Similarities between ancient india and greece sculptures

Ancient Female Rulers

The purpose of this paper is to compare Tang Empress Wu Zetian who reigned from 618-907 CE

to Pharaoh Cleopatra who ruled Egypt around 51-31 BC. They were both powerful and

meaningful female rulers. Both ran upon situations that found it almost impossible to manage

ultimate power. This paper will show both the similarities and differences between Tang

Empress Wu Zetian and Pharaoh Cleopatra.

Similarities & Differences

Both Empress Wu Zetian and Pharaoh Cleopatra were educated, beautiful and wealthy.

Cleopatra could speak seven languages Egyptian being one of them. In thought that she might

rule Egypt she received the same education as her brothers. Empress Wu Zetian grew up

wealthy and unlike many of the other females of this time Wu was granted a good education.

She knew how to read, write and play music. She knew about politics and government issues.

Both became rulers. Empress Wu took her place at the throne by force and officially started her

own Dynasty, The Zhou Dynasty while the thrown was partially handed down to Cleopatra.

Empress Wu Zetian was the concubine of Taizong who ruled between 626 – 649. When Taizon

died in 649 We Zetian started a relationship with his son the heir, Gaozong the emperor. She

became Gaozong main concubine. It was said that she position herself to first by eliminating the

https://blackboard.strayer.edu/webapps/mdb-sa-bb_bb60/originalityReport?attemptId=761c6798-05ef-40b4-81d1-20453f432c12&includeDeleted=true&course_id=_227811_1
present empress and the other concubines. She later married Gaozong and had four sons and one

daughter. Cleopatra was born into royalty. She was the daughter of Ptolemy XII and Cleopatra

V Tryphaena. After her father died the throne was passed to Cleopatra and her brother Ptolemy

XIII. (Tyldesley, 2018).

During their times as leaders they had several accomplishments for their countries. Empress Wu

was the only female emperor in China history. Even though her reign wasn’t long due to her

being 66 when she started she had many accomplishments. Her empire prospered and the Tang

Dynasty which is considered the golden age of Chinese civilization became very powerful. She

replaced officials that were disloyal to her with educated scholar officials. She started

improvements to make the agriculture and the economy of the empire more useful and promoted

agricultural production. She reduced taxes and was kind to peasants. She also helped inspire

other women by educating them and giving them a purpose besides raising children.

Just like Empress Wu Pharoah Cleopatra was a great influence to women. Not only did she

prove herself as an independent ruler, she also taught them not to back down. When Cleopatra

was forced to flee Egypt for Syria by her brother/husband she raised an army and returned later

to remain ruler of her throne. She fought to make Egypt one of the most powerful countries.

Thus proving herself to be one of the greatest rulers of Egypt.

Even though they both had accomplishments they also had struggles and turmoil. Although

many adored Empress Wu there were many that didn’t. She was painted as a person who took

power by force. “With a heart like a serpent and a nature like that of a wolf,” one contemporary

summed up, “she favored evil sycophants and destroyed good and loyal officials.” A small

sampling of the empress’s other crimes followed: “She killed her sister, butchered her elder

brothers, murdered the ruler, and poisoned her mother. She is hated by gods and men alike.”

(Dash 2012). The first three years of Cleopatra’s reign were tough. The economic failure,

famine, deficient floods of the Nile, and political conflicts were blamed on Cleopatra. Her

conflict with Gabiniani (one of the advisors to Ptolemy XII) led to her downfall and marked an

end to her reign. In 48 BC, her brother Ptolemy XIII became sole ruler.

Cultural Differences

The The Zhou Dynasty Military had two major units (western and eastern) that were powerful

and organized. These armies came to be commanded by professional generals. They used spies

to assassinate and gain advantage over other states. Their military force determined the strength

of the ruler. The used a cata pult and chariots which help to win battles. Cleopatra’s army was

made up of greek settlers who fought side by side and was given land grants for their service.

They used the wealth of the Egyptians to hire large amounts of mercenaries from different areas.

They built a large navy to help defend.

The Religion of the Zhou Dynasty began the start of two major Chinese philosophies,

Confucianism and Taoism. Confucius teachings influenced the culture and government of

Ancient China. Lao Tzu introduced Taoism where he taught the concept of the yin and the

yang. During Cleopatra’s time they didn’t really follow a certain religion. Certain ones followed

the Egyptian religion where they worshiped their ancient gods and presented offerings. They

later developed a committee of Egyptian and Greek scholars to carry out the concept of Ptolemy

a triad consisting of Isis, her son Harpocrates and Serapis.

The Architecture during these two era’s were during the Zhou Dynasty building were mainly

built of big wooden beams. They had rammed earth walls, which is dirt that’s been packed down

hard by pounding on it. Some of the courtyard had clay roof tiles. According to your wealth

there were laws about how fancy your house could be built. Emperors had carved pillars and

were painted red. The very richest families could paint their pillars black. Everyone else painted

theirs yellow. The pyramids during Cleopatra’s era were a recognizable symbol of ancient

Egypt.

Modern Day Examples

Cleopatra would be seen today as business woman. She was a skilled diplomat and negotiator.

She was a great politician who knew how to show off her and her country’s power and influence.

Empress Wu showed great female power. Someone today would possibly be a female president

because of her knowledge in politics and manipulative ways.

Conclusion

Both Empress Wu and Pharaoh Cleopatra in spite of some downfalls they were great female

rulers. Neither one of them gave up but kept fighting to achieve what they thought was right and

beneficial to their countries. They encouraged education and leadership to fellow females.

They both wanted to bring change to the fact the mostly everything was ran by a man.

References

1. Ancient History Encyclopedia, Wu Zetian, by Emily Mark published on 17 March 2016, https://www.ancient.eu/Wu_Zetian/ [Accessed 20 May 2018].

2. Enclopedia Britannica, Cleopatra Queen of Egypt, by Joyce Tyldesley published in 2018 https://www.britannica.com/biography/Cleopatra-queen-of-Egypt [Accessed 20 May 2018].

3. The Smithsonian Magizine, The Demonization of Empress Wu by Mike Dash published August 10, 2012 https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-demonization-of-

empress-wu-20743091/ [Accessed 20 May 2018].

Ancient Male Rulers

In this essay we will be discussing the two Ancient male rulers Pericles and Constantine.

Pericles the first citizen of democratic Athens and Constantine creator of the capital

Constantinople. I will be covering Pericles life that occurred 495-429 B.C. and Constantine life

from 306 to 337 CE. The reason I chose to pick these two male rulers is because I thought both

of the rulers’ accomplishment and conquer some many challenges they were faced with during

their time as a leader. These men had a great bit in common that many didn’t realize. Both rulers

believed in human rights, freedom of religion and rights for lower class citizens. I also chose

https://www.ancient.eu/Wu_Zetian/
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Cleopatra-queen-of-Egypt
https://www.ancient.eu/image/4558/
https://www.ancient.eu/image/4558/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-demonization-of-empress-wu-20743091/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-demonization-of-empress-wu-20743091/
Constantine because he was known for changing the Roman Empire into Christianity being that

this is my religion I was interested on his thoughts and views on the religion.

During the early years of the rulers’ life they had many similarities but also some differences.

Pericles and Constantine fathers both were involved in the military. Constantine grew up in the

Imperial court where he spent his entire early life. He was shape and mold into the person his

father believes he should be to one day take over. Pericles family allowed him to break free and

pursue anything his heart desires. During his early like Pericles chose to focus more on his

studies and prefer not to be seen in the public eye. His family allowed him to actually live life

they way he saw best fit. Constantine during his early years fought by his father side. He spent

most of his early years defending his spot and fighting enemies. Constantine also known as

Caesar of the west to an interest to religion mainly Christianity.

Pericles culture was Greek while Constantine believed in the Roman culture. Being that

Pericles practice Greek culture, he also believed in the polytheistic system. This system believes

in many gods. They believe that the Gods lived in Mount Olympus and was led by the god Zeus.

They were also differences in their architecture. Greeks used marble and limestone to build their

buildings. While the Romans design their building using concrete. This allowed them to have a

free-flowing structure. The Greeks architecture designs often honored and showed respect to

their gods. Geeks had Olympic games held every four years. They are also the inventor of the

Olympics. They also believed in a lot of mythology. Their culture is known to be a mythology

of gods, heroes, deeds and mortals. Because of these mythologies the Greeks and the world are

left with many different stories. It also became a part of there literature and art. The Roman had

a social structure based on family and also had slaves as part of their social order. It is said that

25% of their population was enslaved. Boys were taught the Roman law, customs, and physical

training at home. This would prepare them for the army and so that the can become Roman

citizens. Females were taught weaving, sewing and the art of spinning. In the Roman culture

education for boys and girls began when they turned six years old. Six to seven years following

they children were expected to learn reading, writing and counting. The Campus of Martius is

Rome’s track and playground. Youth come there to play various of sports and exercise. Although

the Romans adopted a lot of their culture from the Greeks they are different in many ways.

Now when we discuss Pericles and Constantine in the modern day and example would be our

government and tithing in the church. The government is said to build on democracy like

Pericles even though we constantly go against it daily. When it comes to the church they adopted

the view of Constantine that members should tithe 10%.

After doing my research I learned a great deal of interesting facts about Pericles and

Constantine. One thing I learned about Constantine is that it was said that his father named him

as his killer on his death bed. I also found it interesting that he started the foundation for

Christianity being that it is said he did so much wrong. What I found interesting about Pericles

is that The Golden Age is also known as the Age of Pericles. His impact during that meant a

great deal. Doing this essay has taught me a great deal and inspired me to dig further.

References

• Essays, UK. (November 2013), Differences Between Greek and Roman Architecture on

Antiquity. Retrieved from https://www.ukessays.com/essays/architecture/the-differences-

between-the-greek-and-the-roman-architecture.php?vref=1

• Ahistoryofgreece.com. (2018). History of Greece: The Golden Age of Greece. [online]

Available at: https://www.ahistoryofgreece.com/goldenage.htm [Accessed 20 May 2018].

https://www.ukessays.com/essays/architecture/the-differences-between-the-greek-and-the-roman-architecture.php?vref=1
https://www.ukessays.com/essays/architecture/the-differences-between-the-greek-and-the-roman-architecture.php?vref=1
• Thefamouspeople.com. (2018). Who is Constantine the Great? Everything You Need to

Know. [online] Available at: https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/constantine-the-

great-6577.php [Accessed 20 May 2018].

• history.com. (2009). Pericles. [online] Available at:

https://www.history.com/topic/ancient-history/pericles [Accessed 20 May 2018].

• Ancient History Encyclopedia. (2013). [online] Available at: https://www.ancient.eu/constantine_1/

[Accessed 20 May 2018].

sculptures of Ancient India and Greece.

The purpose of this is to compare the sculptures of Ancient India and Greece. We will explore

their similarities and their differences of each during the time between 300 B.C. and 500 A.D.

Sculpting is one of the oldest forms of art over painting. Many would choose to carve before

they would paint or design a dwelling. I chose to write on this topic because the history behind

these sculptures is rich and each sculpture, Ancient India or Greece, tell a unique story. Each

culture chose to be unique in each sculpture. Which is why each one is fascinating to figure out

what was the artist thinking or experiencing when he was creating it.

Similarities and Differences

There were several features that made the Ancient India and Greece sculptures similar.

One was that they both displayed the human body in all its glory. Both cultures showed different

forms and focuses of the human body, but both highlighted it. As the artists got better at

sculpting, the features in the sculptures began to have more depth to them. Ancient India and

Greece cultures used sculpting to honor the gods and goddesses. They would display the figures

inside and outside of temples and mausoleums where they worshipped and gathered. Another

similarity in both cultures was that the sculptures were made to hold up overtime so that the story

could continue to be told for generations to come. They used mineral such as bronze to help

extended the lifespan of the sculpture. While there are many similarities, there are also many

differences. One being the fact that Ancient India use different types of material in their

sculptures and the Greek use mostly stone in their sculptures. The religious depiction was

different as well. Greece was more human instead of creating another religion. Ancient India

used Buddhism and Hinduism.

Cultural Differences

Ancient India and Greece difference range from art to culture to music preferences. For

instance, Greek buildings used golden ratio and the buildings were made of marble. Many

utilized ionic columns that would support the roof and building up. Indian structures used

elaborate designs carved in them such as people dancing and gods and goddess. Another notable

difference was in the theatre and plays. Both India and Greece had theatre and plays but it was

performed more in India. All plays were usually about myths and masks were utilized but in

India not as much, instead they would paint their faces with noticeable colors. Even down to the

types of instruments used by each culture. Indians had more dance but used instruments such as

table, pugi, santoor, and the manjeera. Greeks used lyre, pipes, harps, and kithara. In the

history, you find many references the Indian musical preferences, but you don’t find much about

the Greek music.

One modern day example of Ancient Indian sculptures is the Love Tenderness sculpture by

Wayan Rendah. In this sculpture the artist depicted a man and woman intertwined representing

love and togetherness. It shows the bonds of the two and is very abstract. This was how the

Ancient Indian Sculptures were in the earlier times before they became more lifelike. Then there

is the Triton God of the Sea Statue that depicts perfectly the god of the sea like the Greek

sculptures did that were places outside of the temples and churches. It has detail, and really

outlines his features vividly. There are many variations of each of the cultures in modern day

sculptures. Many of them are of scale size and many are a smaller version that people display in

their homes and offices.

Conclusion

In conclusion, while each of the two, Ancient India and Greece were miles a part

geographically, we did uncover many similarities and differences in each culture. The values

and beliefs that each artesian was raised on is demonstrated in each sculpture. It is very clear on

what the focus is for each one. The mere fact that is one way that the stories are told and

remembered is fascinating. To be able to look at a sculpture or group of them and uncover so

much culture and history is how we can appreciate each era. Much of what artisans are

designing now are small scale replicas of the large sculptures of this time. Many historians

appreciate the fact that they can continue the history within a sculpture and the traditions of the

times and culture will continue to be studied. If is still interesting to me to see how the

sculptures changed over the times from abstract to more clear pictures of the human body,

animals and gods and goddess in each culture.