Humanities Term Paper
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Midterm Essay Exam
The Akhenaten stands apart from other Egyptian Pharaohs. Explain the innovations that this Pharaoh attempted to introduce in both religion and art. Explain important religious ideas you detect in the Hymn to the Sun.
Akhenaten became the Pharaoh in 1300 B.C. In an awesome display of power and leadership he immediately told his people that they could not and shall not worship any of the hundreds of Egyptians gods except for one. The only god Akhenaten allowed to be worshipped by his people was the sun god, Aten. The new Pharaoh closed down all of the existing temples and places for worship. He then built an entirely new city which was exclusively for the praise and worship of the sun god.
With this new religious revolution there was an immediate and dramatic change in art and how it was portrayed. Before Akhenatens reign, sculptures of Pharaohs were to be made to depict the image of the perfect male. These sculptures were made to highlight the ideal male figure. The king was supposed to be divine, with a strong, stout and proportionate body. This is easily noticed by looking at a sculpture of Mycernis and his queen. The Pharaohs body is massive. He is portrayed as being muscular, strong and proportionate; a true leader. However; the newer portrait of Akhenaten depicts how he truly looked. This sculpture is complete with his full hips, a fat stomach and a misshapen head. Although accurate, this portrait was not respected by Akhenatens people.
Akhenatens people did not like his new idea of art and how it should be displayed. They knew that the scepter and flail were symbols of royalty and were now possessed by a man who knowingly displayed his imperfections. The Pharaoh portrayed himself as real person. He believed that his portrait should depict his imperfections, emotions and his unique personality.
The Hymn to the Sun was made entirely by Akhenaten. He made this hymn in an effort to worship the sun god while at the same time portraying himself as his son. This hymn is considered to be one of the fullest expressions of Atenism of its time. This poem seems to fully worship and appreciate everything that the sun god did. Akhenaten was aware of the importance of the sun god and felt it was only his place to try to in honor Aten in such a way.
What was the Epic of Gilgamesh? Give a brief summary of the plot, major characters, and main themes in this poem. Your essay should make reference to the following characters in the epic: (a) Gilgamesh, (b.) Enkidu, (c.) Ishtar (a.k.a Inanna), (d.) Utnapishtim.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest and most commonly known pieces of literary work in the entire world. Bits and pieces of the story are said to date back as far as 1900 B.C.E.. Stories and infamous legends about Gilgamesh were told but were not recorded until several hundreds of years after his death. When first recorded, these stories were written on stone tablets. Later they were written and documented by the Akkadians.
Around 1900 B.C.E. is when Gilgamesh was living in and ruled Uruk. Gilgamesh was said to be an individual comprised of two-thirds god and only one third-man, this gave him superior, super-human strength. Gilgamesh was a stern leader and thought highly of himself. This vain attitude caused his unruly behavior. He would rape women and work his subjects nearly to death. When Anu, the sky god, caught wind of Gilgameshs actions he created a primeval human figure, his name was Enkidu. Enkidu was created to be just as equal and super human as Gilgamesh. Anu hoped that Enkidu would become good friends with Gilgamesh and steer him in the right direction. His hopes came alive as Gilgamesh and Enkidu were soon inseparable.
Enkidu is immediately outraged when he hears about the way Gilgamesh is leading his life. After learning about Gilgamesh a makes his way to Uruk to find Gilgamesh and to make an effort to help him get is act together. He arrives to witness Gilgamesh trying to make his way into a brides wedding chamber. As he interrupts they begin to fight and wrestle around for quite some time leading up to Gilgameshs victory. After this fight they became great friends and decided to go on a great adventure together. They decided to go steal some trees from a cedar forest that was not only far away but also forbidden to man. They reached their destination and defeated the monster (Humbaba) that was guarding the entrance. They got in and began to chop down the several trees. The make a humungous gate out of the tallest tree and use the rest to make raft to float back to Uruk on.
When they get back to Uruk, Ishtar is overwhelmed with a strange desire and lust for Gilgamesh. She offers herself to him and he insults her. She tells her father, Anu, what happened and asks him to release the Bull of Heaven to punish him. Anu agrees and sends the Bull along with seven long years of famine. The two men fear not, and decide to kill the bull. This outrages the gods and they decide that at least one of the two great friends must be punished for their actions. They then decide that Enkidu must die. Soon after, Enkidu becomes ill. As he suffers he shares his visions of the underworld with Gilgamesh. He soon dies and Gilgamesh is completely distraught.
After Enkidus death Gilgamesh is heartbroken and worrisome about his own death. In an act of grieving Gilgamesh trades in his nice clothes for animal skins and decides to seek out Utnapishtim, the Mesopotamian Noah. He seeks Utnapishtim because he knows that he has been granted eternal life. After his best friends death he is afraid and hope that Utnapishtim can share with him the secrets to immortality. When he finally meets Utnapishtim he tells his story and Utnapishtim is not apathetic. He tells Gilgamesh that he will tell him the secret only if he can stay awake for one whole week, which of course he fails at instantly. Afterwards Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh to suck it up and return to Uruk and rule his land like he is supposed to do.
The Major characters in this epic include Gilgamesh, Ekidu, Ishtar, and Utnapishtim.
Gilgamesh is obviously who this epic revolves around. He is the main character and ultimately the hero in the end. Enkidu is sent in an effort of the Gods to help Gilgamesh to change his ways. Ishtar is the goddess of love and finds herself more than overwhelmed with intense lust for Gilgamesh. Ishtar offers herself to Gilgamesh and he insults and rejects her. Utnapishtim