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Short essay about kingship
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The Ancient Civilization of the Mediterranean region were known for their great battles and powerful rulers. Two art works where women are shown in power are King Menkaura and Queen and Mortuary of Hatshepsut. These artworks compare how differently women were treated over time because in the first, the wife of King Menkaura was shown behind the King while Hatshepsut was shown as an almost god-like figure in the second.
The King Menkaura and Queen (Old Kingdom, 2490-2472 BCE, Egypt, greywacke) displays a lack of female authority. King Menkaura is shown with one of his legs stretched out as if he was walking. His wife was sculpted as standing still. The King’s outstretched leg figuratively means that he will always be one step in front of
everyone, even his wife. This proves that the Egyptians didn’t think highly of women or consider them in high positions of authority. They thought men should be in the greatest position of power; until Hatshepsut. The Mortuary of Hatshepsut ( New Kingdom, 1473-1458 BCE, Luxor Egypt, sandstone partially covered into a cliff and red granite) shows the differences in views on women in power between the Old Kingdom and the New Kingdom. During the Old Kingdom, the Pharaoh’s wife wasn’t nearly as powerful as the Pharaoh himself. But, the New Kingdom introduced Hatshepsut, the first woman Pharaoh and the first tribute to a woman’s achievement in the history of art. The Mortuary of Hatshepsut proves that the Egyptians started to value women in power because they treated her like they did every past male Pharaoh, with a tribute to her unlike many other women. The Ancient Civilization of the Mediterranean region were known for their fierce people in power. Their changed view of women in power became noticeable during the Old Kingdom and the New Kingdom. The Old Kingdom shows that women were often viewed as second in power and not as important as men with King Menkaura and Queen. The New Kingdom shows a difference of women's role in power because the Mortuary of Hatshepsut was the first tribute to a woman’s achievements.
In this essay I will be comparing the two pharaohs Khufu (Koo - Foo) and Hatshepsut (haht-SHEP-soot). I will be comparing their achievements what they built and their time period. Come along and explore the depths of Ancient Egypt.
These two statues are famous to the Egyptian art era. They represent the woman’s position and the man’s position at that day and age. Traditionally, the rulers of Egypt were male. So, when Hatshepsut, Dynasty 18, ca. 1473-1458 B.C., assumed the titles and functions of king she was portrayed in royal male costumes. Such representations were more for a political statement, rather than a reflection of the way she actually looked. In this sculpture, she sits upon a throne and wears the royal kilt and the striped nemes (NEM-iss) headdress with the uraeus (cobra) and is bare chested like a man. However, she does not wear the royal beard, and the proportions of her body are delicate and feminine.
She utilizes the messenger Keliya in the restoration of ties within countries of egypt. shortly after discussing this Podany excellently discusses the shift from Pharaohs and Kings to large amounts of power given to women. These “queens” or women of power were the first of their kind and were able to establish a lasting impression upon the egyptian people even without being in sight most times or the moments when they would arrive at their destination. Using this to describe the Armana period was especially significant because it introduces somewhat of a mail system that was not recently created until this period. Also Podany’s usage of the women in power helps readers understand how complex their society soon became in the Armana period. Showing that women do not have to be stuck with a lowly position in society, this realization came about once again during the women’s rights
Hatshepsut’s reign especially leaves much to the scholar’s speculation and interpretation since little evidence is left. The reader must acknowledge how an author’s views may be construed by sexism and other concepts prevalent in their time. What these five authors imply about Hatshepsut’s personality and attitude concerning her political ascent, her usage of propaganda, and her achievements during that time all differ from each other, some more drastically than others. This certainly shows that when one reads of history, their research should span as far as possible in order to most accurately inform themselves of what truly happened; it is from there that they can formulate the best
It is thought by art historians that the Greeks took the idea of building these monumental stone sculptures, such as the kouros, from Egyptian art. Lysippus, the court sculptor to Alexander the Great, challenged the Classical canon of proportions previously used and began creating sculptures with smaller heads and more slender figures just as the Egyptians did. These proportions mimic the canon of ideal proportions the Egyptian artists used when creating their sculptures. The Egyptians employed the use of a standardized grid of twenty-one squares which lent a geometric and stiff appearance.
In this analysis, an examination will be provided on how sources from Pompeii and Herculaneum can be interpreted to make known the role and status that women of first century AD possessed. Specifically, reference will be made to the Fresco from the triclinium of the Villa of the Mysteries, Inscription of the Eumachia Building and the tablets of Poppaea Note. Nevertheless, prior to analysing the evidence that these sources reveal; it should be noted that the women of Pompeii are not to be placed in a homogenous grouping. This is a result of the diversified roles and status that women occupied in Pompeii and Herculaneum. To provide a comprehensive analysis of the roles and status women possessed, the report will be categorised into a domestic, professional and slave context; to ensure the dichotomy in the grouping of women is made explicit.
Hatshepsut was born into a wealthy, educated family; however, she displayed qualities that are innate among most great leaders. She was courageous, ambitious, confident, and innovative. This allowed her to become the female Pharaoh during the 18th dynasty, and in a male dominating society, this was seen as an accomplishment among historians analyzing women in power. Hatshepsut’s will to adopt the role as Pharaoh prior to her reign portrays her as a strong, independent female leader. Her building projects and further establishment of trade had a positive impact on Ancient Egypt socially, economically, and intellectually by creating opportunity and further expanding their knowledge. Ultimately, Hatshepsut is considered to be a very successful and influential leader within Ancient history.
Mortal and immortal women inspire many of the events that take place in The Odyssey and The Epic of Gilgamesh. For example, without the harlot, who “tames” Enkidu, the story of Gilgamesh would not be, as we know it. A chapter entitled, “Women in Ancient Epic” from A Companion to Ancient Epic by Helene Foley compares Ishtar in Gilgamesh to Calypso and Circe in The Odyssey. By comparing the role of immortal and mortal women in both The Odyssey and The Epic of Gilgamesh, one will be able to discern how the feminine figures have played a pivotal role in shaping the destiny of the epic heroes, as well as, understanding the interrelation amongst the female figures of both ancient epics.
The struggle for women to play an important role in history can be traced from the ancient Mesopotamians to the 1900’s. There has been a continuous battle for women to gain equal rights and to be treated equally in all aspects of life. The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest recorded account of the roles of women and their importance in a functional society. Women have been viewed as anything from goddesses to unwanted servants throughout history, regardless of a variety of changes in rulers, religions, and simply time periods. The Epic of Gilgamesh might lead one to consider the roles of women a small and insignificant part compared to the man 's role. In fact, three women; Shamhat, Ishtar, and Siduri, were able to create and maintain a civilized Mesopotamian society with using their uniqueness of their body, mind, and spirit.
Women in antiquity did not have an easy lot in life. They had few, if any, rights. Surviving early records of the civilizations of antiquity from ancient Greece, Egypt, China, and Rome suggest the diversity of women’s roles differed little from region to region. There were a few exceptions, mostly concerning women of nobility and the city-state of Sparta. Excluding the rare instances mentioned most antique women were generally limited on education, mobility, and almost all possibilities interfering with domestic or childbearing responsibilities. The limited social roles of women in antiquity suggest the perceived c...
In Antony and Cleopatra, the Roman values of honor and bravery embody masculinity, while Egypt and the Orient symbolize feminine weakness and fragility. Caesar and Agrippa are depicted as reasonable, logical, and practical, especially in matters of strategy and war. Cleopatra and her servants and eunuchs are consistently referred to in terms of laziness, let...
It is difficult to fully understand the role of women in ancient Egyptian society because the understandings of the society and government are still incomplete. There are also two other major problems, those being that there is very little source material on women, and the material that has been found was biased by the ideas and minds of previous Egyptologists. The only source material that has survived from great kingdoms of Egypt is material that has been either found in tombs on the walls and sarcophaguses, or carved on major government and religious document. None of the writings on papyrus and other delicate materials survived. This material, which has survived, is the writings of the Egyptian literate male elite. In their writings the also did not show any emotions or feelings, this was not the style of the Egyptian people, writings were purely a record keeping device. Because of these limitations, “It is essential to avoid the temptation to extrapolate from the particular to the general, a process which can only too easily introduce error.”
Women were often subjects of intense focus in ancient literary works. In Sarah Pomeroy’s introduction of her text Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves, she writes, “Women pervade nearly every genre of classical literature, yet often the bias of the author distorts the information” (x). It is evident in literature that the social roles of women were more restricted than the roles of men. And since the majority of early literature was written by men, misogyny tends to taint much of it. The female characters are usually given negative traits of deception, temptation, selfishness, and seduction. Women were controlled, contained, and exploited. In early literature, women are seen as objects of possession, forces deadly to men, cunning, passive, shameful, and often less honorable than men. Literature reflects the societal beliefs and attitudes of an era and the consistency of these beliefs and attitudes toward women and the roles women play has endured through the centuries in literature. Women begin at a disadvantage according to these societal definitions. In a world run by competing men, women were viewed as property—prizes of contests, booty of battle and the more power men had over these possessions the more prestigious the man. When reading ancient literature one finds that women are often not only prizes, but they were responsible for luring or seducing men into damnation by using their feminine traits.
Pomeroy, Sarah B. Women in Hellenistic Egypt: From Alexander to Cleopatra. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1990.
In ancient epics women played a critical role in developing the plot, shaping the actions, and understanding the male characters. However the only purpose of women in epics is to serve the roles of being devotees to men and not having a say in society. Epics allows us to get an understanding of how times were in Mesopotamia around 2000 BC, the roles women play in society, the purported traits they should possess, and their characters overall. For many, many years, even before mediums such as ancient epics, or any types of media even existed, the perspective on women has long been seen as putting the female a step below man. In years to come, instead of overturning this view, society has succeeded in cementing in. Domesticity, a dedication to housework and children, and a sort of meek character were expected of women during the ancient times.