Graceful Geometry in Thai Art
August 27, 2024
People in Thailand created a different way of ordering the world than Egyptian temples and pyramids. Previous articles here explored some of the enchantments
Amun’s Temple at Karnak; Setting Standards for Magnificence in Ancient Egypt
August 21, 2024
A recent article here explored Hatshepsut’s temple in the Thebes area. But the grandest New Kingdom temple was Amun’s at Thebes, which modern Luxor surrounds.
Brahma and the Way; Indian Vastness Meets Chinese Harmony
August 11, 2024
Ancient Chinese thinkers developed ideas of a universe that’s holistic, highly resonant, politically centered, and within the human scale. Confucianism is an excellent example. But
The Ocean or the Ship; Ancient Indian Views of Realty Compared with Ancient Greek & Roman
August 5, 2024
I once drove a friend from Bengaluru (then called Bangalore) and his mother up to San Francisco to sightsee. As a conservative elderly Hindu, she
Deep Roots of the Obvious; The Convergence of Ancient Greek and Roman Currents
August 3, 2024
Many Westerners have assumed that reality is centered on individual objects, distinct domains, linear relationships, proportion, vision, and mimesis (accurate imitation of things while creating
The Hard and Human Sides of Ancient Roman Glory
July 30, 2024
Rome started as an undistinguished looking city, but events began to happen on a larger scale in the third century BCE, when Qin Shihuang built
The Humble Roots of Ancient Roman Glory
July 27, 2024
The development of ancient Rome forms an interesting contrast with China. The last two articles explored what was happening in the Roman Empire’s eastern counterpart
Light and Dark Sides of the Chinese Terra-cotta Army’s World
July 24, 2024
Although Qin Shihuang’s tomb is probably the largest that anyone in the world has ever constructed, he did a lot of other building while unifying
Inside the Terra-cotta Army’s Heads; The World of the Qin Dynasty
July 22, 2024
This applicant for a job in the terra-cotta army was turned down. He now works as a writer. The terra-cotta warriors get lots of
The Temple of Hatshepsut; Setting Aesthetic and Political Standards for Egypt’s New Kingdom
July 16, 2024
Egyptians transferred their energies from pyramid building to temple construction during the New Kingdom (1550–1070/69 BCE). They erected temples that rivaled Giza’s magnificence, and they