Vicky Krol
Fall 2000

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Overall, I found the trip the Cleveland Museum of Art to be an overwhelming and interesting exploration of a history long past.  Not being a native of Cleveland, I was not expecting the museum to contain any astonishing or out-of-the-ordinary exhibits, compared to various other institutions I have visited; but I was definitely surprised at the wealth of artifacts and displays offered to us only ten minutes away from campus.  I have always been fascinated with Egyptian culture in general because of its aura of mystery.  The Egyptian exhibits definitely possessed a mysterious quality, a quality that I very much enjoyed.  My expectations of the trip were certainly exceeded as our class observed the many ancient artifacts.

When you spoke of the history behind many of the artifacts, I realized that the ancient people were just as meticulous as we are when it comes to their religion, culture and society.  They had a complex social structure and an extremely strong hold of religion.  This is obviously reflected in the artwork of the period in time.  Just by looking at the artifacts and not knowing the history behind the work; we admire the beauty of the work, but we fail to understand a people who are perhaps not as different as we are today.  In another millennium, people will look at the artwork of our time and view it in the same way, for the importance of social class, religion and other integral aspects of everyday life never change.  To me, no matter how different our culture is today compared to the Ancient Near Eastern culture; I believe that there are many ideas to be gained by learning about their era.  The trip to the Museum undeniably opened my eyes to this.

I find the tombs, holding the mummified bodies, and also the statues to be the most interesting artifacts within the exhibit.  Firstly, I am intrigued by the tombs because of the great artistry that encompasses the work.  Not only are the tombs appealing to the eye; even more importantly, the artwork tells the story of the deceased’s life.  I am impressed by the detail, which the ancient Egyptians took when taking care of their dead.  Also, I am impressed with the artistry and history behind the making of statues during the ancient Egyptian era.  The statues displayed at the museum reflect again the great skills of the ancient artisans.  A general theme brought up about the statues is that they are all basically constructed the same way: hands directly at the sides with a flat back for displaying purposes.  Often, the flat backside is encrypted with the person’s life history.  The artists constructed the statues in this manner for both physical and historical preservation, meaning the statue will survive longer as well as the person’s memory. 

Although I did not join the class for lunch, my father and I usually go to Abba’s restaurant when he visits me at school.  A lunch or dinner at Abba’s is always a pleasant change from the ordinary and this cuisine is delicious.  The atmosphere is different when compared to any other ordinary restaurant.  Abba’s is owned and run by Orthodox Jewish people.  We have noticed that they are very meticulous while taking much pride in their service to their guests.  All the men employees wear the skull caps and observe their Sabbath, for every Saturday, they close their business and attend the Synagogue services.  Overall, it is a nice change to eat at Abba’s every once in a while, both because of the cuisine and atmosphere.

Finally, our class trip to the Cleveland Museum of Art helped me to identify many parallels applying to our study of the Ancient Near Eastern culture as well as the Old Testament.  I think the most interesting parallel is that the Egyptians today mainly speak Arabic, Hebrew and Akkadian languages.  This knowledge is evidence that supports writings found within the Old Testament.  For example, the fact that many Egyptians today speak Hebrew can show the validity of the Exodus from Egypt, meaning that there is still a Hebrew influence found in Egypt today because of the hundreds of years the Jews spent there, living in exile and slavery.  Another interesting comparison I noticed that links the Bible and Egyptian culture is their beliefs in religion.  Although the Egyptians were polytheistic, they believed in an afterlife, much like the follower’s of God believe.  For example, it is written on a Pyramid Text

Stand up!  Remove your earth!
Throw off your dust! Tear down this tomb . . .
You have gone away to live,
You have not gone away to die.
(The Cleveland Museum of Art pamphlet)

Although our class is just a glance at the Old Testament, I see another religious parallel between the Egyptians and Christians in the form thematic concern found within the New Testament.  The following passage is found in a New Kingdom religious papyrus:

How beautiful is your shining forth from the horizon.
You are the renewal of life.
You have entered the primeval waters.
You have been reborn as one who is young for the first time,
just as one life has been stripped off, another one has been put on.
(The Cleveland Museum of Art pamphlet)

To me, this passage could pass as a description of the sacrament of Baptism found in the New Testament, although it is really a description of the Egyptian afterlife.  Finally, the trip to the museum was definitely worthwhile, serving as an integral tool in aiding our class study and learn about the Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern culture.