This paper will analyze two separate primeval artworks from two diverse civilizations, the “Great Giza pyramid from Ancient Egypt” and the “Terracotta Warriors” from the tomb of China’s first Qin ruler since they both serve the same goal and have a similar theme. Both artworks are tombs of kings from various times, and both are spectacular interment pieces of art that took hundreds of years to create and contain wealth belonging to the departed monarchs. The concept of the afterlife is a recurrent element in both works since both monarchs of ancient Egypt and China felt that they needed to prepare for their life after death. The ancient Egyptians held that after individuals died, their souls might resurrect in the afterlife. The pyramids were equipped with luxuries and riches that the kings could want after death.
Qin Shi Huang, the very first Qin Chinese dynasty, ordered the building of his tomb to begin after he seized the monarchy of the Qin government in 246 BC, believing that he might deploy the subterranean army to guard him in the life after death. The “Terracotta Army” was discovered to be a portion of Ruler Qin Shi Huang’s tomb, the first ruler in Chinese olden times. There are around 8000 life-size sculptures of warriors buried beside the monarch. Emperor Qin spent most of his time hunting for riches to pursue “immortality” and the “pharmaceutics” of living because he desired to survive forever (Ge et al., 2022). As a result, the emperor became convinced that he needed to construct the greatest tomb in the world, complete with a massive army, to defend himself and maintain his reign in the hereafter. According to Ge et al. (2022), “the soldiers of the Terracotta Army are life-size statues. They average around 5 feet 11 inches tall with some soldiers being as tall as 6 foot 7 inches. Despite there being so many statues, no two soldiers are exactly alike. There are soldiers of all ages with different ranks, facial features, and hairstyles. Some of the soldiers look calm, while others look angry and ready to fight.”
The “Great Pyramid of Giza” is among the three pyramids at Giza, and it is the earliest and biggest of the three. The “Giza Pyramid complex,” often known as the “Great Pyramid,” is the sole remaining monument of the other “Seven Wonders of the Ancient History” (Procter & Kozak-Holland, 2019). The “Great Pyramid of Giza” was the greatest edifice in the ancient world, standing 481 feet tall with a 13-acre filling base. The “Great Pyramid of Giza” was constructed with 2.3 million large stones weighing between 2.5 and 15 tons apiece (Procter & Kozak-Holland, 2019). The “Great Pyramid of Giza is the biggest and earliest of all pyramids found in Giza, Greater Cairo, Egypt. The Great Pyramid of Giza was constructed by the servants of Khufu, the fourth-generation Egyptian king” (Procter & Kozak-Holland, 2019). Researchers think that the “Great Pyramid of Giza” was constructed as a mausoleum for Khufu, complete with his possessions and artworks.
Giza’s enormous pyramids were constructed as a tomb for an Egyptian king. These tombs reflected a widening schism in Egyptian society between the wealthy and the ordinary people. Only the affluent and influential could afford and be deemed worthy of such extravagant graves. The pyramids took roughly two decades to build and were divided into three distinct burial rooms (Procter & Kozak-Holland, 2019). Ancient Egypt’s “Great Pyramids of Giza” are magnificent works of art; they were begun around 2560 B.C. by designers Khufu, Imhotep, and Hemiunu. They were not completed until 2540 B.C. On the other side, the “Terracotta Army” is a set of artworks shaped by an army that Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s people constructed to guard him in the afterlife (Ge et al., 2022). The “Terracotta Army” of Emperor Qin Shi Huang is situated in China’s Shaanxi province. The building of this tomb art started shortly after Emperor Qin assumed the throne in 246 BC.
Both sculptures were erected by two distinct civilizations and during two distinct eras; yet, they have a similar theme: life after death myths. The “Great Pyramid of Giza” and Ruler Qin Shi Huang’s “Terracotta Army” were constructed as graves for great kings to retain their influence after death. Khufu, the ancient Egyptian monarch, felt that having a magnificent tomb to store his costly possessions was vital for his afterlife. Additionally, Monarch Qin thought that an army guarding his grave was vital for his life after death. Indeed, even centuries after their deaths, their great burial works of art have served as emblems of their might.
Art is an amazing concept that can be used to learn different things from the primeval world. The “Great Pyramid of Giza” is more famous than the “Terracotta Army” as more visitors see it yearly. Even though these two works are from diverse cultures hundreds of miles away from each other, they have several similarities. As discussed above, both these works took different periods and were built in different eras. However, the two artworks were built to serve as tombs for the kings for the same purpose. They were built, each from a different belief.
References
Ge, R., Yang, L., Shen, M., & Sun, W. (2022). Investigating the composition and application of an ancient multipurpose material discovered on the Qin Terracotta Army statues. Archaeometry, 64(2), 422-437.
Procter, C., & Kozak-Holland, M. (2019). The Giza pyramid: learning from this megaproject.Journal of Management History.