Aegean Art - Option #2

    Based on the location of the Minoan civilization, I believe that the first piece of art belongs to these Bronze Age people.  One of the first pieces of evidence that leads me to believe this was that on page 84, where it claimed that, "with many safe harbors and a convenient location, Crete became a wealthy sea power, trading with mainland Greece, Egypt, the Near East, and Anatolia".  Another chunk of evidence lies on page 87, explaining that, "Minoan painters worked on a large scale, covering entire walls of rooms with geometric borders, views of nature, and scenes of human activity".  Having stated this and referring back to the image, it is clear that this figure is some sort of fisherman and/or fish trader.  Also, it is easily noticeable that at the top of the slate lies somewhat of a border that has outlined this image, although, it appears to me as if this image has been removed from a larger scale painting or canvas of figures.  According to the shades and colors used to develop this piece, it is evident that the "Spring Fresco" on page 91 in the textbook shows some common similarities with the colors used in this unidentified piece.

     For this next ceramic piece, I believe that this could have possibly been from the Mycenaean civilization.  One of the reasons I think this is, is based on the ceramic imagery presented on page 99 in the textbook.  If you notice the characters in the unidentified image and the image in the book, you can notice that both of the figures within the ceramics look very cartoon like.  It is clear that they did not design the figures to be accurate in proportion to reality, but more so to just create a simple symbol.  All of these civilizations were involved and responsible for ceramic works, however, the Mycenaeans were the only ones to incorporate different colored metals in their works.  While ceramics was also one of their large areas of focus, another piece that leads us to this assumption is the fact that their kraters (bowl for mixing water and wine) were all commonly produced with a certain scene that could tell a story and symbolize some sort of message.  One of the major reasons why I don't think it is Cycladic is because they were focused more on sculptures and those that involved nude women and emphasized symmetry.

Giza Pyramids vs. Ziggurats of Near East

     Ziggurats of the ancient Near East, like pyramids were used for the purpose of religious meetings between gods and humans.  Pyramids were similar in some ways, but were mainly used as funeral locations for wealthy rulers that had them constructed for themselves.

     Pyramids had various elements involved within their tombs specifically, such as sculptures located throughout, as well as paintings that could possibly relate to their afterlife future or even some that could tell a story about the patron.  Ziggurats were supported by the wealthy, built over other ruins upon ruins to hold ceremonies regarding the connection between the heavens and the people.  Like pyramids of Giza, these ziggurats were built with a handful of stairs in order to reach the top of the shrine.  Both of these structures were used to symbolize or represent some sort of ruler of person of higher status during their lives.

      Ziggurats were usually built over previous sacred sites and continued to be built on as they been known to serve the "Bond between Heaven and Earth".  They were also usually built upon larger cliff areas that looked over flat lands, which also helped them gain the name, "House of the Mountains".  While pyramids were built with much more time and preparation, they were carefully planned out and some took a decent amount of time to build since they had much more underground structures to build.  On that note, ziggurats were built more for aesthetic purpose on the outside of what is presented, rather than what is below or buried at the tomb.

     So overall, ziggurats and pyramids were both used as special ceremonial places to be used for worship and connections directly with the gods.  But the primary contrasting differences is, are that pyramids were used for burials more than meetings, ziggurats were used to hold meetings for religious purposes generally.  Both were large pieces of architecture which held some symbolic meaning during their time frame, both equally as important during each civilization.

Darius and Xerxes Receiving Tribute

                One of the more elegant pieces of Eastern art that has grabbed my attention was the relief of Darius and Xerxes Receiving Tribute.  This piece is not only sculpted into a few characters, but rather tells a story.  Also, this relief is believed to symbolize not Darius in the throne, but rather Xerxes, the up and coming successor of his father.  In this piece specifically, Darius is supposedly being greeted in a ritual manner that is referred to as a proskynesis, while Xerxes (son of Darius) overhears what is being presented.  This piece can be found on the Apadana staircase located in Persepolis, Iran.

My initial reaction to this piece was bland and dull.  It didn’t have much variation, nor did it contain much information based solely on the image.  However, after reading more about this relief, I discovered a few things that have helped mold my perspective into thinking otherwise.  First off, I learned that in Eastern art, people were not very fond of having their actual face portrayed in self-portraits, it was something that most people would simply prefer not to have.  Thus, making it impossible to identify who is Darius and who is Xerxes, because they have the exact same face.  Facial features were not a high priority in these forms of work.

                 This relief is actually portrayed within the Apadana, within Persepolis, Iran (which was the audience and meeting area to greet Darius and attend events).  During this time frame, the Persian Empire reached from Africa all the way to India, thus making Darius a very powerful and renowned figure during the Ancient Near East era.  It was said that this piece of art was at a time more vibrant with colors and metals that were used to emphasize Darius’ crown and gold leaf used for his necklace.  Key components in this relief are used to show just how powerful and royal Darius was at this moment in his reign.  Noticing how his feet are not touching the ground, but have their own ataman to rest upon, reflects that he was of high power.  Another thing that drew my attention was the fact that he has two guards behind him and two more guards in front of him, both symmetrically placed to achieve the King’s protection.  He also has an entourage of potentially royal figures/family that stand beside and behind him on his throne, proving that he must be of a higher importance.

              Placed in front of Darius are two incents stands, implying that his throne was a clean place and had the type of resources that he could keep his palace pristine.  It is hard to tell what the people behind Darius are holding, but each one seems to be wielding a different object.  Although, the figure behind Darius (who is assumed to be Xerxes) is also carrying the same object as the King, possibly a goblet or a brazier of some sort.  The figure directly behind Xerxes appears to be a woman because of the ornament she is wearing on her head, covering parts of her face and seems to be holding some sort of cloth.  And furthermore, the figure behind her seems to be holding some sort of pickaxe, with a dagger drawn to his waist.  This was probably considered a man who was handy with creating things, maybe a carpenter under the King’s personal request.  What I found strange was that the guards to the far right seem to be found holding what looks like a purse, or a small knapsack.  But being that close to the incents, it could just be more material to keep the scent of the place.

             I find it simply fascinating that such a small detailed relief from a staircase in a audience hall can tell such a story.  Perhaps there is more to the story than historians can even make from this and from what information we have gathered over the years.  In my opinion, there is always more information to uncover, especially from such early Persian times like these.  Although this relief was made during the last five years of Darius' ruling, it could simply be a story to illustrate how Darius is now passing the throne on to his successor and son, Xerxes.  To be able to make such intricate reliefs at this early of a time frame blows my mind and has helped shape the world into what the Greek's adopted as art.  And from there, what the rest of the world soon adopted as art.