The Eleusinian Mysteries

Many of the obelisks that were originally in Egypt are now in different parts of the world. It appears that these obelisks were the focus of conquerors of Egypt. For example, the Persian leader Cambyses dragged many of these obelisks to the ground and mutilated them. He especially targeted those obelisks which bore the inscriptions of cruel deeds that were performed against the Persians. The destruction of these obelisks by conquerors suggests that these enormous structures represented the power of Egyptian leaders and were very important to the Egyptians.

Questions about Image Set 1: Acropolis, Athens 101. The gateway to this site, visible in the foreground at the lower right, is called the: a. Erechtheion b. Parthenon c. Temple of Hera d. Stoa of Attalus e. Propylaia 102. The main temple shown at the upper right is dedicated to: a. Athena b. Erectheus c. Portunus d. Aphrodite 103. The primary function of the main temple shown at the upper right is: a. an interior gathering space for worshippers b. a venue for religious games c. a house for the statue of a god or goddess d. a fortification high on a hill 104. The site shown in plan and reconstruction is known as the: a. Great

Athens conquered the Persia in 479 B.C. and began dominating Greece politically, economically, and culturally.” The Athenians organized allies to ensure the freedom of the Greek cities. Members of

Religion is interwoven in the social, cultural and economic life of all civilisations and Ancient Greece was no exception. Typically, most religion in Ancient Greece was civic in nature, however, in the fifth century B.C., mystery religions began to gain popularity. Shrouded in secrecy, the mystery religions provided a more personal approach to religion, fascinating initiates and capturing the imagination of the Greek populace. The most popular of these mystery cults was the cult of Demeter, a veneration established in Eleusis around 1500 B.C. The Eleusinian mysteries were the earliest and most celebrated mysteries in classical antiquity (Karoglou, 2013). These, through their appeal to initiates, played a pivotal

Knossos was excavated by Arthur Evans in 1900. The archaeological evidence suggests that it was first built around 2000 BC. Additionally, it also suggests that it was destroyed by an earthquake and rebuilt around 1700 BC. On the eastern side of the complex, the palace had four storeys; On the western side of the complex, the palace had three storeys. Additionally, it had a massive central court and storage areas. Knossos is an important site because it tells us about the economic, political and social features of Minoan society. Arthur Evans incorrectly believed that Minos lived at Knossos.

When it comes to the existence of objects that have morphed and changed, in part due to their perception throughout the course of history, it does not take long before one begins to consider objects of exceedingly long, cylindrical, and rounded nature. The reader has but to consider the iconically Ionic columns of the Parthenon, the obelisks of ancient Egypt, or the steles of Persia before realizing the true extent to which such objects have been the focus of ancient, and present, attention.

Overall, the general portrayal of classical Athens seems to emphasize and celebrate the cultural identity of Athens. In particular, the historical theory, which argues that the procession occurs before the Battle at Marathon, seems the most plausible for a number for reasons. It is probable that the Athenian people would want to demonstrate something that is culturally and historically significant, especially something so significant such as defeating a long time enemy – the Persians. Even though this would be unusual for Greek art and architecture as it is not mythological, the present theories that relate to myth do not seem rather forced and do not make much sense compared to this alternative. It should be noted that many Greek gods are still portrayed in the east frieze, thus somewhat aligning with this norm. In addition, since the purpose Pericles’s building program was to demonstrate the superiority of the city of Athens, it seems particularly conceivable that the frieze would have done just that. The Parthenon frieze is a unique monument, unmatched in size and complexity in Classical Greek relief sculpture; it makes sense that its designers were capable of representing something

With the rise of Alexander “The Great” begins the Hellenistic Age which is used to describe a time which Greek culture spread to places like Egypt and Asia. Due to this Greek culture had changed from what it was during Classical Greece as they were able to achieve much more with this new diverse culture. The Classical Age of Greece is known for its work in philosophy and the arts. The work of Greek philosophers of this time such Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle cannot go unnoticed in these contexts as their accomplishments still have lasting effects on our world today. Along with the great work of these philosophers, came other great works in architecture and drama. Beginning in 448 B.C. Pericles began the construction of the Acropolis,

According to ancient Egyptian belief, the primordial hillock first emerged from of the primeval waters of chaos in the land of Djanet, now know as the city of Thebes. This location was also believed to be the sacred burial grounds of the Ogdoad, enriching the land with a celestial power. It is here that we find the mortuary temple of Ramesses III, Medinet Habu. The pharaohs of the New Kingdom constructed these elaborate temples in order to honor themselves after death and unite with the divine world through cult practices. Modeled after the mortuary temple of Ramses II, Medinet Habu has served a range of purposes. It’s hosted the visiting gods of Amun, Mut, and Khonsu during the Festival of the Valley, it served as the site of history’s first documented protest during the food shortages and economic turmoil that plagued the land during the 29th year of Ramesses III’s reign, and when the Libyans invaded Thebes it served as a refuge for the fleeing residents. However, most importantly, this mortuary temple served as an earthly representation of cosmic structure, function, and regeneration. In essence, it symbolized a passage through the cosmic lifecycle , and via cult practice served as a portal into the divine world. This paper will examine the architectural structure and its symbolic importance to the cosmology of the ancient Egyptians. Further, it will explore the ideological implications of the text and imagery depicted throughout the temple. Lastly, it will analyze the

The entrance pylon is the first thing people would see as they walked up because it had a one hundred and twenty-foot-wide causeway with trees and sphinx that would lead from the valley. After the entrance you would have the First court yard and then the ramp to the second level. The court yard also known as the first level was a garden filled with shrubs and trees from her expeditions’ from punt. As of now there is no more evidence of the garden. After the court yard there was a colonnade with square pillars behind. As of now none of those pillars remain. At this time what is remaining are the decorations of Tuthmosis III dancing before god and minor scenes acting out the marches of lower Egypt and transportation of two large obelisks down the Nile. Upon the second level a wide ramp runs from the middle of the courtyard to the second level. Two statues of crouching lions flank the entrance to the ramp. Behind the wide terrace there is a colonnade with two rows of columns on each side that leads up to the third level. These colonnades stand for the birth of Hatshepsut’s. The birth Colonnade stands on the right side of the ramp and the Punt Colonnade stands on the left. One shows the scenes of the new born and the other shows Hatshepsut’s leaving Egypt and arriving to the exotic Punt. Aside from this there is the Hathor Chapel which lies on the southern end of the second level colonnade. At one point it use to have its own entrance and hypostyle hall with at least twelve columns, but now there are very few columns. The Anubis Chapel is found on the northern side of the second level, which also has twelve columns and an astronomical ceiling. Each column explains the portrayals of Hatshepsut. The third level has a ramp that is in the middle of the second courtyard to the third court yard. At the top of the ramp two Horus falcon statues stand to each side. The third level has portico with rows of columns facing the front behind

The Persian Invasion could have been the end of a long rivalry in the story of Athens and Sparta. However, Athens decided to go back to their deceiving habits by building a stone wall around the agora and the most important parts of Athens. (Hunt 83) They did not deceive Sparta by building the wall, but by suspiciously hiding and denying their intentions to build it. These misunderstandings kept happening with Athens because they did things that were not necessarily unjustified, but kept them under questionable

Dr. Gerald P. Schaus talked about ancient Stymphalos. Stymphalos was a town in the Peloponnese mountains near the ancient Arcadia and it was known for killing the birds by Herakles. There was a river in the Peloponnese, but the water is getting less now. There was a man who visited the site at the lake in 1960. He saw the ancient city, recognize things there, and keep it in mind. Later, he was able to come back and revisit this place. In 1980, UBC worked on a project there. They found two sites, three volumes and a floor mosaic. The Floor mosaic showed 12 labours and Herakles. Since these labours doesn’t look difficult to fight with, the archaeologist thought that Myth exaggerated the story of Herakles. The real excavation started in 1994.

Due to designs, the Pyxis informs us that it was created in Greece during the Geometric period. The geometric design is simple using lines to create various shapes and the shape of the horses are improvements carried over from the Protogeometric period. The simplicity of the design indicates that it is geometric, especially that the pottery uses only terracotta clay and black and brown slip. Horses in the Athens were a symbol of elite status as the wealthy were the only ones that could afford to provide for a horse. Thus, the horse implicates that the dead person was wealthy. The excellent preservation of all three horses entails that the object may have been contained in the ground as a grave good. The function of this Pyxis may have been

Many aspects of ancient Greek theaters have long been studied and debated. Much of the information about these theaters is based on speculation due to the fact that so little of them still exist today. This lack of remnants especially applies to the architecture of the early Greek Theaters. However, through archeological finds and years of studying the people, the plays, and the architecture of the time, we are able to make many conclusions about these early structures.

There are seven most remarkable structures of ancient times and I’m going to write about four out of the seven. The statue of Zeus, which was created in 432 B.C., by Phidius, the lighthouse Of Alexandria that was created by Sostratus in 290 B.C. and took 20 years to complete. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus that was first created in 800 B.C. by Croesus and the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus that was built around 353 and 350 B.C. These are only four out of the seven wonders I will be writing about who commissioned and created each one of them. How they were built, where they were located, when was it constructed, why they were considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world and what happened to them.