D.C.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijc34PY0kEZ4SJy8BXfQMWiBmcbnmqzW6Hw_0Zg_FQ0vzJ5E3VD5N62UjShmYHBiNj6VY_1KIewDPyp8Au339N9l8Mj2VVnkcj2bUU6H_JRM7GNNOb_45cDyyQxann4Z30tvXw/s1600/19527593672_39787f7c96_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijc34PY0kEZ4SJy8BXfQMWiBmcbnmqzW6Hw_0Zg_FQ0vzJ5E3VD5N62UjShmYHBiNj6VY_1KIewDPyp8Au339N9l8Mj2VVnkcj2bUU6H_JRM7GNNOb_45cDyyQxann4Z30tvXw/s320/19527593672_39787f7c96_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Plate depicting a boar hunt Persia (Iran) Sasanian Period 4th century CE Silver and Gilt that I photographed at the Smithsonian's Sackler Gallery of Asian Art in Washington D.C.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRVfDuqvyRjldHB3S4A0nA2zhxgw8fuh4SapwP5mG-a2byhG42A_DqAiK8uOXo3uZTKHXuhIouhQoihQYfGd-gqnh4u-t563Wqoskve3vAjKd7XXRBV6SPIIClUVDeNClosMlj/s1600/19582683632_d2a61ea93c_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1432" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRVfDuqvyRjldHB3S4A0nA2zhxgw8fuh4SapwP5mG-a2byhG42A_DqAiK8uOXo3uZTKHXuhIouhQoihQYfGd-gqnh4u-t563Wqoskve3vAjKd7XXRBV6SPIIClUVDeNClosMlj/s320/19582683632_d2a61ea93c_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Silver and gilt plate depicting winged horses Persian Sasanian Period 7th century CE that I photographed at the Smithsonian's Sackler Gallery of Asian Art in Washington D.C.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhycKoVA0sL6YCzkSFZmDIe2ZZmpAMaL3HYh3GLin0xeCWfxdbwJBRW-CuX7f12otjKxcs-g8VUWPO-x9bmAhX6cz2bP_HCPnNchF_HENa2VpFO9PR4ZULhe0kMKjo4b0sb5Te4/s1600/19670055726_e91c2851e1_o+%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhycKoVA0sL6YCzkSFZmDIe2ZZmpAMaL3HYh3GLin0xeCWfxdbwJBRW-CuX7f12otjKxcs-g8VUWPO-x9bmAhX6cz2bP_HCPnNchF_HENa2VpFO9PR4ZULhe0kMKjo4b0sb5Te4/s320/19670055726_e91c2851e1_o+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Sasanian Silver and Gilt Plate depicting a royal hunt Persia 7th century CE that I photographed at the Smithsonian's Sackler Gallery of Asian Art in Washington D.C.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0k9vRENi9I5GmuSaArTxzyYLzn3JfUpJqiMTUDsVUjuHv_ioj909Q7tcVEQDe0AZVLdvNNcmzO1WSBP7PZE3F170_UbeOTFpAGrd015AYIB4RipJvxpiS9VX-tctNR8OdGbEW/s1268/Afghanistan%252C_piatto_d%2527argento_con_shapur_che_uccide_il_cervo%252C_IV_sec.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1236" data-original-width="1268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0k9vRENi9I5GmuSaArTxzyYLzn3JfUpJqiMTUDsVUjuHv_ioj909Q7tcVEQDe0AZVLdvNNcmzO1WSBP7PZE3F170_UbeOTFpAGrd015AYIB4RipJvxpiS9VX-tctNR8OdGbEW/s320/Afghanistan%252C_piatto_d%2527argento_con_shapur_che_uccide_il_cervo%252C_IV_sec.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Sasanian Silver plate with Shapur killing a deer, 4th century CE courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Sailko.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhHEzAXVltSWQoz0IvgcU2_vE5QzwSJRnjIhe6LeZubXnJLMTNJgk9evnIaCmkCBfQV7Z9TIvPs2bVNkirsX4Y9af_7L1seb2-C9RfQZ5EAPBzQrvF8aNmhqLfgZATeWpH5zAJ/s1200/ChosroesHuntingScene.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1176" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhHEzAXVltSWQoz0IvgcU2_vE5QzwSJRnjIhe6LeZubXnJLMTNJgk9evnIaCmkCBfQV7Z9TIvPs2bVNkirsX4Y9af_7L1seb2-C9RfQZ5EAPBzQrvF8aNmhqLfgZATeWpH5zAJ/s320/ChosroesHuntingScene.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Hunting scene depicting King Chosroes II. 7th century CE Sassanid, Cabinet des Medailles, Paris courtesy of Wikimedia Commons</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJZshlnqKzcO-_KFSYeYBZjXFZ97IENCBaoKLo62Ggo8xIWl8jaQZRYGOKfV-hyL6KZS3XO5TqeENcqIc1fbsEugISZ0zOnudhEbvXIn76tXaTPyKqPQGdPflHLZwb5xQLRlZ/s2048/DT235323.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1639" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJZshlnqKzcO-_KFSYeYBZjXFZ97IENCBaoKLo62Ggo8xIWl8jaQZRYGOKfV-hyL6KZS3XO5TqeENcqIc1fbsEugISZ0zOnudhEbvXIn76tXaTPyKqPQGdPflHLZwb5xQLRlZ/s320/DT235323.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">The scene on this example is striking: the king is depicted standing and slaying a rearing stag, whose protruding tongue indicates that he is either dying or already dead. The king is identifiable as Yazdgard I (r. 399-420) due to his crown, although it is topped with a striated globe rather than the cloth-covered one with which he is normally represented. His beaded skirt resembles those shown on the rock reliefs of Shapur II (r. 310-379), Shapur III (r. 383-388) and Ardashir II (r. 379-383) at Taq-i Bustan, Iran. The crescent-tipped spear with a counterweight in the form of a human fist is unique amongst weapons represented on Sasanian silver plates. Image courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ckx289qG_Cx9PQzcH2DYvH9O2EgTJ7pN667Be2cwwdvxI1F0lQIHehAzD05ScjKnLeVh7JKB-b6SLMH0Z7bNT6ONdU8NC43f9_KkXwLNiDPlPrPPjIoU86_vcmwvOO0JOzVr/s1278/Plate_of_Peroz_I_hunting.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1271" data-original-width="1278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ckx289qG_Cx9PQzcH2DYvH9O2EgTJ7pN667Be2cwwdvxI1F0lQIHehAzD05ScjKnLeVh7JKB-b6SLMH0Z7bNT6ONdU8NC43f9_KkXwLNiDPlPrPPjIoU86_vcmwvOO0JOzVr/s320/Plate_of_Peroz_I_hunting.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Sivler Plate of Peroz I hunting argali, Sasanian, courtesy of the Hermitage Museum and Wikimedia Commons</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd0UluFAl85SksMJolMVtAssTrj0XskwncJYD55SvvLRUtIcT95jVvSlv4Xz4hmfQ7MVyS4f-985tTM0byYP9J82rgWdBgaNyMv4pmZf_GxIORXKk99x6t3OIrCxsrDp_bTz5r/s1083/1083px-Hunting_King_Plate%252C_303-309_AD%252C_Sasanian%252C_Iran%252C_silver_and_gilt_-_Cleveland_Museum_of_Art_-_DSC08117.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1083" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd0UluFAl85SksMJolMVtAssTrj0XskwncJYD55SvvLRUtIcT95jVvSlv4Xz4hmfQ7MVyS4f-985tTM0byYP9J82rgWdBgaNyMv4pmZf_GxIORXKk99x6t3OIrCxsrDp_bTz5r/s320/1083px-Hunting_King_Plate%252C_303-309_AD%252C_Sasanian%252C_Iran%252C_silver_and_gilt_-_Cleveland_Museum_of_Art_-_DSC08117.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">King Hunting Plate, 303-309 CE, Sasanian, Iran, silver and gilt courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAi8ig5DnAkQ3o2JEa7VZGniNbjUkc-phXd_y8rF2on0L2gLas1_GnFhsGEfMcaYHa8YLTRjnmGO_uIa6_jlbLT8sd9S0LsU4RohjINjq1on6lfz6V9QRvJgsiZp5zWmskPrzE/s1035/1035px-06xx_Jagdschale_m._sasanidischem_Gro%25C3%259Fkoenig_Iran_7._Jht._anagoria.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1035" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAi8ig5DnAkQ3o2JEa7VZGniNbjUkc-phXd_y8rF2on0L2gLas1_GnFhsGEfMcaYHa8YLTRjnmGO_uIa6_jlbLT8sd9S0LsU4RohjINjq1on6lfz6V9QRvJgsiZp5zWmskPrzE/s320/1035px-06xx_Jagdschale_m._sasanidischem_Gro%25C3%259Fkoenig_Iran_7._Jht._anagoria.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Hunting with a bowl Sasanian Great King; Iran; 7 Century, Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin (Pergamon Museum) courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Anagoria</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5fCWRc-0rsZyUIgulQBi3MTWnKgHSNNoJBYx8VWgurt2TyqUFI1FFwjxmMJbHVGTwdrWkCnes0O9uSHxBnjwZBrEdISULP5lcSi0T7J6de6iepkKv_X1A9A3YUs-quQrp2eDa/s1600/19073691444_3498f334be_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5fCWRc-0rsZyUIgulQBi3MTWnKgHSNNoJBYx8VWgurt2TyqUFI1FFwjxmMJbHVGTwdrWkCnes0O9uSHxBnjwZBrEdISULP5lcSi0T7J6de6iepkKv_X1A9A3YUs-quQrp2eDa/s320/19073691444_3498f334be_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Sasanian Silver and Gilt Plate portraying a royal ibex hunt Persia 7th century CE that I photographed at the Smithsonian's Sackler Gallery of Asian Art in Washington D.C.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p>Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3928439.post-69352461992114715262021-02-05T10:33:00.002-08:002021-02-05T10:33:13.445-08:00The Hyksos and the Stag<p> Although the Hellenistic Egyptian historian Manetho portrayed the Hyksos invasion of Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period as violent and brutal, archaeology points to an Asiatic presence at Avaris, which would become the center of Hyksos activity for over 150 years before the beginning of Hyksos rule. Evidence indicates a gradual Canaanite settlement beginning during the 12th Dynasty around 1800 BCE. Egyptologist Manfred Bietak points out that Egypt had long depended on the Levant for expertise in areas of shipbuilding and seafaring, with possible depictions of Asiatic shipbuilders being found from reliefs from the Sixth Dynasty ruler Sahure. The Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt is known to have had many Asiatic immigrants serving as soldiers, household or temple serfs, and various other jobs. Avaris in the Nile Delta attracted many Asiatic immigrants in its role as a hub of international trade and seafaring.</p><p>When the last pharaoh of the Egyptian 13th Dynasty, Sobekhotep IV died around 1725 BCE, Egypt appears to have splintered into several kingdoms, with one based at Avaris and ruled officially by the 14th Dynasty whose names indicate West Asian origins. After the palace there was burned, the 14th Dynasty was replaced by the Hyksos Fifteenth Dynasty. Although some scholars interpret the activity was a Hyksos invasion, Bietak notes that a stela of Neferhotep III indicates Egypt was overrun by roving mercenaries around the time of the Hyksos ascension to power.</p><p>Archaeology has revealed trading relations of the Hyksos were primarily with Canaan and Cyprus, especially with many imports of Canaanite wares, and may have reflected the Canaanite origins of the dynasty. According to the Kamose stelae, the Hyksos imported "chariots and horses, ships, timber, gold, lapis lazuli, silver, turquoise, bronze, axes without number, oil, incense, fat and honey". Trade relations with Cyprus were also very important, particularly at the end of the Hyksos period .</p><p>Hyksos period art reflected a blend of Egyptian and Levantine motifs. A gold diadem found in an elite female's tomb in Avaris is decorated with gazelles but with a stag, possibly representing the "Stag God" of Indo-European origin on the brow. We see the stag motif used in Cypriot pottery during this time.</p><p>This blending of cultures extended to Hyksos bural practices as well. Hyksos tombs often included Egyptian-style chapels, but they also included burials of young females, probably sacrifices, placed in front of the tomb chamber. Human sacrifice was rare in Egypt after the First Dynasty although it was sanctioned in cases of rebellion or other serious transgressions. See my article "Cannibalism in Roman Egypt"</p><p><a href="https://ancientimes.blogspot.com/2017/08/cannibalism-in-roman-egypt.html">https://ancientimes.blogspot.com/2017/08/cannibalism-in-roman-egypt.html</a></p><p>The Hyksos also interred infants who died in imported Canaanite amphorae and practiced the burial of horses and other equids, likely a composite custom of the Egyptian association of the god Seth with the donkey and near-eastern notions of equids as representing status.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ChMTJZosFNxyfF-BxMm2VextcyS4oQKHFovntZpptlKQNDQwTaP7b9JqsJ0cKYAr-zIPuPQEndX6b_nB49vsGpiidOWqTp70MLYo7Rte5hc2dlbjz9gTUQjUOzcRJxDWhulm/s2048/DP140950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1409" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ChMTJZosFNxyfF-BxMm2VextcyS4oQKHFovntZpptlKQNDQwTaP7b9JqsJ0cKYAr-zIPuPQEndX6b_nB49vsGpiidOWqTp70MLYo7Rte5hc2dlbjz9gTUQjUOzcRJxDWhulm/s320/DP140950.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Near-eastern inspired diadem with heads of gazelles and a stag between stars or flowers, belonging to an elite lady discovered at a tomb at Tell el-Dab'a (Avaris) dating from the late Hyksos period (1648–1540 BCE) now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvtBWejuAeGrONy50fcCsIXqW_9rbq-qf-WJoxdcP0znFczSFmWFTLYs9qJeUCK07IgpVLdh2HDWGYN2AO3TulbzbgNoJI8H31ub7kP47j4lS9_x6a21B8hGvNmorrbNkHZQuO/s2048/DP140951.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1439" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvtBWejuAeGrONy50fcCsIXqW_9rbq-qf-WJoxdcP0znFczSFmWFTLYs9qJeUCK07IgpVLdh2HDWGYN2AO3TulbzbgNoJI8H31ub7kP47j4lS9_x6a21B8hGvNmorrbNkHZQuO/s320/DP140951.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Near-eastern inspired diadem with heads of gazelles and a stag between stars or flowers, belonging to an elite lady discovered at a tomb at Tell el-Dab'a (Avaris) dating from the late Hyksos period (1648–1540 BCE) now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMw8Xh9MFe9jl5qTRBUvSmKoHEhNznz499819MoqrQrpUUIIQQHGS3qlELrzWs1HjxRYdZiur6vufEq9BDwumiqDfQqF6WRFgku2McH0ljjVpqK6FKNItD-R_THh0HXSHrKBJZ/s1200/main-image+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1007" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMw8Xh9MFe9jl5qTRBUvSmKoHEhNznz499819MoqrQrpUUIIQQHGS3qlELrzWs1HjxRYdZiur6vufEq9BDwumiqDfQqF6WRFgku2McH0ljjVpqK6FKNItD-R_THh0HXSHrKBJZ/s320/main-image+%25284%2529.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Terracotta zoomorphic askos (vessel) with antlers, Cypriot, ca. 1725–1600 B.C.E. at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnaZP3YCzCij0hv8VX4UbkQwOWpX4ZiuZJVTrj_G-C21ykdNFqXpXZj2vaExmvY5WSgpCpeffJAtSy8_rM0FN33n-RnYIt4z2u-z0GHl-3ZFmvRio4RUGq4RDycFAiKBMYU13L/s891/800px-Painting_of_foreign_delegation_in_the_tomb_of_Khnumhotep_II_circa_1900_BCE_%2528Detail_mentioning__Abisha_the_Hyksos__in_hieroglyphs%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="891" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnaZP3YCzCij0hv8VX4UbkQwOWpX4ZiuZJVTrj_G-C21ykdNFqXpXZj2vaExmvY5WSgpCpeffJAtSy8_rM0FN33n-RnYIt4z2u-z0GHl-3ZFmvRio4RUGq4RDycFAiKBMYU13L/s320/800px-Painting_of_foreign_delegation_in_the_tomb_of_Khnumhotep_II_circa_1900_BCE_%2528Detail_mentioning__Abisha_the_Hyksos__in_hieroglyphs%2529.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">A man described as "Abisha the Hyksos" leading a group of Aamu, Tomb of Khnumhotep II (circa 1900 BCE.) Courtesy of </span>Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia</td></tr></tbody></table>Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3928439.post-52765305260173605152021-02-04T09:00:00.001-08:002021-02-04T09:00:12.881-08:00The Stag God of the ancient Near East<p>From Syria, Mesopotamia, and Egypt in the south to Thrace, Anatolia, and the Caucasus in the north, and from regions as far west as mainland Greece all the way east to Iran, the great royal houses forged intense international relationships through the exchange of traded raw materials and goods as well as letters and diplomatic gifts during the Second Millennium BCE. This unprecedented movement of precious materials, luxury goods, and people resulted in a total transformation of the visual arts throughout a vast territory that spanned the ancient Near East and the eastern Mediterranean. Cult scenes or religious processions are commonly represented in the art of this period.</p><p>Hittite texts mention that animal-shaped vessels made of gold, silver, stone, and wood, in the appropriate animal form, were given to the gods for their own use. One such god, worshiped in animal form, was the stag god. It is thought that the ‘Stag God’ originated in the steppes and was brought to Anatolia by the early Indo-Iranian peoples who left their Kurgan burials at Trialeti and elsewhere in the region and mixed with the Hurrian and other peoples as far as northern Anatolia. Although this vessel is a few centuries older than the Neo-Hittite era, its stag god was probably the basis for Karhuhas (or Kurhunta), thought to have been a fertility deity or protector of nature, later worshiped during the Neo-Hittite period. The stag has even been found as tattoos on the so-called ‘ice princess’ in the Altai Mountains. Here at the eastern extremity of the IE steppe culture zone, her frozen body was recovered with Scythian style stags still plainly visible on her skin. </p><p>"This silver drinking vessel in the form of a stag was hammered from one piece that was joined to the head by a checkerboard-patterned ring. Both the horns and the handle were attached separately. A frieze depicting a religious ceremony decorates the rim of the cup, suggesting the uses for which the cup was intended. A prominent figure, thought to be a goddess, sits on a cross-legged stool, holding a bird of prey in her left hand and a small cup in her right. She wears a conical crown and has large ears, typical of Hittite art. A mushroom-shaped incense burner separates her from a male god who stands on the back of a stag. He, too, holds a falcon in his left hand, while with his right he grasps a small curved staff. Three men are shown in profile, moving to the left and facing the deities. Each holds an offering to the divinities. Behind the men is a tree or plant against which rests the collapsed figure of a stag. Hanging from the tree is a quiver with arrows and an object that appears to be a bag. Two vertical spears complete the frieze and separate the stag from the goddess. Spears were venerated objects, so it is possible that the stag was killed in a hunt, as suggested by the quiver and bag". - Metropolitan Museum of Art</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0crvBaTvSDKJGww-uwUX1vyj2ZpAExBVT6g1J84Z5XAiL7k8cD91whuigSd7rhbk6kBcFyfLRs1AwKl_g8BG2neficclpmL3odUhU1kjMb1qr7a7YsjCHy276GgV_HMZha2av/s2048/DT871.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1899" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0crvBaTvSDKJGww-uwUX1vyj2ZpAExBVT6g1J84Z5XAiL7k8cD91whuigSd7rhbk6kBcFyfLRs1AwKl_g8BG2neficclpmL3odUhU1kjMb1qr7a7YsjCHy276GgV_HMZha2av/s320/DT871.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiESWIQC4cD6M2a8Kk4MJjck-x5FGGTXEiSI5kyEz5eY8rW35bzGzysC8ZTChxDcxFt4MzRq2r6tuDuf25xMf0qdwZp-StYiKfvfEhdUCl8ldq90NejQ6O-evr4oSBxYmA4Nb1m/s1827/1989.281.10.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1827" data-original-width="1701" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiESWIQC4cD6M2a8Kk4MJjck-x5FGGTXEiSI5kyEz5eY8rW35bzGzysC8ZTChxDcxFt4MzRq2r6tuDuf25xMf0qdwZp-StYiKfvfEhdUCl8ldq90NejQ6O-evr4oSBxYmA4Nb1m/s320/1989.281.10.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSd3pLdAMCgjfDKp5F7qN4mz4ZKSsYMEi_X7GWPlG9_JIVuxh8RT_PsdoKbCs8brx9peRU57PJLNRfCcLtWPI0TTsnz82mCmjm3BQNEAH_YDBDTZOA0SvwhxBwbY9xjr5occur/s1200/main-image+%25285%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSd3pLdAMCgjfDKp5F7qN4mz4ZKSsYMEi_X7GWPlG9_JIVuxh8RT_PsdoKbCs8brx9peRU57PJLNRfCcLtWPI0TTsnz82mCmjm3BQNEAH_YDBDTZOA0SvwhxBwbY9xjr5occur/s320/main-image+%25285%2529.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtGqbNuq8eXDdlP2K-4YPqUz_w52IG-HFDInsKd_k_KGg24G0KJ0879M3wAUhCfs_V-DC4gZVPf7N0GM2sXhtCqKu7IarVOnzPgvw0tQwJaP24fyTQrZgbEc5cukVYbE654G59/s1200/main-image+%25286%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtGqbNuq8eXDdlP2K-4YPqUz_w52IG-HFDInsKd_k_KGg24G0KJ0879M3wAUhCfs_V-DC4gZVPf7N0GM2sXhtCqKu7IarVOnzPgvw0tQwJaP24fyTQrZgbEc5cukVYbE654G59/s320/main-image+%25286%2529.jpg" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNSs3KEI-Rv4M4WXTZtDPOrvBQp5ByU_nhIt6Yo5Cvt5x5gTSenDjnmPNGPbpIp9S6CHJ__7aSLWuyhNMUj2S7wm46o9vULFiDT2V8HcUgFDx5gv4cM8S1hZ9P1w1Z1rb36h-J/s1711/vs1989_281_10.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="1711" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNSs3KEI-Rv4M4WXTZtDPOrvBQp5ByU_nhIt6Yo5Cvt5x5gTSenDjnmPNGPbpIp9S6CHJ__7aSLWuyhNMUj2S7wm46o9vULFiDT2V8HcUgFDx5gv4cM8S1hZ9P1w1Z1rb36h-J/w640-h206/vs1989_281_10.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Images: Stag vessel, Anatolia, Hittite Empire, 14th–13th century B.C.E. at the Metropolitan Museum of Art<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table>Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3928439.post-67163853691294312462021-02-01T10:46:00.001-08:002021-02-01T10:46:07.464-08:00The Dig and Rædwald of East Anglia<p>Finally had a chance to watch "The Dig", about the discovery of the Sutton Hoo ship burial on Netflix last night. I enjoyed it (despite what some critics said) and read up on it a little this morning. I didn't realize scholars believe Rædwald of East Anglia is the most likely person to have been buried in the ship. </p><p>Rædwald was the son of Tytila of East Anglia and a member of the Wuffingas dynasty (named after his grandfather, Wuffa), who were the first kings of the East Angles. Details about Rædwald's reign are scarce, primarily because the Viking invasions of the 9th century destroyed the monasteries in East Anglia where many documents would have been kept. Rædwald reigned from about 599 CE until his death around 624 CE, initially under the overlordship of Æthelberht of Kent. In 616 CE at the decisive Battle of the River Idle, Rædwald's army was split into three formations, led by Rædwald, Rægenhere, and Edwin. With more experienced fighters, Æthelfrith attacked in loose formation. At the sight of Rægenhere, perhaps thinking he was Edwin, Æthelfrith's men cut their way through to him and slew him. After the death of his son, Rædwald furiously breached his lines, killing Æthelfrith amid a great slaughter of the Northumbrians. With the defeat of Æthelfrith of Northumbria, Rædwald was able to install Edwin, who was acquiescent to his authority, as the new king of Northumbria. </p><p>Studying the map and information about the site on Wikipedia, I was also surprised to learn that archaeologists found a burial of executed individuals as well as a single warrior's grave there as well (not discussed in the movie). It made me wonder if the executed men were a burial sacrifice of prisoners or designated tribesmen selected to accompany the king. I haven't read much on Anglo Saxon history since it's a little beyond my focus on ancient civilizations around the Mediterranean, but I find it raises intriguing questions and deserves attention.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinvqeh7NVKnBrqsjQnwETBl1m0QkWXrZ9N4YlzJ2aNRvWUEUE9kgt9nNU2Tp3g1jyxPw0pSIIvy4qGLwGOGFeZlYT8rRlYFId0SbjIPz2Q6K9astCbKAL16jHS3D_mGimCgR3S/s800/Sutton.Hoo.ShoulderClasp2.RobRoy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinvqeh7NVKnBrqsjQnwETBl1m0QkWXrZ9N4YlzJ2aNRvWUEUE9kgt9nNU2Tp3g1jyxPw0pSIIvy4qGLwGOGFeZlYT8rRlYFId0SbjIPz2Q6K9astCbKAL16jHS3D_mGimCgR3S/w640-h426/Sutton.Hoo.ShoulderClasp2.RobRoy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Image: A Gold Shoulder Clasp, with inlays of garnets and glass from the Sutton Hoo ship burial courtesy of The British Museum and Wikimedia Commons.</p><div><br /></div>Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3928439.post-64260115083721200702021-01-29T11:30:00.005-08:002021-01-29T11:30:50.905-08:00The Tiwanaku (Tiahuanacu) Empire<p>The Tiwanaku (Tiahuanacu) Empire was a Pre-Columbian polity in western Bolivia based in the southern Lake Titicaca Basin. Its capital, Tiwanaku, was founded around 110 CE during the Late Formative Period, when there were a number of growing settlements in the southern Lake Titicaca Basin. Between 450 and 550 CE, other large settlements were abandoned, leaving Tiwanaku as the pre-eminent center in the region. </p><p>Beginning around 600 CE its population grew rapidly, probably due to a massive immigration from the surrounding countryside, and large parts of the city were built or remodeled. Tiwanaku was a multi-cultural "hospitality state" that brought people together to build large monuments, perhaps as part of large religious festivals. This may have been the central dynamic that attracted people from hundreds of kilometers away, who may have traveled there as part of llama caravans to trade, make offerings, and honor the gods. Tiwanaku grew into the Andes' most important pilgrimage destination. By 800 CE, Tiwanaku was one of the continent's largest Pre-Columbian cities, reaching a population of 10,000 to 20,000.</p><p>Outside of the state's core area in the southern Lake Titicaca Basin, there were Tiwanaku colonies on the coast of Peru, where highland people imitated Tiwanaku temples and ceramics, and cemeteries in northern Chile with elaborate grave goods in the Tiwanaku style. Despite the clear connections to these enclaves, there is little evidence that the state controlled the territory or people in between, that is, its territory was not contiguous. With a few important exceptions, the state's influence outside the Lake Titicaca Basin was "soft power" that blossomed into a powerful, widespread, and enduring cultural hegemony.</p><p>Remains of Tiwanaku culture includes carved monoliths, temples and standardized polychrome pottery produced on a massive scale. Archaeologists discovered some statues in Tiwanaku were taken from other regions and placed in subordinate positions to the local gods as a display of power over other states and regions. Examinations of burials revealed the practice of artificial cranial deformation.</p><p>Tiwanaku ceramics suddenly stopped being produced and the urban core of the capital abandoned about 1000 CE. One theory was that severe drought rendered the raised-field systems ineffective, food surplus dropped, and with it, elite power, leading to state collapse. Other scholars suggest the society's own social dynamics caused its decline due to evidence of intentional destruction that included the monolithic Gates of the Sun and Moon as well as the burning of temple complexes and smashing of food storage jars.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVOwrhbw1j45nPjyA29_7K0FhRfqtcM_tzT07CN70Y5b3QL-IJVf_8xkm-jEq8GzrnrZACr6M5jto6l5meXALWkxfPQUb1jQTblZj9paQw1TVMZL35HuhQ0FkG-pRisV3_mfSb/s1024/768px-Cultura_Tiwanaku_500-1000_AC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVOwrhbw1j45nPjyA29_7K0FhRfqtcM_tzT07CN70Y5b3QL-IJVf_8xkm-jEq8GzrnrZACr6M5jto6l5meXALWkxfPQUb1jQTblZj9paQw1TVMZL35HuhQ0FkG-pRisV3_mfSb/s320/768px-Cultura_Tiwanaku_500-1000_AC.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tiwanaku head wrappings, 500-1000 CE, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Pablo Trincado.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCBjF_m9DNuMha2xUTATrQWjD-hu9-rCOZ1a2Vpk3nBO7SGz8xvLR58Qgom88t9ylZh5OByzaVQKvvgp7ht7xLgj4WGXpiS-9-yORnbC_6Al1lVm65r7UsHrYS4-h2pv5r2hHM/s1024/768px-Tiwanaku03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCBjF_m9DNuMha2xUTATrQWjD-hu9-rCOZ1a2Vpk3nBO7SGz8xvLR58Qgom88t9ylZh5OByzaVQKvvgp7ht7xLgj4WGXpiS-9-yORnbC_6Al1lVm65r7UsHrYS4-h2pv5r2hHM/s320/768px-Tiwanaku03.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tiwanaku sculpture, 110-1000 CE, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Alexson Scheppa Peisino.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpgy1yW3XCYqD_Pny6DDW1Y1ZmVky1L2h1nn90IMvTuS2Hg07kK2_niabCClyNRhyIgu2H2ZcS9Syz98RPVv3VkdT-H_9Nenb9_wKS3YEigiXyFfdgRh0NnHxfYgYVpej19sbL/s1203/800px-Precolumbian_Statue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpgy1yW3XCYqD_Pny6DDW1Y1ZmVky1L2h1nn90IMvTuS2Hg07kK2_niabCClyNRhyIgu2H2ZcS9Syz98RPVv3VkdT-H_9Nenb9_wKS3YEigiXyFfdgRh0NnHxfYgYVpej19sbL/s320/800px-Precolumbian_Statue.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tiwanaku anthropomorphic vase displayed in the "Tiwanaku Museum" at La Paz, Bolivia courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Christophe Meneboeuf. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoSCufGlq0c2bSQZdNyU5Y-zgsa8QCJzfhQ2s3GyymqJ9VY0Q-Yw5mhDF5nVI8uD06XfHhdrriZTy3m09nbn8q1iSZ77nJmA_H1i0AQeUpSQKb9TaoNkA3Y7ZzyHensicthohD/s1088/1088px-Mumienmaske_Peru_Tiahuanaco_Slg_Ebn%25C3%25B6ther.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1088" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoSCufGlq0c2bSQZdNyU5Y-zgsa8QCJzfhQ2s3GyymqJ9VY0Q-Yw5mhDF5nVI8uD06XfHhdrriZTy3m09nbn8q1iSZ77nJmA_H1i0AQeUpSQKb9TaoNkA3Y7ZzyHensicthohD/s320/1088px-Mumienmaske_Peru_Tiahuanaco_Slg_Ebn%25C3%25B6ther.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption">Tiwanaku mummy mask, 600 - 1000 CE, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Helvetiker.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHxgCsrEuMU_GH2i-vZ3fCecpXdNKLEfVhyImUFQmM02f0hiH1H6fQIl2rWBW4jCzOdSgOFpOwRiik4AAaz9t0034cHeLvZA-6VHx9vILHNQuv2lfp_7qe1mr7e0R89pVo2ar/s1183/1183px-Muschel-Ohrpfl%25C3%25B6cke_Peru_Tiahuanaco_Slg_Ebn%25C3%25B6ther.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHxgCsrEuMU_GH2i-vZ3fCecpXdNKLEfVhyImUFQmM02f0hiH1H6fQIl2rWBW4jCzOdSgOFpOwRiik4AAaz9t0034cHeLvZA-6VHx9vILHNQuv2lfp_7qe1mr7e0R89pVo2ar/s320/1183px-Muschel-Ohrpfl%25C3%25B6cke_Peru_Tiahuanaco_Slg_Ebn%25C3%25B6ther.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shell ear pegs, mother-of-pearl, turquoise and shell mosaic on wood, Peru, northern coastal region of Tiahuanaco/Huari, 800-1200 CE courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Helvetiker.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifgeVukCK_paRHV2IDG5tfsBtgPsRAD7yCbkb0KjDOvBo90YjcwCTlc7Ee8L5kmuHCJgdW9p32EXiUFr-iFN3eXJ-1eJnIqztY8hOBZVC2pxjJ9eNDlyUtiGOPWfkT1q_ydIgt/s1280/1280px-Zonnepoort_tiwanaku.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifgeVukCK_paRHV2IDG5tfsBtgPsRAD7yCbkb0KjDOvBo90YjcwCTlc7Ee8L5kmuHCJgdW9p32EXiUFr-iFN3eXJ-1eJnIqztY8hOBZVC2pxjJ9eNDlyUtiGOPWfkT1q_ydIgt/s320/1280px-Zonnepoort_tiwanaku.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gateway of the Sun, Tiwanaku, Bolivia courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Mhwater.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitMidzoUWdAUVqOXLv5r87NXZh2A1JV154kNLa5fNxl7-EMzKXcwlLnhsSFoaKBB8_RZXBsFdaTbhHTiuUBGC_TQ7ZWZFIOk98FqCTz9z7LdWZC2PC6CjUVRw7JxE7ZdAQzlqx/s1011/A_statue_in_Tiwanaku.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1011" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitMidzoUWdAUVqOXLv5r87NXZh2A1JV154kNLa5fNxl7-EMzKXcwlLnhsSFoaKBB8_RZXBsFdaTbhHTiuUBGC_TQ7ZWZFIOk98FqCTz9z7LdWZC2PC6CjUVRw7JxE7ZdAQzlqx/s320/A_statue_in_Tiwanaku.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monumental sculpture in Tiwanaku, 110 - 1000 CE courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgUhVpmbV4BZN7V49nzMsHFi4hfWDPn3ycQUDKvkeMbMu0gf1UTGzOqGAsqTGOk3dcNd7lN80Ic7Sgben28IRDzXxZbrzEV6Xh3xAQGPhb7XAtS8Yf9JgyXdZ8TmGI2-aUddx3/s1180/Chuspa_Tiwanakota.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="1180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgUhVpmbV4BZN7V49nzMsHFi4hfWDPn3ycQUDKvkeMbMu0gf1UTGzOqGAsqTGOk3dcNd7lN80Ic7Sgben28IRDzXxZbrzEV6Xh3xAQGPhb7XAtS8Yf9JgyXdZ8TmGI2-aUddx3/s320/Chuspa_Tiwanakota.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chuspa, a pouch used to carry coca and cocoa leaves from the Tiwanakota period, 500-1000 CE, at the Marc Museum in Rosario, Argentina courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor davidsonn.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLoxzTiQTwtYeSZhbbNsh8KATV5omgsUhyAl7iu5PCzcw479Eseim0KBe8eyWqxBrJ6mwKU6u3LwCr8JoZxyvFCRExKG6Qljf9giP01VjrXxfMNH5LFIIqto833wtebefyQ0QE/s744/Gold_Tiwanaku_Pendant_Bolivia_%252827754879705%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="628" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLoxzTiQTwtYeSZhbbNsh8KATV5omgsUhyAl7iu5PCzcw479Eseim0KBe8eyWqxBrJ6mwKU6u3LwCr8JoZxyvFCRExKG6Qljf9giP01VjrXxfMNH5LFIIqto833wtebefyQ0QE/s320/Gold_Tiwanaku_Pendant_Bolivia_%252827754879705%2529.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gold Tiwanaku Pendant, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Tony Hisgett.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXSjKqq25wkd2mCIAIgNf7XanpmQmEXHedXDeZX21dQKuImjMq81jsDTobEmn_vsRS35cqq0xzQMwkz9BLrvlaJmOQRtakC2eG96ljdGqkQpNxIUQqo-pMRN19GYU4Loz6qWb/s1098/Tiwanaku_tenon_head_20060613_0475-compressed-scale-3_00x-gigapixel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1098" data-original-width="609" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXSjKqq25wkd2mCIAIgNf7XanpmQmEXHedXDeZX21dQKuImjMq81jsDTobEmn_vsRS35cqq0xzQMwkz9BLrvlaJmOQRtakC2eG96ljdGqkQpNxIUQqo-pMRN19GYU4Loz6qWb/s320/Tiwanaku_tenon_head_20060613_0475-compressed-scale-3_00x-gigapixel.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Closeup of carved stone tenon head embedded in wall of Semi-subterranean Temple, Tiwanaku, Bolivia by Wikimedia Commons contributor, Alfonso F. del Granado Rivero.</td></tr></tbody></table>Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3928439.post-29560303878409947682021-01-27T10:40:00.002-08:002021-01-27T10:40:34.898-08:00Phoenician mortuary practices of the Achaemenid period<p>The Phoenicians as a politically, religiously, and perhaps even ethnically distinct entity on the Levantine coast emerged at the end of the Late Bronze Age about 1200 BCE, as one of the successor cultures to the Canaanites. From their homeland on the coast of the Levant, the Phoenicians spread throughout the Mediterranean and its islands including Cyprus, Sicily and Malta. Some scholars have observed that Iron Age Phoenicia was not a nation, but rather a collection of cities built around natural harbors along the coast. While they shared a common culture, these small states remained independent, competing with each other in the international marketplace. </p><p>"Depending on how evidence is weighed [based on Ugaritic texts and classical sources], Phoenician religion might be presented on the one hand as inclusive and diverse – a “conservatively” polytheistic society easily able to incorporate or syncretize new deities, customs and traditions or on the other hand as highly place-specific – a model in which Phoenicians were devoted to city-gods only, with little shared pantheon above the local or regional scale," Helen Dixon, University of Michigan, observes.</p><p>This variety in religious practices initially resulted in the use of both cremation and inhumation in mortuary practices and funerary art often expressed influences by non-Phoenician ruling administrations like New Kingdom Egyptians, Assyrians, and Achaemenid Persians. By the Achaemenid period, however, adult cremation abruptly disappears from sites in the Phoenician cultural sphere. This corresponds with the increasing importance of Zoroastrianism in the 5th century BCE. In Zoroastrianism, water (aban) and fire (atar) are agents of ritual purity, and the associated purification ceremonies are considered the basis of ritual life. A corpse is considered a host for decay. Consequently, scripture enjoins the safe disposal of the dead in a manner such that a corpse does not pollute the good creation.</p><p>For inhumation burials, the use of sarcophagi during the Achaemenid period along with epigraphic evidence points to a consistent and insistent emphasis on the integrity of the burial. Deities, including Astarate, are invoked to assist with the procurement of blessings and to enforce curses and righteousness is defined by political accomplishments or the building of religious shrines. Although Egyptian iconography persisted, it was supplemented by Persian iconography. A paucity of grave goods was referenced in inscriptions as a deterrent to grave robbing and what few ceramic vessels have been found in Phoenician burials have been ceremonially broken. Wealthier burials, though, apparently included the use of expensive resins such as myrrh to anoint, perfume or preserve the body and the deceased were dressed in special garments with head ornaments, particularly royal women whose head ornament was described as a gold bridle. However, there apparently were no extensive preparations for a “next life,” no large quantities of food or drink on which to survive or any biographical depictions or texts to accompany the dead. With the exception of the occasional appearance of amulets or other possibly apotropaic items, there was no preparation for an encounter with an underworld deity or space or expectation of a future meeting one's deceased ancestors.</p><p>Read more about it in Dixon's dissertation, "Phoenician Mortuary Practice in the Iron Age I – III (ca. 1200 – ca. 300 BCE) Levantine “Homeland”:</p><p><a href="https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/handle/2027.42/99972">https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/handle/2027.42/99972</a></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGtljKGgiD_mwlTsEvoo4m2GizqgrcOOZzIJgMLe5_CnRU_CbwgrzVkedTdzZ_yZBhlxmpnNCuRiuMEELEfXnz3qxdPX23tMozg7OzcCTWGHrOAOQakr4HWQBeBJD3e5FUVTOB/s1024/768px-Antarados_sarkophagus_face.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGtljKGgiD_mwlTsEvoo4m2GizqgrcOOZzIJgMLe5_CnRU_CbwgrzVkedTdzZ_yZBhlxmpnNCuRiuMEELEfXnz3qxdPX23tMozg7OzcCTWGHrOAOQakr4HWQBeBJD3e5FUVTOB/s320/768px-Antarados_sarkophagus_face.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarcophagus made from Greek marble. burial grounds of Antarados, northern Lebanon. 480-450 BCE courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor McLeod</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmNzjka0AC5hAbujh0WNkyUqe1eWKn8xqxzxs3mdCBzpGwaBjge4LkVXey_HZeA1crDwie3kyOpxnPop6ZpTPetCiQLX6fRUELDmV-KzS171uykJObLNgvYl0zZd7uFMB8R-Cm/s1280/1280px-Anthropoid_sarcophagi%252C_from_Sidon%252C_5th_century_BC%252C_National_Museum_of_Beirut%252C_Lebanon_-_49569027008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="848" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmNzjka0AC5hAbujh0WNkyUqe1eWKn8xqxzxs3mdCBzpGwaBjge4LkVXey_HZeA1crDwie3kyOpxnPop6ZpTPetCiQLX6fRUELDmV-KzS171uykJObLNgvYl0zZd7uFMB8R-Cm/s320/1280px-Anthropoid_sarcophagi%252C_from_Sidon%252C_5th_century_BC%252C_National_Museum_of_Beirut%252C_Lebanon_-_49569027008.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anthropoid sarcophagi, from Sidon, 5th century BCE, National Museum of Beirut, Lebanon courtesy of Carole Raddato.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNRe2331Nnbpg6qmq_l7gfVBPoa5HCZbMp2Qb7m5ca048cUbmJ5aDxDSY_X5nRXv1YBlLXIL4VhYdIbFyfHI3O3VcCaygnIYaG6y0fkUYe9E9EUFozCvvnCqwwORY7aEaGVXyP/s1280/1280px-DSC00091_-_Sarcofago_fenicio_del_sec._V_a.C._-_da_Palermo_-_Foto_G._Dall%2527Orto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNRe2331Nnbpg6qmq_l7gfVBPoa5HCZbMp2Qb7m5ca048cUbmJ5aDxDSY_X5nRXv1YBlLXIL4VhYdIbFyfHI3O3VcCaygnIYaG6y0fkUYe9E9EUFozCvvnCqwwORY7aEaGVXyP/s320/1280px-DSC00091_-_Sarcofago_fenicio_del_sec._V_a.C._-_da_Palermo_-_Foto_G._Dall%2527Orto.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phoenician sarcophagus of the fifth century BCE, from the Carthaginian colonization of Sicily. Discovered in Palermo. Regional Archaeological Museum of Palermo, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Giovanni Dall'Orto.</td></tr></tbody></table></td><td class="tr-caption"><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidpJJ7JN99zt8jHfO0C8LQSiTHDB_vs6FKVSoC1dGJOZT9rChLS7FCqWStZkIizfFSOU_zBXP-3ynVAXVEyLq06GkStHuhIQpEQjpidUW_T009lcFMrpKHb4GJdAWm2HqYPKiK/s1279/1280px-Paris_-_Mus%25C3%25A9e_du_Louvre_%252831289612892%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidpJJ7JN99zt8jHfO0C8LQSiTHDB_vs6FKVSoC1dGJOZT9rChLS7FCqWStZkIizfFSOU_zBXP-3ynVAXVEyLq06GkStHuhIQpEQjpidUW_T009lcFMrpKHb4GJdAWm2HqYPKiK/s320/1280px-Paris_-_Mus%25C3%25A9e_du_Louvre_%252831289612892%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarcophagus of Eshmunazar II, king of Sidon, Phoenicia, ca first quarter of the 5th century BC.E. at The Louvre courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Fred Romero.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcgnKBnDgqHHIjohGIt031uB4hAQ4-cNHO3NSgkSOF9sJZ1c-znsrK9iezOMf9fJxATjP78rvsV-zgPrx9emEY23qsqtjopswaL9Fm3VF66kO9NLgdlos4sbr23Nbhcx4QxMye/s2048/DP263869.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcgnKBnDgqHHIjohGIt031uB4hAQ4-cNHO3NSgkSOF9sJZ1c-znsrK9iezOMf9fJxATjP78rvsV-zgPrx9emEY23qsqtjopswaL9Fm3VF66kO9NLgdlos4sbr23Nbhcx4QxMye/s320/DP263869.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Marble anthropoid sarcophagus, last quarter of the 5th century B.C.E., Graeco-Phoenician found on Cyprus at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvNBfrMUV7KRY-z53h9nnWeom6ntcFofG6DA9VCX6sAwZnGy6rVQJvx9wsTHGwe5Yn9-YKrQZ9YwVvTx-JSJsYuJSMyy3-5mzdJKRvLQmVapcLjyiW07l9LR5Vc_e7xN_dU5G_/s2048/DSC00089_-_Sarcofago_fenicio_del_sec._V_a.C._-_da_Palermo_-_Foto_G._Dall%2527Orto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvNBfrMUV7KRY-z53h9nnWeom6ntcFofG6DA9VCX6sAwZnGy6rVQJvx9wsTHGwe5Yn9-YKrQZ9YwVvTx-JSJsYuJSMyy3-5mzdJKRvLQmVapcLjyiW07l9LR5Vc_e7xN_dU5G_/s320/DSC00089_-_Sarcofago_fenicio_del_sec._V_a.C._-_da_Palermo_-_Foto_G._Dall%2527Orto.jpg" /></a><br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phoenician sarcophagus of the fifth century BCE, from the Carthaginian colonization of Sicily. Discovered in Palermo. Regional Archaeological Museum of Palermo, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Giovanni Dall'Orto.</td></tr></tbody></table></td><td class="tr-caption"><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9MCaL9k9-MRDpitQpjde9D3FUmRSLchcbaWv2g5t9DRhEQQB6XPIXLdLJnLB3GhplKB-s3_MUD84zWgUeUwJB01od4IB2iBWFRmVzNWtpKcBBOixj6xrrlEk-3EM785eU9glg/s2048/DT339569.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1337" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9MCaL9k9-MRDpitQpjde9D3FUmRSLchcbaWv2g5t9DRhEQQB6XPIXLdLJnLB3GhplKB-s3_MUD84zWgUeUwJB01od4IB2iBWFRmVzNWtpKcBBOixj6xrrlEk-3EM785eU9glg/s320/DT339569.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Marble anthropoid sarcophagus, last quarter of the 5th century B.C.E., Graeco-Phoenician found on Cyprus at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR6sAdjILtE96G39IjbxFl8onUuui9LVTHcQ4Wiwk4WN3XWYWtOtkMJfnIYFYI4o77Z42MS5QjuYXfjKX-SMOzQnj2R0ZudZ0trWf-_xRhZjiufu_MjNhNn7Jb3APJpwVza0ns/s1024/Sarc%25C3%25B3fago_femenino_%252821887254049%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="513" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR6sAdjILtE96G39IjbxFl8onUuui9LVTHcQ4Wiwk4WN3XWYWtOtkMJfnIYFYI4o77Z42MS5QjuYXfjKX-SMOzQnj2R0ZudZ0trWf-_xRhZjiufu_MjNhNn7Jb3APJpwVza0ns/s320/Sarc%25C3%25B3fago_femenino_%252821887254049%2529.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Phoenician marble sarcophagus found in Cádiz. Spain, 5th century BCE, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Professor Ángel M. Felicísimo, University of Mérida.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPLqRHN6uHOpVJQOhxys5-PSYo__Q0VFGSCFGc3_60dS28EQUdimYV0lhXZPvto8UgwNDyNGGfDoZUcc-WcvMwZw2cFE7vjIbQ4qF8UCdmhEZorLl1YaI4nAapT7rVgue3yJy3/s1500/Sarc%25C3%25B3fago_femenino_%252822084546671%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1207" data-original-width="1500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPLqRHN6uHOpVJQOhxys5-PSYo__Q0VFGSCFGc3_60dS28EQUdimYV0lhXZPvto8UgwNDyNGGfDoZUcc-WcvMwZw2cFE7vjIbQ4qF8UCdmhEZorLl1YaI4nAapT7rVgue3yJy3/s320/Sarc%25C3%25B3fago_femenino_%252822084546671%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Phoenician marble sarcophagus found in Cádiz. Spain, 5th century BCE, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Professor Ángel M. Felicísimo, University of Mérida.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3928439.post-22592949241744544832021-01-25T08:08:00.001-08:002021-01-25T08:08:20.109-08:00The Mycenaean Dendra Panoply<p>In May 1960 Swedish archaeologists discovered the earliest example of a beaten bronze cuirass at Dendra, dated to the end of the fifteenth century BCE (Late Helladic IIIA - about 1400 BCE). It forms part of the Late Helladic Dendra Panoply, which consists of fifteen separate pieces of bronze sheet, held together with leather thongs, that encased the wearer from neck to knees. </p><p>The panoply was found in tomb 12 of the Dendra necropolis and had been partially plundered at some point. But in addition to the squashed armor, archaeologists were able to recover pottery fragments, a silver toggle pin (probably used to fasten an item of clothing), a bronze oinochoe (jug), as well as various other objects of bronze, including at least one knife and a dagger, a bronze mirror, a gold-plated ring, fragments of a silver cup, fragments of boar's tusk and a pair of swords inlaid with gold and ivory.</p><p>The panoply, when restored, was found to include a back and breast plate and six bronze plates, three in front and three behind along the bottom edge of the cuirass. A throat guard protected the wearer's neck and two triangular pieces were attached to the front of the breast plate to further protect the chest. The panoply also included two shoulder guards, two pieces of bronze to protect the the upper arms, a single greave and forearm guard. Other bronze fragments were also found that may have been the remains of a second greave and forearm guard although classicist Diane Fortenberry argued that single greaves were used to indicate rank in Mycenaean Greece.</p><p>My first impression on seeing the panoply was that it resembled remnants of a robot from "Lost in Space." I couldn't visualize a Mycenaean warrior staggering around the battlefield in that armor! Although it is dated to about 100 years before the Trojan War, can you imagine Achilles fighting in it?</p><p>Apparently, my reaction has been shared by other scholars as well. Some scholars tried to rationalize its use as armor worn by a chariot-mounted warrior. Joost Crouwel observes,</p><p>"While it is certainly difficult to visualize a warrior thus equipped marching to and from a battlefield in the Greek summer, it is equally difficult to see him as fighting in a chariot. If we look at contemporary oriental armour, we see that the corselets worn by Asiatic and Egyptian chariot crews are long, flexible, short-sleeved tunics, covered with many scales of bronze or leather. This type of armour […] is much less cumbersome than the Dendra panoply."</p><p>Crouwell points out that the warrior wearing the Dendra panoply would not have fought with a bow as stretching a bow would have been extremely difficult, but used a sword, dagger or thrusting spear, close range weapons which are rendered practically useless from a moving chariot. Instead, Crouwel suggests the Dendra warrior may have been driven to the battlefield by a charioteer where he dismounted and fought as a swordsman, as evidenced by the two swords included in the grave goods. Piotr Taracha agrees and even points out that the warrior may have fought with two swords, even though there were skeletal remains of another male buried in the tomb as well.</p><p>Although we have only this one complete panoply to date, armor of similar type appears as an ideogram on Linear B tablets from Knossos, Pylos, and Tiryns and fragmentary armor of a similar type was recovered in Thebes in 1964. No examples of such metal armor predate the Late Helladic II period and it disappears from the archaeological record at the end of Late Helladic IIA or beginning of Late Helladic IIB (about 1300 BCE) before reappearing briefly during the Dark Ages following the fall of Mycenaean palaces about 1200 BCE.</p><p>Read more about it:</p><p><a href="https://www.ancientworldmagazine.com/articles/encased-bronze-panoply-mycenaean-tomb-dendra/">https://www.ancientworldmagazine.com/articles/encased-bronze-panoply-mycenaean-tomb-dendra/</a></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMCvjnc1q3_5BI35kwY30K20evjxGzry7lSYmEOJBgjtDJFdROZTXh2PJWgfvVQfvp8WfMyfNv6Ioma8wWt1fCl_WvLaLHyFVFG3ByeiRGa9ZrM_Qjc58ewB4SD8T8T02ypHSD/s1024/%25CE%25A0%25CE%25B1%25CE%25BD%25CE%25BF%25CF%2580%25CE%25BB%25CE%25AF%25CE%25B1_%25CF%2584%25CF%2589%25CE%25BD_%25CE%2594%25CE%25AD%25CE%25BD%25CF%2584%25CF%2581%25CF%2589%25CE%25BD_8005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="766" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMCvjnc1q3_5BI35kwY30K20evjxGzry7lSYmEOJBgjtDJFdROZTXh2PJWgfvVQfvp8WfMyfNv6Ioma8wWt1fCl_WvLaLHyFVFG3ByeiRGa9ZrM_Qjc58ewB4SD8T8T02ypHSD/w478-h640/%25CE%25A0%25CE%25B1%25CE%25BD%25CE%25BF%25CF%2580%25CE%25BB%25CE%25AF%25CE%25B1_%25CF%2584%25CF%2589%25CE%25BD_%25CE%2594%25CE%25AD%25CE%25BD%25CF%2584%25CF%2581%25CF%2589%25CE%25BD_8005.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">The Mycenaean Dendra Panoply found in tomb 12 of the Dendra necropolis dating to the end of 15th century BCE now in the Archaeological Museum of Nafplion (sometimes called Nafplio or Nauplion) courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Schuppi.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsPXLip_xeM2Nats-xxgcxWt4-Shc1aYdHbLLq9-Mo8sfzco41RnQj4ihrPffXIr2mVKQgg-wA25mSaqvul3gK4IJucea_MckiccaE1TH8Vnth6qbUJeFZjOZGy06GTCIQT6pV/s1024/3e409487799a8e679cff85c352eadbcc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="838" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsPXLip_xeM2Nats-xxgcxWt4-Shc1aYdHbLLq9-Mo8sfzco41RnQj4ihrPffXIr2mVKQgg-wA25mSaqvul3gK4IJucea_MckiccaE1TH8Vnth6qbUJeFZjOZGy06GTCIQT6pV/s320/3e409487799a8e679cff85c352eadbcc.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Mycenaean warrior wearing Dendra-type armor, 1400-1200 BCE, by artist Christian Jégou.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnYX9V10xT2Ccw2YB5MrEmzHdNUWe1CFunNZVhmA12YkoQn67SS0bPbEiz7di1h22a6tD-dzGvCMq-YLhRTGLKZ_Zdol3UDWI8xzMtcg-_HikgQDdB9XItsihy0_-d-Sc0qslD/s719/D5o_mn-XkAAnB9H.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="719" data-original-width="550" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnYX9V10xT2Ccw2YB5MrEmzHdNUWe1CFunNZVhmA12YkoQn67SS0bPbEiz7di1h22a6tD-dzGvCMq-YLhRTGLKZ_Zdol3UDWI8xzMtcg-_HikgQDdB9XItsihy0_-d-Sc0qslD/s320/D5o_mn-XkAAnB9H.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Mycenaean warrior wearing Dendra-type armor, 1400-1200 BCE, by artist Christos Giannopoulos.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7j-0WrG7QhRdolmX8X9dz4UbMJGE7o44iWG2z-qVY5yd2FqXlFdEMWWQMe5BfnhH6nSHDyDw_RR9bbj6k5GEEirEcAhxl7d3B2Tv7z8NK0fX-cdEPnG3G7snNBB2aolynj2LM/s728/D5o_mnsXoAA9umC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="728" data-original-width="524" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7j-0WrG7QhRdolmX8X9dz4UbMJGE7o44iWG2z-qVY5yd2FqXlFdEMWWQMe5BfnhH6nSHDyDw_RR9bbj6k5GEEirEcAhxl7d3B2Tv7z8NK0fX-cdEPnG3G7snNBB2aolynj2LM/s320/D5o_mnsXoAA9umC.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Ajax, wearing Dendra-type armor, heaves a large boulder at Hector's shield. by artist Peter Connolly</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LfAJFmMe1PsVgPbISx9i-N0Cqmh1qJjTvndmOvhb6GaEKO4JNbhW34rH_yFNQRv57S2fo4mddN79mpKrwP94iq1HbmiB917ySmhm4Ltvi_hBXu_0aFsrjIcdD-kXkcp-BVHU/s781/D5o_mopWkAAqzxq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="781" data-original-width="550" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LfAJFmMe1PsVgPbISx9i-N0Cqmh1qJjTvndmOvhb6GaEKO4JNbhW34rH_yFNQRv57S2fo4mddN79mpKrwP94iq1HbmiB917ySmhm4Ltvi_hBXu_0aFsrjIcdD-kXkcp-BVHU/s320/D5o_mopWkAAqzxq.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Mycenaean warrior wearing Dendra-type armor, 1400-1200 BCE, by artist Giuseppe Rava</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSsWxIaNFSro1oBaO9veT3mj0oNES3rPlsSus0H_IXGd8AeNnkhpYjw-VZk-FV-DFe9viZ-i9ojwzC4pvEfNoUDP3TxghJZb3ZT09JP8_ww9IFlKaj9g1VkoaxNyZysixNtFa_/s690/D5o_motXkAE2vhl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSsWxIaNFSro1oBaO9veT3mj0oNES3rPlsSus0H_IXGd8AeNnkhpYjw-VZk-FV-DFe9viZ-i9ojwzC4pvEfNoUDP3TxghJZb3ZT09JP8_ww9IFlKaj9g1VkoaxNyZysixNtFa_/s320/D5o_motXkAE2vhl.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Mycenaean warrior wearing Dendra-type armor, 1400-1200 BCE, by artist Giuseppe Rava</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIHp04umNOnG7xZ39hqKwZ_v0lK9RpBtV2u9UkYsS-42vO5KLUPqzIzFZPE1Kw9CnhAwZ3aBl24xK_QggEuOVjCuolB0DMSiwKeSVOVqrcgZPW7EZ07y6_FM-kT_GPmtBZiLFU/s770/db2be8d405327458695a26004583c9c4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="556" data-original-width="770" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIHp04umNOnG7xZ39hqKwZ_v0lK9RpBtV2u9UkYsS-42vO5KLUPqzIzFZPE1Kw9CnhAwZ3aBl24xK_QggEuOVjCuolB0DMSiwKeSVOVqrcgZPW7EZ07y6_FM-kT_GPmtBZiLFU/s320/db2be8d405327458695a26004583c9c4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Mycenaean warrior wearing Dendra-type armor, 1400-1200 BCE, courtesy of Lāwāgetās, @ArcGreek on Twitter.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDQfI9YhMGswAPHaNxLjnGNd7cc_K2_Hsf9p7PkpLc2cidIWA-9yqyQ_objBwLZxcZEe99cBXmLDzvSAORajrMI8Fl1Yh56SAB3JMMYo9bH_qpAXf_T5l71oRixsZx9wEdv0VK/s1102/mycenaean_warriors_by_bizfuzz-dbbmdhr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1102" data-original-width="725" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDQfI9YhMGswAPHaNxLjnGNd7cc_K2_Hsf9p7PkpLc2cidIWA-9yqyQ_objBwLZxcZEe99cBXmLDzvSAORajrMI8Fl1Yh56SAB3JMMYo9bH_qpAXf_T5l71oRixsZx9wEdv0VK/s320/mycenaean_warriors_by_bizfuzz-dbbmdhr.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Mycenaean warrior wearing Dendra-type armor as envisioned by artist Bizfuzz on DeviantArt.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSZWnZxwikYPj5JUp2fUGd2WDXpfyDyr1P3oAajNLuOkse9GGwP_a7fS82O8wsLR2sUyn38M64tNswy-jAcOymHeEhnFLyYB7GdS9-aIp4fIP6X16a-8Pz_Eu07OiFw_Snhq5M/s833/Walpole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="833" data-original-width="682" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSZWnZxwikYPj5JUp2fUGd2WDXpfyDyr1P3oAajNLuOkse9GGwP_a7fS82O8wsLR2sUyn38M64tNswy-jAcOymHeEhnFLyYB7GdS9-aIp4fIP6X16a-8Pz_Eu07OiFw_Snhq5M/s320/Walpole.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Historical reenactor wearing Dendra-type armor courtesy of Pinterest.<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table>Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0