The Reign of Suryavarman Ii Lives

When reading the two chapters I found two rulers who tried to preserve their history through commissioned works of art the first being Naram-Sin, while the other being Gudea. Starting with Naram-Sin, The Stele of Naram-Sin, with stele being an upright stone slab, as described by the textbook on pages 27, and 36, as a depiction of the ruler Naram-Sin memorializing one of his military victory over the Lullubi people. What makes this stele a historical account instead of just a generic battle was inclusion of native trees following a mountain path showing that the stele is depicting a battle. In the stele, the slab uses hierarchal scaling, and religious symbolism to portray his political power as a leader.

These jungles and other natural barriers also protected Angkor from being easily accessible to its enemies. The empire is circumscribed with land, sandstone hills, and is remote from the South China Sea…

Although the complex was never fully finished, the additions constructed to the Temple that began with Senuseret 1 show the major effect of religion on the empire. Karnak’s significance comes from the rich history engraved into the stone. From stories of battles and pharaohs to gods and wishes of good luck that are inscribed into the sandstone. (Karnak Temple, 2017). This proves the significance of Karnak temple by focusing on the power of religion in ancient Egypt. Furthermore, the effect the gods and the religion had on the way pharaohs ruled and the effect it had on politics, the sway it had in everyday life and the civilians, and the advancements it held in architectural importance all proves the significance of the Karnak Temple. Therefore, despite the ruination of The Karnak Temple, the site remains of importance in further the notion of the effect religion had on ancient

Many pieces in Mesopotamia represent the status of the kings as being a greater figure than the common people and even an alike or greater figure than the gods. One piece that depicts the high status of the ruler is the “Fragment of the victory stele of Eannatum”, from Girsu, Iraq. ca. 2600-2500 BCE. On the stele, is Eannatum, who is the ruler who leads the battle, and obtained the city of Umma. He is depicted larger than the army, except Ningirsu, who chose him as the ruler. The audience of the stele is the people of Sumer, but more importantly, his enemies. The second piece that depicts propaganda in Mesopotamia is the “Head of the Akkadian ruler”, from Nineveh, Iraq, ca. 2250-2200 BCE. The hollow-cast sculpture made with Cooper is believed to be an Akkadian king. The sculpture demonstrates propaganda in Mesopotamian art because it reflects the idea of absolute monarchy, and focuses on the kings, instead of the city-state. However, the head was vandalized as its eyes were gouged, and its beard and nose were slashed by the Medes because they were opposers of the absolute monarchy. In addition, another example of propaganda in Mesopotamia is the “Votive disk of Enheduanna”, from Ur, Iraq, ca. 2300-2275, in which the Alabaster disks represents the daughter of King Sargon, Enheduanna in which the cuneiform inscriptions which mentions that she is the daughter of Sargon, who is the king of the world. Moreover, the disk also mentions that she is the

The artworks of Ancient Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt are both strikingly different and similar at the same time. Consistent is the theme of serving the different gods the two cultures believed in. In Mesopotamia the various city-states each had their own protective deity, and in Egypt they sometimes differed from one dynasty to the next. Whatever the case, with the beginning of kingdoms and rulership came the need to justify a position of power and establish a hierarchy. And as more time passed came also the human need to leave an impression on their world. Looking at the example of the statues of Gudea from the Neo-Sumerian period and the Temple of Ramses II from the New Kingdom of Egypt in the 19th dynasty, will show how both rulers of

The distance required to convert to Buddhism was greatly decreased and this allowed for more people to join. This greatly appealed to the diverse peoples outside of India. One way that Buddhism spread throughout the world was along the Silk Roads. “In addition to silk traders, monks traveled along Afro-Eurasian trade arteries to spread the word of new religions.2 Buddhism traveled from India to China and central Asia, following the Silk Roads. The transmission of the ideas of Buddhism to China and other eastward areas was aided by translated Buddhist texts and converts. A Buddhist Manuscript of the Great Dagoba (Doc A) exemplifies the way that these ideas were transmitted in the early days of Buddhism. This document suggests that monasteries and stupas, a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing Buddhist relics3, played a major role in the spread of Buddhism in the east Asia because of the creation of texts such as these. Art found from the central area of India is called Mathuran art. This Mathuran art evolved from the carved idols of South Asian folk gods and goddesses. Another example of the importance of temples to Buddhism is shown on an Indian Temple relief. The relief describes the propitious alignment of the heavenly bodies on the day that the temple was founded. This is important because it means that the native peoples

Participants of this march walked through areas in Cambodia affected by deforestation. In addition to there pilgrimage, participants planted up to 2,000 trees as they continued their march (Piseth). Ghosananda continuously advocated to villagers along the way to respect the environment and preached about, how it is our job as beings to respect nature for all it provides in return. Not only did he encourage unity among beings but among nature. Knowing that non-violence also applies to nature since it provides invaluable gifts that must be protected. It is mans responsibility to continue searching for ways to improve natures sustainability in order to avoid disastrous consequences. This pilgrimage addressed the problem Cambodia faced with deforestation throughout regions and partook in morally righteous actions to improve future generations from its negative effects. Finally, throughout continuous efforts there managed to be reconciliation between Khmer Rouge and government forces. During this milestone, Maha Ghosananda raised above existing issues and forgave Khmer Rouge and place emphasis that ‘Buddha forgives all who wish to be forgiven’ (Mahatthanadul). Compassion is an essential part of Buddhist philosophy. In order to respond to social problems, means theres need to be this interplay between the issues at hand and Buddhist teachings. By forgiving Khmer Rouge, Ghosananda portrays

The purpose of such votive statuary placed in temples was to urge the donors might to remain in a state of everlasting prayer. For example, The relief scene beneath Ur-Ningirsu’s bare feet, of kneeling men bearing full baskets, may represent bearers of ritual offerings.

The setting of the temple, against a vast cliff, is extremely dramatic and is the perfect place to communicate authority. Its considerable size represents the immense power and influence Hatshepsut had had during the twenty-two years of her reign. The geometric stance of the temple is in contrast with organic rock that is behind it. It symbolizes stability that Hatshepsut and her dynasty were trying to impose after a period of instability. There are three periods in ancient Egypt: the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, and the New Kingdom. These kingdoms are separated by times of unrest where Egypt was divided or was ruled by an external force. The temple serves as a kind of relief from the past and marks the start of the New

Since their destruction, the international community has risen up in protest, and endless discussions on its reconstruction have been hashed out as further studies are done on the remains. The interaction with religious ideology complicates and stigmatizes the situation, causing many discussions to go nowhere. The Bamiyan Buddhas hold significant cultural value, providing not only a religious sanctuary for many, but also by attracting travelers with their beauty. By leaving the niches empty, we risk the well-being of the Bamiyan Valley, as well as a loss of a key part of history. In restoring the Buddhas, the international community can also see it as a restoration of the Bamiyan Valley

A visit to the Tuol Sleng S-21 prison provides just that. In choosing to keep the site undisturbed, the Cambodian government has created a memorial museum still haunted with the ghosts of its past. Blood is splattered on the ceiling and smeared on the floor. Breathing becomes shallow as visitors walk between the rows of wooden cells, the walls crowding and suffocating. Occasionally the words of one of many tour guides drift by: “fingernails pulled”, “drowned”, “raped”. Downstairs rooms house a graveyard of photos. The dead stare out with looks of fear, confusion or most disturbingly a naïve smile. By allowing the visitor to walk the same steps as a real prisoner, the S21 memorial site fulfills the morbid curiosity over the genocide a little too well. A little imagination brings the yellowed walls into focus. Perhaps it’s the torture instruments and survivor’s testimonies. Perhaps it’s the wall of skulls and tiny cells stained with hundreds of victim’s blood. Combined, the visitor finds their thoughts manipulated so that they can picture themselves in place of the prisoner and allow the terror to wash over them. This creates a connection to the past and can elicit greater sympathy than if the prison was restructured to try and hide the truth or paint a prettier

The relief, consisted of five panels, functions both as a religious representation as well as imposing the king’s power. Stone Panel in Bas-relief was once lined the inner walls of the Northwest Palace of King Ashurnasirpal II at Nimrud. Nimrud, located on the Tigris River in northern Iraq, was the capital of Assyria during Ashurnasirpal II’s reign. The bas relief visually communicates its viewer by possessing “a more peaceful but equally imposing iconography, depicting Ashurnasirpal’s ritual activities in the company of human attendants and supernatural figures.”

: The structures that make up the Temple of Heaven are meant to signify the relationship between heaven and earth, more importantly the connection between the emperors and God. The through in It was believed that offerings made by the emperor to the Gods, would bring a flourishing harvests, as he was believed to be the closest being to god. The structure itself was built so majestically to represent it descending into heaven. The main ceremonies that were held within the hall were all on the basis of worshipping heaven and so it was believed by doing so, it would be seen as favorable to the gods, enough to be blessed with an abundance supply of harvests such as grain. The ceremonial interior of the hall was built in such a way as to emphasize

The reliefs from the palace of King Assurnasirpal II at Nimrud play an important role in portraying the power and importance

Around the inside of the building were candles, incense, and different statues of what I'm sure were a multitude of separate Hindu deities. Of course, being relatively new to the Hindu gods and goddesses, I wasn't able to identify too many, but I did recognize the remover of obstacles, Ganesh—for what I figure is one rather obvious reason. I could only assume other popular divine figures including lord Vishnu and the mother goddess Devi resided with these other statues.