A Ceramic Vessel of Unknown Provenance in Bonn
Christian M. Prager
Sven Gronemeyer
Elisabeth Wagner2015, Research Note 1
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Abstract
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This paper presents an analysis of a ceramic vessel from the Late Classic Period of the Maya civilization, currently held in Bonn's collection. The vessel, with a distinctive painted scene featuring two monkeys and hieroglyphic inscriptions, provides insights into Maya iconography and cultural representations. Although its provenance is unknown, the object contributes to the understanding of ancient Maya art and its significance in depicting age, gender, and supernatural themes.
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at the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) 3 Curator at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo (EMC) Curator at the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) Introduction:-This paper will investigate and focus on studying a unique painted wooden panel JE. 38250. Indeed, the main aim of this study precisely will be to examine and identify these figures which are depicted on the wooden panel, to recognize the religious significance, to find an approximate dating, and to find out the main function of this object. Provenance: The main provenance of this object is Fayoum Region, probably came from Tebtynis "Tell umm Breigat" (fig.1). Dimensions: Height: 55cm; Width: 26 cm. Current Status: A large part of this object was totally destroyed, but recently the remaining part of it was retorted. There is a very small part is missing in the lower part of the panel. There are some parts of the painted stucco layers that are chipped off the surface of the wood. s. This panel is made with tempera, which uses an egg-yolk medium. Using small brushes dipped in a mixture of pigment and egg-yolk, the paint was applied in very small, almost transparent, brushstrokes. Thin layers of paint would be used to create volumetric forms 1. wooden panels generally were used in many purposes like mummies' portraits, personal portraits and votive panels etc... Actually this panel is a votive one. Physical Description (fig.2 a&b): This panel consists of two gathered panels; one of them is still preserved in our hands. The scene represents a bust of young lady in the frontal pose but her face is in the three-quarters pose, she moves her head and her consideration towards her proper right a little. She wears a black Chiton with folds over her chest which is covered by long red Himation. She wears a long spiral red necklace around her neck ends with a small standing figurine. The neck seems fairly big and contains two or three folds. The head seems relativity large and the cheeks are chunky and painted in pink. The chin is pointed and short. She wears earrings consist of one bead of pearl in each ear. The head is surrounded by transparent veil headdress. It is wrapped around it in
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Archaeology Vol. 20, No. 2 (APRIL 1967), pp. 104-107 (4 pages) Published by: Archaeological Institute of America https://www.jstor.org/stable/41667694 Glazed steatite . Cylinder seal. 3.4cm high; imported from Indus valley. Rhinoceros, elephant, crocodile.Tell Asmar (Eshnunna), Iraq. Frankfort, 1955, No. 642; Collon, 1987, Fig. 610. Cylinder seal modern impression [elephant, rhinoceros and gharial (alligator) on the upper register] bibliography and image source: Frankfort, Henri: Stratified Cylinder Seals from the Diyala Region. Oriental Institute Publications 72. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, no. 642. Museum Number: IM14674 3.4 cm. high. Glazed steatite. ca. 2250 - 2200 BCE. karabha, ibha‘elephant’ Rebus: karba, ib 'iron', ibbo ‘merchant’, ib ‘iron’ காண்டாமிருகம் kāṇṭā-mirukam , n. [M. kāṇṭāmṛgam.] Rhinoceros; கல்யானை. Rebus: kāṇḍā ‘metalware, tools, pots and pans’.kāru ‘crocodile’ Rebus: kāru ‘artisan’. He was also ibbo 'merchant' (Hieroglyph: ibha 'elephant' Rebus: ib 'iron') and maker of metal artifacts: kāṇḍā ‘metalware, tools, pots and pans’ (kāṇḍā mṛga 'rhinoceros' (Tamil).karabha, ibha‘elephant’ Rebus: karba 'iron', ibbo ‘merchant’, ib ‘iron’காண்டாமிருகம் kāṇṭā-mirukam , n. [M. kāṇṭāmṛgam.] Rhinoceros; கல்யானை. Rebus: kāṇḍā ‘metalware, tools, pots and pans’.kāru ‘crocodile’ Rebus: kāru ‘artisan’. Alternative: araṇe ‘lizard’ Rebus: airaṇ ‘anvil’. Crocodile hieroglyph in combination with other animal hieroglphs also appears on a Mohenjo-daro triangular prism seal m0489 in the context of an erotic Meluhha hieroglyph: a tergo copulation hieroglyph. m0489a,b,c Mohenjo-daro prism tablet This triangular prism tablet appears in John Marshall's archaeological report on Pl. CXVIii.10 (Museum plate 4) and on Pl. CXVI 14. Pl. CXVIii.10 "Triangular prism…No. 14 on Pl. CXVI, Pl. CXVIII, 10 (Mus 4). Pottery.Average size of each face, 1.6 incheslong by 0.33 in wide. (a) On one face, from left to right, there are an elephant, a rhinoceros, a tiger on the left, and another cat-like animal. Above these animals, which are en file, is a fish on the left, followed by a gharial with a fish in its mouth. (b) From left to right, a file of animals. A unicorn,what seems to be a cow, a short-horned bull, and a rhinoceros. Above the file there appear to be a jungle-fowl, and a gharial, but these figures are somewhat indistinct. (c) From left to right, there are two goas from a tree, a jungle-fowl, a man apparently pushing a goat or similar animal along, and finally, an antelope-like animal with two heads, similar to those on the copper seals. A hole,0.3 in deep, at each end of this object, suggests that it was used as a kind of revolving bezel. The animals are too close to the ends of the impression for it to have been capped with metal.” (Marshall, J.,1931, Mohenjodaro and the Indus Civilization, London, Arthur Probsthain, pp. 395-396.) https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.62023/page/n47 Pl. CXVI 14 A bezel is a groove holding the crystal of a watch or the stone of a gem in its setting. If this triangular prism was used as a bezel, it may have been worn as a pendant on a necklace. This is an artisan’s proclamation of his metalwork competence. See: Indus inscription: three-sided tablet with hieroglyphs: animals, a plant, a mountain, a copulating couple (m489) https://tinyurl.com/yyujyayj In mlecchita vikalpa, ‘cypher writing’ of layered rebus-metonymy, the set of hieroglyphs denote a metalworkers’ guild. Technical specifications of the metalwork are detailed by hieroglyphs in the set. Rebus: meḍ ‘iron’ (Ho.) Components of Mohenjo-daro prism tablet m0489 are presented in colour and with some photographic enlargements to help identify the hieroglyphs on the inscription. The four animals in the bottom register are identified as from l.: one-horned young bull, zebu PLUS black drongo, short-horned bull or ox, water-buffalo.
A unique wooden panel from Fayoum Region 1 A unique wooden panel from Fayoum Region
A unique wooden panel from Fayoum Region 1 A unique wooden panel from Fayoum Region, 2017
This paper will investigate and focus on studying a unique painted wooden panel JE. 38250. Indeed, the main aim of this study precisely will be to examine and identify these figures which are depicted on the wooden panel, to recognize the religious significance, to find an approximate dating, and to find out the main function of this object. Provenance: The main provenance of this object is Fayoum Region, probably came from Tebtynis "Tell umm Breigat" (fig.1). Dimensions: Height: 55cm; Width: 26 cm. Current Status: A large part of this object was totally destroyed, but recently the remaining part of it was retorted. There is a very small part is missing in the lower part of the panel. There are some parts of the painted stucco layers that are chipped off the surface of the wood. s. This panel is made with tempera, which uses an egg-yolk medium. Using small brushes dipped in a mixture of pigment and egg-yolk, the paint was applied in very small, almost transparent, brushstrokes. Thin layers of paint would be used to create volumetric forms 1. wooden panels generally were used in many purposes like mummies' portraits, personal portraits and votive panels etc... Actually this panel is a votive one. Physical Description (fig.2 a&b): This panel consists of two gathered panels; one of them is still preserved in our hands. The scene represents a bust of young lady in the frontal pose but her face is in the three-quarters pose, she moves her head and her consideration towards her proper right a little. She wears a black Chiton with folds over her chest which is covered by long red Himation. She wears a long spiral red necklace around her neck ends with a small standing figurine. The neck seems fairly big and contains two or three folds. The head seems relativity large and the cheeks are chunky and painted in pink. The chin is pointed and short. She wears earrings consist of one bead of pearl in each ear. The head is surrounded by transparent veil headdress. It is wrapped around it in
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A New Identification of the Monkeys Depicted in a Bronze Age Wall Painting from Akrotiri, Thera
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Bronze Age Aegean (ca. 3500-1100 B.C.) wall paintings from the islands of Crete and Thera depict monkeys in a variety of roles such as running wild in nature, possibly following (trained) commands, and participating in sacred activities. These images, while stylistically Aegean, are traditionally considered closely related to—and descendant from—Egyptian, Near Eastern, and Mesopotamian monkey imagery. While monkey depictions in the latter regions may provide species-specific characteristics, Aegean wall paintings typically lack this level of detail. In an attempt to better understand the relationships between the monkeys depicted in Aegean wall paintings and the species that were encountered by the Aegean, Mesopotamian, and Egyptian peoples, a collaborative team of primatologists, a taxonomic illustrator, and an art historian/archaeologist identified species-indicative visual characteristics. This collaborative approach led us to identify a new region that serves as source for monkey iconography: the Indus River Valley. With an emphasis on the primatological aspect and the growing corpus of possible Indus goods and possible species found in the Aegean, a broader iconographic and socio-religious sphere of interaction emerges. In this expanded system, Mesopotamia functions as an intermediary that enables the movement of goods, raw materials, people, and iconography between the east and west. Mesopotamia may have even afforded an opportunity for Aegean peoples to encounter the creatures themselves, first-hand. Of primary importance to the methodology employed for this project is the cooperation of scholars from disparate disciplines—the stitching together of various projects and experiences in attempt to answer both new and previously unanswerable questions. This type of interdisciplinary approach can be applied to other species, sites, paintings, and objects to hone our understanding of period, place, animal, movement, and trade.
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