I missed these two classes because of my medical leave but I made sure I spoke with my faculty and classmates and found out what was done in class in order to catch up.
WEEK 3
In this class, our faculty discussed Mesopotamian Civilization with us. I referred to a few notes in order to get an overview and this is what I could retain-
- Mesopotamia– Habitable, fertile, agricultural and civilised organisation.
- City states– performed like a state by priests, people with authority, money, etc.
- Divisions of Mesopotamia- Assyrian and the Sumerian.
- Carvings– Victory: showed the defence of another city state’s army using a bow and arrow.
- First serving Religion– Zoroastrianism, the scripts in the Cuney form dictated the ‘law‘ for the king at that time.
- Conch shells– gift for trade
- Maps– marking the Babylonian region
- Artifacts– marking the civilisation by trends and the existing art
There was a record of music– the harp, there was entertainment, there was pottery– burial, storage, etc, and also all the activities they carried out were mainly for leisure, not survival.
Prevalence in slavery, lack of citizenship and hierarchy were portrayed in he presentation as well.
Reflection: Just through the research and reference, I learnt that the Mesopotamian Civilisation was not only rich in history, agriculture and architecture but also art, culture, music, literature and so on. The one thing that was extremely prevalent was trade. I have often wondered how to draw inspiration from old civilisations but reading about a civilisation like Mesopotamia, made me realise that people have learnt and have been inspired by old cultures and practices to create the present and future innovations, whether it is in the field of art or architecture.
WEEK 4
In this class we discussed about the Egyptian Civilization.
These are the few points that summon the discussion-
- Ra/ Pharaoh
- Slavery
- Protector of the Realm
- Mummies
- Pyramids
- After life
- River Nile
- Chamira
- Symbolism in art
- Sphinx
We then understood that there are 3 phases or sub-divisions in the entire Egyptian Civilization- Old Egypt, Middle Egypt and the New Egypt.
We also learnt the reasons that could have let the diminishing of the civilisation– trade, migration, natural disaster, and the fact that they were looted.
We also learnt that temples prevailed and that there was some sense of religion. We observed some sort of cultural exchange with Greece and Rome because of the architectural aspects and the proportions. There was art in the civilisation and one of the pieces portrayed the wine making process.
Reflection: Honestly, I feel it was very intriguing to learn about how the Egyptians evolved, grew and then ultimately disappeared. The information reflected on the kind of culture the civilisation was engulfed in and that also said a lot about their way of thinking.
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