Dig It - 4/15/24
Well Seekers, seems like old Lonesome has always been fascinated by The Ancients and things of the Past. First, it was Dinosaurs. Then it was Egyptians, Knights, Vikings, Native Americans and on and on. But, it was Ancient Egyptians most of all. I remember the St. Louis Art Museum had a particularly good, I think, New Kingdom Mummy Case. The bottom of the case was slightly damaged and the Mummy’s toe was exposed, or at least I thought it was. The fact that it was some three thousand years old and survived both fascinated and freaked me out. Subconsciously, I understood this mummy survived time and maybe, in a sense, even conquered death. The coffin was a sort of time machine, this warped my young mind and at six or seven I became obsessed with Ancient Egypt and wanted to become an Egyptologist. Pretty weird, I guess.
Around age ten or so, I was at the the Old Lake Placid Club, which had a fabulous library, the founder of which was Melvil Dewey, inventor of the Dewey decimal system. There I found a book about Chichen Itza, and Edward Thompson’s excavations at the Cenote Sagrado (the Sacred Cenote, or well), and how the Mayans of Mexico and Guatemala had built Pyramids and written in Hieroglyphics just like the Egyptians! I never lost my love for Ancient Egypt, but suddenly I was fascinated by a whole new area and its cultures. I formally studied Ancient Mesoamerican Art and Archaeology both in College and in Graduate School.
This photo is of a Classic Period Mayan marine conch shell whistle, dating around A.D. 800. The engraved image is of the Maize god or a Ruler. I love his elaborate headdress and all the curling volutes representing, vapors, smoke or water. A beautiful, powerful piece. Explore more about the Ancient Maya online or at your local library. -Lonesome