In Ancient art symbolism and iconography become very advanced. (icons and iconography & iconology will be reviewed in class so that you can easily know when to use these terms in class.) For this discussion I hope that you will share the gods that interest/intrigue you the most.
Step 1. Identify two Egyptian gods and two Mesopotamian gods and briefly describe what they represented. Step 2. From the four that you have chosen, share here which one is the most interesting to you. 3. Include important aspects of the way they look, how they are designed or carved 4. Comment on at least two of your peers work – please write the details that they shared that is news to you or applaud them for their visual description.
Two Egyptian gods include, Ra (the god of the sun) and Anubis (the god of funerals). Two Mesopotamian gods include, Sin (the god of the moon) and Enlil (the god of the heavens).
The god that I found to be the most interesting was the Mesopotamian god; Sin (the god of the moon). I found Sin to be the most interesting because of what he represented and because of his depicted imagine and associated symbols. Sin was represented as the bull, with the symbol alluding to the
Response ,Comment on at least two of your peers work – please write the details that they shared that is news to you or applaud them for their visual description.
Student 1/resemblance of the waxing crescent moon to the horns of the animal. Sin was also one of the major Mesopotamian gods in the early part of the Sumerian period. The religious scope of the Sin deity often translated to scientific analysis, with records on the radiance along with the path and cycles of the moon within particular time-frames. Which means that even back in 3100 BC, science was just discovered but already being recorded even before the scientific revolution. Sin’s imagine or curving is depicted as gray clay work with much detailing to the god(s) and the crescent moon. I personally have always been deeply intrigued by the moon because of its symbolism and representation, which is why I even have it tattooed on my body.
Ra- In ancient Egypt, this was the god of the sun and was considered the worldâ€™s first ruler or pharaoh when the land was inhabited by deities. Ra had a human body but the head appeared like that of a bird with a beak. This god had a sun ship that would sail across the sky during the day and travel through the underground at night through the river of darkness where it would fight monsters. After aging, Ra returned to heavens and gave up its throne to another god called Osiris.
Geb- This was the god of the earth. The Egyptians believed that this deity was among the first to appear from the sea of chaos when time began. This god looked like a human being but was made of earth and had physical features such as mountains, forests, seas, and rivers on his body. He had a wife called Nut, who was the goddess of the sky.
Anu/Ilu/An– In Mesopotamia, this was the deity considered to be the supreme God or god of the sky and the first and farthest ancestor who gave rise to all other gods. He was also considered to be a member of the triad of gods along with Ea and Enlil. But he played a small role in mythology, despite being the god of the sky and the first to appear.
Enlil/Ellil– This was the god of storms, wind, air, and earth in Mesopotamia and acted as the chief deity of the other gods. He was considered to be a fatherly and benevolent god who cared for the well-being of humans and all other living things. He also controlled and ruled over the other deities. In appearance, the god was represented by a horned cap with seven pairs of ox-horns superimposed on it.
The most interesting of all these four gods seem to be Enlil, the god of earth, air, storm, and wind as per the Mesopotamian mythology. I find him to be interesting because unlike others that appeared harmful and monstrous like, this god appears to have the characteristics of God of the modern religions in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as the role of a god is to create and maintain humans in harmony.