Hey guys,
Haven't seen you for a while, how are you? Sorry I can't make it to our meetings because of a course on Sats.
Today I went to this exhibition"Quest for Immortality" which I think most of you already knew about or even have visited. But I still recommand those who hasn't been there to go, cause it'll be worthwhile!
I have to say first that I know nothing about ancient Egypt except for a mural that I thought was from that time, so that means I knew very little about it. In the past I wasn't particularly crazy about going to exhibitions like this and being in crowds, but over these years, I changed my attitude because it feels like someone famous is visiting Taiwan! Like, "Oh! Picasso is coming to us!" or " Mucha is visiting TW!" And this time, yap, mummies have come to see us!
It was crowded and sometimes hard to see objects, but if you wait for 2 mins, the crowds went somewhere else so you could see the display. Some of the big objects, like ruins of pillars of murals, aren't protected by acrylic boxes, so you can take a very close look at them.
Probably the last visit to Great British Museum didn't leave a big impression on me, I felt like looking at the ruins the very first time. I didn't realize how beautiful and elegant the stone reliefs were. Seeing all the familiar patterns/words or shapes of gods/godesses made me feel like history was coming to life, and the distance between 4000 years ago and now is only a layer of acrylics apart.
I was in awe almost all the time, and saying "Fascinating!" quietly. The still vivid color of coffins, golden reliefs decorating the lid of a coffin, a painting of a goddess symbolizing rebirth on the bottom of a coffin, mummies of animals, the jars that contain organs, jewelry, 3 well-preserved mummies, and a rebuild of a Faroh’s tomb.
To me, the tomb was very special. It’s built exactly the same as it was in Egypt. I didn’t ask if it’s real, but from looking at the cracks of the wall, I think it is. The tomb was in a round shape, and there was some quiet background music that can get you in mood. The most important part is that the walls are covered with Amduat (literally "That Which Is In the Afterworld", also translated as "Text of the Hidden Chamber Which is in the Underworld" and "Book of What is in the Underworld") telling us all about what happens everyday in the dark 12 hours.
The ancient Egyptians separated night and day each into 12 hours, and that in the night belongs to the Afterworld. The God of Sun takes a boat into the Afterworld everyday when the sun goes down and goes through trials and dangers that might prevent him from going back to the mundane world. But under the protection of all the other gods and goddesses, he returns safely, welcomed by scarabs, a symbol of rebirth. It was some kind of experience standing in the round-shape tomb, looking at Amduat, and thinking about what happens there in the Afterworld to the ancient Egyptians. It reminds me of a boat in the movie” What dreams may come” starred by Robin Williams. The boat also carried people from this world to another.
Just go if you have time! And here are some tips: try the group orientation. But there’re only two times Mon to Fri, and three times on weekends and it’s limited to, I guess 20 people. There are much less people before closing (6pm) and don’t go on weekends.
Julie
But how much do we know about the people who produce it? What are their lives like? Find out in this session!