Farnen Temple Crypt

Throughout every type of religion or faith-based belief system, there are overlapping characteristics that all work to validate the religion. Two of these elements universally presented in any religion are the aspect of a sacred reality and the manifestations of such in hierophanies. Sacred reality collectively validates the religion, giving it some deeper meaning on a spiritual level. Hierophanies are manifestations of sacred reality, meaning they are physical objects through which the sacred presents itself (Livingston 43). Different types of hierophanies further break down sacred reality into categories to understand it. These include sacred persons, sacred time, sacred places, and sacred objects (43). Specifically, sacred persons and places exemplify different aspects of sacred reality that have personally impacted my life through my Christian faith.

These issues with museums and other institutions has led many tribes to not only protest these collections and demand the most sacred items back, but to also develop their own institution that not only tell the real story of their people from a non scientific point of view, but also show the proper resect for the sacred and religious artifacts. Religious sights and objects are a piece of many different groups culture, many of which require a certain level of respect. Within the United States Native American groups are reclaiming these objects for their own

The knowledge of Catholicism displayed by the Kongolese was impressive. Though many Europeans “wondered about their penchant for such things as sacred stones and ancestors’ graves… they never doubted that the

Matteo Ricci was a born in Italy in 1552. He became a Jesuit and went a mission to China in 1583. He lived out the rest of his twenty seven years in China, bringing in Western culture and technology, while learning about what China had to offer. In his novel, The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci, Jonathan Spence retells Ricci’s life story, while also adding information about the world at the time. Spence tells Ricci’s story in an interesting way, by assigning Chinese characters and images that he believes Ricci would have used in his memory palace, a fictional tool to remember what that took place during his life. The memory palace works by assigning memories to a character or image, so when you think of the image, you can remember the memories associated with it. Spence then breaks up the chapters separately by each image or character and talks about the history and story from Ricci’s life associated with the image or character. This essay will primarily focus on chapter four of the novel, though a summary of the themes of chapter six is included as well. In chapter four Spence largely discusses the three main religions of the Western world, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, and then draws parallels with the three largest religions in China at the time, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism. However, these examples are not the only instances where a trio of three religions and belief systems are present. At the end of the Warring States period in China, around 350 BCE, China was

Chapter 3. 24. The terra-cotta figures near the Qin First Emperor’s burial mound demonstrate the

Located about 40 miles outside of Xian, a city situated in the northeastern section of China, the Tomb of the First Emperor is one of the famous sites of the modern era and has captivated the attention of archaeologists over the past four decades. The site itself is relatively large, with the outer gate being slightly less hen 7,000 yards around and the inner, underground palace containing “a gigantic pit measuring about 300 square yards was excavated in terraces to a depth of more than 100 feet. Archaeologists estimate the size of the subterranean palace built at the bottom of the pit to be about 400 feet by 525 feet, equal to 48 basketball courts” (Hoh, Erling). Yet despite its massive size and the over 40-meter mound that covers the

One of the earliest evidences of the belief in a higher power comes from deep within the “Lascaux Labyrinth”, a deep cave “decorated by our Paleolithic ancestors in the stone age, seventeen thousand years ago”(Armstrong 2). The great numbers and locations of art within the Lascaux and surrounding region gives evidence that these were sacred places for the purpose of rituals, and some have compared these dwellings to temples (Armstrong 3). Whether art within cave dwellings dating back to the Paleolithic era, to magnificent churches rising to great heights around the world, the wondrous temples of the Mayans, a mountain that appears to seamlessly morph into the city of Machu Picchu, to trailers, tents and fortified compounds, belief in a power higher than one’s self has been deeply ingrained throughout centuries and a multitude of cultures. These different places are what many refer to as a church, a place to record and follow the rituals specific to their belief and to worship. Through the generations of the development of the human psyche, belief in a higher power is taught young and ingrained for many, yet meaningless for some. Furthermore, throughout the evolution of many centuries, it is inevitable that branches of these religions will follow a different path, create new churches to better practice their views of religion, and for some, belief in a higher power can be contorted to the preaching’s and worship of hate. There is a fine line between preaching scriptures and

Han and Roman tombs have been discovered by historians, but the interpretations of what each tomb means do not coincide. Understanding an ancient empire’s artifacts requires understanding the culture in order to make sense of what the artifacts are conveying. Items that allow historians to understand past lives are letters, books, paintings, and tombs, but when looking at imperial artifacts, it is difficult to understand the purpose of such items as it is not clear what the significance of the artifacts are without first understanding and exploring the life of citizens during the times at which those artifacts were present in their lives. Tombs during the Chinese and Roman Empires cause difficulty in understanding what they truly mean. The difference in status during both the Chinese and Roman empires cause the items and structure of the tombs to show that those differences in status were still part of death and provide sense of what the tombs were trying to convey. In other words, the difference in status of the citizens during the Han and Roman Empires, allows the tombs to make sense, but more importantly, it shows that both the empires wanted to continue the social differences that were present in their empires in their death and afterlife.

I will then approach much of this essay through the lens of Humanities. We will look at several artifacts that show us the about of craftsmanship and detail needed to continue their quest to the afterlife. We will look at how these beliefs shaped everything from their stunning architecture, which has inspired cultures for thousands of years, to the mummification of the royalty and the priest.

Tina Sang Individuals and Societies Ms. Zadoo October 15th, 2015 Block D The Chinese Revolution of 1911 It was only until 1949, when Mao established the People’s Republic of China, that the perspectives of the Chinese political system grew more realistic. Of the four thousand imperial years that existed beforehand, the majority was greatly influenced by a concept called the “Mandate of Heaven”. All of China’s principles, laws, ideas, and central government were propelled by the notion that Heaven, or the natural law, issued a command that decided when a dynasty was to fall and take on a new leader. The Mandate of Heaven expressed the importance of a just ruler that had the duty to take good care of his or her people.

Berliner’s article, however, is less compelling than these. In order to explain the blend of the artifact and the natural settings in the Liubei Ting (流杯亭), she gives an example of a Qianlong-period vase with different designs and glazes, asserting that Qianlong liked contrast and preferred to amalgamate different design elements together. The evidence, yet, is not solid enough to support this argument. First, the lecturer does not show her evidence objectively, because she only talks about the feature of a specific vase, rather than a general type. The type of vase that shows sharp contrast between glaze colors is the wucai (五彩) ware, developing from the sancai (三彩) technique in the Tang dynasty. Apart from the mixed-color vases, there were a lot of other categories of vases in the Qianlong period. One dominant type is the blue and white ware. Porcelains with famille rose overglaze enamel decoration were also popular. This kind has the harmonious combination of colors of green, yellow, black, and rose with blurry edges between colors. Also, these types of porcelain often have auspicious themes. For instance, the Blue and White Vase of Soft-Paste Porcelain with a Lion and an Eagle (Fig. 2) depicts a theme of longevity and happiness. Presenting unity in both the subject matters and the glaze colors, these vases do not suggest contrast. Instead of rushing into the conclusion that most Qianlong-period vases show contrasts in design, the speaker should have taken other types of vases into account. Therefore, it cannot persuasively support the argument against the emperor’s propensity for implementing different elements in design. Neither could it justify Qianlong’s conscious choice of integrating the abstract manmade water channel into the realistic natural landscape

Upon arrival at Tian Tan, the emperor meditated in the Imperial Vault. (David Leffman) The next day, he carried out animal sacrifices before the Throne of Heaven at the Round Altar. (David Leffman) Attentions to details were required in the rituals due to numerological theories. The ceremony had to be perfectly completed, for the smallest of mistakes would denote as a bad omen for the whole nation in the coming year. (David Leffman)

From Cynthia Hahn's article What Do Reliquaries Do for Relics, Hahn dedicated her studies of reliquaries and relics. After reading the article, I learned the subtle relations among reliquaries, relic and the audience, and their common with icons.

Emperors' Treasures outlines how Chinese art came to evolve under Han Chinese, Mongol, and Manchu

Tiananmen Gate was originally a part of a group of gates that served as “formal entrance[s] to a number of subcities”. Emphasis on gates and walls in dynastic China was a manifestation of the belief that “power could be maintained only by keeping it secret”. Gates and walls were therefore made to conceal the emperor and to prevent outsiders from accessing power. The multiple layers of walls and gates of imperial Beijing produced a visually dominating effect which emphasized the grand authority of the emperor while conjuring admiration in those who approached it.