Link Of Materialism And Spiritualism In The Cultures Of Antiquity

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As long as man has inhabited earth he has strived to express himself for any number of reasons. Yet over thousands of years the enduring theme of these expressions has been the desire to explain our own existence. This is especially evident when considering the early Egyptian and Sumerian societies. Beginning with cave paintings in France around 15,000 BC and leading up to the grandeur of the great pyramids the cultures of antiquity demonstrate belief in a connection in the material and spiritual worlds. This connection is evident in the study of that period’s architecture, art, and literature.

Since before the beginning of what we know as recorded history mankind has strived to improve on the architectural achievements of generations past. From towering skyscrapers to churches and cathedrals so breathtakingly beautiful and painstakingly crafted they seem to have fallen to Earth from heaven itself, we as a people continually amaze ourselves with our ability to construct buildings and monuments. With all of our modern day glory however we will be hard pressed to ever match the magnifigance of the great pyramids of ancient Egypt. Using only crude tools Egyptians managed to construct some of the most awe inspiring architectural feats imaginable. The sheer magnitude of these undertakings is the greatest testament of their people’s love and ceaseless devotion not only to their rulers but especially to the gods who created and preserved them. The pyramids were in essence nothing more than grand burial tombs for the pharaohs of the fourth dynasty but their spiritual significance reaches far deeper than just a huge grave, rather they acted as the pharaoh’s earthly connection to the sky. The first tombs of the ancient Egyptians were nothing more than bodies wrapped in cloth and covered in stones. Later, small clay pyramid-like structures were built called Mastabas. Mastabas were an improvement on the primitive burials in that they protected the body from the elements and could be decorated with paintings and filled with other adornments to ease the transition from mortal life into the afterlife. Around 2500 BC Mastabas gave way to the great pyramids of Geiza (modern day Cairo). When one looks on these immense structures reaching heights of 481 feet it is easy to make the connection between the architecture of ancient cultures and their spiritual beliefs.

Art has a...

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...overs only his own mortality when he perishes without the secret to everlasting life (Goldberg 536). History has come to show us not only that literature has its roots in spirituality but also that in essence literature was conceived out of necessity to record and broaden the reach of early civilization’s religions and beliefs.

We will always question our existence. Humans seem to posses an inborn desire to comprehend not only the material world but also the spiritual world that has always seemed to coincide with it. It is this desire that drove early people, like people of today, to express these emotions through physical means. From the tiny statuettes of the Venus of Willendorf to the cuneiform tablets of the Sumerians , the cultures of antiquity have expressed their belief in the connection between those two worlds through architecture, art, and literature.

Works Cited

Cunningham Lawrence S. and John J, Reich. Culture and Values:A Survey of the Western Humanities. Vol. I. 4th ed. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1998.

Goldberg, Donald S. Classics of Western Thought: The Ancient World. Vol I. 4th ed. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1988.

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