Archaeology and Discoveries - Essay Example

Exam Essay Chapter 16. According to Egyptologists, what was the purpose of the pyramids that were built during the old kingdom?Egyptologists investigate the Ancient Egyptian culture in terms of its language, history, religion, art, literature, economics and ethics. They are particularly interested in the practice of mummification, which was the Egyptian’s funeral practice. They have discovered very many things including the Great Pyramids of Giza, which is one of the Wonders of the World and the most recognizable monument in the whole of Egypt. They have discovered things like the alignment with the three stars making up Orion’s belt; mathematical precision of the pyramids dimensions highlighting Egypt’s advanced engineering achievements as well as their labor organizational systems all from studying the pyramids. Egyptologists have always regarded pyramids as tombs of ancient Egyptian kings and queens. They also state that pyramids are instruments of rebirth for the king only. This is because they would make it possible for the transfiguration of that king’s soul into an Akh which is a light being. After all this, the soul would pass the underworld otherwise known as the Duat and hopefully get into a place where it could not be disturbed but have an everlasting life with all the other gods. The pyramids were built to protect the bodies of the pharaohs. This is why there were big tombs made to withstand the elements brought about by time and therefore last forever. Most of the Egyptians who live in those ages planned out their death with the pharaohs making it more elaborate considering it an important event. Egyptologists explain that the Egyptians constructed mastabas before the discovery of the pyramids. These were tomblike structure elevated above the ground. Soon, there were six mastabas stacked together forming small pyramids. This first attempt to build a pyramid had a vertical shaft and therefore made it to become a royal tomb. Its entrance had been constructed in a way that it was sealed with a large block of granite. The transition towards making the perfect pyramid was not easy with some being either too steep or collapsing all together. Pyramids have also been speculated to have had other purposes. Some of these purposes include; its association with Isis – Osiris, initiation centers, some even considered pyramids as stone bibles in a religious context, suppository for knowledge holding the imagination of writers and thinkers. Pyramids have been considered to be religious monuments. This is because the Egyptologists consider Egyptian religion as a Sun cult. Egyptologists consider the True Pyramid as a solar symbol. Its shape is supposed to signify the rays of the sun falling on the earth and is referred to as the Sun-Stone. As the King was buried in the Great Pyramid, they argue that the tomb was placed beneath the pyramid to keep thieves at bay and seek an identity with the Sun-god over in the horizon (Fagan & Durrani). 2. Chapter 20. Discuss the vast knowledge archaeology has attained through the discovery of Otzi the Iceman. A couple hiking the Schnalstal glacier discovered a body, which they assumed, belonged to an unfortunate tourist. As the authorities tried to take the body away from the ice, they broke his arm, injured his hip and rip his clothes. They took the body to the local morgue and contacted archeologists to identify the body. The first archaeologist stated that the body was most probably at least 4,000 years old. Carbon dating by four different institution showed that the man had lived between 3300-3100BC. The items he had such as a copper axe indicated that he was from the Copper Age. This is an age between 500-800 years before the Great Pyramid at Giza was built and roughly 600 years before Stonehenge. The man was named Otzi the Iceman after the Otzal Alps between Austria and Italy where he was found. His body is also the oldest naturally mummified one in Europe and has been used to discover more about the Copper Age people. The copper Age is also called the Chalcolithic period and was between the Neolithic or Stone Age and the Bronze Age from maybe 3500-1700BC. At this time Europe’s society was a little bit civilized since people had started living in permanent settlements for maybe 1000 years. They also had domesticated crops such as barley, flax and peas. They reared animals like the goats and the sheep. They had also started trading in copper and other artefacts like jewellery and weapons since they were mining and smelting copper. Otzi had a copper axe when he was found that would have remained sharper for long since it was well preserved and complete. Otzi also had a birch bark containers used to carry fire embers. He had a bow and a quiver of arrows. He had also carried a flint dagger and a net probably for catching birds and rabbits. All these items were all rather very well preserved. The temperatures and the remoteness of the location where he was found contributed his level of preservation. There was therefore very little degradation of the body by either bacteria or animals. The archaeologists also analyzed his stomach’s contents and found that he had deer meat, vegetables and fruits and some bread as his last meal. There was also pollen in his digestive tract suggesting that Otzi lived in one of the local valleys where that type of pollen was common. The shape of the pollen was of a certain family of plants, the grass pollen from birch or hawthorn pollen. This told them that he had eaten that meal in a conifer forest maybe on his way up that mountain and he died in spring. The cause of his death however was a very contentious issue. An x-ray discovered a flint arrow head embedded in his left shoulder. The wound showed that the arrow had hit a major artery and paralyzed the left arm. They also found that there was sign of trauma to the head and brain hemorrhage maybe due to a fall after the arrow shot. His hands and arms had been cut and had bruises indicating that there had been a struggle. He therefore most probably died either from the head wound or from the arrow wound (Fagan & Durrani). 3. Chapter 21. Describe the relationship between kingship, political organization, and religion in Maya civilization. The Maya Civilization was one of the most dominant indigenous societies of Mesoamerica which was Mexico and Central America before the 16th Century Spanish conquest. They were located on one geographical block, which covered all Yucatan Peninsula and modern-day Guatemala. It also covered Belize and parts of the Mexican states of Tabasco and Chiapas as well as the western part of Honduras and El Salvador. This made them rather secure from invasion by other Mesoamerican people. The Maya people during the archaic period had strong religious beliefs and even established sacred spots and temples dedicated to various gods. This was the period 2000-1500BC.the Mayan King was both the peoples’ god and leader of leader of humanity. He was the meeting point between the religion and political organization. His royal blood was precious and all the blood of his relatives was precious. It was considered the highest offering to The Creator who had different names given to him. This blood was involved in rituals called the bloodletting sessions where they would cut their earlobes, tongues and foreskins with sharp razors and poured onto paper strips that were burnt afterwards. The kinship dictated that the king was the bishop thus having a leading role in major public rituals. The political system and the religious system were thus somehow merged because of the king’s dual role. The king scattered incense, burnt offerings sometimes of people as he prayed for his people’s prosperity. He fasted and guarded sexual abstinence during these periods. All this goes out to show that the king was the divine Lord of his own people. The Mayan Civilization saw power and authority come from the elite class. They were able to control both the economic and religious resources this gave them prestige over the whole land and especially in Palenque where they controlled the distribution of food and water, valuable economic elements and proved to the people that they had a great understanding and influence over the natural forces and valuable religious power. The Mayan civilization had centralized political power with its cities being independent politically and generally, the people were ruled by divine kingship. As mentioned, religion was part of the daily life of the Mayan people and they believed in a supernatural world full of deities. It was important for the people to remain in close and favorable contact with their gds which was achieved through rituals and offerings. One of their many deities was their divine king whom they called the k’uhul ajaw of the Maya. He exhibited the highest order in both the political and religious organization of the people. The Mayan people considered religion as a sustaining force. Their gods were very important to them and could provide for them their needs and also very easily take them away and give to others in different cities that they deem worthy. The Mayan people made temples for worship such as the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Cross, the Temple of the Foliated Cross, the Temple of the Inscriptions and many others especially in the city of Palenque (Fagan & Durrani). 4. Current Issues in Archaeology Identify two concrete ways in which you think knowledge of the past can give insight into current problems. For example, consider past issues of population increase, agricultural intensification, specialization, social and economic complexity and the collapse of the states and empires. Humans are curious beings. They question and are very inquisitive. These traits are what make up most archeologists. Our knowledge of our ancestors is also that they too were curious beings witnessing the cycles, births, and deaths, seasons and years that were the monotony of their lives on earth. This nature of humans as curious and inquisitive is what has brought meanings and explanations of the different cultures and their development in the world. By studying the past, the current generation can be able to fully understand where they belong in all of it. The search for solutions to contemporary issues requires deep understanding of how the same problems developed and how the ancestors had approached problems in the past. Studying individual and collective pasts brings this better understanding of issues. By understanding how the ancestors dealt with the rising and falling of their kingdoms and dynasties, the political leaders currently can be able to resolve whatever differences they might have if the trends of their actions could possibly be likened to those of the past. Looking at issues of terrorism and the discrimination that happens today, one could easily compare it to the past issues of dominance that saw revolts and colonization taking place. This helps one understand man’s ambitious nature and his thirst for power. With this understanding, our political leaders can therefore aim at changing or improving themselves so that the political situation can be different. Archeology can also help put the happenings of the current world into proportion showing the trend and how things have been changing over time. It gives people the peace to know that there has been progress over the years and understand that in spite of all our best precautions and efforts, societies, populations religious systems will in the end fade away and be replaced by others with time as the saying goes, ‘history repeats itself’. This is mostly in terms of the economy, which people aim so much to keep in an upward mobility. People also aim at maintaining society forgetting that archaeology has proven that society is dynamic and does not remain in one particular state for so long. The agricultural intensification and specialization as depicted by all the revolutions the world has gone through such as the Agrarian Revolution also points out to man’s progress. It tells people that man will always find a way to improve him as is currently observed where he has even managed to have gardens in arid and semi arid regions. Progress is also seen in the current population increase, which is a direct result of advancements in medicine and agriculture. When this is not the case, people can borrow from what the people in the past did so that they could improve their situation. The society is facing various issues currently and a people who know where they have come from have the likelihood of overcoming these issues since they will learn from the mistakes and the wise decisions of those in the past. That is the importance of archaeology (Fagan & Durrani). Reference Fagan, B., & Durrani, N. People of the earth. Read More