The Helen H. Berkeley Gallery of Ancient Art opened 12/16/09 1 The Helen H. Berkeley Gallery of Ancient Art: The Arts of Ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome The works of art produced by these powerful civilizations shaped a cultural legacy that has influenced Western artistic traditions for thousands of years. These remarkable and enduring ancient cultures emerged along the Nile River and Mediterranean coastline as early as 4,000 BCE. They developed over time into sophisticated societies defined by their unique religions, writing systems, architecture, and art. Over the next three millennia, conflict, colonization, and commerce created an ebb and flow of artistic, social, and cultural exchange throughout the region. What do “BCE” and “CE” mean? BCE (Before the Common Era) and CE (Common Era) refer to the same time periods as the more traditional BC (Before Christ) and AD (“Anno Domini,” which means “The Year of our Lord”). In today’s global society, constant interaction between people of all religious beliefs requires a shared, or common, way of reckoning time. Although the terms BCE and CE have their origins in the Christian calendar, they are now widely used by people of many faiths and cultures. For this reason, the Memorial Art Gallery has adopted BCE and CE for use in its galleries. The Helen H. Berkeley Gallery of Ancient Art opened 12/16/09 2 Egypt Preparations for the afterlife inspired the ancient Egyptians’ religious practices, social customs, and technological innovations. Tomb sculptures, funerary objects, personal possessions, and hieroglyphic writings tell the stories of Egyptian kings, officials, laborers, servants, and their numerous gods. Egyptian culture and the arts that reflect it survived 5,000 years of changing dynasties and foreign conquests. Egypt’s cultural and artistic traditions proved stronger than any political rival or military invader until the rise of the Roman Empire. Gods and Goddesses Ancient Egyptians worshipped hundreds of gods and goddesses, all integral to the natural cycle of life, death, and rebirth. Many gods and goddesses symbolized elements of the natural world like the sky, earth, air, sun, or moon. Some also represented concepts such as wisdom, fertility, love, or chaos. A number of gods offered protection and good fortune, but others inspired dread and fear. All of these deities played important roles in the ways that Egyptians lived their lives on earth and how they prepared for an eternal life after death. Djed-pillar Third Intermediate to Late Period The God Osiris as a Mummified Man (1069—332 BCE) Third Intermediate to Late Period Faience (1069—332 BCE) 28.168 Bronze 51.116 The God Osiris Seated Late Period (664—332 BCE) Bronze 28.2003L Osiris, Egyptian god of the Underworld, ruled as king of all Egyptian gods and goddesses. The djed-pillar represents Osiris and symbolizes the strength of his backbone. The God Khepri as a Scarab Beetle Late Period (664—332 BCE) The scarab was one of the most popular Stone and powerful amulets in ancient Egypt. 16.2003L The Helen H. Berkeley Gallery of Ancient Art opened 12/16/09 3 Gods and Goddesses, con’t The Goddess Neith The Goddess Wadjet Third Intermediate - Late Period, Saite Period (685—585 BCE) (1069—332 BCE) Bronze Bronze 51.118 51.117 The God Horus as a Youth Late Period (664—332 BCE) The God Thoth as an Ibis Bronze Late Period (664—332 BCE) 51.119 Bronze 28.400 The God Thoth as a Man The God Horus as a Falcon with an Ibis' Head Saite Period (664—525 BCE) Late Period (664—332 BCE) Bronze Faience 53.44 28.182 The God Anubis as a Jackal Late Period (664—332 BCE), The God Sokar as a Falcon with later restoration Late Period (664—332 BCE) Wood, pigment Wood, pigment 28.398 13.2003L The God Anubis as a Man The Goddess Bastet with the with a Jackal's Head Aegis Shield Third Intermediate - Late Period, Late Period (664—332 BCE) 1069—332 BCE Bronze Faience T338 28.180 Sphinx Ptolemaic Period (332—30 BCE) Granite 51.307 The sphinx, a mythical creature with a human head and a lion’s body, is found in many ancient cultures. In ancient Egypt, the sphinx, a version of the solar god Horus, represented the dawn and the early rising sun. Egyptians associated ruling pharaohs with Horus and his royal powers. Large stone sphinxes frequently guarded the tombs of pharaohs and high priests. The Helen H. Berkeley Gallery of Ancient Art opened 12/16/09 4 Protected for Eternity Ancient Egyptians believed that funerary rituals of mummification, ceremonial rites, and proper burial would enable them to live again in the afterlife. To begin the deceased’s journey into the afterlife, priests preserved the body through a complex and elaborate ritual called mummification. This process transformed the corpse into a body that would last for eternity. An embalmer would remove the brain and some internal organs, preserving them in special containers. The body itself dried out for about 40 days, packed in a natural salt called natron. Ritual prayers, thousands of yards of linen wrappings, and protective amulets completed the body’s preservation, and allowed the deceased safe passage through the afterlife. Inner Coffin of Pa-debehu-Aset Ptolemaic Period, 332—30 BCE Wood, polychromy, gilding, with glass, stone and shell inlay Shrine Coffin of Pa-debehu-Aset 2000.11.2 Ptolemaic Period, 332—30 BCE Wood, polychromy 2000.11.1 The Coffins of Pa-debehu-Aset This pair of nesting coffins once held the mummy of Pa-debehu-Aset, an Egyptian official from the city of Asyut, midway down the River Nile. Pa-debehu-Aset’s mummy, now lost, would have been placed in the anthropoid, or human- shaped, coffin. The anthropoid coffin would have nested in and been protected by the rectangular outer coffin, called a shrine coffin because it resembles the sacred shrine of a god. Both of Pa-debehu-Aset’s coffins are decorated with images and symbols of the gods and goddesses, as well as spells and prayers that would guide his soul into the afterlife. Like all ancient Egyptians, Pa-debehu-Aset believed that the mummy was the eternal dwelling place for the spirits of the deceased. The divine powers of gods and goddesses would protect him during his life and after his death. Because of its human shape, the anthropoid coffin could serve as a substitute body should Pa-debehu-Aset’s mummy be destroyed. The Helen H. Berkeley Gallery of Ancient Art opened 12/16/09 5 Protected for Eternity, con’t Sacred Protection for the Afterlife Ancient Egyptians believed that ornamented masks and body coverings as well as sacred texts could magically protect the mummy in the afterlife. This mask, collar, and sandals are made of cartonnage, a material of plaster and linen similar to papier-mâché. In ancient Egypt, these cartonnage forms, frequently ornamented and painted with depictions of gods and goddesses, were placed on the body after it was mummified. These images, along with hymns and texts from the Book of the Dead, protected the mummy in the afterlife in the same way as the decoration on anthropoid coffins. Mummy Mask Roman Period (30 BCE—350 CE) Cartonnage, pigment 15.2003L Collar Ptolemaic Period (332 BCE—30 CE) Cartonnage, pigment 21.2003aL Sandals Ptolemaic Period (332 BCE—30 CE) Cartonnage, pigment 21.2003b&cL Eye Inlays New Kingdom to Late Period (1550 BCE—332 BCE) Bronze, stone, ivory 30.2003a – b The Helen H. Berkeley Gallery of Ancient Art opened 12/16/09 6 The Peabody Essex Mummy Roman Period (30 BCE—350 CE) Linen, cartonnage, human remains, wood, pigment, gilding Loaned by the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts, E5817A (33.2003L) The Peabody Essex Mummy This is the mummy of a man who died around 50 CE, when Roman rulers controlled Egypt. Found by George A. Peabody in Fayum, Egypt on May 9, 1901, the mummy belongs to the collection of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts. Priests wrapped his body in strips of linen, now discolored by the resins and ointments used during mummification. The painted designs on his coverings show protective gods and goddesses, including a winged sun disc and the kneeling goddess Nut. The gold of his mask indicates his ascendancy into the realm of the gods. His hair, painted blue, is decorated with a winged scarab. Why are Mummies in American Museums? During the 1800s and early 1900s, many Europeans and Americans traveled to Egypt. These travelers, who were fascinated by ancient Egyptian life and history, frequently found or purchased amulets, scarabs, coffins, and mummies. Some mummies were displayed as curiosities in private homes; others were collected by museums and studied in universities. But many were destroyed, either deliberately or through neglect. In recent years museums have made enormous efforts to preserve and protect these deceased individuals through careful conservation and proper environmental conditions. Medical Technology and Mummies X-rays and CT scans allow scientists to learn about mummies without damaging them. X- rays clearly show the condition of the skeleton, while CT scans—X-rays that are taken from multiple angles and combined to produce a cross-wise “slice” of a body structure—provide information about the soft tissues that surround the bones. The X-rays and CT scans of The Peabody Essex Mummy show that his arms are crossed across his chest, emulating the god Osiris. The images also demonstrate that almost every bone on his left side is disarticulated, or separated at the joints. Specialists determined that this damage happened after death, possibly because of poor burial conditions, looting, or transport from Egypt to Salem in the early 1900s.