The History of Hieratic Papyrus - Case Study Example

Hieratic Papyrus fragment. Papyrus was a writing material that was used in the ancient Egypt. This specific piece existed in the new kingdom period in the 20th dynasty. It was written during the reign of Ramesses three in 1183 B.C. It is displayed in Metropolitan museum in art gallery number 124. . The medium sized dried papyrus is brown color. The torn pieces have given the papyrus its irregular shape. This particular reed has both minor and major texts on both the back and front of the papyrus but some of the writings inscribed are not visible due its old age. The major texts are a record of letters between two fan bearers of the king. Fan bearers were names given to those who had a close relationship with the king. The papyrus major texts also mention agriculture in the paranoiac lands during the reign of Ramesses three in his 16th year. The small texts talk about a shipment arrival containing commodities. The texts also mention quarrying activities going on for the construction of a tomb. Ancient Egyptians had developed a form of written language and they needed another medium to write on other than the stone. This led to the discovery and use of papyrus which was growing in the banks of river Nile. The reed was thin, strong, and easy to carry and for years, it was used for writing. It was a costly material and once used it was retained for extra use as a scratch paper. The recycled papyrus was also used to wrap bodies of the deceased. The body was first wrapped with linen then it was covered with the recycled papyrus. These wrapping materials were made of layers of papyrus discarded by the administrative authority. Papyrus reeds were also used to make furniture such as chairs, mats, baskets, boats and ropes. The roots of the plant were a source of medicine, perfume, and food (Snedden, 76). The standard measurement for papyrus paper was 45cm by 22cm and for purposes of longer documents; papyrus papers were joined to form a scroll. There were different kinds and quality of the papyrus reeds, the lowest quality was used by merchants to wrap commodities and the highest quality papyrus was used by the religious leaders and kings. The texts written on the papyrus varied, ranging from religious texts, musicals, literature, biblical literature, but the largest number of papyrus documents was on administrative issues. These official matters included tax receipts, court documents, and letters between leaders. The quality of the papyrus depended on some factors such as age of harvesting the location of growing, and type of pith used. The best quality papyrus was made using inner pith. Normal rolls were made using different qualities of papyrus, inner section had the lowest quality papyrus, and the ends which were prone to tear had the finest quality of papyrus sheets. The varieties of the papyrus were named in the honor of different leaders or emperors. This information was contained in the first papyrus called protocol. For ordinary use, this had to be cut but for official use, it was against the rules (Snedden, 87). The painting of the final judgment is one of the paintings on Egyptian religion that relate to the papyrus. This is attributed to the fact that these painting is usually done on a piece of papyrus paper. This iconic papyrus painting reflects the symbols adopted by ancient Egyptians in their religion. The earliest judgment day painting was first drawn in the 16th dynasty. This art depicts that the Egyptians believed in immortality. It was expressed by painting what the day would be like was done in their papyrus papers. The judgment of the dead emanated from the believe that deeds done by people would be subjected to scrutiny and analysis by divine powers after one died (Adam, 59). Conclusively Egyptian art is characterized by order and aesthetic quality that is why it continuous to be relevant to the Western Art. It is a foundation in telling the history of the Western Art being one of the oldest civilization which shaped cultures adopted by Europe, Asia and Africa. Glass Onchoe (Perfume jug) This jug was made in the classical period in the late 5th to early 6th century BC. It belongs to the Greek culture and it is currently displayed in the art gallery 154. It is made of glass with a height of four and a half inches and a two and a half inches diameter at its opening. The base and the handle have a cobalt blue color and trails of opaque turquoise blue and yellow. The jar has a cylindrical neck, mouth, a broad shoulder, and an ovoid body. It has an uneven concave base with the handle of the jar being attached to the top body; a drawn up handle at a right angle to the rim- disk, which is pressed on the neck below the rim ensures that the jar is held comfortably. Two yellow trails can be seen on the surface of the jar, one is attached at the periphery of the rim, and the second is a spiral trail at the shoulder with two patterns of horizontal lines and inverted festoon. Halfway down the jar a turquoise blue color is added which is combined with yellow in a zigzag pattern. The Greek used this glass vessel in the sixth century as mentioned above, they contained scented oils and perfumes that were used in the funeral processions then left in the tomb. One of the most important commodities to the Ancient Greeks was the perfumes. Crete, a Greek colony was the first to start the art of perfume making which later spread to other places. Perfumes were viewed as the centre of status, wealth, hospitality, and daily life. It had a spiritual or divine meaning. Both the men and women were allowed to use perfumes, as it was an important element of worship to the gods. .Perfume was also essential to libations carried out upon the death of a person. During cremation, the body of the deceased was wrapped in perfume as it was thought to ensure a blissful after life for the deceased. The glass jars were buried together with the body to act as a sacrifice to the gods. A perfume had a medicinal value and couples used it for protection of their marriage. New born babies had perfumes applied on their foreheads for protection. The perfume jars were made in different shapes and different materials. Some of the materials used were clay, glass, and stone among others. Each type of material had its price with the most expensive ones being made of precious stones. Glass jars were painted opaque to increase the aesthetic value and prevent sunlight which reduced the life and quality of the perfume. This was the most common material used for glass jars between the fourth and sixth century. The shapes and designs differed; a different class used each shape. The rich used highly styled jars and the poor used the ordinary ones. It was a believe that perfumes differentiated those who were free from the slaves. It was a distinguishing factor. This perfume jar is related to the Greek vases described in (Adam, 92). They were also used in the funeral processions just like the perfume jars but these were used to mark graves. The book illustrates the different forms of styles and shapes used to decorate these vases form the late archaic, to classical style and later to the Hellenistic style. Some of the styles used include geometric style, which uses the geometric shapes to draw the figures on the vase. There were elaborate features of funeral processions in the Ancient Greek. It was a way of preserving the cultural heritage of the society and thus the elaborate tools used in these processions are of importance. The duty of the living towards the dead involved libations and ensuring that the dead were left to rest in peace and this formed part of the people’s culture. Art preserves this culture and ensures that the next generation gets an idea of what happened in the past. Work Cited Adams. Laurie.S. A History of the Western Art. 5th Edition. New York :McGraw- Hill, 2010. Print. Snedden, Robert. Ancient Egypt. Mankato, Minn: Smart Apple Media, 2009. Print. Read More