Hillary Wilson is the artist, her portfolio is here: http://www.hdwilsonart.com/
The Greater Rasp Worm A massive terrestrial ‘worm’, with specimens commonly reaching taller than an adult man in height, the rasp worm is most known for its habit of ‘licking’ objects it recognizes as food. The worm’s tongue is actually a rough radula that it must run over its meal until it has been reduced to liquid and can be carried back to the mouth. Generally feeding on plant matter, both live and decaying, it can occasionally be found eating abandoned carcasses. Due to its large size and slow eating habits, the worm will spend nearly all its time grazing. The small legs of the worm are not segmented, but pointed sacks given rigidity through hydrostatic fluids. They move slowly and, when threatened, the worm will rear and spray a foul, sticky fluid. It will then retract into a rigid state, in hopes of protecting its soft hide. Without bones or a hard exterior, the worm has few actual defenses against predators.
Illustration by Andy Kluthe
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Statue of Ptah
Twenty-eight wooden statues of deities, wrapped in linen, were found in black-painted shrines. Their purpose was to protect the king during his journey in the underworld. This one depicts Ptah, the divine patron of craftsmen and artists and lord of creation at Memphis.
His gilded statue wears a robe, richly ornamented with feathers, and a broad necklace. A blue faience skullcap covers his head and the eyes and eyebrows are inlaid with faience and stone.
The deity holds a composite staff made up of a “Was” scepter, a Djed pillar, and an Ankh sign.
From the Tomb of Tutankhamun (KV62), Valley of the Kings, West Thebes. Now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. JE 60739
A Mamluk Sword, Egypt or Syria, 13th-15th Century
The straight double-edged steel blade with engraved inscription on both sides, the hilt with rounded, ridged pommel, oval-shaped wood reserved in the centre, with a wrist-strap ring above and pierced quillon tips. 106 cm.
Source: sothebys.com
~Qur'an Manuscript Folio. Place of origin: North Africa, Aghlabid or Abbasid Date: 9th century
Source: clevelandart.org
The round city of Baghdad in the 10th century, the peak of the Abbasid Caliphate. Illustration by Jean Soutif / Science Photo Library.
Source: theguardian.com
How Old Is This Vase?
You may be surprised to learn that this terracotta vase is from the Umayyad or Abbasid Caliphates, between 700 and 900 CE!
Its style is distinctly Islamic in nature, with incised lines and an elegant shape. What I noticed first, though, was the odd glazing which leaves the bottom looking unfinished and very modern. Known as “two-thirds” glaze, this is actually typical of early Islamic art.
Gold Dinar, San’a Mint, 949 - 950 CE, Authority: al-Mustakfi, Abbasid Caliphate
Hello everyone, I’m back from the dead (or it just felt that way) and ready to get rolling on more excellent ancient coins. It’s been a whirlwind over here, but I’m hoping the worst is behind us and we can get back to normal. For the information of the viewers, I am now a PhD and Professor, and no longer a humble grad student. I will be continuing tor run the blog from a place of employment, so watch this space for updates with my new students in the fall and spring!
Today’s coin is a really interesting piece, a beautiful gold dinar from the collection of the American Numismatic Society. This coin was struck in Arabia under the authority of al-Mustakfi, the Caliph of Baghdad. However, this coin provides us with some information about how information traveled in the Abbasid world. Al-Mustakfi was caliph, imposed by a Turkish invading force, from 944 to 946 CE, after which time he was deposed and replaced by Al-Muti. However, the news of this change evidently did not reach Arabia immediately, because this coin was truck a full three years after al-Mustakfi was out of power. It took a while for news to move, and there was, evidently, not much urgency involved with informing the rest of the Caliphate of the violent changes that were happening in Baghdad.
A Medieval Muslim Perspective on Human Existence
In the 700s, a Persian scholar named Ibn al-Muqaffa recorded a parable, describing human existence. A man fears an elephant so he dangles himself into a pit to hide. He soon realizes there is a dragon waiting at the bottom of the pit, and rats are gnawing on the branches he is holding onto. The man then notices a beehive and tries its honey. He becomes “diverted, unaware, preoccupied with that sweetness” and while he is distracted, the rats finish gnawing the branches. The man falls into the dragon’s mouth with sweetness still on his tongue.
What a happy parable!
Source: Wikipedia
Tunic decoration with lions, made in Egypt during the Abbasid caliphate. Artist unknown; 9th cent. CE. Now in the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Axe Head from Rifeh, Egypt dated between 1550-1295 BCE on display at the World Museum in Liverpool
Photographs taken by myself 2019
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Egyptian gold sandals and toe stalls, c. 1479–1425 BC
~ Paint Box of Vizier Amenemope.
Date: ca. 1427-1401 B.C.
Place of origin: Egypt
Period: New Kingdom, Dynasty 18 (1540-1296 BC), reign of Amenhotep II
Medium: Boxwood with inscription inlaid in Egyptian blue.
Source: clevelandart.org