Reading Responses To Three Articles

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Reading Responses to Three Articles

A study of a sculpture and other forms of historical art is insightful when considering the

types of settlements of the past civilizations. As a matter of fact, different artistic forms traced in

the past architectural ensembles can be nowadays used as the basis for interpreting as economic

so cultural aspects of life of the past civilizations. For example, the Asokan pillars, the ceramic

art in Mesoamerica, and the Old Temple at Quetzalcoatl at Teotihuacan reveal important aspects

of the history of the people living in the present-day countries of India and Mexico, as a lot of

valuable information about the religious, economic, political, and settlement activities of the

people living in these areas, has been preserved there.

In fact, John Irwin argues that the Asokan and Mauryan pillars are a crucial part in the

study of the beginnings of monumental art in India. Among the most famous pillars are the

monoliths at Sarnath, Sanchi, Lauriya-Nandangah, Basarh, Vaisali, and Rampurva (Irwin).

Despite the widespread belief that the pillars had been erected by Asoka, many historians have

disputed this fact. For example, Sir John Marshall concluded that Indian artists were incapable of

producing such works of art. Irwin finds that the Asokan pillars are not the beginning of

monumental art in India, as their tradition is religious, and the foreign design of the artifacts is

associated with an earlier period in Indian history.

It should be acknowledged that Irwin's conclusion conclusion that the Asokan pillars do

not mark a beginning of the study of great art in India seems to be quite plausible. The

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monuments have their origins in the pre-Buddha period when they were used by some cult

worshipers before they were integrated into the mainstream Buddha worship (Irwin). However,

one must also admit that Irwin’s conclusion that the pillar architecture is religious is problematic

because some of them were often found in intersections of major routes. For this reason, it is

possible that they were part of secular practices. Finally, a study of the symbolism of the pillars

could help understand their importance to the history of India.

On the other hand, Taube's studies on the Temple of Quetzalcoatl at Teotihuacan offer a

conclusion that the serpent head at the temple is a historic symbol of the temple having served as

the office of war. First, he says that the serpent is a solar snake similar to the one found in the

history of post-Classic central Mexico (Taube). Next, Taube states that a lot of the Teotihuacan

art in the Maya region is associated with war and the serpent is not an exception out of the

general rule. The study concludes by mentioning that a majority of the rulers of the Classic Maya

monuments often wore the War Serpent Headdress.

Moreover, Taube's ideas are solid in deducing that the War Serpent found at the Old

Temple of Quetzalcoatl represented the office of war among the Mayans. However, Taube makes

several assumptions on the way towards compiling a credible conclusion. For example, he

assumes that the alternating heads of the serpent represent a merger of both internal affairs and

military conquest (Taube). If Taube's assumptions are correct, then he is right to conclude that

there was no distinction between the war and religious aspects in Teotihuacan.

As part of this historiography, Killion and Urcid present the study of Olmec civilization in

Mexico’s southern gulf lowlands, focusing on the spectacular carvings of the time to explore

cultural continuity and change in the region. The authors’ Hueyapan Archeological Project

determined that the population in the Hueyapan region rose severally between 1500 BC and 1500

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AD due to the agricultural and stone carving (monument making) industries of that time (Killion

and Urcid). The next period of population growth in Hueyapan region was fueled by the river-

borne communication and transportation, as shown by a lot of pottery that was discovered in the

lowlands. An expansion of an imperial economy fueled the final stage of population growth in

Mesoamerica.

Additionally, the research reveals that a proper study of the Olmec material culture is a

helpful guide to studying the population settlements in the Mesoamerica region. This assertion is

remarkable given that a majority of the studies have focused on the accomplishments of the early

and middle formative communities living in Mesoamerica. However, the major flaw of the study

is its predominant focus on the ceramic culture. Instead, the research would have been more

insightful if it could have considered the meaning behind a lot of stone carvings culture in the

region.

In conclusion, it is evident that a study of Asokan pillars in India, the ceramic culture in

Mesoamerica, and the serpent at the Temple of Quetzalcoatl at Teotihuacan reveals valuable

information about the economic, political, religious, and settlement activities of the people. The

Asokan pillars show that they were present before the mainstream Buddha practices. A study of

the ceramic culture among the people of Mesoamerica indicates that agricultural activities were

an important determinant of the population growth and settlements. Finally, the serpent at the

Temple of Quetzalcoatl at Teotihuacan was associated with the office of war among the people of

Teotihuacan.

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Works Cited

Irwin, John. "'Aśokan' Pillars: A Reassessment Of The Evidence". The Burlington Magazine, vol

115, no. 848, 1973, pp. 706-720.

Killion, Thomas W., and Javier Urcid. "The Olmec Legacy: Cultural Continuity And Change In

Mexico's Southern Gulf Coast Lowlands". Journal Of Field Archaeology, vol 28, no. 1/2,

2001, pp. 3-25.

Taube, Karl A. "The Temple Of Quetzalcoatl And The Cult Of Sacred War At Teotihuacan".

Anthropology And Aesthetics, vol 21, no. Spring, 1992, pp. 53-87.

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