Comparing Ancient Cultures

In Fred Kleiner’s Gardner’s Art Through the Ages, he has listed some of the oldest and most ancient works of art discovered from different archeological site, which were later transferred to various museums. As we delve deeper into the chapters, we discover how art forms evolve across different time lines – from the art of the Paleolithic period to the arts of the near-East and Egypt. The works of art across the different timelines also indicate the kind of culture people have, because such culture can be seen in how they present their arts. Therefore, there is a clear development that is happening back then, because of the evolution of the arts and the presentation of the artists based on their culture. Taking everything into consideration, this project aims to discuss how arts develop throughout the different timelines – the Paleolithic period and the Ancient near-East and Egypt – and how such art forms present the cultural context of the artists.

In the past, before many early civilizations and ancient cultures became successful and able to

Every single civilization, past or present, had different types of achievements. These achievements such as cultural, mathematical, scientific, etc. help define how successful that civilization was. There were always scientific and mathematical achievements of different magnitudes in every civilization. The three civilizations that really stand out in their mathematical and scientific achievements are the Greek, Chinese, and Indian civilizations. Ancient India began around 2600 B.C. and ended around 500 A.D. The civilization flourished around the Indus River, which is one of the greatest rivers in Asia. They were a well-organized and farming people. They had so many natural boundaries that protected them, so they didn’t have to take time to create a military, which let them prosper and have very important achievements. Ancient China began around 2205 B.C. and really ends around 256 B.C. Ancient China was a very large, long, and powerful empire. They were the longest civilization and they are still around today, and still use the beliefs of the ancient times. In China, people farmed, people were warriors, people were merchants, etc. There was really no preferred job in Ancient China. The abundance of the variety of jobs led to the discoveries of many different achievements. Ancient Greece began around 700 B.C. and ended around 146 B.C. Its geography was mainly mountainous and only twenty percent of the land was suitable for farming. The lack of farmland and isolation from

Many people have the misconception that art is only paintings, pictures, and drawings. However what many people don’t realize is that buildings, monuments, and statues can also be considered art. In ancient cultures people used sculptures to praise the dead or gods. They would be placed outside their tombs or pyramids for their afterlife. Or if they were a depiction of a god then they would be used for worship. Sculptures can be made from a variety of different materials and stones. The Statue of Gudea and the Royal Acquaintances Memi and Sabu are two known sculptures with an extreme amount of detail. They were built about 500 years apart but both have a good deal in common.

The readings and video showed the similarities and differences of the threes cultures. King Tut, The Emperor of China, and The Lords of Sipan all had strong feelings of the afterlife. Their cultures all felt that you don’t stop existing once you are dead. They all felt that you continue to live in the afterlife with all their possessions. Women, men, animals, and children were buried along with the tombs of the leaders. Sacrifices were made as well to certain animals and prisoners as part of the burial rituals. Burials of our leaders today in America is completely different, American families don’t even put half of the work when it comes to burring an American leader. They pay funeral homes to do all the work for them. Which is a bit similar

Sculptures came in a variety of shapes and sizes. They were often made of wood, metal, cloth, or clay. These sculptures served as personal protection figures, symbols for supernatural powers, and representation of ancestors. Most sculptures were made to represent the human body, but some cultures never carve human faces so it resembled any individual in fear of accusations of witch craft. A great example of one such sculpture is Cango and Zaire.

For instance there were a far more amount of paintings and sculptures of everyday people and life, showing the attitude of the kings in this dynasty. As they encouraged the common people to become a larger part of the culture, instead of the scripter’s only having the opportunity to record and pertain to the life of these Egyptians through art and literature. Though the construction of pyramids began again in the middle kingdom, these pyramids were only a mere percentage of the quality of the old kingdom pyramids. As I believe there attention was placed elsewhere within these dynasties. The empire was far more unified with the common people, and the pyramids could be seen as a figure of authority, something these dynasty’s lacked as they were far from the “God” embodied pharaoh of the previous

Art has a long history in the evolution of modern mankind, from paint made of wet clay,to sculpture, and even to modern art. Some pieces are meant to symbolize an emotion or an object, to be used in the worship Gods,to tell stories or simply to be something beautiful. Throughout history, art has evoked emotions, awe, and has broken barriers and culture lines in ways nothing else could. Art can be influenced from everywhere; nature, emotions, neighboring cities and many other ways. Since so many culture influence each other, it is easy to see where similarities in pieces might be.

According to dictionary.com (2016) a sculpture is art of carving, modeling, welding or otherwise producing figurative or abstract works of art in three dimensions, as in relief, intaglio, or in the round. Sculptures play a great role in art, it tells past event of people and their activities. Every sculpture has a meaning attached to it, that’s why many cultures used it in the ancient time to showcase/display their heroes and cultural heritage. The two sculptures, (the statue Memi and Sabu) and (the statue of Gudea) are art from Egypt and the culture of Neo-Sumerian in Mesopotamia respectively. This essay seeks to compare and contrast these two sculptures considering the effect the intended purpose has on the appearance of the sculptures.

The 4th dynasty was mainly represented by the construction of the Great Pyramids, built by three kings of this dynasty: Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure. But the sculptures and the paintings played an important role in this period of time. The sculpture of the golden age of the old kingdom was highly represented by sculptures of King or deities. In the sculptures, the position of the body, texture of the skin, size and physical appearance, were the most important factors to represent the king or god. As an example, the Khafra, p. 59, 3.10. Made of Diorite. The seated position looking up front give him, an aspect of someone who can see everything, someone presence and calm. Also, the way his body was carved and represented, show vitality and power. The skin shows him as someone young and impermeable. Another example of how the size was one of the most important

The true definition of civilization can vary from person to person. Everyone has their own perspective, but some can agree A civilization can be defined as when a society reaches an advancement in cultures, governments, and socialization. In the chapters there are many different civilizations to chose from and compare. The two civilizations that interested me the most were the ancient Athenians and Rome. The similarities and difference in these two are numerous ancient civilizations create such a diverse conception in many ways.

During early dynasty Egypt period, Egypt’s kings were reverted as gods in human form. So, Egyptian sculptor created statues of their kings and queens. After creating the statue

Early civilization consisted of core values that defined the communities that resided within it. These communities were driven by numerous factors in which would decide the overall outcome of the civilization. Geography, social and economic values, and they’re culture all played an important role in the makeup of these civilizations.

At museums people can see the types of art, ancient and modern art and if you examine both types you can see some commonalities. The past affects the future, and this is evident in many ancient civilizations. Ancient civilizations in China, India, and the Mediterranean have affected today’s modern society. One way these ancient civilizations have affected society is through their contributions to art. The Ancient Mediterranean, China, and India made many contributions to architecture, painting, and sculpture, that are evident in today’s modern art.

There are many different art styles around the world that developed in various ways. Ancient Egyptian art is around 5 thousand years old, and it is a major contributor to late Mesolithic Art. It arose and took shape in the civilization of the Nile Valley. Ancient Egyptian art reached a high level in painting and sculpture, and was both extremely stylized and symbolic. Most of the Egyptian sculptures that have been well-preserved were initially made for temples and/or tombs. Egyptian sculpture and all Egyptian art was based on the belief in a life after death. The body of the pharaoh was carefully preserved, and certain goods were buried with him in the Pyramids of Giza to provide for his needs forever. Life-size and even much larger statues, carved in slate, alabaster, and limestone, were as regular and simple in shape as the tombs themselves. These statues were replicas of the rulers, the nobles, and the gods worshiped by the Egyptians, and were put in temples and burial chambers. Scenes engraved and painted in the tombs or on temple walls literally described Egyptian life. Eleanor Barton, in The History of Sculpture, states, “The Egyptians often combined features from various creatures to symbolize ideas. For example, the human head of the pharaoh Khafre is added to the crouching figure of a lion to form the Great Sphinx. This composition suggests the combination of human intelligence and animal strength.” Egyptian sculptors always presented clear ideas. The pharaoh or