HOW TO VIEW AN ARTIFACT
Throughout this course we will be looking a
number of artifacts, that range from armor to Zen Buddhist Statues.
These artifacts will form a visual core of evidence for learning
about past cultures. There are some basic skills you need to have
before you begin analyzing this visual evidence. These basic viewing
skills can be broken down as the 'Five W's' -- Who, What, When,
Where, and Why. This is very much like learning to read a primary
source.
The "Who", is not always easy
to discover, particularly as we go further and further into the
past. This is even harder to find out than who wrote something!
Most of the buildings, statues, jewelry, or weapons were made
by ordinary people, just doing their job, and not by artists dreaming
of immortality. So many of the artifacts from the past have no
names on them and are often given stylistic names, or schools
or design. Knowing who the creator of an artifact is important
for understanding the remaining questions. For example, would
a bridge designed to transport an army be much different from
some who wanted to stimulate trade? Keep in mind that every artifact
will reflect the bias of its maker as to the way their society
.
Once you know who made the artifact, the next
stage is what was the purpose of the artifact. At first this has
to be literal. Was it a cup, earrings, a tomb, or a luxury good.
Knowing the purpose of the artifact, literally, you can begin
to ask other questions of and begin to interpret it. For example,
if I find a cup with a painting on the side, what does the painting
mean? Is it connected to where the cup might have been used? Was
the painting merely decorative? If so how are the people, or animals
or whatever painted? What are they wearing? How are they acting?
The next question to ask is when was this created,
and timing is everything in life. Styles and attitudes change
(sometime over night) as you can see by looking at fashion. Are
you wearing the same style of shoes you were wearing two years
ago? Not only style, but the materials used are part of when.
Ten years ago I would have gone to a One-Hour Photo place to have
pictures developed, now I can use a digital camera. So, over time
there are changes that occur and sometimes the most important
ones in the past were how the creators of artifacts themselves
changed as society changed. For example, at the end of a love
affair I paint my ex? Is that very different from painting the
same person when the relationship is just starting?
The
next question to ask is where was this made. Was it made in a
home? a temple? an armory? In what country was the artifact made?
Before the train, plane , and automobile natural resources did
not travel far from where they were found, finished goods were
the things trades. So knowing that silk was only made in China
(since the mulberry tree only grew there in the past) finding
a silk robe in Timbuktu is a clue to how these societies might
have interacted.
Finally you need to ask yourself
why did this person create this artifact. You might also ask yourself
why did this Egyptian artifact survive, say 4,000 years of weather,
greed and other human activities. The artifacts that have survived
tell us much about the past, but only if we ask question about
them. What was the point of the artifact? Was it only monetary?
Did they need the money? Was it just a job? Was the person only
trying to convey information? To get you join a particular religion?
To have you hate a perceived enemy? To persuade you to change
your behavior?
Keep these questions in mind as you view the images.