Afterlife affect on the art and architecture of the Egypt and Mesopotamian civilizations The first visions that come to mind when thinking of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamian cultures are the Great Pyramid and the Sphinx of Giza. The ancient architecture displays some of the most impressive works of art. What affected the art and architecture of these ancient civilizations are their belief in life after death. Mortuary spells from the Egyptian Book of the Dead were written on papyrus sheets and placed with the dead so as to help them face the dangers of the underworld and achieve bliss in the next life. The Mesopotamian netherworld was a shadowy version of life on earth that lay underground (Ancient Mesopotamian Beliefs in the Afterlife 2016) and is described as a land of no return. The figure of “Queen of the Night” on a large plaque made of baked clay shows a naked woman holding a rod and ring of justice. Her wings are hanging downwards give her an aura of divinity and she is a goddess of the Underworld.Within a span of 50 years, the Greeks revolutionized the buildings and sculptures The earliest Greek sculptors probably worked with wood, but those artifacts never survived as wood is perishable. Still, wooden idols were worshipped by the Greeks as late as 400 B.C.E. After the downfall of the Mycenaean civilization, the Dark Age began for Greek artists and sculptors at around 1100 B.C.E., when the sculpture was reduced to working with clay and wood. It was around 600 B.C.E. that sculpture saw a revival and Greek sculptors chose marble as their favorite medium. They copied from Egyptians but their statues were more freestanding and carried new postures. When comparing archaic Greek statues from 600 B.C.E. to 500 B.C.E. one can find significant advancements made (Sacks, Murray and Brody 305). The sculptures and figures were more realistic with the right musculature and facial expression. With the defeat of Persians, a whole new world unfurled for the Greek sculptors and artists. The blend of prosperity, confidence and religious piety opened a whole new world of one of the greatest cultural era in the history. Greek sculptors broke away from the traditional art forms and developed a new realism in the pose and posture of their sculptures that carried emotions. There was improvement seen in the casting technology that was able to render finer details on the sculptures relating to hair, clothing and muscles.The advancements that the Ancient Romans made in architecture Ancient Romans continued the legacy of the earlier architects of the Greek world. Still, they were great innovators and quick to adopt new techniques for construction and make use of new materials. They did follow the guidelines set by the Greeks but added their own ideas. One good example can be taken from the Arch of Septimius Severus in Rome. They were the first to realize the full possibilities of using lime mortar to create concrete. Stucco, made from a mix of sand, gypsum, was used for architectural decorations and could be carved. There are magnificent structures and examples of Roman architecture that have stood the test of time. This was possible because Romans pushed the boundaries of physics and experimented with a wide range of materials to create impressive building designs like the Amphitheatre (Roman Architecture 2016).
Works Cited
"Ancient Mesopotamian Beliefs in the Afterlife." Ancient history Encyclopedia. ancient.eu 2016.
"Roman Architecture." Ancient history Encyclopedia. ancient.eu 2016. Web. 21 Feb. 2016.
Sacks, David, Murray, Oswyn Murray and Brody, Lisa R. "Encyclopedia of the Ancient Greek World." Infobase Publishing 1.1 (2014): 1-433. Print.
