Sadigh Gallery Update November 23 2012

Greetings from Sadigh Gallery! 

Well, December, the final month of the year, is approaching, and New York City is becoming a more festive city than ever before.  The retail stores are dressed up in their fascinating holiday decorations, and Christmas songs can be heard from anywhere in the city!   Before the cold and long winter is here, this would be the best timing to experience the cheerful and lively New York City atmosphere.  If you are visiting New York City during this holiday season--Here are some ongoing shows and events that may interest the ancient artifacts aficionados.

Metropolitan Museum

Chinese Gardens

Pavilions, Studios, Retreats

August 18, 2012–January 6, 2013

http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2012/chinese-gardens

Buddhism along the Silk Road

5th–8th Century

June 2, 2012–February 10, 2013

http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2012/buddhism

Objects from the Kharga Oasis

August 14, 2012–August 4, 2013

http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2012/kharga-oasis

Of course, after going to those places, we would like you to come visit us, too!  Unlike in Museums and high-end galleries in uptown Manhattan area, you may come in to our showroom to touch and feel the ancient relics on display.   We are currently holding a special sale during holiday seasons as well.  If you are looking for unique gifts for this holiday that are not like any other, feel free to consult with us and we will be happy to present great ancient artifacts that would make great gifts. If you live far from New York but are still interested in knowing what we have, visit our website http://www.sadighgallery.com or request for our free color catalog!

Here are some of the new collections of ancient artifacts that are currently available at the gallery:

Ancient Egyptian. Carved  amethyst horse, in a reclining pose. Translucent colors include light purple and green. A symbol of prestige, wealth and status. Ptolemaic. 305-30 BC

(3" x 3")

Ancient Egyptian. Carved pale carnelian scarab with traces of red. 26th Dynasty. 633-532 BC (¾" )

Ancient Egypt. Light green glazed faience amulet shows a triad of three Gods, Harpokrates, Isis, and Neith, traces of light blue. In Egyptian mythology, a "triad" is a group of three Gods that make up a family unit. Loop on the backside. Ptolemaic. 305-30 BC (1 ¾" x 1 ¼" )

Ancient Greek. Bronze reclining sphinx with an elaborate braided coiffure, the braided necklace draping across her naked breasts, a small rectangular platform resting on her back. Finely detailed with serene face. Green patina with a light earthen patina. 400 BC(3 ½" x 2 ½")

Thank you, and stay tuned for more updates from Sadigh Gallery!

Ancient Egyptian Writing

The scribes of Egypt used three distinct scripts in their writing: hieratic, hieroglyphic and demotic.  The hieratic and demotic are merely cursive derivatives of hieroglyphics.  By the Roman period, the Coptic, a fourth script was used, which was based on the Greek alphabets and different principles.

The ancient Egyptians called Hieroglyphic scripts “mdju netjer”, which meant “words of the gods”.  Hieroglyphs were the earliest and longest-lived form of Egyptian script.  It is the most familiar to the modern observers when starting in awe at the columned halls at Karnak, the beautiful tomb paintings in the Valley of Kings & Queens, and on sarcophagi and coffins.

The Ibis-headed god Thoth was considered the patron deity of writings and scribes.  A relief from the temple of Ramesses II at Abydos shows the god sitting on a throne, holding a long scribal palette in one hand and in the other, holding the reed with which he is writing.  King Ramesses himself is shown assisting the god by holding an ink pot-like jar.

The first hieroglyphs appeared on labels and pottery objects dating back to about 3100 BCE, in the late Predynastic period and the last glyphs appeared on the island of Philae in a temple inscription carved in 394 ACE.  Originally, hieroglyphs were used to write different kinds of texts on different surfaces, but as hieratic script developed, hieroglyphic script became confined to religious and monumental usage, mostly carved in stones.  The Greeks, upon seeing these temple and other religious inscriptions, called the script “hiera grammata”, which meant “the sacred letters”, or “ta hierogyphica”, which meant “the sacred carved letters”.

A hieroglyphic inscription is arranged on its surface either in columns or in horizontal lines.  There are no punctuation marks or spaces to indicate the divisions between words.  The signs are generally inscribed facing rightward, when appeared in columnar form; they are usually read from right to left.  If they appear in horizontal lines, they are read from upper to lower.

Hieroglyphic script is largely pictorial in character.  Most are recognizable pictures of natural or fabricated objects, often symbolically color-painted.  The ground plan of a simple house, or pr, might stand for the word “house”.  These are called ideograms.

Hieroglyphic script also includes phonograms, sign-words for concepts that cannot be conveyed by a simple picture.  The phonogram is best represented by the “rebus principle”.  A rebus is a message spelled out in pictures that represent sounds rather than the things.

Hieratic were the ancient Egyptian cursive writings, used from the first dynasty (c. 2925 – c. 2755 BC) until about 200 BC.  Derived from the earlier, pictorial hieroglyphic writing used in carved or painted inscriptions, hieratic writings were generally written in ink with a reed pen on papyrus; its cursive form was more suited to such a medium than were the formal hieroglyphs.  It was originally written vertically and later horizontally from right to left.  After about 660 BC, demotic script replaced hieratic in most secular writings, but hieratic continued to be used by priests in the transcriptions of religious texts for several centuries.

Hieratic is an adoption of the hieroglyphic script, the signs being simplified to make their writing quicker.  Hieratic was the administrative and business script throughout most of its history and recorded documents of a literary, scientific and religious nature.  The earliest body of hieratic texts, thus far, is estate records, that date from the Fourth Dynasty. 

Writing was not one, but two inventions: first, the script by itself – a comprehensive series of signs made by a series of brush strokes, capable of representing all the words or sounds of human speech and second, the remarkable invention of the materials used to record, transmit and preserve these scripts, like the papyrus, the pen and the ink. 

The word “Demotic” comes from Greek, which meant “popular script”.  By the Hellenistic period of the Ptolemies, demotic was the only native script in general daily use.  It is very cursive script, having been derived from hieratic, making it difficult to read and almost impossible to transcribe into hieroglyphic context.

Demotic scripts were generally administrative, legal and commercial, though there are a few literary composition as well as scientific and religious scripts.

Ancient Egyptian Beads

Ancient Egyptian faience beads are generally found in the Egyptian burial grounds mummies and the scientific explorations of ancient mummies have brought a huge treasure of beads to the modern man for their collection. Each and every bead is unique and they are definitely a treasure to be kept in collection.

Beads, worn by both men and woman in Egypt, were believed to bring good luck.  The Egyptian word “sha” means luck and sha became the word for bead.  A number of semi-precious stones were available from Egypt’s natural resources but in ancient times, the greatest number of beads was made from faience, an inexpensive ceramic paste that was developed around 4000 BC in Egypt and Mesopotamia.  Faience is the forerunner of glass and although the recipe was a closely guarded secret, the technology spread throughout the Ancient World. 

During the late Dynastic Period in Egypt (circa 1085 BC), faience beads were produced primarily for funerary use.  Egyptians believed that to insure comfort in the Netherworld, the deceased should be surrounded by items from daily life.  Quantities of faience beads were buried with the mummy and sometimes they were strung in an intricate manner to fashion a shroud that served as an outer covering for the mummy’s linen wrapping.

In the second millennium BC, the Romans emerged from a small settlement near Rome to begin a course of expansion that was to make them the dominant power in the Mediterranean.  By the 1st Century AD, Roman territories expanded from Britain in the north to Egypt in the south.  Much of the Roman culture and crafts reflected the preceding Hellenistic period; however, their extensive trade network provided them with a great variety of materials.  Artisans often combined styles and materials creating their own unique designs.  While personal adornment was frowned upon by the early Romans, their attitude of austerity had diminished by the 1st Century BC and a rich variety of jewelry abounded.  Roman jewelry reflected both the Hellenistic influence and the Eastern taste for colored stones.

Sadigh gallery houses thousands of authentic ancient Egyptian beads.  We also carry already made necklaces, earrings, and bracelets with these ancient beads.  At the same time, the unstrung beads are extremely popular among our jewelry making customers who wish to combine beauty of the past history and their creativity together.

Click on the below link to find collection of ancient Egyptian beads from Sadigh Gallery:

http://www.sadighgallery.com/search.asp?keyword=beads&sortby=0&catid=17

Ancient Egyptian Canopic Jars and the Four Sons of Horus

Canopic jars were stone and ceramic vessels used for the burial of the viscera removed during mummification.  The term, canopic, derives from the misconception that they were connected with the human-headed jars that were worshipped as personifications of the God Osiris by the inhabitants of the ancient Egyptian port of Canopus, named after the Homeric character who was Menelaus’ pilot.  The "Canopus of Osiris" image appeared on some Roman coins from the Alexandrian mint and the name was therefore chosen by early Egyptologists to refer to any jar with a stopper in the form of a human head.  The practice of preserving eviscerated organs.

During mummification, it is first attested in the burial of Hetepheres, mother of the 4th dynasty ruler, Khufu (2589-2566 BC), at Giza.  Her viscera were stored in a travertine (Egyptian alabaster) chest divided into four compartments, three of which contained the remains of her organs in natron while the fourth held a dry organic material.  In later burials, specific elements of the viscera were placed under the protection of four anthropomorphic genii known as the sons of Horus who were themselves protected by tutelary deities guarding the four cardinal points.  The human-headed Imsety, linked with Isis and the south, protected the liver; the ape-headed Hapy, linked with Nephthys and the North, cared for the lungs; the jackal-headed Duamutef, linked with Neith and the east, guarded the stomach; and the falcon-headed Qebehsenuef, linked with Serket and the west, looked after the intestines. 

During the first intermediate period (2181-2055 BC), the jars began to be provided with stoppers in the form of human heads and, at this time, the canopic bundles were sometimes decorated with human-faced masks.  By the late Middle Kingdom, a set of canopic equipment could be comprised of two chests, a stone-carved outer container and a wooden inner one holding four jars furnished with stoppers in the form of human heads.  In the early 18th Dynasty, the stoppers were still human-headed, as in the case of the canopic equipment of Tutankhamen, but from the later 18th Dynasty onwards, it became more common for the stoppers to take the form of the characteristic heads of each of the four genii and, by the 19th Dynasty, these had completely replaced the human-headed type.  In the third intermediate period (1069-747 BC), mummified viscera were usually returned to the body, sometimes accompanied by models of the relevant genii, but empty or dummy canopic jars were occasionally still included in rich burials.  Canopic equipment is found in Ptolemaic tombs but had ceased to be used by the Roman period.  The last known royal canopic jars belonged to après (589-570 BC) and one of these survived through its reuse as a vessel containing the body of a mummified hawk at Saqqara.

Find authentic ancient Egyptian carnopic jars at Sadigh Gallery website!

http://www.sadighgallery.com/search.asp?keyword=canopic jar&sortby=0&catid=17

Egyptian Coffins & Sarcophagus

The term “Coffin” is usually applied to the rectangular or anthropoid container in which the Egyptians placed the mummified body, whereas the word “Sarcophagus” (Greek: “Flesh-Eating”) is used to refer only to the stone outer container, invariably encasing one or more coffins.  The distinction made between these two items of Egyptian funerary equipment is therefore essentially an artificial one, since both shared the same role of protecting the body of the deceased.  In terms of decoration and shape, coffins and sarcophagi drew on roughly the same iconographic stylistic repertoire.

The earliest burials in Egypt contain no coffins and were naturally desiccated by the hot sand.  The separation of the body of deceased from the surrounding sand by the use of a coffin or sarcophagus ironically led to the deterioration of the body, perhaps stimulating developments in mummification.  The religious purpose of the coffin was to ensure the well-being of the deceased in the afterlife, literally providing a “house” for the “Ka”.

The earliest coffins were baskets or simple plank constructions in which the body was placed in a flexed position.  From these developed and valuated house-shaped coffins that remained in use into the fourth Dynasty (2613 – 2494 BC).  At around this time, the Egyptians began to bury the deceased body in an extended position, perhaps because the increasingly common practice of evisceration made such an arrangement more suitable.  By the end of the Old Kingdom (2181 BC), food offerings were being painted on the inside of coffins as an extra means of providing sustenance for the deceased in the event of the tomb chapel being destroyed or neglected.  In the Old & Middle Kingdom, a pair of eyes was often painted on the side of the coffin that faced east when it was placed in the tomb.  It was evidently believed that the deceased could therefore look out of the coffin to see his or her offerings and the world from which he or she had passed, as well as to view the rising Sun. 

Decorated coffins became still more important in the First Intermediate Period (2181 – 2055 BC), when many tombs contained little mural decoration.  It was thus essential that coffins themselves should incorporate the basic elements of the tomb and by the Middle Kingdom (2055 – 1650 BC), they often incorporated revised extracts of the Pyramid Texts, known as the coffin texts.  This change reflects the increased identification of the afterlife with Osiris, rather than the Sun-God “Ra”.

Anthropoid coffins first appeared in the 12th Dynasty (1985 – 1795 BC), apparently serving as substitute bodies lest the original be destroyed.  With the New Kingdom (1550 – 1069 BC), this form of coffins became more popular and the shape became identified with Osiris himself; his beard and crossed arms sometimes being added.  The feathered, rishi coffins of the 17th and early 18th Dynasty were once thought to depict the wings of the goddess Isis, embracing her husband Osiris, but are now considered by some scholars to refer to the BA bird.  Rectangular coffins were effectively replaced by anthropoid types in the 18th Dynasty; but some of their decorative elements were retained.

In the Third Intermediate Period (1069 – 747 BC), coffins, papyri and stelae became the main vehicles for funerary scenes that had previously been carved and painted on the walls of tomb chapels.  The principal feature of most of the new scenes depicted on coffins was the Osirian and solar mythology surrounding the concept of rebirth, including the judgment of the deceased before Osiris and the journey into the underworld, the voyage of the Solar Bark and parts of the Litany of Ra.  Among the new scenes introduced in the decoration of coffins and on funerary papyri was the depiction of the separation of the earth-god Geb from the sky-goddess Nut.

The excavation of the 21st & 22nd Dynasty royal tombs at Tanis has provided a number of examples of the royal coffins of the period (although the sarcophagi were sometimes reused from the New Kingdom).  The cache of mummies of high priests of Amun at Deir el-Bahri has also yielded a large number of private coffins of the 21st Dynasty (1069 – 945 BC).  It was also from the end of the New Kingdom onwards that the interiors of the coffins began to be decorated again; beneath the lid-especially in the 22nd Dynasty (945 – 715 BC), there was often a representation of Nut, while the “goddess of the West”, Hathor, or the Djed Pillar began to be portrayed on the coffin floor.  During the Late Period, extracts from the Book of the Dead were sometimes also inscribed inside the coffin. 

In the 25th Dynasty a new repertoire of coffin types, usually consisting of sets of two or three (including an inner case with pedestal, an intermediate anthropoid outer coffin), was introduced, becoming established practice by the 26th Dynasty.  Late Period coffins were characterized by archaism, involving the reintroduction of the earlier styles of coffin decoration, such as the provision of the eye panel.

There are comparatively few excavated burials dating from c.525 to 350 BC, but more coffins have survived from the succeeding phase (30th Dynasty and early Ptolemaic Period), when they typically have disproportionately large heads and wigs.  During the early Ptolemaic Period, many mummies were provided with cartonnage masks and plaques, fixed on to the body by strips of line.

Egyptian Predynastic Pottery

Beginning just before the Predynastic period, Egyptian culture was already beginning to resemble greatly the Pharaonic ages that would soon come after, and rapidly at that.  In a transition period of a thousand years (about which little is still known), nearly all the archetypal characteristics appeared, and beginning in 5500 BC we find evidence of organized, permanent settlements focused around agriculture. Hunting was no longer a major support for existence now that the Egyptian diet was made up of domesticated cattle, sheep, pigs and goats, as well as cereal grains such as wheat and barley.  Artifacts of stone were supplemented by those of metal, and the crafts of basketry, pottery, weaving, and the tanning of animal hides became part of the daily life. The transition from primitive nomadic tribes to traditional civilization was nearly complete. 

The Chalcolithic period, also called the "Primitive" Predynastic, marks the beginning of the true Predynastic cultures both in the north and in the south. The southern cultures, particularly that of the Badarian, were almost completely agrarian (farmers), but their northern counterparts, such as the Faiyum who were oasis dwellers, still relied on hunting and fishing for the majority of their diet. Predictably, the various craftworks developed along further lines at a rapid pace. Stone working, particularly that involved in the making of blades and points reached a level almost that of the Old Kingdom industries that would follow. Furniture too, was a major object of creation; again, many artifacts already resembling what would come. Objects began to be made not only with a function, but also with an aesthetic value. Pottery was painted and decorated, particularly the blacktopped clay pots and vases that this era is noted for; bone and ivory combs, figurines, and tableware, are found in great numbers, as is jewelry of all types and materials.

It would seem that while the rest of the world at large was still in the darkness of primitivism, the Predynastic Egyptians were already creating a world of beauty. 

Somewhere around 4500 BC is the start of the "Old" Predynastic, also known as the Amratian period, or simply as Naqada I, as most of the sites from this period date to around the same time as the occupation of the Naqada site. The change that is easiest to see in this period is in the pottery. Whereas before ceramics were decorated with simple bands of paint, these have clever geometric designs inspired by the world around the artist, as well as pictures of animals, either painted on or carved into the surface of the vessel.  Shapes too, became more varied, for both practical reasons depending on what the vessel was used for, and aesthetic reasons. Decorative clay objects were also popular, particularly the "dancer" figurines, small painted figures of women with upraised arms. Yet perhaps the most important detail of all about this period is the development of true architecture. Like most of Egyptian culture, we have gleaned much of our knowledge from what the deceased were buried with, and in this case, we have several clay models of houses discovered in the graves that resemble the rectangular clay brick homes of the Old Kingdom. This shows that the idea of individual dwellings, towns, and "urban planning" started around 4500 BC!

Ancient jewelry

Ancient or antique jewelry are valuable tokens from the past.  Here at Sadigh Gallery, we have the ancient bronze, silver or gold jewelry that are kept as they were hundreds of years ago. We also carry some small antiquities (such as various kinds of beads, stones, pendants and amulets) redesigned on a modern necklace, bracelet, or earrings settings.

Here are some information on ancient artifacts that we showcase in our gallery:

Lapis lazuli jewelry in Egyptian History

The Egyptians considered that ‘its appearance imitated that of the heavens’ and considered it to be superior to all materials other than gold and silver.  They used it extensively in jewelry until the Late Period (747-332 BC) when it was particularly popular for amulets.  It was frequently described as “true” KHESBED to distinguish it from imitations made in faience or glass.  Its primary use was as inlay in jewelry and carved beads for necklaces.  Unlike most other stones used in Egyptian jewelry, it does not occur naturally in the deserts of Egypt but had to be imported either directly from Badakhshan (North Afghanistan) or indirectly as tribute or trade goods from the Near East.  Despite its exotic origin, it was already in use as early as the Predynastic Period, showing that far-reaching exchange networks between North Africa and Western Asia must have already existed in the fourth millennium BC.  It is represented in temple scenes at MEDINAT HABU and at KARNAK.

Jewelry in Ancient Greek

Jewelry in Greece was hardly worn and was mostly used for public appearances or on special occasions. It was frequently given as a gift and was predominantly worn by women to show their wealth, social status and beauty. The jewelry was often supposed to give the wearer protection from the “Evil Eye” or endowed the owner with supernatural powers, while others had a religious symbolism. Older pieces of jewelry that have been found were dedicated to the Gods.During the Bronze Age, Greeks began working with metal to make jewelry. Jewelry also started to become evidence of wealth and social status.  The bracelets were mainly used in both hands over the elbow or around the wrist as today. Their appearance is simple at first, made from wire or more solid materials which formed a spiral, multi-spiraled or open with decorated or non-decorated edges.

History of Roman Gold Jewelry

In ancient Rome, jewelry was used to an extent never seen before and not to be seen again until the Renaissance. Imperial Rome became a center for goldsmiths' workshops. Together with the precious stones and metals that were brought to the city came lapidaries and goldsmiths from Greece and the Oriental provinces. The gold ring, which under the republic had been a sign of distinction worn by ambassadors, noblemen, and senators, gradually began to appear on the fingers of persons of lower social rank until it became common even among soldiers. The great patrician families in Rome and the provinces possessed not only jewels but also magnificent gold and silver household furnishings, as shown by the objects found in Pompeii and nearby Boscoreale (Louvre).

From the standpoint of style, Roman jewelry in its earlier phases derived from both Hellenistic and Etruscan jewelry. Later it acquired distinctive features of its own, introducing new decorative themes and attaching greater importance to sheer volume (such as massive rings), in keeping with the rather pompous rhetorical spirit displayed at that point in cultural history. The motif of a serpent coiled in a double spiral, copied from Hellenistic models, was frequently used for bracelets, rings, armbands, and earrings. The Romans also used Greek geometric and botanical motifs, palmettos, fleeting dogs, acanthus leaves, spirals, ovoli, and bead sequences. From Etruscan gold jewelry the Romans took the strong plasticity of the bulla, which they transferred to necklace pendants sparely decorated with filigree or combined in completely smooth hemispheres in bracelets, headdresses, and earrings.

Sadigh Gallery is your link to the past. Our gallery has been in business for over 30 years in New York City, focusing to provide authentic ancient artifacts, coins, collectibles, and antiquities at wholesale prices. Our mission is to make ancient artifacts and history more accessible to modern people, and help them full fill their dreams to start their antiquity collection.    See, feel, and own a piece of ancient cultures like Egypt, Africa, Rome, or Greece.  Feel free to visit www.sadighgallery.com  to begin the journey.