The Dancing Shiva

Hinduism is one of the most popular practiced religions in the world today. As I tried to figure out what to use for this week's blog topic, I stumbled across one of my Art History books from last semester. The front cover of the book displayed a bronze statue of a figure with several active limbs and various embellishments. Hindu art plays a large role in their belief system as a visual representation of their gods and goddesses. Statues, mosaics, and paintings are usually created in honor to a specific deity or event.

One of the more wide spread pieces of art work of Hinduism is the bronze statue of the Dancing Shiva. Shiva is one of the major Hindu gods and is part of the Trimurti, along with Brahma and Vishnu. In the main belief system of The Trimurti, the three represent the aspects of essential forms of life: creation, maintenance, and death. Shiva is considered the god of destruction and death in this belief. The symbol of the Nataraj, or Dancing Shiva, is an important representation of balance and harmony, the motion and activity of the god shows a sense of rhythm. The symbol of the four hands are the four cardinal directions, and the raised leg represents triumph and victory.

Although there are many different interpretations of the symbolism of the objects that are held in each hand, the essence of death, enlightenment, and fearlessness are all the dominant meanings. The dancing pose is an important symbol of the relationship between life and death, and how both are meant to be a cosmic balancing aspect for each other.

The Dancing Shiva is a stunning piece of art work, the earliest representations dating back from twelfth century A.D. Since then, thousands of models and statues have been created from then. This statue is an important symbol of the Hindu religion, and the Indian culture.

Links:

Art History Notes

http://hinduism.about.com/od/lordshiva/p/nataraj.htm

The Great Wall of China

            The Great Wall of China was built in many different sections throughout history.  It is thought that the building began during the Spring and Autumn Periods, when China was divided into separate states. The states created independent walls to boarder their territory. During the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), the emperor defeated six states and unified China. He ordered the connecting of walls that already stood from previous states, also adding some sections of his own. It was during the Qin Dynasty that the most famous wall was built, but little of it remains. During the Han Dynasty, the court built more, and larger walls, and eventually half of the Silk Road was along the Han’s wall. Though many dynasties contributed to the wall building, the peak of the building took place during the Ming Dynasty. The purpose of the Wall was to protect China from invasions of the Mongols and Turkic Tribes. They expanding the length of the wall, along with enlarged the walls that stood from the work of previous dynasties. When the combination of work from four dynasties was complete, it became the Great Wall of China. The Wall stretches approximately 4,160 miles in total. Today, the Wall has become one of the most popular travel destinations in the world.

            It is important to recognize the teamwork that took place to build this significant structure. Each of the dynasties either added on to the length of the wall, or focused on the enlargement of already existing parts. Without the involvement of each of the dynasties and their contribution, the Great Wall of China would not exist today. We see this ripple effect all throughout history, and not just with the building of structures. The origin of everything had to start somewhere, and throughout history, people simply added to it. Everything had to start somewhere to get where it is today.

 http://www.timelineindex.com/content/view/1412

http://www.chinahighlights.com/greatwall/history/

http://www.chinahighlights.com/greatwall/fact/

Solving an Ice Age Mystery

460 million years ago, the Appalachian Mountains in Eastern North America formed. 445 million years ago, the Earth dropped into an ice age so severe, two-thirds of all plants and animals went extinct. Coincidence? Seth Young and his colleagues say not, in this article.

In a write-up for ScienceNOW called "The Mountains That Froze the World", Phil Berardelli explains the theory and science behind the connection for the general public. Shortly after giant volcanic explosions formed the mountains,

...CO₂-laced acid rain fell on the rocks, [and] it formed limestone that washed into the Nevada sea and locked away huge amounts of carbon from the atmosphere. Then, when the volcanism ended, about 450 million years ago, the sequestering continued, thinning CO₂ levels to maybe a few times higher than today. Back then, a dimmer sun couldn't keep the atmosphere warm without CO₂'s help--hence, the eventual onset of the ice age.

These findings do not explain the reason the rise of the Himalayas was followed by an ice age, but they do give a reasonable explanation for this ice age. Among previous explanations was the idea that the ash blown up by the volcanoes themselves blocked the sun, but the dates didn't match.

The original findings published in Geology are a bit indecipherable to a non-scientist, but Berardelli's explanations are clear and much easier to follow. Head on over to ScienceNOW's website through the link above to see the whole article.

From Digg

The Origin and Meaning Behind the Yin Yang Symbol

            I have seen the yin yang symbol so many times in the nineteen years I have been alive, and never knew that behind the symbol there is a meaning, and a reason. I use to draw them on my notebooks, and on my hand because I thought they looked cool, and never thought there might be a reason for the creation of the symbol.

            The yin yang symbol was created by Han dynasty philosophers, and has been around for thousands of years. The symbol is also sometimes called the Tai-Chi symbol, and comes from I-Ching, which is the greatest foundation of Chinese philosophy. The I-Ching explains the metaphysical workings of the entire universe; also known as the Tao. They believed the universe is run by the Tao, which is divided into two opposite actions; Yin and Yang. The Yin and Yang can explain all changes in the universe, and all phenomena. They believe that all phenomena has their opposite state within them. The way the yin and yang complete changes in the universe is through their agents; The movement of the stars, the working of the body, the nature of foods, the qualities of music, the ethical qualities of humans, the progress of time, the operations of government, and the nature of historical change. They believed that each of these opposite agents are all related in some way.

The symbol’s main purpose is to represent the universal harmony and unity between opposites that are complimentary to each other. For example, male and female, light and dark, passive and negative, weak and strong, and so on. The goal of the symbol is to send the message that everything in the universe can be related in some way or another, and everything that happens has the roots of its opposite state.

Now whenever I draw the yin yang symbol on my notebook, I will know exactly what I am drawing, and why it was created. Learning the history behind anything can help one to understand exactly why something is the way it is. So next time a symbol is drawn on a notebook, look it up and find out exactly what is being drawn. There is a story and history behind everything.

http://www.crossroad.to/Books/symbols1.html

 http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/CHPHIL/YINYANG.HTM

Ancient Tattoos

I have always found tattoos to be fascinating. I think it would be neat to have one; a nice design/picture/word, something with meaning. However, I am a wimp and will probably never get one. In the meantime, I will continue to find the tattoos that other people have interesting.

I came across an article today from the Smithsonian about tattoos that was originally published in 2007. It seems that Egyptians were the first civilization to tattoo themselves in large numbers. It was mostly females that engaged in tattoos, as shown by several female mummies from about 2000 BCE. This date may be inaccurate due to the discovery of Iceman, who is 5200 years old and has tattoo markings.

Tattoos in ancient times did not have the same meaning as they do today; in fact, it is believed in both cases of the Egyptians and Iceman that the tattoos were used for medical purposes, to alleviate pain. The Egyptians also used them a protection against difficult pregnancies as a good luck charm of sorts. Lines and dot matrices were typical design patterns. Interestingly, a mummy of a Scythian (ancient Iranian) was found with mythical animals tattoos across his body and a woman was also discovered with mythical animals tattooed on her body.

The tools used for ancient tattoos are very different from modern tools. Instruments with sharp metal points and wooden handles were excavated by archaeologist W.M.F. Petrie and are thought to have been used for tattoos. Color was not commonly used in ancient tattoos; dark inks were most common. However, Inuit tribes used yellow pigments for their designs. Today, the tattooing process is automated with tattoo machines. HowStuffWorks.com has a nice graphic that shows exactly how a tattoo is created with modern technology.

Joann Fletcher, a research fellow at University of York in Britain, wraps up the interview with Smithsonian and explains how and why tattooing came about in several different cultures: “In many cases, it seems to have sprung up independently as a permanent way to place protective or therapeutic symbols upon the body, then as a means of marking people out into appropriate social, political or religious groups, or simply as a form of self-expression or fashion statement.”

I have included a link to the Smithsonian’s collection of mummies and with tattoo markings as well as ancient tools used. The two pictures are actual mummies, so be warned!

Also, here are tattoos by famous tattoo artist, Kat von D.

Mixture of Culture

Today we have airplanes, trains, cars and many other forms of transportation. People travel for vacation, work, school and many other things. In doing so, people are able to learn about other areas of the world whether it be in another state or halfway around the globe. Gradually, because of this travelling people pick up different things from the places they go such as material goods, lingo, ideas, and wealth. Slowly throughout time people slowly begin to shift culture from what they used to have to new ideas and materials. Culture gets passed around so much that slowly it becomes normal for an American to have a Spanish style house and eat many different Italian dishes at meals. Because it becomes normal people do not always think of it as the spreading around of ideas but instead just a modernization of culture. This mixing of culture soon forms a "melting pot" of ideas and people. America mainly but other countries as well are full of these traditions and mixture of culture.

Most people do not even think about this modernization that takes place. It is interesting to note that because of these traveling ideas, people often get a slanted view of the true culture of a certain place. A good example of this is some restaurants we have in the U.S., Taco Bell for instance sell Mexican food, so in every aspect people expect to get true Mexican food when they eat at taco bell. This slanted view of what true Mexican cuisine taste like often leads to ignorance and stereotypes. While people still enjoy the food they are eating, they are still somewhat mislead by saying Taco Bell is Mexican food. Same things are true with say Chinese restaurants. America itself has developed somewhat of a difference between Taco Bell and say "real" Mexican cuisine by using the term authentic.

Because the world has changed so much since the days of the first trading and expedition of ideas, it is evident that through this mixture of cultures that there is some culture lost to modernization. It is interesting though that country all over the globe fight hard for the preservation of there culture. While other simply want to explore other cultures.

Cross-Cultural Contact: The Silk Road

The United States is considered to be the melting pot of the modern world. People of all nationalities, faiths, and political views coexist side by side. The U.S. would hardly be the great nation it is today without input and influence from virtually every other country. Whether we are tuned into it or not, other cultures affect our day-to-day lives, from our food and fashions to religions, language, and technology. Our very political system, the foundation of our country, was borrowed from ancient powerhouses such as the Greeks and the Romans.

The U.S. certainly is not the first to strive off of cultural connections with other countries. Civilizations have been exchanging social, economic, and political concepts as well as material things, for millennia. One such civilization that has played a major role in the progress of cross-cultural contact is China. Possibly the best known means of cultural exchange was via the Silk Road. Initially this route was established for trade within China itself, however it eventually grew to span the entire Eurasian landmass. Several roads were interconnected to make up the entirety of the Silk Road, and different sections of roads were controlled and used by different groups of merchants and travelers. For 2,000 years, it served as a means for trading religious ideas, technology, diseases, and politics, among many other things.

References:
http://www.ess.uci.edu/~oliver/silk.html
http://library.thinkquest.org/13406/sr/
Robert Strayer, Ways of the World, a Brief Global History - Volume I: to 1500. pg 211-213.