Egyptian And Mexican Pyramids Essay -- essays research papers fc

Mysteries of the Ancient World   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For many centuries people have been fascinated by ancient cultures and treasures. During the last two centuries the science of archeology and modern inventions allowed people to get inside of the Egyptian and Mayan pyramids and discover the treasures of Egyptian pharaohs and Mayan rulers. Most of what we know about Egypt we owe to the pyramids. Thanks to Egyptian belief in the afterlife we can now find out about the civilization that existed nearly five thousand years ago. Egyptian culture is not the only culture that left us its heritage in pyramids. In America we find pyramids build by civilizations of Olmec and Maya about 7th century CE. These pyramids had different purposes and usage then the ones in Egypt but they stand as memorials to ancient civilizations as well.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Egyptian people believed in life after death. One of the way pharaohs prepared themselves for the afterlife journey was by building a pyramid and putting there all their belongings and riches. Egyptian people believed that pharaoh is the closest person to the God and treated him accordingly. That is the reason for Egyptian tombs being full with the golden jewelry, precious stones and art objects. Most of the time art objects were not considered a treasury but they played their particular role in religious rituals. Jars were holding food and drinks for pharaoh’s journey, so he would not get hungry and would have food and drinks to offer to the Gods. The figurative sculptures were suppose to accompany Ka ( spiritual entity) in its lonely stay or serve as a twin for the mummy. If something happens to the mummy the ka could use the sculpture of the pharaoh for the revelation. As well as for Egyptians religion was an everyday concern for many of the Maya, whether the dynastic ruler, the zealous priest, or the humble believer. Maya has an extensive religion structure which we can not know in details. Chac and Itzamna are the most famous gods of Mayan culture. Hunahpu and Xbalanque are among the most interesting mythical characters. One of the most crucial gods was Tlaloc, who was worshiped in various guises by the culture of Teotihuacan, the Toltec of Tula, and later Aztecs. The Maya received the cult of Tlaloc during the 4th century more or less. The Cauac Monster, also known as the Witz monster, is a... ...ties of the ancient Maya†. Mystery of Maya. CMCC. May 1999. http://www.civilization.ca/membrs/civiliz/maya/mmc01eng.html â€Å"Herodotus Reports on Mummification.† May 1999. http://pluto.clinch.edu/history/wciv1/civ1ref/mummy.html â€Å"Life in Ancient Egypt. Shabtis.† Ed. Craig Patch. Exc. from Reflections of Greatness: Ancient Egypt at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. 1990. http://www.yahoo.com/egypt/ â€Å"Maya Civilization.† Mystery of Maya. CMCC. May 1999. http://www.civilization.ca/membrs/civiliz/maya/mmc01eng.html Newby, P.H. The Egypt story, its art, its monuments, its people, its history. Italy: Abbreville Press: 1979. Payne, Elizabeth. The pharaohs of Ancient Egypt. New York: Random House, Inc. 1984. â€Å"Photographs of Maya ruins of Tikal showing how Hasselblad cameras and Zeiss lenses result in better pictures†. Maya Art & books. International Photographic Archive of Maya Art. June 1998. http://www.maya-art-books.org/html/New_photos.html â€Å"The First Egyptian Mummies†. Corkankhamun explains mummification. May 1999. http://members.aol.com/mumifyddog/first.html â€Å"Why Egyptians Made Mummies†. Corkankhamun explains mummification. May 1999. http://members.aol.com/mumifyddog/first.html