The British Museum on a sunny day
And on a rainy day like today
We decided to start at the top of the museum and work our way down. The 5th floor is dedicated to
Japanese culture and relics.
I am standing in front of a mockup of a Japanese tea house.
Behind me is a small traditional bell on a stand
Samurai Armour and weaponery
One flight down from the Japanese exhibits, we found ourselves in a room with artifacts from indigenous people in the Northwest. Many of them from British Columbia, Canada.
Welcome figure
Large fish hooks
Fish trap made from woven cedar branches and roots. Used to trap cod.
Artifacts used during the potlatch ceremony
Helen Allingham 1848-1926
A delightful contrast to all of the other exhibits that we visited.
Helen Allingham (1848 – 1926) was an English watercolour painter and illustrator of the Victorian era.
In 1874, she produced 12 illustrations for the serialised version of Thomas Hardy‘s novel “Far from the Madding Crowd“.
In 1890, she became the first woman to become a full member of the Royal Watercolour Society.
Buddha of Light from China
A picture from a site that says "Bored in the Rain? Learn what to do..."
Just a few people seeking something to do in London on a rainy day.
We walked into a room that was full of pottery. I stopped by a dsiplay of ceramics and commented that for that period of time, I expected everything to be glued together shards or fragments of bowls
and vases. One of the employees of the museum was passing by and overheard what I said. He stopped to talk to us for several minutes about finding these beautiful antiquities whole and unblemished. Most of the ones that we were looking at were from about 400 BC. He explained that when these items had been found they were buried in shafts going down into the earth. Everything was packed together very carefully. They were not found in archeological "digs" as I had anticipated.
Shaft graves, late Bronze Age (c. 1600–1450 bc) burial sites from the era in which the Greek mainland came under the cultural influence of Crete. The graves were those of royal or leading Greek families, unplundered and undisturbed until found by modern archaeologists at Mycenae. The graves, consisting of deep, rectangular shafts above stone-walled burial chambers, lie in two circles, one excavated in 1876 and the other not found until 1951. They were richly accoutred with gold and silver; carvings of chariots provide the earliest indication of chariots on the Greek mainland.
Shaft graves, late Bronze Age (c. 1600–1450 bc) burial sites from the era in which the Greek mainland came under the cultural influence of Crete. The graves were those of royal or leading Greek families, unplundered and undisturbed until found by modern archaeologists at Mycenae. The graves, consisting of deep, rectangular shafts above stone-walled burial chambers, lie in two circles, one excavated in 1876 and the other not found until 1951. They were richly accoutred with gold and silver; carvings of chariots provide the earliest indication of chariots on the Greek mainland.Shaft graves, late Bronze Age (c. 1600–1450 bc) burial sites from the era in which the Greek mainland came under the cultural influence of Crete. The graves were those of royal or leading Greek families, unplundered and undisturbed until found by modern archaeologists at Mycenae. The graves, consisting of deep, rectangular shafts above stone-walled burial chambers, lie in two circles, one excavated in 1876 and the other not found until 1951. They were richly accoutred with gold and silver; carvings of chariots provide the earliest indication of chariots on the Greek mainland.
It is not surprising that the treasures unearthed by archeologist such as Schliemann were the prized discoveries. However, besides these metal artifacts apparently, some of these type of perfectly preserved ceramics were found in the shaft graves. The history of archaeological findings is literally one of exploitation and pillaging. Frequently archeologists from the 19th century smuggled items made of valuable items out of countries. Turkey is an example.
Of course, I failed to take pictures of the information given for all of these finds. I cannot find any information about them from the British Museum site except for the bronze vessel below.
The crude looking pots above date back to about 400 BC. The terra cotta vases above are older, dating back to about 1000 BC.
Large pottery storage jar (pithos) 1450-1400 BC
The storage of large quantities of agricultural produce, mainly grain crops, olive oil and wine, was one of the main functions of the palaces of Minoan Crete. Gathered from the surrounding countryside, it was then used or redistributed by the palaces. Through this, they reinforced their control of the island. The rope decoration may reflect the way such huge jars were transported. Once in place, they must have been filled and emptied using smaller vessels or dippers.
Just like the jar that Ali Baba hid in to avoid the 40 thieves.
Crowded floor - Assyrian period
After being shoved and pushed by the crowds of people, we decided to leave without seeing the Elgin Marbles or Rosetta Stone again.
If viewed at an angle you can see that this statue has 5 legs. It was created to be viewed either from the front or from the side. Both views show only four legs.
Assyrian sculpture and Balawat Gates
Full-size replica in the British Museum
Bronze band from the Balawat Gates of Shalmaneser III; from right door-leaf; embossed scene of a campaign in Syria showing the capture of cities in Hamath.
Winged human-headed lion from Assyrian period ca 860 BC
Two creatures guard the gate in the background
Large stone sculptures and reliefs were a striking feature of the palaces and temples of ancient Assyria (modern northern Iraq). An entrance to the royal palace of King Ashurnasirpal II (883-859 BC) at Nimrud was flanked by two colossal winged human-headed lions. A gigantic standing lion stood at the entrance to the nearby Temple of Ishtar, the goddess of war.
Colossal statue of a lion.From Nimrud (ancient Kalhu), northern Iraq Neo-Assyrian, about 883-859 BC While looking at information online, I have discovered that instead of being fascinated by the colossal statue, I should have been looking at the reliefs from the same period.
Assyria: Nineveh (Room 9)
700 – 692 BC
The rooms and courtyards of the Neo-Assyrian Southwest Palace of King Sennacherib (704-681 BC) at Nineveh (in modern northern Iraq) were decorated with a series of detailed carved stone panels. Many of them are on display in Room 9.
The panels depict a variety of scenes, including the transport of huge sculptures of human-headed winged bulls (lamassu) that weigh up to 30 tons and were intended for the main entrances to the palace.
These illustrations provide an insight into ancient quarrying and transport techniques, as well as Sennacherib’s keen interest in his building projects. Other panels on display depict the king’s military campaigns.
Assyria: Nimrud (Rooms 7–8)
883 – 859 BC
The Neo-Assyrian King Ashurnasirpal II (883-859 BC) built his magnificent Northwest Palace at Nimrud (now in northern Iraq). Its interior decoration featured a series of remarkable carved stone panels.
Granodiorite seated statue of Amenhotep III
Amenhotep III (1390-1352 BC) commissioned hundreds of sculptures for his mortuary temple on the west bank of the Nile at Thebes, though the precise original location of most of them is not known. Statues representing the seated ruler were probably intended to function as the recipients of offerings and prayers.
This statue shows Amenhotep III seated on a throne. On the sides of the throne are the intertwined symbols of the plants of Upper and Lower Egypt, representing the union of the two lands of Egypt, and illustrating the fact that it is the king who keeps them together.
Parts of several large statues from Amenhotep III's mortuary temple are now in The British Museum.
BBC weather report for Tuesday, June 6, 2017
London and South East England
Forecast Summary
Today
Windy, rather cool and cloudy, with occasionally heavy spells of rain edging northeast during the morning. Becoming brighter but blustery into the afternoon, with scattered showers developing. Some of these showers will be heavy with a risk of thunder.Tonight
Blustery showers will die away during the evening, leaving a dry remainder of the night with some clear spells, although winds will be much slower to ease.
Definitely a rainy and blustery day in London
No comments:
Post a Comment