It’s almost eerie to see this caliber of craftsmanship and artistry turn up in such an early era of history. These statues have lingered in my mind since I first laid eyes on them. Especially the Khafre enthroned one. Hauntingly beautiful.
You can go into one furniture store to purchase something made by IKEA - OR - you can go into another to purchase handmade furniture. So then as now = you got what you paid for. Moral of the story: Khafre like those Pharaohs who ruled around him reigned during times of prosperity for Egypt. Hence they had access to wealth/resources which other Pharaohs might not have. Further he is reputed to have reigned for many years while many Pharaohs actually ruled for much less. So we know that the ancient Egyptians were big on symbolism and very heavy into their religious beliefs. For them a person's name/image = was the person. We also know the Pharaohs the same as wealthy temples later on employed their own castes of professional craftsmen who were highly organized and who passed those skills on. By the time of the Persian period in Egypt the renown of Egyptian stone working was such that Darius sent Egyptian craftsmen to help build his capital city of Persepolis. So I for one am not surprised by the craftsmanship here - stunning that it is. It reflects a time when its owner was wealthy and powerful + who ruled for many years allowing for the creation of such + who employed castes of dedicated craftsmen who spent their lives creating such as this being freed from other worries as they were provided food and board in exchange for their services - and in the case of the elites perhaps a tomb of their own and maybe even mummification. Thus if you need a statue as say a simple votive offering - a lower quality one would suffice. If however you want "a museum quality piece" for a Pharaoh......... 🤔
@@courtesyofdickboak Did aliens come down, carve the statues & fly off again? Or what about amazing 'advanced' tools from an even older civilisation? This is not the place for those with 'alternate history' beliefs. We deal with facts here, not delusional speculative theories of the past. Stone & copper tools have been found. The great statues the Egyptians created have been found.. Yet no 'modern advanced' tools of extraordinary abilities have ever been found. Add that up yourself.
The Menkaure statue with his wife is amazing. The only one that surpasses it is Khafre Enthroned imho. Big shout to Dr Berman, I really enjoyed listening to him as Egyptology is my thing. Great stuff as always WOA.
An absolutely magnificent statue ,it's incredible that such skill to make it existed so very long ago ! Cheers Eddie PS the civilization of that time must have been very advanced ! that's over 4000 years ago !
Recognizing the face of the Pharoah reminds me of the two-week history of Rome trip I took. By the end, even the spouses with little interest in the history were recognizing emperor statues by face.
I am always in awe of how surprised people are that people could make art that was so beautiful in the past. The myth that people were primitive or stupid in the past is really pervasive. The statues are beautiful and awe-inspiring, especially how you have framed them in this video. The fact that this was done with ancient technology makes it impressive, but should not really be shocking.
Wow! I thought I recognized that statue, so I went to the Boston MFA website, and sure enough it's there. There is an even more stunning seated Pharaoh at the entrance to the Egyptian wing! The MFA is enormous, and everyone who can should visit it.
This statue is beautiful. The artist has managed to capture a look of serene beauty in their faces and a look of contentment and joy. Thank you for once again providing so much valuable information about the context these statutes had in their original setting. The rituals explained by Mr Berman also show how Pharaohs were considered almost as gods even after their death. It allows you to travel through time and make you feel as though you are right there watching those ceremonies. It also brings to light the sort of institution and system that Moses (peace be upon him) went against even though he probably challenged a Pharaoh of the much later eighteenth dynasty.
I love these more focused videos. I really enjoy how humanizing you are towards these. It’s easy to be cold and say some dates with a geographic location, but you put the life and humanity into such artifacts
Greywacke - never would have guessed. I remember studying this masterpiece in school 40 years ago and being told it was Diorite - had no reason to doubt it. 14:11 "Same way we would carve statues today..." (hmmm... ) good video of a great sculpture
Thank you, again, Dr. David 🤗 i loved witnessing this intimate encounter you had with an experienced, excited and very proficient Egyptologist/Museum curator!!
This was so interesting! I'm absolutely loving this series. I'm not a very visual person, and it's helpful to me when someone points out even the obvious features of an artifact, to say nothing of its findspot and what we know about its cultural context, which is always useful. Thank you.
I wonder what it would have meant to an ancient king, if his tomb and temple HAD been finished? Would that have been an invitation to the gods to send a thunderbolt down?
Thanks so much for this. It's really nice that you post these thoughtful, very informative and educational videos just for free, out of a love of teaching.
My initial thought on the symbolism of the short staffs in the king's hands you refer to at the end..was that he was pulling the handles of a great load...both moving forward ...and she is supporting him. Symbolism of his life's work and load.
Conclusion. We know very little of the lives of ancient Egyptians. Nor about how they built the Pyramids, but we know exactly how they built the pyramids, since they built them. Love the video!
thank you very much doctor, great talk! About the 'thieves stash' controversy, it seems to me that by Menkaure's times, public places were filled with the imagery of the king; what a pious successor king to do to display his own imagery, if not to 'deposit' and 'protect' his predecessor's ones?
Wow David another fantastic video I would agree that this is one of the many masterpiece from the old kingdom of ancient Egypt, this piece is intriguing and puzzling as well and all those points have been covered in this interview. The Boston museum is on my list of museums to visit some day Thanks David I'm looking forward to seeing more videos like this one. 💯💯👍👍👏👏
"After increasing tensions and nationalist revolts, the United Kingdom invaded Egypt in 1882, crushing the Egyptian army at the Battle of Tell El Kebir and militarily occupying the country. Following this, the Khedivate became a British protectorate under nominal Ottoman sovereignty.Modern Egypt dates back to 1922, when it gained independence from the British Empire as a monarchy." Deals with the 'Egyptian government' in 1905 was pretty much a deal with the British government.
Good point. Never expect a western academic of ever criticizing the west in any way. You get that "protecting a house of lies" feel sometimes. Can't criticize who pays you I suppose. Hence western decline.(from the west, but no longer living there).
Back then the Egyptian Department of Antiquities was under the influence of the French not the British. France was also involved in the military action of 1882, but their control over this ministry actually predates this. Egypt only became a British Protectorate in 1914, precipitated by the first world war. During the preceding military occupation, Egypt was not under the direct rule of the British empire the civilian government was left in place, Britain controlled Egypt's military and enforced it's foreign policy aims, but had little involvement in matters that were not of geopolitical importance. When the Protectorate ended in 1922, the military occupation did not, a new 'British friendly' (puppet) government was allowed to take over, the situation was much as it has been before the Protectorate until the 1950s.
Dang this was a great video. My only wish for this and other remote interview videos (not just yours) is that we could provide the speaker on the other end with a quality mic. He sounds like he is using the internal mic on a cheap laptop. I know it's not possible so that's why it is only a wish and not a complaint. So thanks for the subtitles!
Wonderful that statue 😍 seen it 100 times & never noticed it was unfinished apart from the engraving until you mentioned then it's so obvious! It does puzzle me how some of the old dynasty statues seem so superior to later statues 🙃 any thoughts on the theory of old dynasty statues with 'scratched on' engravings being 'refurbished' & not made by old dynasty? I love your channel David & love these in-depth interviews, thankyou 😊
It's interesting that the display installation for this statue is so similar to those used for the display of the Luxor Temple Cache statues, in Luxor Museum. I can't find it referenced anywhere, but one wonders if the Bostpn MFA assisted with the design of the Luxor gallery.
Hey David, informative video as always! You should look into the London Nataraja case, it might intrigue you. While one of the main archaeologists involved in it, Dr. R. Nagaswami, passed away last year sadly, but I am sure you would find the story interesting..
I still never think of Egyptian statues as painted. Took a while to force it in my head for Greek and Roman haha. It's interesting to me because the smooth polish would make it easier to strip old paint as it fades so it can be repainted.
Great interview with Mr. Berman. My compliments to the sculptor as well. The embrace feels caring. The faces are bold and symmetrical, yet soft and human. The unfinished state seems to illuminate their faces. I love these deep dives into special artifacts. Thank you.
Love your work David, but I'm a little surprised that you give no links to Lawrence Berman's research, nor do you mention him in the summary of the video. Fair credit is due I believe??
Greywacke?! I didn't know there was that stone outside of New Zealand, let alone Egypt!! It's really, really hard! (I looked it up and duh, it's in heaps of plzces, I clearly just live in a place where most of the rock I see is greywacke and my dad's a geologist so I hear about it a lot lol)
The ancient Egyptians often used archaism, to make claims of linear continuity. It was especially popular after chaotic times, such as the intermediate periods. Probably as a claim of the legitimacy of the dynasty who brought back home rule.
Oh man... Old Kingdom Egypt statues are so fascinating because of their style, that seems less stylized than what came in the subsequent periods, they seems a bit more realistic. This means when I look at a statue of Krafre (1:42) I'm probably seeing more or less how a mean that lived 4500 years ago really looked. Are there older "accurate" statues than those from Old Kingdom?
A few musings. Menkaure per ancient accounts such as Herodotus was cast as a benevolent Pharaoh - unlike his predecessors. Khufu was cast as a despotic ruler who closed the temples and compelled Egyptians to labor for years to create his pyramid. Now some of this is likely a skewing of fact as the later Egyptians employed _"damnatio memoriae"_ to cast their predecessors in a negative light declaring them heretical. What stands however is that if Khufu was more despotic in his rule - whereas Menkaure who is said to have reopened the temples and led a "milder" reign = then upon the collapse of the Kingdom some people viewing him thusly might have acted to try to preserve his likeness. Remember that in the Egyptian religion a person's likeness/name = was tantamount to the person. Think the "false doors" in tombs. In their minds a false door was still enough for the spirit of the dead - the Ka - to use to enter the afterlife. So "symbolism" was paramount to their beliefs. Moral of the story: later Egyptians during the Late Period made the effort to do some renovations to Menkaure's Pyramid. A new sarcophagus was installed and a new wooden coffin fashioned for him since previous tomb robbing apparently resulted in damage to the originals. So Menkaure seeing some renovation - as opposed to his grandfather - seems to fit the narrative of he was viewed in a better light with the people = thus some might have acted to try to preserve something of him - like the dyad. It was found buried near his temple complex. Some might have stolen it as is assumed to "stash it" - or perhaps to try to save it. Similarly the statue of Khafre enthroned was also found buried under his temple complex. Clearly there was an effort to hide it away which when faced with the history of the collapse of the Kingdom and the people rising up to destroy things fits the narrative. Remember that during the New Kingdom tombs were opened in the Valley of the Kings and the remaining contents were removed and hidden away in the tombs of lessor officials in "mummy caches" in what appears to have been an attempt to save them from tomb raiders. The burying of this statue might represent a similar action whereby they were buried in an attempt to preserve them - who knows. 🤔
Professor Miano He tried to host the American Professor Richard Mortel. I think he has a lot of information about the civilizations of the Arabian Peninsula because he is a traveler and explores in his travels.
It’s interesting. I wonder if it might be meant to be unmarked on purpose. The right hand of the queen at the king’s ribs might suggest the existence of the origins of the Adam & Eve myth from Genesis in some form in Egypt’s fifth dynasty. If it was meant to be that earlier first man & woman from mythology, that might explain the lack of the king’s cartouche on it while it is his face. That might even be part of the reason the pleating of hair and kilt wasn’t done and it was still painted. It would be helpful if there were other similar statues or preserved papyrus detailing anything to confirm what it was meant to represent. The fact that it appeared to be carefully buried suggests that defacing the image of king was perfectly fine, but this was some god-like figure that just happens to have the king’s face, and care was taken not to offend the god-like figure while destroying the memory of the king. It’s one hell of an interesting puzzle.
Thank you for bringing up the mencarae pyramid and that it is the only pyramid that a body was found in. I brought up the subject of no mummies had ever been found in a pyramid with my mother and brother and my god it started world war III. I was accused of falling down you tube rabbit holes and attacked with lots of straw man arguments and basically had to leave the house disgraced and humiliated and swore I would never bring the subject up again. 😊 And you just answered it...thank you so much. And even more interesting that it was repurposed ....wooden coffin inside previous stone box....so I guess repurposed by later generations. You ask great questions
Yeah thanks for asking the question WOA. I have heard the no bodies ever found in Pyramids idea mentioned by alternative researchers many times. If you mention this to people that only know what they learnt in school about Pyramids they will say what are talking about? All Pyramids are tombs for pharaohs!!! Interesting your family attacked you over this Bok2Bok, it shows how deep the small amount of ancient Egyption history we learn at school is embedded in our brains as facts. He answered yes to the question but elaborated by saying it was a 26th dynasty wooden coffin placed inside a 4th dynasty stone sarcophagus. So is he saying no mummies have ever been found in Pyramids using the original stone sarcophagi? Even with Pyramids requiring dynamite blasting to gain entry the stone sarcophagi never contained the mummies of a pharaohs? The blasting makes it seem like grave robbing is not a very plausable reason for the lack of mummies. On the other hand the amount of time passed is enormous so maybe all original bodies were removed at some point and the pyramids resealed. They did a good job though if dynamite was required by future explorers to gain access. Still very interesting that only one wooden 26th dynasty coffin containing a body has ever been found inside a pyramid. Interesting that pyramids are the tombs of pharaohs idea is taught as fact at school if the information here is correct. It's a shame the original sarcophagus was lost at sea but it sounded like there wouldn't have been any inscriptions to help prove if there ever was a body stored inside. Thanks for the video WOA and thanks for asking a question that many people like Bok2Boks family beleive has been answered. The answer so strongly beleived that people would attack there own family for questioning. Hearing from an expert on the topic it sounds like we really don't know much at all about the original pyramid builders. All very interesting thank you.
@@noodlesmetal from my point of view I am just fascinated with the subject. My family are academics which is ironic and I'm not which makes me a fairly poor debater in these situations. I am still open to the pyramids being tombs and based on all the information so far they probably are but I'm also open to other possibilities when I see lack of evidence. The trap I feel some people fall into is not thinking out of the box.
@@bok2bok333 Ok yeah thanks for the reply. I am also very interested in the subject but don't have any formal qualifications to debate or necessary skills. Someone very skilled in debating could make convincing arguments on any topic. Maybe the Pyramids were built as tombs, the amount of work and scale of the great Pyramid is mind boggling and leads to speculation on it's purpose. I have no idea what the purpose was if not tombs. Interesting that only one body has been found and put there in a later time period not in the original construction. I enjoy learning more on the subjects from WOA.
@@noodlesmetal yes the catch with a lot of this is time ....1000 years is so long.....5000 so long...so much can be learnt and lost in 200 years based on our current civilisation. Good to have an interest hey.
@@bok2bok333 Yeah that amount of time is hard to imagine and makes it almost impossible to really understand what the original builders were trying to do. Archaeologists have done a great job trying to piece together an understanding. So much history has been lost by the destruction of ancient texts, artifacts and time it's self. Hard to imagine what has been lost in all the wars and by greedy people in power. If only there was a time machine ha ha. I would love to go back and see ancient sites in the construction stages and speak with the people. Getting a bit crazy here so I'll stop. All the best too you.
After looking at the quality of discussion here, I am convinced that Americans could never have developed nuclear weapons on their own. In 1945 they must have had help from a superior ancient civilisation, possibly based in Europe or the Near East if not further afield. This implies to me that Kim Jong-un has nothing to worry about, should he decide to embark on a campaign of conquest across the Pacific.
Thats simply not the case. Plenty of pyramids older AND newer than the lgreat pyramid that have much worse stonework. It depends how much time they took. As with anything
Egyptian sculpture lacked the naturalism of contrapposto. So even though it's carved & 3D it's so stylized/stiff it almost looks flat or low relief. Personally I love the look of unpainted polished stone & marble so it's difficult to imagine these beautiful works of art painted. But I could see how adding lines visually with paint could add detail & depth since they weren't always fully finished by carving. It seems the Egyptians may have been the first to invent a life hack :D
it's weird.....michelangelo struggled in marble free hand using steel and somehow we are to accept someone did this with flint chisels 4,000 years before michelangelo..... funny how academics so easily explain the most practical of problems..... flint chisels....there;s your answer.... not marble,no, no......so much harder metamorphic stones with large crystalline attributes most often.......just great for chiseling.
@@faithlesshound5621 they are not sedimentary rocks...... regardless, I am focusing on the basalt and granite pieces everywhere around egypt as now copper tools would yield anything like we see, and yes, michangelo would have agreed.
@@glen.simpson The "straw man" aspect of the alienophile argument is the insistence on copper tools. They probably used those to carve wood, but for stone they had hard materials like flint.
@@faithlesshound5621 first, copper is terrible for carving wood, really, maybe sawing more so, but sucky too.... and flint....are you serious, flint to achieve the level of control and precision we see in hard stone..... clearly you have neither built nor sculpted nor carved nor cast much of anything in your life..... thanks. keep sniffing around there ole dog.....you just might get your nose into something useful...... but first you have to think for yourself, which includes judging your own ignorance.
It’s almost eerie to see this caliber of craftsmanship and artistry turn up in such an early era of history.
These statues have lingered in my mind since I first laid eyes on them. Especially the Khafre enthroned one. Hauntingly beautiful.
Hi Alexander, I had to reply and say I agree with you. Khafre enthroned is the most mesmerising statue I have ever seen....peace to ya.
It is. Impossible symmetry and stone much harder than the tools they possessed
@@courtesyofdickboak Egyptians used stone tools too, it's not like they used copper 100% of the time.
You can go into one furniture store to purchase something made by IKEA - OR - you can go into another to purchase handmade furniture. So then as now = you got what you paid for.
Moral of the story: Khafre like those Pharaohs who ruled around him reigned during times of prosperity for Egypt. Hence they had access to wealth/resources which other Pharaohs might not have. Further he is reputed to have reigned for many years while many Pharaohs actually ruled for much less.
So we know that the ancient Egyptians were big on symbolism and very heavy into their religious beliefs. For them a person's name/image = was the person. We also know the Pharaohs the same as wealthy temples later on employed their own castes of professional craftsmen who were highly organized and who passed those skills on. By the time of the Persian period in Egypt the renown of Egyptian stone working was such that Darius sent Egyptian craftsmen to help build his capital city of Persepolis.
So I for one am not surprised by the craftsmanship here - stunning that it is. It reflects a time when its owner was wealthy and powerful + who ruled for many years allowing for the creation of such + who employed castes of dedicated craftsmen who spent their lives creating such as this being freed from other worries as they were provided food and board in exchange for their services - and in the case of the elites perhaps a tomb of their own and maybe even mummification. Thus if you need a statue as say a simple votive offering - a lower quality one would suffice. If however you want "a museum quality piece" for a Pharaoh......... 🤔
@@courtesyofdickboak Did aliens come down, carve the statues & fly off again? Or what about amazing 'advanced' tools from an even older civilisation? This is not the place for those with 'alternate history' beliefs. We deal with facts here, not delusional speculative theories of the past. Stone & copper tools have been found. The great statues the Egyptians created have been found.. Yet no 'modern advanced' tools of extraordinary abilities have ever been found. Add that up yourself.
I love Lawrence and his excitement.
Yessss!!! 💙 I love these deep dives on one specific statue/sculpture! Thank you again Professor Miano!
These interviews covering specific artifacts and subjects are great. Imagine coming to UA-cam and learning something, huh? Thanks, Professor Miano.
Larry is awesome- a true scholar. His tremendous depth of knowledge is matched by a great enthusiasm.
I've always had a soft spot for the Nofret and Rahotep statues. Their faces are so lifelike.
Thank you David and Dr Berman.
David your guest list is hotter than the top Jazz clubs. Thank you
I've drawn that piece several times while visiting my family in New England. Definitely one of the best in the MFA's collection.
The Menkaure statue with his wife is amazing. The only one that surpasses it is Khafre Enthroned imho. Big shout to Dr Berman, I really enjoyed listening to him as Egyptology is my thing. Great stuff as always WOA.
If you are really into Egyptology I have a UA-cam channel that you might be interested in 'Wandering in Antiquties'
ua-cam.com/channels/wAGm7tMaTGz7RBFjziO4Dw.html my UA-cam channel
An absolutely magnificent statue ,it's incredible that such skill to make it existed so very long ago ! Cheers Eddie PS the civilization of that time must have been very advanced ! that's over 4000 years ago !
Ancient Egypt. You have made my day!
Recognizing the face of the Pharoah reminds me of the two-week history of Rome trip I took. By the end, even the spouses with little interest in the history were recognizing emperor statues by face.
I am always in awe of how surprised people are that people could make art that was so beautiful in the past. The myth that people were primitive or stupid in the past is really pervasive. The statues are beautiful and awe-inspiring, especially how you have framed them in this video. The fact that this was done with ancient technology makes it impressive, but should not really be shocking.
Wow! I thought I recognized that statue, so I went to the Boston MFA website, and sure enough it's there. There is an even more stunning seated Pharaoh at the entrance to the Egyptian wing! The MFA is enormous, and everyone who can should visit it.
This statue is beautiful. The artist has managed to capture a look of serene beauty in their faces and a look of contentment and joy. Thank you for once again providing so much valuable information about the context these statutes had in their original setting. The rituals explained by Mr Berman also show how Pharaohs were considered almost as gods even after their death. It allows you to travel through time and make you feel as though you are right there watching those ceremonies. It also brings to light the sort of institution and system that Moses (peace be upon him) went against even though he probably challenged a Pharaoh of the much later eighteenth dynasty.
Long form videos that both help me sleep and educate me. I rewatch these so many times lol
The best way we can learn and think about ancient civilization Thank you
I love these more focused videos. I really enjoy how humanizing you are towards these. It’s easy to be cold and say some dates with a geographic location, but you put the life and humanity into such artifacts
Greywacke - never would have guessed. I remember studying this masterpiece in school 40 years ago and being told it was Diorite - had no reason to doubt it. 14:11 "Same way we would carve statues today..." (hmmm... )
good video of a great sculpture
This is great! Fantastic interview, full of information and lively conversation. Much appreciated! 💖
Thank you, again, Dr. David 🤗 i loved witnessing this intimate encounter you had with an experienced, excited and very proficient Egyptologist/Museum curator!!
This was so interesting! I'm absolutely loving this series. I'm not a very visual person, and it's helpful to me when someone points out even the obvious features of an artifact, to say nothing of its findspot and what we know about its cultural context, which is always useful. Thank you.
You might be interested in my UA-cam channel as well ua-cam.com/channels/wAGm7tMaTGz7RBFjziO4Dw.html
OMG I just saw that statue at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts (great museum, I highly recommend visiting it)
Love it. Thanks for covering one of Egypt masterpiece.
Lovely! I appreciated Mr. Lawrence Berman's enthusiasm and knowledge. Thank you Doctor Miano!
A very provocative and informative video! Thanks, Doc for all your hard work!
My pleasure!
Magnificent and brilliantly informative . I am glad social media is being used finally in such an informative way.
Thank-you. A well done presentation on one of my favorite statues.
The fact that the statue isn’t finished is a treasure in itself. Fantastic.
I wonder what it would have meant to an ancient king, if his tomb and temple HAD been finished? Would that have been an invitation to the gods to send a thunderbolt down?
Thanks so much for this. It's really nice that you post these thoughtful, very informative and educational videos just for free, out of a love of teaching.
My initial thought on the symbolism of the short staffs in the king's hands you refer to at the end..was that he was pulling the handles of a great load...both moving forward ...and she is supporting him. Symbolism of his life's work and load.
Speaking with these experts definitely gives a greater insight into these more obscure artefacts.
Excellent video as always. Thank you so much, David.
It’s incredible timing for this video cause my art history class did in fact study this particular piece last semester as I go to school near the MFA
You might be interested in my channel as well. ua-cam.com/channels/wAGm7tMaTGz7RBFjziO4Dw.html
Great stuff. Thanks to Drs. Miano and Berman.
Great information, thank you!
Those statues are magnificent. Nearly as fantastic as the statue of King Chefren. Masterpieces.
Dr Berman! charmed by the excitement
Conclusion. We know very little of the lives of ancient Egyptians. Nor about how they built the Pyramids, but we know exactly how they built the pyramids, since they built them. Love the video!
Excellent episode again, thank you, didn't receive my notification though even with the bell on disappointment UA-cam!
thank you very much doctor, great talk! About the 'thieves stash' controversy, it seems to me that by Menkaure's times, public places were filled with the imagery of the king; what a pious successor king to do to display his own imagery, if not to 'deposit' and 'protect' his predecessor's ones?
Wow David another fantastic video I would agree that this is one of the many masterpiece from the old kingdom of ancient Egypt, this piece is intriguing and puzzling as well and all those points have been covered in this interview. The Boston museum is on my list of museums to visit some day Thanks David I'm looking forward to seeing more videos like this one. 💯💯👍👍👏👏
Superb job as always! Thanks David
That was great!! Thanks to both of you!
Very enjoyable watch. Many thanks.
"After increasing tensions and nationalist revolts, the United Kingdom invaded Egypt in 1882, crushing the Egyptian army at the Battle of Tell El Kebir and militarily occupying the country. Following this, the Khedivate became a British protectorate under nominal Ottoman sovereignty.Modern Egypt dates back to 1922, when it gained independence from the British Empire as a monarchy." Deals with the 'Egyptian government' in 1905 was pretty much a deal with the British government.
Good point. Never expect a western academic of ever criticizing the west in any way. You get that "protecting a house of lies" feel sometimes. Can't criticize who pays you I suppose. Hence western decline.(from the west, but no longer living there).
Back then the Egyptian Department of Antiquities was under the influence of the French not the British. France was also involved in the military action of 1882, but their control over this ministry actually predates this.
Egypt only became a British Protectorate in 1914, precipitated by the first world war. During the preceding military occupation, Egypt was not under the direct rule of the British empire the civilian government was left in place, Britain controlled Egypt's military and enforced it's foreign policy aims, but had little involvement in matters that were not of geopolitical importance. When the Protectorate ended in 1922, the military occupation did not, a new 'British friendly' (puppet) government was allowed to take over, the situation was much as it has been before the Protectorate until the 1950s.
We had to study this piece in my Sixth Form Intermediate Art History Course and I so wish this video had come out then
Dang this was a great video. My only wish for this and other remote interview videos (not just yours) is that we could provide the speaker on the other end with a quality mic. He sounds like he is using the internal mic on a cheap laptop. I know it's not possible so that's why it is only a wish and not a complaint. So thanks for the subtitles!
I love Mr Berman's voice.
Great information. Love these detailed videos. Thanks for sharing
Absolutely fascinating! Keep up the great work!
Another amazing video. Thank you.
I loved this. ❤️❤️❤️
another long video to enjoy love it
Excellent video, thank you so much for this amazing content
Wonderful that statue 😍 seen it 100 times & never noticed it was unfinished apart from the engraving until you mentioned then it's so obvious! It does puzzle me how some of the old dynasty statues seem so superior to later statues 🙃 any thoughts on the theory of old dynasty statues with 'scratched on' engravings being 'refurbished' & not made by old dynasty? I love your channel David & love these in-depth interviews, thankyou 😊
Did you see the later statues I showed in the video? There are many beautiful ones from later.
@@WorldofAntiquity no, that's a lie
I wish I had you as a teacher. I'm sure you'd be my favorite to discuss things with.
It's interesting that the display installation for this statue is so similar to those used for the display of the Luxor Temple Cache statues, in Luxor Museum. I can't find it referenced anywhere, but one wonders if the Bostpn MFA assisted with the design of the Luxor gallery.
I dig these. Keep up the good work prof
Fascinating program.
Great editing!
Hey David, informative video as always! You should look into the London Nataraja case, it might intrigue you. While one of the main archaeologists involved in it, Dr. R. Nagaswami, passed away last year sadly, but I am sure you would find the story interesting..
Great interview.
Ooo that's a smooth stone. I immediately love it.
I still never think of Egyptian statues as painted. Took a while to force it in my head for Greek and Roman haha. It's interesting to me because the smooth polish would make it easier to strip old paint as it fades so it can be repainted.
Great interview with Mr. Berman. My compliments to the sculptor as well. The embrace feels caring. The faces are bold and symmetrical, yet soft and human. The unfinished state seems to illuminate their faces. I love these deep dives into special artifacts. Thank you.
Anyone who thinks that all Egyptologists are like Mark Lechner and Zahi Hawass should listen to this guy. This is pretty good.
Love your work David, but I'm a little surprised that you give no links to Lawrence Berman's research, nor do you mention him in the summary of the video.
Fair credit is due I believe??
Fixed.
Greywacke?! I didn't know there was that stone outside of New Zealand, let alone Egypt!! It's really, really hard! (I looked it up and duh, it's in heaps of plzces, I clearly just live in a place where most of the rock I see is greywacke and my dad's a geologist so I hear about it a lot lol)
The ancient Egyptians often used archaism, to make claims of linear continuity. It was especially popular after chaotic times, such as the intermediate periods. Probably as a claim of the legitimacy of the dynasty who brought back home rule.
Oh man... Old Kingdom Egypt statues are so fascinating because of their style, that seems less stylized than what came in the subsequent periods, they seems a bit more realistic. This means when I look at a statue of Krafre (1:42) I'm probably seeing more or less how a mean that lived 4500 years ago really looked.
Are there older "accurate" statues than those from Old Kingdom?
No, earlier ones are definitely cruder.
Yeah his face!!! I was dying when he said that. They didn’t have photo shop back then. Lol I’m still dying with laughing
Considering how Egyptians felt about statuary I wonder what they would have thought about photos and particularly video?
What's the meaning of the sun disk and the horns?
MORE CONTENT LIKE THIS PLEASE , BETTER NICHE FOR YOUR CHANNEL
Very interesting.
I would love to know more about theories of how the stones were transported thru the wadi hammamat where this was quarried.
Whenever a guest is this keyed up discussing a 4000+ yo statue, you get your coffee, a pack of smokes and plug the device in…😂
Their resemblance says close relationship to me, as in brother/sister, or mother/son as suggested in the video.
Love video. Sound quality so poor .
Thank you.
A few musings. Menkaure per ancient accounts such as Herodotus was cast as a benevolent Pharaoh - unlike his predecessors. Khufu was cast as a despotic ruler who closed the temples and compelled Egyptians to labor for years to create his pyramid. Now some of this is likely a skewing of fact as the later Egyptians employed _"damnatio memoriae"_ to cast their predecessors in a negative light declaring them heretical.
What stands however is that if Khufu was more despotic in his rule - whereas Menkaure who is said to have reopened the temples and led a "milder" reign = then upon the collapse of the Kingdom some people viewing him thusly might have acted to try to preserve his likeness. Remember that in the Egyptian religion a person's likeness/name = was tantamount to the person. Think the "false doors" in tombs. In their minds a false door was still enough for the spirit of the dead - the Ka - to use to enter the afterlife. So "symbolism" was paramount to their beliefs.
Moral of the story: later Egyptians during the Late Period made the effort to do some renovations to Menkaure's Pyramid. A new sarcophagus was installed and a new wooden coffin fashioned for him since previous tomb robbing apparently resulted in damage to the originals.
So Menkaure seeing some renovation - as opposed to his grandfather - seems to fit the narrative of he was viewed in a better light with the people = thus some might have acted to try to preserve something of him - like the dyad. It was found buried near his temple complex. Some might have stolen it as is assumed to "stash it" - or perhaps to try to save it. Similarly the statue of Khafre enthroned was also found buried under his temple complex. Clearly there was an effort to hide it away which when faced with the history of the collapse of the Kingdom and the people rising up to destroy things fits the narrative.
Remember that during the New Kingdom tombs were opened in the Valley of the Kings and the remaining contents were removed and hidden away in the tombs of lessor officials in "mummy caches" in what appears to have been an attempt to save them from tomb raiders. The burying of this statue might represent a similar action whereby they were buried in an attempt to preserve them - who knows. 🤔
"Always two, there are"
- GrandMaster Yoda
Professor Miano He tried to host the American Professor Richard Mortel. I think he has a lot of information about the civilizations of the Arabian Peninsula because he is a traveler and explores in his travels.
It looks like he does Islamic history, which is after the year 600.
@@WorldofAntiquity True, he is also an explorer in the ancient ruins of the Arabian Peninsula
It’s interesting. I wonder if it might be meant to be unmarked on purpose. The right hand of the queen at the king’s ribs might suggest the existence of the origins of the Adam & Eve myth from Genesis in some form in Egypt’s fifth dynasty. If it was meant to be that earlier first man & woman from mythology, that might explain the lack of the king’s cartouche on it while it is his face. That might even be part of the reason the pleating of hair and kilt wasn’t done and it was still painted.
It would be helpful if there were other similar statues or preserved papyrus detailing anything to confirm what it was meant to represent.
The fact that it appeared to be carefully buried suggests that defacing the image of king was perfectly fine, but this was some god-like figure that just happens to have the king’s face, and care was taken not to offend the god-like figure while destroying the memory of the king. It’s one hell of an interesting puzzle.
Thank you for bringing up the mencarae pyramid and that it is the only pyramid that a body was found in.
I brought up the subject of no mummies had ever been found in a pyramid with my mother and brother and my god it started world war III.
I was accused of falling down you tube rabbit holes and attacked with lots of straw man arguments and basically had to leave the house disgraced and humiliated and swore I would never bring the subject up again. 😊
And you just answered it...thank you so much.
And even more interesting that it was repurposed ....wooden coffin inside previous stone box....so I guess repurposed by later generations.
You ask great questions
Yeah thanks for asking the question WOA. I have heard the no bodies ever found in Pyramids idea mentioned by alternative researchers many times. If you mention this to people that only know what they learnt in school about Pyramids they will say what are talking about? All Pyramids are tombs for pharaohs!!! Interesting your family attacked you over this Bok2Bok, it shows how deep the small amount of ancient Egyption history we learn at school is embedded in our brains as facts.
He answered yes to the question but elaborated by saying it was a 26th dynasty wooden coffin placed inside a 4th dynasty stone sarcophagus. So is he saying no mummies have ever been found in Pyramids using the original stone sarcophagi? Even with Pyramids requiring dynamite blasting to gain entry the stone sarcophagi never contained the mummies of a pharaohs? The blasting makes it seem like grave robbing is not a very plausable reason for the lack of mummies. On the other hand the amount of time passed is enormous so maybe all original bodies were removed at some point and the pyramids resealed. They did a good job though if dynamite was required by future explorers to gain access. Still very interesting that only one wooden 26th dynasty coffin containing a body has ever been found inside a pyramid. Interesting that pyramids are the tombs of pharaohs idea is taught as fact at school if the information here is correct. It's a shame the original sarcophagus was lost at sea but it sounded like there wouldn't have been any inscriptions to help prove if there ever was a body stored inside. Thanks for the video WOA and thanks for asking a question that many people like Bok2Boks family beleive has been answered. The answer so strongly beleived that people would attack there own family for questioning. Hearing from an expert on the topic it sounds like we really don't know much at all about the original pyramid builders. All very interesting thank you.
@@noodlesmetal from my point of view I am just fascinated with the subject. My family are academics which is ironic and I'm not which makes me a fairly poor debater in these situations. I am still open to the pyramids being tombs and based on all the information so far they probably are but I'm also open to other possibilities when I see lack of evidence. The trap I feel some people fall into is not thinking out of the box.
@@bok2bok333 Ok yeah thanks for the reply. I am also very interested in the subject but don't have any formal qualifications to debate or necessary skills. Someone very skilled in debating could make convincing arguments on any topic. Maybe the Pyramids were built as tombs, the amount of work and scale of the great Pyramid is mind boggling and leads to speculation on it's purpose. I have no idea what the purpose was if not tombs. Interesting that only one body has been found and put there in a later time period not in the original construction. I enjoy learning more on the subjects from WOA.
@@noodlesmetal yes the catch with a lot of this is time ....1000 years is so long.....5000 so long...so much can be learnt and lost in 200 years based on our current civilisation. Good to have an interest hey.
@@bok2bok333 Yeah that amount of time is hard to imagine and makes it almost impossible to really understand what the original builders were trying to do. Archaeologists have done a great job trying to piece together an understanding. So much history has been lost by the destruction of ancient texts, artifacts and time it's self. Hard to imagine what has been lost in all the wars and by greedy people in power. If only there was a time machine ha ha. I would love to go back and see ancient sites in the construction stages and speak with the people. Getting a bit crazy here so I'll stop. All the best too you.
Quite interesting.
I can't find a good picture of a mks (mekes) staff anywhere
In one of the sources I cite below the video, they have a few pics.
What the meaning of the Rabbit?
These statues almost seem like part religious icon and part family photo, 35:55 especially this pose in particular looks very casual to me.
Check out The Great Pyramid Lavatory theory EXPLAINED! 😁
Did ancient egyptians of later pyramids had their own archeologists?
Did the pharaoh have to "sit" for the sculptors? Did they just do it from sketches?
I doubt he would have sat that long.
Why didn’t you like the comment about ownership of the statue?
I don't see one about ownership. Why do you ask? Just because I don't put a heart on a comment that doesn't mean I dislike the comment.
Always better when your shows are 45 minutes or more.
{:-:-:}
what does it do in in the US ?
That is explained in the video.
Wonder if the wreck could be located today so the sarcophagus could be recovered.
Why is this statue in Boston and not in Egypt?
After looking at the quality of discussion here, I am convinced that Americans could never have developed nuclear weapons on their own. In 1945 they must have had help from a superior ancient civilisation, possibly based in Europe or the Near East if not further afield. This implies to me that Kim Jong-un has nothing to worry about, should he decide to embark on a campaign of conquest across the Pacific.
Just like Troy, he'll even have his own fragrance… Smellin' Ka Re!
Very strange how the further back in time you go, the higher the quality of a lot of stonework. What could account for this?
I can’t account for something that isn’t true.
Hehe guess I'm on the wrong channel then
Thats simply not the case. Plenty of pyramids older AND newer than the lgreat pyramid that have much worse stonework.
It depends how much time they took. As with anything
@@WorldofAntiquity no, that's a lie
Egyptian sculpture lacked the naturalism of contrapposto. So even though it's carved & 3D it's so stylized/stiff it almost looks flat or low relief. Personally I love the look of unpainted polished stone & marble so it's difficult to imagine these beautiful works of art painted. But I could see how adding lines visually with paint could add detail & depth since they weren't always fully finished by carving. It seems the Egyptians may have been the first to invent a life hack :D
it's weird.....michelangelo struggled in marble free hand using steel and somehow we are to accept someone did this with flint chisels 4,000 years before michelangelo..... funny how academics so easily explain the most practical of problems..... flint chisels....there;s your answer.... not marble,no, no......so much harder metamorphic stones with large crystalline attributes most often.......just great for chiseling.
@@glen.simpson He said it was a sedimentary rock, so I presume not as hard as marble, and less in need of alien assistance than Michelangelo was.
@@faithlesshound5621 they are not sedimentary rocks...... regardless, I am focusing on the basalt and granite pieces everywhere around egypt as now copper tools would yield anything like we see, and yes, michangelo would have agreed.
@@glen.simpson The "straw man" aspect of the alienophile argument is the insistence on copper tools. They probably used those to carve wood, but for stone they had hard materials like flint.
@@faithlesshound5621 first, copper is terrible for carving wood, really, maybe sawing more so, but sucky too.... and flint....are you serious, flint to achieve the level of control and precision we see in hard stone..... clearly you have neither built nor sculpted nor carved nor cast much of anything in your life..... thanks.
keep sniffing around there ole dog.....you just might get your nose into something useful...... but first you have to think for yourself, which includes judging your own ignorance.