Hieroglyphics in the Ancient World

Painted stela of Osiris Seter-au

Painted limestone

Mid-seventh century BCE

Said to be from Abydos

HMANE 1902.17.32

Lintel #2 from doorway of "El Temple de la Stela de las Victimus," 658AD (Late Classic Period)

Piedras Negras, Usumacinta River, Peten, Guatemala

Limestone

Overall: 36 x 48 1/16 inches

Overall weight: 309 pounds

Collected by Teobert Maler (1899-1900), Peabody Museum Expedition (1899-1900) [Cat. No. 00-36-20/C2740]

Though separated in time and space by about 2,000 years and 7,500 miles, these two ancient artworks were both used in tombs to honor the deceased and both use hieroglyphics, a formal writing system, to record a story. In this context, both objects were used to help tell important narratives that shaped each ruler’s life at the respective sites of ancestor worship.

Above is a painted Egypitan stela depicting a deceased nobleman “who used to praise the god in Karnak” and his family members standing before a table of offerings in the presence of the sun god Ra. For ancient Egyptians, the sun was the source of all life, and Ra long endured as a powerful and popular figure. Ra was often closely associated with the falcon god Horus, and is depicted here with Horus’s falcon head topped by a sun disk. This stela was erected, possibly in the temple of Osiris at Abydos in Upper Egypt about six miles from the Nile River. The site of Abydos played a pivotal role in ancient Egyptian religious life. The earliest kings of Egypt, including those from the first dynasty of Egypt’s history (3000-2890 B.C.), appear to have been buried at Abydos and predate the Great Pyramids by several centuries.

Below is an intricately carved panel from a nine-level funerary monument in Guatemala built for “Ruler 2” and depicts six young boys dressed in nearly identical costume participating in an initiation ritual. The six kneeling figures at the left each carry a square shield and are clearly subordinate to the two standing lords at the right. They all wear capes composed of individual broad strips, which are often worn by warriors and lords both at Teotihuacan and in the Maya area. This male attire may symbolize the warrior that each of the youths on Lintel 2 hopes to become.

Additional images:

Likeness of Piedras Negra, Peten, Guatemala

Line drawing of Lintel 2

Lintel 1, originally adjacent to Lintel 2

Map of Abydos, Egypt

Site of Abydos in Egypt. (Image credit: Rikko / Shutterstock)

Comments

Painting Identity

Painting I selected painting as a media and identity as a critical term to explore. Spanning four continents, Europe, North America, Africa, and Asia, and the Harvard Art Museums, I have selected six works to exemplify this media and at the same time, explore identity as a critical term. Painting as a medium dates back at least 20,000 years, to the striking stylized portrayals of animals painted in mineral pigments found in caves at Lascaux, France. Painting, the practice of applying paint and other media to a surface, usually with a brush, spans all cultures and crosses many genres. Painting is both an action, and the result of the action -- the painting as an object.(1) The surfaces (or supports) for painting have evolved from cave walls to paper, wood, cloth, canvas, ceramics, and bodies. Earth and minerals, plant extracts, and modern synthetics are still used for pigments and mixed with a binder to make paint. A solvent is also a component of painti...

Group Project: Week 11

Week 11: Group Assignment Akarsh Raghunath and Karen Kramer HARVARD MUSEUM OF ETHNOMUSICOLOGY Mission and vision statement: The Harvard Museum of Ethnomusicology (HME) specializes in engagement, support and promotion of knowledge related to the production, presentation, appreciation and preservation of music from different cultures across the globe The Museum collects, preserves, interprets, and makes accessible tangible and intangible ethnomusicological heritage and offers unique opportunities for innovative exhibitions, teaching, research, and enrichment with musicians and performing artists from around the world. Through interactive technology, immersive exhibition environments, and dynamic programs, HME brings the Harvard community together through music and culture, making connections across time, space, and worldview. Brief history: Founded in 2020 by Akarsh Raghunath and Karen Kramer, and recognized as a “Landmark of Music and Culture from ar...

Repatriation, Repositioning, Reengagement Karen Kramer Stewardship of objects entrusted to a museum’s care requires careful, sound, and responsible management. Collection management requires legal compliance in the United States through the federal 1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, as well as concomitant social and ethical obligations for objects that fall outside of legal bounds, within the United States and across the globe. Some museums are contending with the legacies of colonialism through careful and considered self-reflection, recognizing that the repatriation of objects isn’t solely about returning culturally sensitive and/or illegally obtained objects. It’s also about knowledge repatriation, building relationships and the opportunities for collaborative projects, and how to maintain these ongoing relationships. The 2018 Overview of Repatriation Report by Felwine Sarr and Bénédicte Savoy, commissioned by the French President Emmanuel Macron, ce...

Making Marks

Search This Blog