Episode 6 of the documentary series Strata: Portraits of Humanity, produced by AntiquityNOW’s partner, Archaeological Legacy Institute, comprises two films that explore the forces that bind us as a people in a particular society. Continue reading
Category Archives: Music
Strata: Portraits of Humanity, Episode 6, “The Somerset Levels and Moors” and “Euskal Jaiak”
Posted in Art, Blog, Culture, Dance, Education, Holidays, Kids Blog, Music, Public Life, Recreation, Strata Curricula
Tagged ancient history, AntiquityNOW, Archaeological Legacy Institute, Euskal Jaiak, Native American history, Somerset Levels and Moors, Southwest England history, Strata Portraits of Humanity, The Archaeology Channel
Remembering the 75th Anniversary of The Wizard of Oz: The Ancient Voice of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”
It starts with a single drop of water. As visible light passes through the drop, the light is refracted as through a prism, split into its component wavelengths and reflected back to the eye. Multiplied by thousands of drops in the sky, an arc of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and purple emerges as if by magic. Rainbows…mystical, splendiferous, mind-bending. Continue reading
Posted in Art, Blog, Culture, Literature, Music, Natural Disasters, Public Life, Religion, Science and Technology
Tagged ancient history, ancient rainbows, AntiquityNOW, Australian Aboriginal Rainbow Serpent, Cree Rainbow Serpent, Epic of Gilgamesh, Greek mythology, Iris, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, The Wizard of Oz
National Anthems: Ancient Elements, Modern Resoundings
Last Sunday, September 14th, was the 200th anniversary of the writing of the United States’ national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner. Inspired by the raising of the American flag at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland, which signified a major victory by the Americans over the British during the War of 1812, Francis Scott Key penned a homage to the “broad stripes and bright stars” he saw that night. This year, people celebrated across the land with concerts dedicated to the music of the United States. Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Communications, Culture, Holidays, Literature, Music, Politics, Psychology, Public Life, Science and Technology, Sports, War and Violence
Tagged Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, ancient history, Ancient Rome, AntiquityNOW, Du Gamla Du Fria, Hatkivah, Het Wilhelmus, Inno di Mameli, Kimigayo, music psychology, national anthems, Star Spangled Banner
Mulan: The Journey From Ancient Tale to Disney Blockbuster
In our blog series on the historic origins of Disney films, we’ve found that being literary archaeologists pays off. Digging into these films reveals layer upon layer of historic events and tales from all over the globe, each serving as inspiration for the next generation of storytellers, and culminating in the present-day retellings that we now experience at the movies. Continue reading
Echoes of History: The Incredible Sound Effects of Malta’s Hypogeum Hal Saflieni
This is our second blog with our educational partner Ancient Origins for our Science Fiction section. Yes, we’re using science fiction rather broadly in this case, but in this offering by Ancient Origins you’ll see how the unknown conjures up theories of acoustical mind control that are fascinating for the fact that they could very possibly be true. Archaeoacoustics is the study of sound in ancient space, and in this blog about the underground prehistoric temple of Hypogeum of Hal Saflieni you’ll find mind-boggling examples of auditory ingenuity. So let’s go spelunking and hear the captivating sounds of ancient lives. Continue reading
It’s National Poetry Month! Ancient Poetry and the Created Self: From Early Epics to Afghan Women’s Landays
Marble terminal bust of Homer. Roman copy of a lost Hellenistic original of the 2nd c. BC. From Baiae, Italy. In the British Museum.
Throughout time, poetry has been one of the most evocative of art forms. From ritual chanting and epic histories to love sonnets and modern free verse, poetry has represented the essence of what it is to be human. Since April is National Poetry Month in the United States, let’s take a look at the origins of this artistic device. As well, we’ll observe a unique poetry tradition recast with a 21st century perspective. We’ll see how poetry is giving voice to women in Afghanistan, who as with early cultures that forged their identities in verse, are tapping the extraordinary power of poetry to create their own sense of “self.” Continue reading
Posted in Anatomy and Physiology, Blog, Communications, Culture, Human Rights, Literature, Music, Public Life, Religion
Tagged Aeneid, Afghanistan, ancient history, AntiquityNOW, Aristotle, Epic of Gilgamesh, Iliad, landay, Mahabharata, Odyssey, Poetics, poetry, Ramayana, veda, Virgil
Music Origins: Mesopotamia, American Gospel and the Neurology of Faith, Part II
Image courtesy of Andrew Newberg, NPR.
In Part I we looked at the importance of music in Mesopotamia and its specific role in communing with the gods. Fast forwarding nearly four millennia we found a remarkable similarity in the strains of American gospel music and the belief that the ecstasy of song enables the Holy Spirit to enter the bodies of the faithful. What is the nature of this willingness to give up one’s self to a higher being? How does music play a part? Is rapture—a potent driving force among believers—real? Let’s look further at the reason for this music/spiritual connection by venturing inside the anatomy of the brain and as well exploring humankind’s long and precarious evolution of mind and body. Continue reading
Music Origins: Mesopotamia, American Gospel and the Neurology of Faith, Part I
Through the centuries many forms of music have arisen out of mystical or spiritual ardor: Indian ragas, Japanese Shinto music, Madih nabawi or Arabic hymns, the classic liturgical anthems of Europe and American gospel. Whether by the pounding of drums or the sonorous stones of Stonehenge or the arpeggios echoing against ancient cathedral walls, worship through music has defined civilizations from early times. What is this power in music that moves humans to seek their deities in notes, rhythms and sounds? Let’s look at two very different cultures with surprisingly similar perspectives. Continue reading
Students Celebrate Chinese New Year with Dragons and Dance
See Below for Live Streaming
Chinese New Year is an exciting time of celebration, honoring the past and looking forward to the future. One school in San Francisco is celebrating this year—the Year of the Horse—with art and song and dance. AntiquityNOW invited the Chinese American International School (CAIS) to share the festivities with us and let us showcase the remarkable student artists in their midst. One project involved having the students from different grades work together to create their own dragon mural in honor of the New Year. The scales on this elaborate creature were made by the kindergarten and first grade classes and the head was painted by the second grade gold class. As you can see, their dragon is colorful, imaginative and full of historical symbolism—a splendidly sinuous being that reminds everyone of the ancient heritage that still resonates today. Continue reading
Merry Christmas! The History—and Neuroscience—of Christmas Caroling
Image courtesy of deltamike on Flickr.
Caroling has been a popular pastime to celebrate Christmas for hundreds of years. Indeed, chanting and song have been a part of rituals and celebrations from some of the earliest of societies. Whether found in the first hollowed bone flute and percussive tree stump or the widely stylized play lists of today, music has been embedded in human culture. And as contemporary studies show, our responses to music are not just attuned to auditory preferences and social context. Music is really a “brain thing.” Continue reading
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