Ancient Civilizations

SUMMARY

This week I read chapter 2 of Hinchman's book History of Interior Architecture Furniture, Design, and Global Culture. The focus of this chapter is on ancient civilizations, primarily Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Nubia. An important point made is that each of these three civilizations were in contact with each other. They faced each other in military scenes and traded in commercial ways. This intermingling of civilizations led to cultural impacts that are noticeable in their advancements, innovations, architecture, designs, and overall lifestyle.

After reading about the period known as "Prehistory" and its simple way of life last week, the idea of mass agriculture production seems much more evolutionary in these ancient civilizations. The rivers are central aspects of their lives and create thriving agriculture areas. This organized way of agriculture allowed these civilizations to put a larger focus on academics, innovations, structures, and designs. The emphasized designs for this post will be Mesopotamia reliefs, Egyptian furniture, and ceramics of Nubia. 

DESIGNS & CURRENT APPLICATIONS

Mesopotamia reached its height between the years 5000-2000 BCE. Located by the rivers of Tigris and Euphrates, agriculture was a big part of the villages' success. The organization on a survival level allowed for the first urban cities to be developed and gain more luxuries. Palaces became more conceptually additive with the quality of artwork increasing. An example of this is through the reliefs shown on the walls (Figure 1.1). The reliefs showcased the wealth of both the individual king and the kingdom. These polychromatic pieces of art tell narratives of the values and lifestyles of Mesopotamia during this era. Pictures showed hunting, celebrations, worship, processions of courtiers, landscapes, military, and more. They were constructed using a pressed roller to create an idea of horizontal movement throughout the narratives. These pieces highlighted stories that would intimidate others. The clothes, posture, and ornaments of the stories showed superiority and power over others. Today, this idea of pictural storytelling can be seen in many government buildings. One example is the Tlaxcala Palace in Tlaxcala Mexico (Figure 1.2). These murals showcase the culture and history of the Tlaxcala people. Through these pictures, their story is able to be told much like the reliefs in Mesopotamia. 

(Figure 1.1) Relief of soldiers - Mesopotamia – Artist Unknown  

(Figure 1.2) Mural of Tlaxcala people – Tlaxcala, Mexico - Desiderio Hernández Xochitiotzin - 1957.

The next era I want to focus on is Egypt in the Old Kingdom between 2649-2150. Egypt heavily valued death and the afterlife, so much of the art revolves around these concepts. Entombing the dead was an important cultural aspect, especially for royal families and officials. A meaningful part about these tombs today is that they are some of the first examples of wooden furniture that are still intact. These pieces of furniture showcase influential aspects of culture such as the need for comfort and mobility in fixtures. There are examples of wooden folding beds that allow for the furniture to be moved and traveled with as needed. These pieces also show how Egypt art reflects nature. Many of the pieces follow concepts of grids, angles, and math along with simple geometry and the shape of the human figure to create the design. As the book describes, these designs show the importance of ergonomics in Egyptian art (Figure 2.1). This concept is still very prevalent today. Modern artists are embracing the idea of combining natural beings (such as animals) with standard functions of furniture. Pictured below is an example of this (Figure 2.2). The Scorpion Chair resembles the figure of a scorpion while still remaining a comfortable chair. 

(Figure 2.1) Hatnefer's Chair – From the New Kingdom Era – Discovered in Hatnefer's Tomb and now in Metropolitan Museum of Art

(Figure 2.2) Scorpion Chair – Vyacheslav Pakhomov - Sold by Russian furniture brand

The Nubia region has little known information, but we are able to recognize the importance of their ceramics (Figure 3.1). Because of its constant interaction with Egypt, Nubia was heavily influenced by Egyptian culture. They were a set apart area and people, however, with their own culture and lifestyle. One way this is showcased is through their ceramics. They had geometric decorations with naturalistic representation. They depicted images, pictures, and designs that reflected important values of Nubia. The design blended in with the form of the piece, creating a seamless piece of work that allows us to know more about Nubia. This is still prevalent today as our pieces of dishware have patterns and pictures that represent importances in our culture (Figure 3.2). The set shown below reflects our societies' value for flowers and symmetry. They are viewed as classy, delicate, and pretty. 

(Figure 3.1) Piece of Nubian Ceramics – Depicts birds and leaves that reflect the importance of these in Nubian culture - Exact time and creator are unknown

(Figure 3.2) Common Dishware Today – Artist and Specific Producer Unknown

ONE STEP FURTHER

One architect that interests me is the Egyptian Senenmut. He created the Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut (Figure 4.1). The book barley mentions this intriguing place, but its architecture is remarkable. It was commissioned by Hatshepsut herself and designed by Senenmut. It is important to note that while Senenmut designed this, it was built by Egyptian slaves. There are many assumptions that Hebrew slaves were among this group who built this monument. This piece is made almost entirely of limestone. It also includes places for worship of Egyptian gods along with Hatshepsut's burial place. He also made two twin obelisks (Figure 4.2). Placed in Karnak, they were the tallest ones when they were built. They were shrines for Queen Hatshepsut. He worked very closely with the Queen and her daughter despite not coming from a royal or noble background. He also commissioned and designed two of his own tombs: TT71 and TT353 (Figure 4.3). He is an intriguing figure due to his close relationship with the Queen and the ways she entrusted him in creating physical pieces to remember her legacy. This short video explains Senenmut's biography and works more in depth.

(Figure 4.1) Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut – Qesm Luxor – Senenmut 

(Figure 4.2) Remaining Obelisk of Hatshepsut – Karnak, Egypt – Senenmut 

(Figure 4.3) Tomb of Senenmut – TT353 – Luxor, Egypt – Senenmut 

CLOSING REFLECTION

This period of time saw a big shift from small villages of farms to organized agriculture that caused large scale urban civilization. This allowed for a bigger focus on art and design. As these civilizations interacted, they traded not only resources but also design influence. While we still do not have many artifacts from this era, what we do have reflects the culture and lifestyle at the time. The Mesopotamian Reliefs tell stories that show us what they value. Egyptian furniture teaches us the importance of nature and math in designs. Nubian ceramics show us the values and traditions of an area we know little about. These designs and influences from the time continue to impact our design culture today.