Mummy

The English word mummy is derived from medieval Latin mumia, a borrowing of the medieval Arabic word mūmiya , which meant an embalmed corpse, and a bituminous embalming substance, and also meant "bitumen".(See also: Mummia.) The medieval Latin and medieval English had the same meaning as the medieval Arabic. The meaning of "corpse preserved by desiccation" developed post-medievally. In English "mummy" as a term for a "medical preparation of the substance of mummies" is recorded from c. 1400, earlier than the sense of a complete body, with Richard Hakluyt in 1599 complaining that "these dead bodies are the Mummy which the Phisistians and Apothecaries doe against our willes make us to swallow".

The OED defines a mummy as "the body of a human being or animal enbalmed (according to the ancient Egyptian or some analogous method) as a preparation for burial", citing sources from 1615 onwards, later than the first uses of other senses that include ground up mummy used as "a medicinal preparation", which dates to c. 1400.However sense 3c: "A human or animal body desiccated by exposure to sun or air. Also applied to the frozen carcase of an animal imbedded in prehistoric ice", is cited to Chamber's Cyclopaedia, 1727–41, and the Victorian zoologist Francis Trevelyan Buckland.

The mummification process took seventy days. Special priests worked as embalmers, treating and wrapping the body. Beyond knowing the correct rituals and prayers to be performed at various stages, the priests also needed a detailed knowledge of human anatomy.

The first step in the process was the removal of all internal parts that might decay rapidly. The brain was removed by carefully inserting special hooked instruments up through the nostrils in order to pull out bits of brain tissue. It was a delicate operation, one which could easily disfigure the face. The embalmers then removed the organs of the abdomen and chest through a cut usually made on the left side of the abdomen. They left only the heart in place, believing it to be the center of a person's being and intelligence. The other organs were preserved separately, with the stomach, liver, lungs, and intestines placed in special boxes or jars today called canopic jars. These were buried with the mummy. In later mummies, the organs were treated, wrapped, and replaced within the body. Even so, unused canopic jars continued to be part of the burial ritual. 

The embalmers next removed all moisture from the body. This they did by covering the body with natron, a type of salt which has great drying properties, and by placing additional natron packets inside the body. When the body had dried out completely, embalmers removed the internal packets and lightly washed the natron off the body. The result was a very dried-out but recognizable human form. To make the mummy seem even more life-like, sunken areas of the body were filled out with linen and other materials and false eyes were added.

Next the wrapping began. Each mummy needed hundreds of yards of linen. The priests carefully wound the long strips of linen around the body, sometimes even wrapping each finger and toe separately before wrapping the entire hand or foot. In order to protect the dead from mishap, amulets were placed among the wrappings and prayers and magical words written on some of the linen strips. Often the priests placed a mask of the person's face between the layers of head bandages. At several stages the form was coated with warm resin and the wrapping resumed once again. At last the priests wrapped the final cloth or shroud in place and secured it with linen strips. The mummy was complete.

After death, the pharaohs of Egypt usually were mummified and buried in elaborate tombs. Members of the nobility and officials also often received the same treatment, and occasionally, common people. However, the process was an expensive one, beyond the means of many.

For religious reasons, some animals were also mummified. The sacred bulls from the early dynasties had their own cemetery at Sakkara. Baboons, cats, birds, and crocodiles, which also had great religious significance, were sometimes mummified, especially in the later dynasties.

Pyramid

The Egyptian pyramids are ancient pyramid-shaped masonry structures located in Egypt.

There are 138 pyramids discovered in Egypt as of 2008.Most were built as tombs for the country's Pharaohs and their consorts during the Old and Middle Kingdom periods.

The earliest known Egyptian pyramids are found at Saqqara, northwest of Memphis. The earliest among these is the Pyramid of Djoser (constructed 2630 BCE–2611 BCE) which was built during the third dynasty. This pyramid and its surrounding complex were designed by the architect Imhotep, and are generally considered to be the world's oldest monumental structures constructed of dressed masonry.

The estimate of the number of workers to build the pyramids range from a few thousand, twenty thousand, and up to 100,000.

The most famous Egyptian pyramids are those found at Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo. Several of the Giza pyramids are counted among the largest structures ever built.

The Pyramid of Khufu at Giza is the largest Egyptian pyramid. It is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still in existence.The Great Pyramid of Giza (also known as the Pyramid of Khufu or the Pyramid of Cheops) is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis bordering what is now El Giza, Egypt. Egyptologists believe that the pyramid was built as a tomb for fourth dynasty Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu (Cheops in Greek) over a 10 to 20-year period concluding around 2560 BC. Initially at 146.5 metres (481 feet), the Great Pyramid was the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3,800 years.

khufu

A sealed space in Egypt's Great Pyramid may help solve a centuries-old mystery: How did the ancient Egyptians move two million 2.5-ton blocks to build 

inside pyramid

The Last Supper

In 1495, Leonardo Da Vinci began painting the Last Supper on the wall of the refectory (dining hall) of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy, and completed it in 1498. Leonardo was commissioned to execute the painting in the Dominican monastery of this Church by Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza.

The Last Supper measures 450 × 870 cm (15 feet × 29 ft) and covers an end wall of the dining hall at the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. The theme was a traditional one for refectories, although the room was not a refectory at the time that Leonardo painted it. The main church building had only recently been completed (in 1498), but was remodeled by Bramante, hired by Ludovico Sforza to build a Sforza family mausoleum.The painting was commissioned by Sforza to be the centerpiece of the mausoleum.

The above are the names of the apostles and have a character of its own, one of which is Simon the Zealot, one of Jesus Christ's 12 apostles, is a mystery character in the Bible. We have one tantalizing bit of information about him, which has led to ongoing debate among Bible scholars.

In some versions of the Bible (Amplified Bible), he is called Simon the Cananaean. In the King James Version and New King James Version, he is called Simon the Canaanite or Cananite. In the English Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, New International Version, and New Living Translation he is called Simon the Zealot.to confuse things further, Bible scholars argue over whether Simon was a member of the radical Zealot party or whether the term simply referred to his religious zeal. Those who take the former view think Jesus may have chosen Simon, a member of the tax-hating, Roman-hating Zealots, to counterbalance Matthew, a former tax collector and employee of the Roman empire. Those scholars say such a move by Jesus would have shown that his kingdom reaches out to people in all walks of life.

Disciple is shocked that Jesus is holding hand of Mary	Disembodied hand with knife	Hand forms a "V" symbol for femininity
Threatening hand on shoulder also forming "V"	The "V" represents femininity. Also note gown left of Jesus is pink	Mary and Jesus are holding hands

To those who say that there are no references to their relationship in the paintings of Leonardo Da Vinci, this article is dedicated. "The Last Supper" - Let us begin where the novel reveals the first clue to the mystery in Leonardo's painting "The Last Supper". First of all, there is an obvious cover-up. Be sure that the copy of the painting that you are viewing is the cleaned version with the original colors. Even the video specials on "The Da Vinci Code" show touched-up prints of the mural. The original color of Mary's robe is light pink, an obvious reference to her femininity. Some versions show her robe retouched as a red sienna-brown, which is evidence that her identity is being purposefully concealed. Mary sits at Christ's right hand. She is the one who is given that privilege.
Observe the hand positions of the disciples to the right of Christ. The hand on Mary's shoulder, as well as being a threatening gesture, forms a "V". The hand on the shoulder of the disciple behind Mary also forms a "V". This echoes the large "V" between Christ and Mary. The "V" is the expression of the feminine.
The hand holding the knife is indeed disembodied. Look at the abstract design above the disciple on the far right, it is a geometric representation of fertility, a large belly. Observe the older man with his two hands upraised, that is a gesture expressing the feminine as well. The astonished listeners to the left of Jesus use very different hand expressions to demonstrate their questioning of Christ, "Who among us would betray you Lord?!" Days later after the Resurrection, there was a similar scene related in "The Gospel of Mary". Mary is telling the disciples about secret knowledge from the Savior known only to herself. The male followers react in amazement, "Surely the Savior would not confide His hidden wisdom to a woman! Surely He would not prefer a woman to us!" The scene must have looked very much the same as the disciples reacting to Christ's words at the Last Supper - astonishment. Of course Jesus preferred his beloved Mary to His male disciples. He trusted her with his hidden wisdom. As His wife, she was the first to see Him after He had risen.

Mona lisa

The above picture can not strengthen the theory that Mona Lisa is Leonardo Da Vinci,the creator.Some people believe that Leonardo Da Vinci paint himself ,because a Monalisa picture and Leonardo Da Vinci look the same.

Mona lisa whose real name is Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a rich silk merchant in Florence, Italy, Francesco del Giocondo. Mona means MS or MADAM in modern Italian language has long been regarded as a model.

Mona Lisa is a masterpiece of Leonardo Da Vinci's painting of the 15th century. Now it is kept in the Louvre, Paris, France. Mona Lisa painting popular as a result of the painting showing art as animate. This painting was painted for 4 years but never finished after that. Therefore, there are some defects in this painting where the subject of this painting has no eyebrows and painting background looks too dull.

Banksy (street art)

Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based graffiti artist,political activist, film director, and painter.His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humour with graffiti done in a distinctive stencilling technique. Such artistic works of political and social commentary have been featured on streets, walls, and bridges of cities throughout the world.The man many believe to be Banksy, Robin Gunningham, was born on 28 July 1973 and grew up in south Gloucestershire. Gunningham attended Bristol Cathedral School.England.The son of a photocopier technician, he trained as a butcher but became involved in graffiti during the great Bristol aerosol boom of the late 1980s.Observers have noted that his style is similar to Blek le Rat who began to work with stencils in 1981 in Paris and Jef Aerosol who sprayed his first street stencil in 1982 in Tours (France), and members of the anarcho-punk band Crass, which maintained a graffiti stencil campaign on the London Tube Stually draw."System in the late 1970s and early 1980s.However Banksy himself stated on his website that in all actuality he based his work on that of 3D from Massive Attack, stating, "No, I copied 3D from Massive Attack.He can actually draw.

Awards:Toronto Film Critics Association Awards,Best First Feature 2010Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary FeatureWashington D.C. Area Film Critics Association,Best Documentary Film 2010.

Stencil on the waterline of The Thekla, an entertainment boat in central Bristol (wider view). The image of Death is based on a 19th century etching illustrating the pestilence of The Great Stink.

A stencil of Charles Manson in a prison suit, hitchhiking to anywhere, Archway, London

                                               
Naked Man image by Banksy, on the wall of a sexual health clinic in Park Street, Bristol.Following popular support,the City Council has decided it will be allowed to remain (wider view).

Egyption Artifacts (Drawing)

I chose a picture Sobekhotep V  for my painting because I was impressed with the way it be undertaken.

Egyption Artifacts

Sobekhotep V was an Egyptian king of the 13th Dynasty.His birth name wasSobekhotep,and his throne name was Merhotepre

Sobekhotep V appears in the Turin King List as the successor of Sobekhotep IV.According to this document,he only reigned for four years.Sobekhotep IV was perhaps his father, as he had a son called 'Sobekhotep'.Sobekhotep V is known from a statue found at Kerma and from several scarab seals.