#Art History Archaeology

[prokopetz]

I'm firmly convinced that there are certain archaeological artifacts we'll never fully understand because what sparked their creation was some prehistoric craftsperson thinking to themselves "hey, you know what would be fucked up?"

[theancientwayoflife]

~ Crab Vessel with Double Spout.

Place of origin: Colombia, Calima Region

Period: Ilama Period

Date: 1500 B.C.-A.D. 100

Medium: Ceramics

[artifacts-and-arthropods]

Child's Writing Exercises and Doodles, from Egypt, c. 1000-1200 CE: this was made by a child who was practicing Hebrew, creating doodles and scribbles on the page as they worked

This writing fragment is nearly 1,000 years old, and it was made by a child who lived in Egypt during the Middle Ages. Several letters of the Hebrew alphabet are written on the page, probably as part of a writing exercise, but the child apparently got a little bored/distracted, as they also left a drawing of a camel (or possibly a person), a doodle that resembles a menorah, and an assortment of other scribbles on the page.

This is the work of a Jewish child from Fustat (Old Cairo), and it was preserved in the collection known as the Cairo Genizah Manuscripts. As the University of Cambridge Library explains:

For a thousand years, the Jewish community of Fustat placed their worn-out books and other writings in a storeroom (genizah) of the Ben Ezra Synagogue ... According to rabbinic law, once a holy book can no longer be used (because it is too old, or because its text is no longer relevant) it cannot be destroyed or casually discarded: texts containing the name of God should be buried or, if burial is not possible, placed in a genizah.

At least from the early 11th century, the Jews of Fustat ... reverently placed their old texts in the Genizah. Remarkably, however, they placed not only the expected religious works, such as Bibles, prayer books and compendia of Jewish law, but also what we would regard as secular works and everyday documents: shopping lists, marriage contracts, divorce deeds, pages from Arabic fables, works of Sufi and Shi'ite philosophy, medical books, magical amulets, business letters and accounts, and hundreds of letters: examples of practically every kind of written text produced by the Jewish communities of the Near East can now be found in the Genizah Collection, and it presents an unparalleled insight into the medieval Jewish world.

Sources & More Info:

Cambridge Digital Library: Writing Exercises with Child's Drawings

Cambridge Digital Library: More About the Cairo Genizah Manuscripts

[tlatollotl]

textile

Cultures/periods: Chimu (?) Chancay (?)

Production date: 900-1430

Made in: Peru

Provenience unknown, possibly looted

Textile fragment; cotton plain weave ground with paired warps; camelid supplementary weft patterning; feline figure; cream and black.

British Museum

[666candies]

adam and eve apple. quote translates to “I am your half”

[fullslack]

Peruvian whistling vessels simulating animal calls (some of the oldest found date to c. 500–300 BCE)

[dyke-delphinia]

3D Reconstruction of Tenochtitlán by Thomas Kole

[toyastales]

Gold swivel ring featuring an amethyst frog, from the New Kingdom period of Egypt, dating between 1550-1229 BC.

[aodhan-art]

I made a comic full of very important knowledge!

[gemsofgreece]

An elaborate pebble mosaic from Aegae Palace in Vergina, Macedonia, Greece. Built by Philip II (c. 359-336 BC), father of Alexander the Great, it is one of the largest and most spectacular Hellenistic mosaics known.

photocredit: 17th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, Greece

[illustratus]

Roman period Head of Apollo

[memories-of-ancients]

Ornate Roman pugio uncovered in 2019 near Haltern am See in what is now Germany. 1st-2nd century AD

[theancientwayoflife]

~ Plaque.

Culture: Italic, Etruscan

Period: Late Archaic Period or early Classical Period

Date: ca. 470 B.C.

Medium: Terracotta

[artifacts-and-arthropods]

2,300-Year-Old Plush Bird from the Altai Mountains of Siberia, c.400-300 BCE: this figure was crafted with a felt body and reindeer-fur stuffing, all of which remains intact

This plush bird was sealed within the frozen barrows of Pazyryk, Siberia, for more than two millennia, where a unique microclimate enabled it to be preserved. The permafrost ice lense formation that runs below the barrows provided an insulating layer, preventing the soil from heating during the summer and allowing it to quickly freeze during the winter; these conditions produced a separate microclimate within the stone walls of the barrows themselves, thereby aiding in the preservation of the artifacts inside.

This is just one of the many well-preserved artifacts that have been found at Pazyryk. These artifacts are attributed to the Scythian/Altaic cultures.

Currently housed at the Hermitage Museum.

[holidaysincambodia]

Natufian scuplture from from around 11,000, credited as the first artwork portraying sex

[flaroh]

Buried 🌋🙇🏻‍♀️🕊️

Aprils work is Pompeii themed, inspired by photos I took in the House of the Vettii. The illustration is named Buried and is of the remains of the villa’s north courtyard, bathed in streaming morning light, with a mysterious occupant. Even though this scene is modern day, the girl is in Roman dress looking at the viewer. And oh what’s that? She’s slightly transparent...👻