Rosetta Stone:
▶ The Rosetta Stone was a stone carved in 196 BC, with two languages (Egyptian and
Greek).
▶ The stone was found in 1799, by French soldiers who were rebuilding a fort in Egypt,
▶ Three scripts:
1. Hieroglyphic
2. Demotic, and
3. Greek
- The Rosetta Stone was written in three scripts because each type of
script was used for a different purpose
- It was written in three scripts so that priests, government officials, and
rulers of Egypt could read what was said.
Who deciphered hieroglyphs?
▶ After many years of studying the Rosetta Stone and other examples of ancient
Egyptian writing, Jean-François Champollion deciphered hieroglyphs in 1822.
Upper Egypt:
Lower Egypt:
- Red lands
- Southern Egypt
- Nile Valley
- Black lands
- Northern Egypt
- Delta region (near the Mediterranean Sea)
Palette of King Narmer:
- good example of an ancient Egyptian work of art representing the
“duality” of their world
- It is a stone (or slate?) tablet with a central depression.
- Carved on both sides with shallow reliefs.
- Purpose: to serve as a “make-up” palette for grinding and applying color
(make-up) to cult statues.
- Narmer’s name in hieroglyphics
- Bat: Sky goddess
- Bat was an ancient Egyptian cow goddess of the sky.
- She had the power to see the past and into the future.
Purposes for Funerary Complexes:
1. Create a Permanent Marker in the Landscape, and Perpetual Memory of the Deceased
Elite.
2. Helped Preserve the Deceased “Life Force” (ka):
- Egyptians believed that their “ka” (spirit) lived after death and required
a place to reside for eternity.
- They believed their spirits continued to live after death, if the bodies
were well preserved.
Funerary complexes: King Djoser:
▶ First known major funerary complex.
▶ Built by Imhotep
Serdab:
- Enclosed Room Without an Entrance Designed for a Statue of the
Deceased
- Purpose for the two holes: The two holes in the wall enabled his “ka”
(spirit) to observe rituals in his honor and draw sustenance from
offering and incense.
Pyramids of Giza
▶ Four sides designed to face cardinal points of the earth.
▶ Equilateral triangles.
▶ At the top of each pyramid they were covered with sheets of gold.
▶ Burial chambers were concealed to confuse grave robbers.
- Pyramids continue to intrigue engineers as to how the temples were
constructed
The Orion Mystery”
▶ They were nothing less than a replica of Heaven on Earth.
▶ With great astronomical precision, the pyramids were created to serve as the
pharaoh’s gateway to the stars.
▶ The pyramid’s orientation to the Nile recreates Orion’s orientation to the Milky Way.
▶ The layout of the pyramids, and their relative sizes were a deliberate design plan, and
not the result of three king’s enormous egos as been preached as dogma by the so-
called Egyptologists.
Orion’s Belt:
▶ The three stars of Orion’s belt line up with the Pyramids.
How were the Pyramids constructed?
▶ Major Theories:
◦
1. Staircase/ Scaffold Theory
◦
2. External Ramp Theory
◦
3. Internal Ramp Theory
◦
4. Casting Theory
◦
5. Water Theory
Staircase / Scaffold Theory:
- transported the great stones for the pyramids to the
construction site from quarries near the Nile River.
- After the stones had been sent down the Nile from the
quarry, they were drug to the site on a causeway.
- The causeway was just as a great a feat as the pyramids
themselves.
External Ramp Theories:
- Ramp remains may have also been discovered at Giza, where
excavators from the Cairo University discovered two parallel
walls that may have formed the retaining framework of a
ramp.
- "It is said that the stone was brought over a great distance,
from Arabia, and that the construction was undertaken with
the help of ramps, since at that time cranes had not yet been
invented."
Internal Ramp Theory
▶ According to Houdin, the Egyptians built the bottom two-thirds of the pyramid using
an outer ramp, while simultaneously an inner ramp helped them haul stones to the
top of the pyramid.
Inside-Out Theory
1. For the first 10 years, the 13-acre base of the pyramid was built within a two-lane
external ramp up to 141-feet high.
2. Builders then pulled massive ceiling stones into place above the central King's Tomb by
using a counterweight sled running along the pyramid's Grand Gallery.
3. For the next 10 years, the 6.3-degree sloped internal ramp on the outer edges of the
structure carried blocks dismantled from the older ramp to the top of the pyramid.
4. The internal ramp preserved sightlines that builders needed to ensure the proportions
stayed even.
Casting Theory
▶ BARSOUM SAYS: the limestone blocks of the pyramids were not quarried and chiseled
into their perfect shapes, but made from an ancient mixture resembling cement.
▶ Analysis of many of the stones revealed that the stones were made with some type of
“cement” mixture.
▶ Barsoum believes that Casting would have facilitated building because Egyptians could
easily make the stones to be a very specific size
▶ Opponents of this theory say that the pyramids have been reinforced many times over
the centuries using concrete, and so it is impossible to tell if Barsoum is testing a more
modern reinforcement or the original limestone.
▶ Liritzis’ argument was that:
Since many of Egypt’s famous monuments “contain hundreds of
thousands of marine fossils preserved within the walls of their
structures”…..
….the monuments must have been carved out of natural stones instead
of being cast in molds, because they reveal what the sea floor looked like
thousands of years ago….
Water Theory:
▶ Chris Massey believes that the Egyptians used water to float the large stones into place.
▶ Massey contends that the Egyptians tied floating devices to the stones so
the stones would float down the Nile.
▶ Then, during rainy seasons, Egyptians would build canals and have them
flooded with water in order to continue floating the heavy stones to the
construction site.
▶ Massey demonstrates his theory with a “science project” using simple
physics to prove his concept.
The Great Sphinx:
▶ Next to the Valley Temple of Khafra, stands the colossal statue of the Great
Sphinx.
▶ The impressive human headed lion figure was carved from outcropping rock
lef t after quarrying stone for some nearby temples.
Face of a Woman?:
▶ From the 16th century far into the 19th century, observers repeatedly
noted that the Sphinx has a female face, neck and upper torso.
- Isis: Egyptian goddess
▶ Some historians believe the Great Sphinx could represent
a goddess from Ancient polytheistic Egyptian religion
named Isis (“Iset”), and a goddess later worshipped in the
Greco-Roman world.
▶ Isis is often mentioned in pyramid texts between 2350-
2100 BC.
▶ Isis’ name means “throne”, and she is usually depicted
with a headdress of an empty throne, or solar disk with
cow horns.
▶ She is known as the goddess of health and marriage, and
considered the mother of Horus.
▶ Isis allegedly helped deceased pharaohs in their after life
experiences.
Sphinx as Isis?:
▶ The theory of the Great Sphinx being Isis is doubtful, since she would have
had to have had a large throne on top of her head (or a disk with cow
horns).
Robert M. Schoch:
▶ He believes that the Great Sphinx was created much earlier than the
pyramids of Giza.
▶ One of the reasons why Dr. Schoch believes that the Great Sphinx was
created earlier was because he found water erosion on the base,
inconsistent with the type of dry climate during the construction of the
pyramids
▶ The Sphinx water erosion hypothesis contends that the main type of
weathering evident on the walls of the Great Sphinx could only have been
caused by prolonged and extensive rainfall.
Old Kingdom Artistic Conventions:
- Old Kingdom Egyptians strictly observed a canon or a set of
artistic rules when portraying the ruling class, in order to have
clarity of communication.
1. Elite individuals (royalty) were created with geometric rigidity.
2. Lower status individuals were represented with naturalistic
proportions.
3. Elite are created larger in size.
4. Elite are represented with head, legs and feet depicted in profile view.
5. Eye and eyebrow depicted in full view
6. Elite have shoulders and torso facing forward so that the arms and
hands are visible
New Kingdom of Egypt:
▶ Change in burial practices:
▶ Instead of building pyramids they excavated tombs from the rock face
(such as the Temple of Hatshepsut).
Temple of Hatshepsut:
▶ Hatshepsut: declared herself pharaoh (king).
Akhenaten and Amarna Style:
▶ Devotion to the sun god grew so intensely during the reign of Amenhotep
IV, that the king began to worship the actual sun rather than Horus
(celestial falcon god; solar deity; considered the manifestation of the
living king).
▶ Amenhotep IV started a new cult: stressing the sun’s life-giving force.
▶ Amenhotep IV changed his name to Akhenaten (“aten” = sun disk).
Amarna Style Proportions:
▶ Proportions were radically changed.
▶ The king is depicted with:
o Long, slender neck
o Narrow shoulders
o Long face with sharp chin
o Almond shaped eyes
Theories as to why Akhenaten was depicted with odd proportions:
1. One theory is that it was some form of religious symbolism.
- Because the god Aten was referred to as “the mother and father of
all human kind,“…
2. Another popular theory is that Akhenaten suffered from some kind of
illness or syndrome which caused his odd appearance.
King Tutankhamun:
▶ Tutankhamun’s greatest fame results not from his life, but from the
discovery of his tomb in 1922, by Howard Carter.
1,700 “CT” Scans!:
▶ The over 1,700 3-D high resolution scans revealed that he had been
injured… perhaps in battle or in a sporting event.
Aegean Art
● Europe to the West & North
● Asia Minor to the East
● Africa & Egypt to the South
● The sea brought trade and conflict to the Aegean
civilization.
Greek Art
Natural State of Man
(“Nuditas Naturalis”):
- During the Renaissance, one view of nudity was that it represented the
natural state of man.
Sacredness of the
Human Form
- Although Renaissance artists included nudity in their works, their intent
was not sensual, but spiritual.
- They wanted others to appreciate the sacredness of the human form, as
created by God.
Forsaking the Temporal for the Spiritual
(“Nuditas Temporalis”):
- Another Renaissance interpretation of nudity represented the idea of
willingly surrendering (or forsaking) all temporal (or earthly) things in
order to serve God completely, and not being lured into materialism.
Purity, Innocence, and Virtuous Life
(“Nuditas Virtualis”):
- This Renaissance interpretation of nudity symbolized purity and
innocence.
- It symbolizes not being contaminated by sin, evil or temptation (as in
the Garden of Eden).
- It represented the idea of living a “virtuous life”, and portrayed truth as
a virtue. (Ferguson, p. 28).
Lust and Vanity
(“Nuditas Criminalis”):
- In his painting, Bosch uses nudity as a way to demonstrate that God’s
judgment would fall on any society that continued to live in immorality,
as in the days of Noah.
Hero in the Classical Sense:
- Artists during the Renaissance often imitated the works of the Greeks
and Romans, and used nudity to express a heroic status when depicting
the human figure, such as Michelangelo’s marble statue of “David”.
- During Greco-Roman times, nudity was a way to illustrate the power
and beauty of Greek and Roman gods and goddesses.
- In the eyes of Michelangelo, David was a “hero” for God, and wanted to
show the power of God rather than the so called powers of pagan gods
and goddesses
Truths We Can Agree Upon
- 1. The human body was created as a beautiful form by God (the
“Greatest Artist”), for after God created the earth and everything in it,
He said “it was very good” (Gen. 1: 31) ;
- 2. Since Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden, we have always had
a need to clothe ourselves, for “the Lord made garments of skin for
Adam and his wife, and clothed them” (Gen. 3:21);
- 3. There are times a study of the human form is critical / necessary
(medical purposes).
An Alternative View
- From a personal viewpoint, I appreciate the skill of artists who have
created works of art emphasizing the human form.
- One of the major problems I have with nudity as a focus in the art
world, is that it places emphasis on man, and the skill of the artist,
rather than on God.
Paul Preaching on
Aeropagus Hill (Athens)
- Paul was greatly distressed to see the city of Athens full of idols.
- Athenians and foreigners who lived there, spent time talking about the
latest ideas.
- Epicurean and Stoic philosophers disputed with Paul.
Areopagus: Prominent Rock Overlooking Athens
- Areopagus is a prominent rock outcropping located northwest of the
Acropolis in Athens, Greece.
- Its English name is translated "Ares Rock”.
- (Ares: equivalent to the Roman god of war: “Mars”.
- In classical times, it functioned as the court for trying intentional
homicides.
Paul Reasoned with the Athenians:
- “Men of Athens, as I walked about your city and looked carefully at your
objects of worship, I found one altar with the inscription: “to an
unknown God”.
Greek god and goddesses:
- Over time, Greek myths evolved into complex cycles that represent a
comprehensive attempt to understand the world.
- Greeks were very rational in their thinking.
- However, (in my opinion) myths about their gods and goddesses in
many ways lacked logic and morality….
- Zeus (Jupiter): Son of Kronos and Rhea, god of sky (weather); king of
Olympia deities.
- Hera (Juno): wife of Zeus (his sister) after Zeus killed Kronos.
- Poseidon (Neptune): god of the sea.
- Hades (Pluto): god of the underworld.
- Ares (Mars): god of war; son of Zeus and Hera.
- Hebe (Juventas): goddess of youth
- Hephaistos (Vulcan): lame of god of metalwork.
- Athena (Minerva): goddess of crafts, intelligence, and wisdom, patron
goddess of Athens.
- Aphrodite (Venus): goddess of love, beauty.
- Apollo (Apollo): god of the stringed lyre, and music.
Some Believed Paul’s Message: “Dionysius the Aeropagite”
- Some believed his message: among them was Dionysius, the
Aeropagite.
- Dionysius was converted to Christianity by the Paul’s preaching.
- According to some early church documents, Dionysius later became the
first Bishop of Athens.
Greek styles:
- Geometric
Abstraction
- Orientalizing
- (Fantasy)
- Archaic (Realism
- with Abstraction)
- Classic
- (Idealism /
Naturalism)
- Hellenistic
- (Fantasy,
Naturalism,
- Romanticism)
“Ancestors of Western Civilization…”
- “ Greek architecture, sculpture, and civilization
- are immediately recognizable as the ancestors
- of Western civilization.”
• Present day examples:
- -Government buildings
- -Banks
- -Churches
- -Colleges
- -Public monuments (statues)
- -Theaters
- -Coins
- -Pottery
Challenges in Studying
Greek Art:
- The works themselves:
▶ Greek monuments are reliable sources, but only a few survive
- Roman Copies:
▶ Roman copies make it difficult to study Greek Art because we do
not know how faithfully the Romans copied the originals.
- Literature:
▶ Roman Literature deals with artists and works that have not
survived…while the ones we consider great are not even
mentioned!!!
Why Study Greek Art?
- Some Christians reject the study of Greek art because of being opposed
to studying about Greek gods / Greek mythology.
Tertullian: Believed that Philosophy was the Root of Heresy:
- philosophy was the “parent of heresy”;
- philosophers were “mockers and corrupters of the truth”.
“What has Athens have to do with Jerusalem?”:
- Used in the right manner (giving God the glory) “Athens” (the arts,
philosophy…) can be a powerful way of communicating the gospel to a
lost world.
Periods/ Styles in
Early Greek Art:
- Geometric Style in Pottery
▶ This unusual 5 foot vase is from a cemetery near the Dipylon
Gate in Athens.
▶ It was used as a grave monument.
▶ Holes in the base allowed liquid offering (libation) to filter to the
dead.
Gender Based Amphora Vases:
- Men: Represented by neck-amphora vases
- Women: Represented by belly handled amphora vases
Content of the Dipylon Master’s Vase:
• Deer grazing ( Top third of neck):
May represent earthly life (?)
Content: Narrative of an Athenian funerary ritual
with symbolism of life after death.
.
• Figures in the Center:
Narrative of a funerary scene depicting a deceased
woman lying on a coffin stand.
• Deer reclining (Base of neck):
Deer reclining with heads turned over bodies
create movement like the meander designs. These
shapes may represent “eternal life”, as the
meander designs have a constant (“eternal”) eye
flow movement. (?)
