The Temple of Dendur was built by Petronius, the Roman governor of Egypt more than three millennia ago. The temple was dedicated to ancient deities Isis, Osiris, Pihor and Pediese. It was Emperor Augustus of Rome who commissioned this grand project. Ever since the year 1978, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has…
Category: Archeology
Highlights from Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond
*The documentary film Guns, Germs and Steel based on the book of the same name expounds on a original thesis by author Jared Diamond. The main highlights of the film are as follows. *In the 13,000 year history since the end of the last Ice Age, European civilization has advanced the most compared to other…
An overview of native Australian art forms
Native Australian art forms have received renewed interest in recent decades, with anthropologists and historians arriving at a refined understanding of them. Of particular interest is the emphasis on artistic style and environmental sensitivity displayed by artefacts. Recent research on this interesting field was made possible through the analysis of numerous aboriginal wooden artefacts traded…
Why are the Romans considered great city builders?
The Roman Empire continues to be of historical importance even today. This is because the political, social, architectural and cultural achievements made by Romans during their Empire’s peak, continues to inspire people even today. The capital city of Rome was especially famous for its detailed planning and organization. It is difficult to perceive how city…
Article Review: ‘Burials, Houses, Women and Men in the European Neolithic’ by Ian Hodder
What does the author say is his/her goal in this article or chapter? What is the point he/she is going to make? At the outset, the Ian Hodder tries to make clear the two varying interpretations of neolithic megalith structures. The first view assumes that the megalith monuments of ancient Europe were products of emerging…
Theories in Mythology: Elements of Magic Realism
Gaster writes that “the mythological story presupposes activity on a level somewhat different from that of the actual and empirical. Its [. . .] characters can violate the normal laws of nature; they can change shape and sex, or traverse prodigious distances at a bound” (Sacred Narrative 129). A suitable analogy to the genre of…
Theories in Mythology: What does Dardel mean by “the myth is neither ‘true’ nor ‘false’, and always in the present, not the past” in the Sacred Narrative?
Dardel assertion that myths are neither true nor false can be explained the following way. Many mythologies are composed in the form of epic poems. And poetry hands its writer with an artistic license, and allows him to concentrate on the aesthetic aspects of the work. Inevitably, factuality becomes irrelevant in such a scenario. Hence,…
Theories in Mythology: Why is mythology so hard to define? How has your definition changed since you began to study the subject?
During the times of its conception and application, mythologies were intricately woven into the fabric of society. It is to be noted that for primitive people mythologies were the predominant source of information and entertainment. Hence, it becomes difficult to distinguish between the theoretical and practical sides of these stories. In the context of this…
Theories in Mythology: Definition of the “hero” as a concept.
Mythologies of all types are consistently associated with a central heroic character. Some historians believe that mythologies evolved in the first place as a medium of admiration for the hero. The actual manifestation of the hero can take varied forms. He/she could assume the form of a human being with all its frailties or can…
Changing practices in the treatment of the dead illuminates our wider understanding of the Neolithic period.
The mortuary practices during the Neolithic period in Britain (4000-2500 BC), provides evidence for the underlying complex sociology. Not only do they signify the role of the dead, but also throw light on other aspects of this age. The following are some of them. The arrival of the Beaker Folk The most significant cultural shift…