Jake Writes A Blog

                                 Great Serpent Mound, Adam's County, OH For this, our final week, I am happy to write about the Great Serpent Mound (seen above and aerially below) located in Adams County, Ohio. This incredible figure, formed in the earth back in 1070 C.E., is theorized to have been influenced by the Mississippian culture dating back to 700-1550, as the rattlesnake was a prevalent zoomorphic icon throughout their themes. A fascinating aspect of this particular landmark is that it was and is significantly aligned celestially. While one end of the serpent (the head) lines up with the summer solstice sunset, the other end (the tail), in direct contrast, is in line with the winter solstice sunrise. It has been suggested that the reasoning for this alignment could have been used to mark the seasons and the perfect time for harvesting. The bends in the serpent's shape have also been said to be...

  The Paracas Peninsula, Peru          Off of the south coast of ancient Peru, the Paracas peninsula, where many people who had passed were buried and wrapped in many types of cloths and clothing. They called these wrapped and buried folks "mummy bundles" as they were not only wrapped but the largest and richest of them were filled with wonderfully vibrant pieces of artwork called textiles. They had previously been referring to this specific cloth, as seen below,  as "The Paracas Textile" to indicate its uniqueness and remarkable craftsmanship. Although, scholars have since revised the provenance and attributed the textile to the slightly later Nasca culture. In recent years, the Brooklyn Museum released a few very close up shots of this ancient textile, not only showing off its intricacy but giving us a deeper look into how the cloth was made so long ago. Some of the Textiles like the ones below were too delicate to have served any utilitarian purpose...

  Queen Mother Pendant Mask: Iyoba, 16th century, Nigeria (court of Benin), Ivory, iron, copper  This week, with all that is going on, I'm only writing one blog post. However, I found two fascinating pieces, both from Nigeria, which I really wanted to include this week. The first piece is a "Queen Mother Pendant Mask: Iyoba" from the 16th century, featured above. This particular mask is one of two, said to be nearly identical, masks which are said to be symbolic. In Benin's court, women were not typically represented, but this mask is said to have been possibly made to represent and commemorate the king of Benin's mother, Idia. In Africa, ivory was ritually used as a material to signify the god of the sea, Okolun, who was associated with purity. Olokun was said to be the "spiritual counterpart of the oba", oba meaning ruler. This was in line with the ivory, and in turn, Olokun, also representing wealth and fertility. This mask imposes a remarkable image ...