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Dane Modeste

Grantham University

AR310: Ancient Art: Tombs & Treasures

Assignment 4

July, 06, 2020

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Ancient Egyptian

Seated scribe

The Statue of the Seated Scribe or kneeling Scribe is a well-known

piece in Egyptian art. It's a image of a seated scribe at function. The work was

found in Saqqara, north of the Sphinx alley leading to the Serapeum of Saqqara,

in 1850 and dated back to the Old Kingdom, perhaps from the 5th Century, c.

2450–2325 AEC or 4th Generation, 2620–2500 AEC.

Statues of Servants-Ushabti

The Ushabt was an ancient symbol being used ancient Greek

mythology. Ushabtis were put among the archaeological evidence in the

tombs and were meant to serve as slaves or assistants to the dead,

should they be called upon to perform physical labor in the afterlife. The

tradition of utilizing ushabtis began in the Old Kingdom of Egypt (c.

2600 to 2100 BCE) in the use of life-size reserve heads constructed

from limestone. They were buried with a mummy. Many of the ushabtis

were tiny in number, and several of them created in multiples often

filled the floor around a sarcophagus. Exceptional ushabtis are larger in

size or created as a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.

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Ancient Near East

Head of A women

She is a head of an unknown female called Inanna from Uruk. Inanna

(later identified as Ishtar) is the most powerful female goddess in all times of

Mesopotamian civilization. She is regarded as the goddess of love and battle,

and she was particularly glorified by the Sumerians. They founded a shrine

devoted to her in Uruk, or Iraq today[ CITATION Osa19 \l 1033 ].

Carved Vessel

The Warka Vase or Uruk Vase is a slender decorated alabaster vessel

discovered in the main temple of the Sumerian goddess Inanna with in

ancient ruins town of Uruk, situated in the current Al-Muthanna governorate,

in southern Iraq. Like the Uruk Trough as well as the Narmer Palette from

Egypt, that's one of the early remaining projects of descriptive stone carvings

dated to c. 3200-3000 BC.Quick relief[ CITATION Brind \l 1033 ].

Compare and Contrast

Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt all arose as significant cultures between around 3500

and 3000 BCE. Such cultures enabled human beings, for the first time in history, to live in one

location and farm instead of searching for their sometimes harmful wild animal food supplies.

Both civilizations shared similarities and differences in their geography, beliefs , social systems ,

and technology that enabled them to survive and to become two of the most well-known ancient

civilizations[ CITATION Brind \l 1033 ].It has also been noted that many of the Mesopotamian

statues are etched with giant heads. The sculptures contained in the Abu Temple in Tell Asmar
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are excellent examples of sculptures of this type. This implies the emphasis of the Mesopotamian

on the character’s eyes. Throughout Egypt, however, the eyes are always drawn or etched as thin

and low. Eyes are highlighted mainly with the application of lip liners that are usually black in

color commonly recognized today as eye liner. This can also be used in drawings on the walls of

a pyramid. Apart from the sketches in the stone, that can also be seen with the precious masks

found by their rulers in the past[ CITATION Brind \l 1033 ].

Many similarities and disparities between Mesopotamian and Egyptian architecture may

be clarified by the innovations they each had. Both cultures constructed colossal structures, as

seen by their surviving architecture. The Egyptians had links to local shale, granite, and basalt

questions. It still isn't entirely certain how such stones were cut and transported, but they were

used, in fact, by limestone, to create large buildings, particularly pyramids[ CITATION Stu17 \l 1033

]. The Mesopotamians also were focused on huge monumental structures. Nevertheless, they

used mud from the riverbeds of Tigris and Euphrates to make bricks. These bricks were used for

the building of their huge ziggurats. The greatest distinction is the techniques used for

construction: the concrete blocks were 100′ or so thick at most; the Great Pyramids were made

from limestone[ CITATION Stu17 \l 1033 ] .

Both cultures have created a range of pottery. However, the pottery of Mesopotamia

appeared to be more standardized and modern. It is probably attributed to their use of the potter's

wheel, a piece of invention that the Egyptians appear to have overlooked. Egyptians were often

able to mobilize people to construct such great temples, but this was impossible for the

Mesopotamians whose territories were under relentless attack[ CITATION Stu17 \l 1033 ]. The

discrepancies owed everything, ultimately, to differing values, as the Mesopotamians were not as

obsessed as the Egyptians were for the plans for the death that inspired the great temples and
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great pyramid that created Egypt. Similarities in history, community, economy , and society

indicate cultures that have differed considerably owing to relatively different backgrounds and

climates[ CITATION Brind \l 1033 ]. The ultimate contrast was remarkable, with Egypt more

prosperous and happy than Mesopotamia not only in the belief in the gods and the afterlife, but

also in the vibrant and detailed depictions that the Egyptians stressed in their decorations. The

contrast in internal background was also important, with Egyptian society much less affected by

destruction than its equivalent in Mesopotamia. Mesopotamian sculpture, thus, depicted this fear

and the attacks that they face[ CITATION Stu17 \l 1033 ].

The Old Kingdom represents an significant period in the historical and cultural history of

Egypt. It was around this critical era that hieroglyphic writing attained a realistic degree of

complexity and that art methods attained a high standard of professionalism. The Middle

Kingdom was a time of rebirth of the former empire, which had gradually disintegrated.

Commerce and innovation flourished in the Middle Kingdom. Pyramids continued to be

constructed, but the style in which they were designed appeared to be more modest and less

showy[ CITATION Stu17 \l 1033 ].

No one should doubt the importance of the Mesopotamian and Egyptian cultures. We

have made the move from ancient to modern. The value of their accounts of their everyday lives,

their rulers and their gods can not be underestimated, particularly for our comprehension of the

former citizens. We have championed the interest and significance and history of creating a kind

of system. The comparison between Egyptian and Mesopotamian architecture can be seen in

various styles, compositions and conceptions. Culture of both realms represents the culture,

economic and religious position of the communities residing in these separate countries. The

similarity between Ancient Egypt and Near Eastern cultures is apparent in the way that both
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times tend to be interesting and concise storytellers Documentaries. The desire to register,

conveys, and stamps one’s existence and experience is a prevailing trend that typically exists

within the two realms.

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Bibliography
Amin, O. S. (2019, March 21). The Mask of Warka at the Iraq Museum. Retrieved from
ancient.eu: https://www.ancient.eu/image/10265/the-mask-of-warka-at-the-iraq-museum/

Britanica. (n.d). Egyptian art and architecture. Retrieved from britannica:

https://www.britannica.com/art/Egyptian-art/Sculpture

Study. ( 2017, Oct 24). Mesopotamia & Ancient Egypt: Similarities & Differences. Retrieved
from study.com: https://study.com/academy/lesson/mesopotamia-ancient-egypt-
similarities-differences.html