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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