The Growth of Human Understanding with Religions Leading the Way

The Growth of Human Understanding with Religions Leading the Way

My theme was how as Humans encountered something that they couldnt understand they traditionally turned towards Religion to answer all of their questions and explain what they thought unexplainable.

Mummy of Hornedjitef

Mummy of Hornedjitef

The Mummy of Hornedjitef, was an Egyptian priest who was buried in a coffin inside another coffin. The ancient Egyptian peoples believed that death was only another step in a long journey and that to get to the other side you had to be buried with all of your possessions, and that spells needed to be cast. They believed that painting pictured on the inside of the coffin of the sky goddess would symbolically prepare Hornedjitef for rebirth in the next life. The Ancient peoples didn't understand death so they believed it was just the soul moving on from the body to find another world to traverse.

King Den's sandal label

The King Den's sandal label, is a label that was attached onto one of King Den's sandals the were found in his tomb. The label shows a picture of King Den about to beat a lesser enemy who is cowering at his feet. The inscription along the bottom reads, "The first occasion of smiting the east", which refers to Den conquering east Egypt. The fact that this label was attached to his sandal after his death shows that the people of that time believed that honor could follow you into the afterlife. their view on death was also along the lines of the earlier egyptians, who believed it was not the end so much as another step for the spirit.

Flood Tablet

Flood Tablet

The Flood Tablet, was an Assyrian record of a flood that wiped out a lot of life and crops. they attributed this disaster to the gods because they couldn't understand what had happened. The reason they thought life had continued after this horrible flood is that a man named Ut-napishti, just like the christian noah, took two of every animal onto a giant boat he made and sailed off in the flood. at this point in time humans had no understanding of what a natural disaster was or the reasoning behind one so they of course said that the gods did it because they were angry.

Chinese Zhou ritual vessel

The Chinese Zhou ritual vessel, was designed to give offerings to ones ancestors. it was believed at the time that the fertility of the land, the temperance of the weather, and the ability to control disease were all the powers of ancestors and gods. The chinese believed that if they were able to offer enough food then they would be able to prosper. Their science and technology as advanced as it was, could not explain strange phenomena like drought or plague so they chose to think that their ancestors were the dominant factors in these events.

Parthenon sculpture: Centaur and Lapith

This Parthenon sculpture of the Centaur and the Lapith displays a Centaur rearing triumphantly over a dying human Lapith. This image is supposed to represent the struggle of Greece to stay free from the control of Persia. The Greeks were in a time of great struggle and things were not looking so good for them so they turned towards their faith for hope. They used their faith to give them power and help them win, they used their gods for strength to help them overcome the Persians.

Hinton St Mary Mosaic

 Hinton St Mary Mosaic

This Mosaic, on of the first pictures of Jesus Christ show him as a fair-haired and clean-shaven man wearing a tunic and cloak. This was part of a larger mosaic that also featured Bellerophon riding Pegasus and slaying the monstrous Chimera along with other older greek gods. This was one of the first pictures of Christ and it did not show him as a larger than life man, he was not doing anything impressive, slaying a monster or anything along those lines, he was merely standing there. This picture represents a time when peoples views of gods were changing to a more believable and relatable person, who is more easily emulated by the common man.

Maya relief of royal blood-letting

In this Mayan relief of a royal blood-letting ceremony, a kings wife is running a barbed rope across her tongue so that the king may speak to his ancestors. There were a great many rituals for the Mayan people that relied on the letting of blood to communicate with their gods or ancestors. At a time when Europe and Asia had gotten past flesh to their gods, the Mayans believed that was the only way. Mayans had been spilling blood for their gods for so long and it seemed to be working to them so why would they change.

Chinese Tang tomb figures

 

12 Figures were found in the tomb of a Tang general, Liu Tingxun. He died in 782 AD at the ripe old age of 72. These figures are the tallest found from this era in chinese history. The chinese believed that you needed your tomb filled with all the positions that represented your status in life. The fact that these figures were of human and animal design were intended so that once Liu was entombed and crossed over they servants could help him in the afterlife. the chinese people still believed that how your lived your life and your status in it affected your position in the afterlife. They believed that having servants and animals accompany you would ease your transition into the afterlife and would make the gods favor you.

Double-headed serpent

This double-headed serpent is of ancient Aztec design was given as a gift to the Emperor. The design is intended to give honor to the the feathered serpent god, Quetzalcoatl. Tributes to the Emperor were required from all the Aztec controlled territories, ones like this that were made of Turquoise were especially valued. They viewed their Emperor as an almost god like being and gifted him with models of other gods thinking to bring themselves favor in his eyes, and in the eyes of their gods.

Shi'a religious parade standard

The Shi'a religious parade standards were used 400 years ago in Iraq for religious processions through the streets. This was around the time that Iraq converted from Sunni Islamic to Shi'a Islamic. They are shaped after the swords of Imam Ali, the Husband of Fatima, daughter of the prophet Mohammad. The Shi'as believed that Imam Ali was the true successor to the Prophet. The sword has the names of the prophet and his important followers inscribed upon it. Even in the Middle East, the controlling government of the time paid homage to the deities that the people worshiped through open ceremony in hopes of pleasing both the people and the gods.

Miniature of a Mughal prince

 

The painting of a Miniature of a Mughal prince displays a prince and his attendants visiting a muslim holy man in a garden surrounded by scantly-clad worshipers. Who have all given up the trappings of the physical world as displayed by their lack of clothes. It is assumed that this Miniature was painted during the reign of Mughal Emperor Jahangir, who was known to often visit holy men. The fact that this painting focus's the men more than the religion shows a growing separation from the ultra piousness of earlier cultures.

Solar-powered lamp and charger

This picture is of a lamp that is powered strictly by solar energy. Not only does this provide light but it also can be used to charge cell phones on the go. This object represents the ingenuity of modern day culture and the challenges we have to face.The kit uses a range of new materials and technologies, including silicon-chip technology, which can also be found in computers and cell phones. With modern day electronics we can turn only 8 hours of sunlight into 100 hours of power. To me technology like this signifies a greater united quest for answers, the human race taking steps on our own to find the truth rather than rely on gods to show us the path.