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  The Maya portrait stelae is a representation of a Mayan ruler in a ritual dress.  In 1839, John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood were the first to bring back drawings of the remains of the Maya civilization.  After years of research we now believe that the ones who sculpted these monuments were commissioned by elites who lorded over vast areas.  The cities in which these were found were very large and in these cities were pyramids and temples with other sculptures.  The purpose of the stelae was to portray visionary power.  Idealization that rulers appear to be young, handsome, and athletic.  The ruler in this slab is believed to have worn authoritative clothing, such as jewels, symbols and a headdress that stood about half as tall as the ruler himself.  Although there is not much mystery left within the stelae, there are questions in regard to how it functioned.  The ideology of the rulers seems to be one sided, even fabricated. There is little information on how something li
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Ethical question: Textiles of Peru

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       Embroidered textiles first came to archaeologist’ attention in the early 20 th century.   These specific textiles were found between 1927 – 1939 during the dictatorship of Augusto. B Leguia.   There were 89 Paracas textiles recovered and later displayed in 1932 poorly.   With extensive handling, varying levels of heat and moisture and the exposure to UV light these items decayed faster than they should have.      Since textiles have such a lack of interest and can come off very dull to many, we rarely think about how to handle such items.   With unique historical textiles it is important to observe and handle these pieces properly to reduce the chance of the, being damaged more than they already have been.   Light is one of the most degrading threats to textiles.   It leads to fading and embrittlement of fibers.   When textiles are exposed to extreme types of temperatures and humidity the fibers can weaken and break.   With extreme humidity can lead to mold growth.   The enviro
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Comparison Art: Olmec, Yoruba

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  The first piece of art is from the 12 th -14 th century sculpture made of terracotta with residue of pigment and traces of mica.   The piece is thought to represent Ife, which flourished from the twelfth to the fifteenth century in the southwestern Nigeria region.   The Yoruba people are unique in Africa in representing naturalism.   Most Yoruba art is centered around royal figures and their attendants depicting the political structure of a city ruled over by a king.   Heads sculpted by the Yoruba people were used ritually as offerings or sacrifices.   The next piece is about the Colossal heads of the Olmec.   The Olmec civilization thrived along the Mexico gulf from 1200 to 400 B.C and was the first major Mesoamerican culture.   Like the Yoruba, archaeologists believe that these heads were created to depict Olmec rulers.   The largest of the heads is one found in La Cobata and stands about 10 feet tall and weighs around 40 tons.   These head are not carved all around like the Y
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Artwork analysis: Igbo Ukwu

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The Igbo Ukwu is, and African Iron Age archaeological site located near tehe modern town of Onitsha.   There is a bronze container in the shape of a shell with no name from what I can find.   At the top of the container there is believed to be a leopard that is standing over a circular pedestal.   The shell is different in comparison to other shells in where there are specific designs to look like circles, diamonds, and herringbone ornamentation.   The leopard can be found on other imagery of Igbo Ukwu that has historians believe that the leopards have ritual importance. At another nearby site, at the Igbo Richard, a grave found near the home Richard Anozie.   The Igbo-Richard was a burial place for elite, wealthy people.   It is unknown if the person was a ruler or had some religious or secular role in their community.   A cast bronze leopard skull was found at this sight of Isaiah’s brother.   In this culture the leopard is a frequently chosen symbol of political power, and even mili
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Comparison Art: Stupa and Stelae

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  Stupas are Buddhist monuments that are made with regards to specific aspects of enlightenment.   The Ashoka were the ones to erect monuments to enshrine to divide different relics of the Buddha, and the stupas became the areas of worship.   In the Buddhist tradition, originally the 9 stupas were built after the death of Buddha.   8 of them are over relics and the 9 th is over the vessel in which the relics were originally placed.   The core of the stupa was made of unburnt brick and the outer face is made of burnt brick, and a thick layer of plaster.   The stelae of Aksum is a 97 foot tall obelisk that is carved mainly from solid blocks of nepheline syenite.   The material is weather resistant like granite and is believed to have come from the quarries of Wuchate Golo.   Like the stupa, there are multiple stelae located across the field, 7 total stelae with 5 laying in ruins.   The significance comes from the intricate designs and massive size that represents buildings of up t
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Artwork post: Staff of Office

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  The Piece of art I chose to write about is on the Staff of Office that has a figure and spider web like features at the top of the staff.   The Piece is covered in gold, likely carried by those of high rank within the courts of Akan.   With this society having no written traditions, the Akan people used their emphasis in speech.   Those who were capable of knowledge and proper articulation in the language may be appointed as a court linguist, which is the most important nonroyal court official.   Court linguists are very important to the Akan’s leadership.   With the amount of knowledge and diplomacy they can take on just about any role.   Such as, counselors, ambassadors, legal experts, or even historians.   The Staff itself is carved out of wood then covered in a gold foil.   The staff is suspected to be made to mimic the cane that was used by the first court linguist, which was a woman who had carried the cane due to her age.   The design at the head of the staff uses two huma
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Comparison: Night attack/Tapestry

  The comparison post I chose to write about are the Bayeux Tapestry and the Night attack on the Sanjô Palace.    The Bayeux Tapestry is a long piece that is 20 inches high and roughly 230 feet long.   The tapestry is a commemoration of the struggle for the throne of England between William who was the Duke of Normandy and Harold, the Earl of Wessex.   The tapestry has 75 scenes that depict the events of that lead up to the Norman conquest in 1066.   The end of the tapestry is missing but is believed that the ending shows the coronation of William as the King of England.   Though this is called a tapestry it is not a true tapestry as the images are more embroidered using wool and yarn than being woven into the cloth.   The main thing to know about the tapestry is that it is a close representation of the actions made through the times of war. The Night attack on the Sanjo Palace is an art piece displayed across scrolls called emaki.  This piece was made during the Kamakura period and is
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