Essay 5c
Compare & Contrast – Time Travel
Instruction:
Find and post the images of the artwork(s) mentioned in the Topic Essay
Question.
Question:
Find examples and describe the similarities and connections between Scythians,
Celtic and Viking iconography. Can you name one other example between three
other distinct cultures, time periods and geographic locations? Describe what
other connections you made in your research.
Part 1:
Summary:
While answering this question, I was able to research these three culture more in depth. I learned how much these cultures influenced and were influenced by the other.
Reason:
The reason this question was asked was so that we can see how different cultures
have influenced each other.
Purpose:
The purpose this question was asked was so that we can look beyond just the
similarities between these cultures’ iconography and gain a better understanding
of how these cultures are connected to each other.
Direction:
This is one of the questions that greatly interested me. I knew as soon as I read it, that I wanted to answer it, because I knew next to nothing about these cultures and I always like to learn new things. Before I began researching the similarities between the iconography, I first
wanted to see how exactly these cultures are connected to one another.
Afterwards, I started to look at their art and began to see the similarities.
Impressions:
I was surprised by how it was for me to find information on Celtic art. Although there is little information on the Scythians, I was able to find information on this culture more easier and faster than on the Celts. I had an 'aha' moment when I read that the Scythians dispersed into Danube, which connected them with the Celts beyond their trade with the Greeks.
Part 2:
Throughout history, we have noticed how different
cultures have many similarities with regards to their art. This is due to the
fact that these cultures have, in some way, influenced each other. The
Scythians, Celtics, and Vikings have several elements in common in their
iconography. More specifically, all three cultures share zoomorphic motifs, or
what is known as animal style.
Not much is known about the Scythians, but is known
is due to the writings of the Greek historian Herodotus. “The Scythians were members
of a nomadic people originally of Iranian stock who migrated from Central Asia
to Southern Russia in the 8th and 7th centuries BC” (http://history-world.org/scythians.htm).
The Scythians migrated across Asia until they settled into the plains north
of the Black Sea (http://history-world.org/scythians.htm).
“The Greek historian Strabo, wrote that, at the sunset of their empire, some
Scythians migrated to the mouth of the Danube and dispersed with other people
in that vicinity, which would have been the coincidentally emerging Celts” (http://hal_macgregor.tripod.com/gregor/Scythia.html).
“The Celts are the earliest identifiable northern European civilization”
(Celtic Beasts, D. O’Neill/C. Davis, p.8). Coincidentally, Herodotus also
writes about the Celts, “[pointing] out that in his time the ‘Keltoi’ lived
along the Danube River” (Celtic Beasts, D. O’Neill/C. Davis, p.8). In the
first millennium BCE, the Celts inhabited a major part of central and western
Europe (Art History, M. Stokstad/M.W. Cothren, p.152). The Vikings, or
Norse, were seafaring people that descended into Europe in the 18th
century and had colonized a large area by the 9th and 10th
centuries (Art History, M. Stokstad/M.W. Cothren, p.435). “Norwegian and
Danish Vikings raided a vast territory stretching from Iceland and Greenland,
where they settled in 870 and 958 respectively, to Ireland, England, Scotland,
and France” (Art History, M. Stokstad/M.W. Cothren, p.435).
The term Animal style is used to describe the use of
animal motifs of ancient peoples who considered animals to have magical powers
for protection. The zoomorphic use was not just a decoration, but a way or
turning the objects into amulets. “Certain underlying principles govern works
with animal style design: The compositions are generally symmetrical, and
artists depict animals in their entirety either in profile or from above. Ribs
and spinal columns are exposed as if they had been x-rayed; hip and shoulder
joints are pear-shape; tongues and jaws extend and curl; and legs end in large
claws” (Art History, M. Stokstad/M.W. Cothren, p.427).
Scythians used zoomorphic motifs in different
objects, including weapons, clothing, ornaments, and jewelry. “Scythian jewelry
features various animals including stags, cats, birds, horses, bears, wolves
and mythical beasts” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scythian_art).
What is fascinating about the Scythians is that they didn’t portray the animal
exactly as it was, instead they were able to accurately transmit the essence of
the animal they portrayed without actually copying its natural form. The
animals are highly stylized and certain attributes of the animal are greatly exaggerated.
In addition to this, the animals are also depicted in contorted forms and with
contrasting positions of the body.
Source Link Plaque with the scene of fighting animals
Source Link Golden Deer from tomb near Filippovka
Animals were a constant part of the
Celts, who were deeply connected with creation. They deeply valued animals, respecting
and honoring by integrating them into their art
(Celtic Beasts, D. O’Neill/C/ Davis, p.9). Celtic art is very abstract and
consists mostly of animal style, incorporating weaving and knot-work, spirals,
and plant and human forms. Additionally, pattern seems to play a large role in
Celtic art as it “becomes an integral part of the object itself, not an applied
decoration” (Art History, M. Stokstad/M.W. Cothren, p.152).
Source Link An example of an Insular-style animal pattern from the Book of Kells
Source Link Oseberg ship head post
Source Link Oseberg bow detail
Source Link Bronze ornament from Denmark
It is clear that these three cultures are connected
to each other. The Scythians and Celts indirectly influenced each other through
their common trade with the Greeks. Furthermore, the Scythians mixed with the
Celts in the Danube River, which influenced Celtic art. The Vikings, also,
influenced and were influenced by the Celts, when they settled into Ireland,
indirectly being influenced by the Scythians as well.
These three are not the only triad of cultures. I
have found that the Egyptians, Mayans, and Babylonians also share some
similarities. The Egyptians depict the human figure showing both hands and feet
with the head at a profile. I noticed that the Mayans and Babylonians share
some of the qualities of Egyptian art, showing the human figure at a profile
with both legs and arms visible.
Source Link Egyptian papyrus
Source Link "War" - panel of the Standard of Ur, ca. 2600 BC, showing parading men, animals and chariots
Source Link Mayan pottery
It is amazing to see that cultures that span over
different parts of the world and different timelines share many similarities.
Maybe all cultures are connected in some way, I don’t really know. But what I
do know is that art transcends time and space.
