I have had the greatest adventure traveling back in time visiting a few periods in history and I want to share my experiences with everyone. The first period I visited was the Egyptian Civilization, particularly the period of The Great Pyramids. After that I traveled to central Italy for a look at the Roman Civilization wanting to learn about the Etruscans and see the Tomb of the Reliefs. Finally I traveled to Milan during the Italian Renaissance to see the painting of The Last Supper by Leonardo de Vinci. Egypt is bustling during this period in time as the people are building The Great Pyramid for their Pharaoh and divine ruler Cheops. Cheops is the second Pharaoh of the fourth dynasty of Egypt and rules a unified country along with relatives and administrators. He is also the Pharaoh that commissioned the building of The Great Pyramid, which would become one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The Great Pyramid is built as a tomb from which Cheops or his spirit will ascend to the heavens and the sun God RA, who is believed to be the father of all things. The Egyptians believed that their body goes on in an afterlife. To the Egyptians the afterlife is a culmination of their lives work. The Pharaohs strive for a good afterlife and all of the people of the Pharaoh’s dynasty strive for and work toward that same goal. Part of what makes this civilization and culture so productive is the way they work for the unified causes of pleasing the Gods and having a good afterlife when they die. The people of Egypt believed that their good service and faith to their divine Pharaoh will help them to share in his eternity. The Great Pyramids are an important part of the Pharaoh’s journey to the afterlife and is decorated internally with prayers from the Book of the Dead along with everything the Pharaoh will need in that life. These particular pyramids are the final step in a long line of perfecting burial rights. Their earlier forms of burial were in tombs, they were called the mastaba. These tombs had underground chambers, with a rectangular shape. They were built of mud bricks. The mastaba evolved over time and became larger in size. This is when the step pyramid was designed by the third dynasty in Egypt. This early pyramid was a series of superimposed mastaba tomb built for King Djoser. The final culmination of this is The Great Pyramid and others built after it. The Great Pyramids couldn’t be built without the help of thousands included in the workforce that it would take to build such an architectural marvel. The blocks made with stone were floated along the Nile River. They are dragged in and placed in their final position. “The largest and oldest pyramid, that of Cheops, covers thirteen acres and is made up of approximately 2.3 million blocks, each averaging 2.5 tons in weight.” (Benton & DiYanni, pg 24, para 2) In the end it soared skyward about 480 feet and the finished pyramid is a sight when seen gleaming with finished white limestone. After leaving Egypt, I traveled to central Italy to visit the Roman Civilization to see the Tomb of the Relief and to learn about the Etruscans. For a long time little was known about the mysterious Etruscan civilization that inhabited ancient Italy, as their civilization was somewhat overshadowed in history by the achievements of the Greeks and the triumphs of the Romans. The tombs and necropolises they left behind were remarkable and become a major source of information about people all but lost to history. In the beginning there would be Etruscan temples used for burials. They were built with a peaked roof, rectangular plan and a raised podium. Some would even be built with columns, which would be modified by the addition of a base to make a porch. At my time of visiting, I learned that “Etruscan temples have disappeared, and a significant number of tombs remain.” (Benton & DiYanni, pg 141. para 3) The Etruscan tombs were loaded with vases, gold work and weapons, which would make them a target for grave robbers. The Greek would be of great influence on the Etruscan civilization. The Etruscan people would bronze household utensils and send them to the Greek in exchange for vases. These would be found in the tombs. “Greek heroes and deities were incorporated into the Etruscan pantheon, and their temple reflected Greek influence.” (Benton & DiYanni, pg 482, para 2) At the same time the Etruscans were an important influence for the Latin’s in Rome and architecture. The architecture of tombs, once the temples disappear, will be created in two types: rock-cut chambers with rectangular rooms and corbelled dome covered with mounds of earth. The most impressive and most famous would be the Tomb of the Relief. This is located at the ancient site of Cerveteri of the third century. These tombs were created for families and the Tomb of the Relief would have places for more than forty bodies. The Tomb of the Relief provides documents of the Etruscan life and replicates their home. The beds would even have pillows of stone. The roof beams were carved and I noticed depictions on the walls of armor, weapons, household items and even busts of the dead. Many other Etruscan tombs I see will be painted with different scenes from everyday life. I saw subjects such as fishing, hunting, dancers, musicians, religious ceremonies and athletic competitions. For instance the Tomb of Hunting and Fishing would have fish jumping out of the water as a man would attempt to catch them. I saw painted birds, flying around a man attempting to shoot one with a sling shot. This to me showed that they had a sense of humor and energy. “Executed in a strictly two-dimensional style and decorated with foliage motifs, many of these tomb paintings are still extant.” (Columbian University Press, p1-1, para1) My final destination during my trip was to Milan during the Italian Renaissance to see Leonardo de Vinci’s greatest achievement, the painting of The Last Supper. During the Italian Renaissance, focus shifted from Florence to Rome during the High Renaissance of Italy. This was because of the power and wealth of the Popes. The High Renaissance became a short yet important period that will become an enormous influence on the future of art because of artist like Michelangelo and Raphael. There is not an exact date for the conclusion of the High Renaissance. It does become known later as the Early Renaissance. This will be the period that shows interest in classicism, humanism, and individualism for authors and artists to perfect their own ideas just as their predecessors had done. One of the most famous artists would be Leonardo de Vinci. Leonardo de Vinci was sent from Vinci to Milan where he was to be primarily a designer of naval and military weaponry. Secondarily he would then be a drainage engineer, sculptor, painter and an architect. “He was, in short, the epitome of what we have come to call the “Renaissance” or “Universal man,” a person not merely capable but talented in an extraordinarily wide range of endeavors.” (Benton & DiYanni, pg 482, para 2) Leonardo was fascinated by nature and showed evidence of it in his paintings. It could be seen in such paintings such as Madonna of the Rocks. Leonardo would develop a modeling forms technique that would work with areas of light and dark space called the chiaroscuro. He would also develop a technique that would create an almost smoky atmosphere that would outline a figure in a haze. The Last Supper was said to have been painted over a three year span ranging sometime between 1495 and 1499 during the High Renaissance time. In the Last Supper, it is orderly composed and clarifies the meaning of the painting. Jesus sits in front of the largest of three windows, so that he is emphasized and stands out from the others. Above his head was a curved pediment to show as his halo. He is set perfectly centered in the mural and drew my attention directly to him as it was meant to do. In the painting Leonardo de Vinci also painted twelve apostles with Jesus and placed six on each side. He would divide them into equal groups of three each. This would create an equal balance to the central figure, Jesus. I could see in the painting that Leonardo chose this most powerful moment in history to show which one of his apostles would betray him. It showed Judas’ face in the shadow lost and leaning away. He is clutching a money bag in his hand. He would paint different emotions on the faces of the other apostles. It was to show the intention of a man’s soul. Jesus Christ tells his disciples that this is their last meal before one of them betrays him. A work three years in the making, Leonardo de Vinci’s, The Last Supper remains one of the greatest masterpieces of all times. Even over 500 years later, it is one of the most sold of all De Vinci posters and remains one of the most studied in history. I hope you have enjoyed my recap of my trip through time. The Egyptian Civilization, Roman Civilization, and the Italian Renaissance are very exciting to learn about and to see for myself. Some of the things from the past have brought us to where we are today. Just think about how we have mausoleums for our loved ones to be buried in. We also have artist of today that may not be where they are if not for those like Leonardo de Vinci so many years ago. There is a world of knowledge and discovery to be learned, and it can be so much fun taking the time to do so.

References
Benton, J., & DiYanni, R. (2008). Arts and Culture: An Introduction to the humanities (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Pg 24, para 2

Benton, J., & DiYanni, R. (2008). Arts and Culture: An Introduction to the humanities (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Pg 141, para 3

Benton, J., & DiYanni, R. (2008). Arts and Culture: An Introduction to the humanities (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Pg 482, para 2

Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. 6th Edition. (2011) Etruscan Art. Columbia University Press, p 1-1, 1p Retrieved from: The University of Phoenix