World Civilizations: Essay 1

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1 World Civilizations: Essay 1 Daniel Fendlason 0

2 Essay Topic 1 The controversy that surrounds the way Museums or any other public or private collector for that matter collects their artifacts and artwork is a controversy that requires great consideration before deciding the correct course of action. The line between right and wrong has been skewed to an almost unrecognizable point due to time. It may have come to the point were it is no longer a controversy about who is right and who is wrong, but a question of what is the right thing to do. Should the collector return artifacts to the country of origin if the Government of that country requests the artifacts return? Or should the collector refuse to do anything? These are the questions that need to be considered. Before coming to a conclusion, a look into the past must be taken in order to form an educated opinion of what the right course of action is for the future. The only way to look at this properly is to take a look at both sides of the fence and then formulate my own opinion. For the first part I will take a look at the side of the collector, in this case the Museum of Fine Art (MFA). Certain Governments are claiming that some of the artifacts that the MFA possesses were obtained illegally, and the Governments are requesting that they be returned. The Governments are claiming that the artifacts were looted, and then sold through the black market. Eventually the artifacts found there way into the MFA. At the time of purchase, or donation, the MFA was under the assumption that the artifacts were obtained legally. Such is the case of the Mayan exhibit that the MFA put on display ten years ago. When this exhibit was opened up to the public, it was surrounded with controversy. The Guatemalan government said the artifacts were looted, and they wanted them returned to Guatemala. The director of the museum, Malcolm Rogers, had said the artifacts are legal and appropriate for ownership and display in this country. He went on to say that all the Columbian pieces entered the 1

3 United States before 1983, the year the United States endorsed a 1970 UN convention designed to prevent trafficking of looted artifacts, indicating that the museum has not broken any laws. The Boston Globe article Some museum goers miss reason for debate states several enthusiasts opinions on the matter. Such as Elliot Stone who said: I think it s sad that they were not able to protect their own culture. We certainly wouldn t want them destroyed in a revolution, they re fabulous items that should be preserved in a museum 1. The article goes on to quote several other enthusiasts opinion, all saying the same thing; the MFA has done nothing wrong. There are some instances were looted artifacts were returned. Stanley Ho, a man who has made millions in the Casino business, has recently bought and returned a controversial Chinese sculpture. The sculpture is a Horse head that formed part of an elaborate water clock fountain designed by Jesuit missionaries for the summer palace in Beijing. During the second Opium war of 1860 the French and British burnt the palace and looted the sculptures 2. After the palace was looted, the horse head was taken back to France and went into a private collection, which resurfaced in 1989 in London. Earlier this year Ho bought the Horse head and returned it to Beijing s poly museum. In 2003 Ho bought a Boars head from the same water clock and returned it as well. The Chinese government has said that these heads are stolen property and has been fighting to have all the heads returned. Of the twelve animal heads only seven have been located, and the 1 Farragher, Thomas. Some museumgoers miss reason for debate. The Boston Globe [Boston], 6 December A7 2 Yu, Vincent. Casino magnate promises to return looted sculpture to China. CBC News. 21 September Accessed: 27 September

4 Chinese government has been able to buy back the Tiger, Ox, and Monkey heads for a total of 4 million dollars 3. My opinion is that if the artifacts have been looted and the country of origin is asking for their return, then the person in possession needs to give them back. It s similar to somebody stealing a car and then selling it. Then the original owner notices his car in a parking lot and demands to have it back. The buyer has to return it. He cannot plead ignorance and say, I didn t know it was stolen and refuse to return it. It doesn t matter how many times the car has been sold, or how obscure the line between ownership becomes because of time and legalities such as registration, paying property tax, and so on. If the original owner wants his car back, it has to be returned. The opinion of the buyer doesn t matter either; he can t say that in order to preserve the integrity of the car he will not return it. It really doesn t matter what the buyer thinks; it isn t his car. Even if it is an irreplaceable car, that s all the more reason to for the owner to want it back. The same principles apply to the world of art. If an artifact was obtained illegally, then any transaction after the initial crime is an illegal transaction and holds no merit of ownership. If the country of origin requests that the artifacts be returned, then they have to be returned, even if original country doesn t have the facilities to preserve the artifacts properly. It s their property. It s a part of their history and culture. Their citizens deserve to appreciate their heritage. 3 Professor- Attached to the back is the full article of you are interested. 3

5 Essay question 2 The beliefs and rituals of our culture today have roots in the beliefs and rituals of ancient cultures, such as Egypt. Parts of the Egyptian culture have been assimilated by every civilization that has adopted an Egyptian belief or ritual. In today s culture the belief or ritual may have been assimilated into a state of almost unrecognizable origin. But the underlying purpose, which originated from Egyptian thought, is still there. The biggest cultural ritual that the Egyptians have contributed to our society is the modern day funeral. In the MFA there are mummies, such as the mummy of Nesmutaatneru 4. Nesmutaatneru was wrapped in mummy cloth to preserve her body. She was placed in a succession of three coffins. The two innermost coffins are elaborately decorated to show the status of the person inside the coffin 5. The mummy was an Aristocrat, or social elite, who had been embalmed, which is the process of preserving a dead body. The mummy coffin was placed in a tomb, which usually consisted of fifteen rooms and contained everything the mummy would need to reach the after life successfully 6. Our funeral is not much different. We embalm our dead to preserve the body, dress them up really nice, and place them in a casket. The only big difference is that we bury our dead six feet deep and mark their grave with a tombstone. We bury everybody this way. The only people the Egyptians buried were the Aristocrats and Pharaohs. Everybody else that died was usually placed in a pit of sand. We also believe in life after death, as did the Egyptians. Except we bury our dead so they have a peaceful place to decompose and rest for eternity and so the living can be comforted by the 4 MFA artifact a 5 MFA artifact b, c, d 6 Egyptian Afterlife-Coffins-Mummy Masks. Crystal links. Accessed: 1 October

6 thought of always knowing where there loved one is buried. The Egyptians buried the Pharaoh and Aristocrats so they could make it to the after life. Which is why they buried them with luxuries such as the Shawabti boxes that were found next to the Nesmutaatneru coffins 7. These boxes were filled with figures molded in the shape of a mummified person and were designed to do any work that the gods asked the deceased spirits to do in the afterlife 8. The Egyptians believed such commodities could be taken to the after life and increase their chances of having a successful after life. Many of our monotheistic symbols originated from polytheistic symbols in Egypt. Egypt was a civilization that was symbolically orientated to a degree that was unmatched. It was through symbols that they represented many of their ideas and beliefs toward nature, life, and death. The halos that we depict Angels wearing were assimilated into the bible. The symbol of the halo can be traced to the Egyptians. A halo, or nimbus, represents the divine energy, which radiates from the head 9. The Egyptians often depicted their sun god to have a halo around his head. Much like the way the corona part of the sun looks when you stare at it. This is very similar to pictures of Angels who have halos that are radiating light from around there head. The Washington monument, which is located in Washington D.C., is strikingly similar to an Egyptian Obelisk. Both are very tall, have four sides and come to a point at the top. One of the reasons the Egyptians built Obelisks was to symbolize the sun god Ra. The Obelisks were placed in pairs at the entrance of temples for protection and defense. The Romans were infatuated with Obelisks, to the point were there are twice as many Obelisks standing in Rome than in 7 MFA Explore Ancient Egypt. MFA. Mummy Funerary Arts. Accessed: 4 October Dunn, Jimmy. The Great Aten, The God and Disk of the Sun. Tour Egypt. Accessed: 29 September

7 Egypt 10. The Washington monument was built to memorialize George Washington s achievements and devotion to his country. Although the reasons and symbolism for erecting such monuments are different in all three civilizations, it is obvious to see where the inspiration for these monuments originated. There are things that may seem far-fetched to have Egyptian origin, but once the layers of assimilation are peeled back, it is quite obvious where the idea came from. Sunday is our holy day; it is our day of rest because in the bible it says that Christ was resurrected on Sunday. Therefore every Sunday we take the day to worship him. So how did this monotheistic belief begin as a polytheistic belief? Sunday can be broken down into two words - sun and day. The Egyptian sun god, Ra, played a very important role in their view of life because without the sun life would not exist. The Greeks who respected the sun as much as the Egyptians gave it prime importance in their thinking as well. This belief was then adopted by the Roman Empire who later adopted the seven-day week. To emphasize their respect for the sun they named the first day of the week dies solis or the day of the sun Ancient Egyptian Obelisk. Wikipedia. Accessed: 4 October Butler, Allen. The Origins and History of the Days of the Week. Googobits. 11 August Accessed: 30 September

8 Bibliography Essay 1 1. Farragher, Thomas. Some museumgoers miss reason for debate. The Boston Globe [Boston], 6 December A7 2. Yu, Vincent. Casino magnate promises to return looted sculpture to China. CBC News. 21 September Accessed: 27 September Essay 2 3. Watson, John. Ancient Egyptian Symbolism, and Introduction. Tour Egypt. 13 September Accessed: 28 September Watson, John. Ancient Egyptian Symbolism, The Forms and Functions. Tour Egypt. 14 September Accessed: 28 September Dunn, Jimmy. The Great Aten, The God and Disk of the Sun. Tour Egypt. Accessed: 29 September Our Seven Day week. Calendars through the ages, WebExhibits. Accessed: 30 September Days of the Week: Sunday. Days of the Week, In depth info. Accessed: 30 September Butler, Allen. The Origins and History of the Days of the Week. Googobits. 11 August Accessed: 30 September Wallechinsky, Davind & Wallace, Irving. What was the origin of the Halo? Trivia Library. Accessed: 1 October Egyptian Afterlife-Coffins-Mummy Masks. Crystal links. Accessed: 1 October Mummies and the After Life. Think quest. Accessed: 2 October Explore Ancient Egypt. MFA. Mummy Funerary Arts. Accessed: 4 October Ancient Egyptian Obelisk. Wikipedia. Accessed: 4 October

World Leaders: King Tutankhamun

World Leaders: King Tutankhamun By Biography.com Editors and A+E Networks, adapted by Newsela staff on 10.13.16 Word Count 724 The golden funerary mask of King Tutankhamun in the Egyptian Museum. Photo: