curiouswombat | British Museum - possibly featuring my weirdest picture yet...

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British Museum - possibly featuring my weirdest picture yet...

During our brief stay in York I also spent a day in London - leaving S2C behind. You can do that sort of thing when you've been married as long as we have!

What was I doing in London? Meeting LJ People.

just_ann_now was in the UK on a tour from her home in the US and a wee bunch of us all arranged to meet her, and each other, in the British Museum. And so I was on a very different train on the Thursday - the train from York to London only takes a couple of hours these days!

There were seven or eight of us - I've lost track - including not just Ann but also

kortirion,

jay_of_lasgalen and

azalaisdep. And we all got on immediately, as I had rather thought we might! Much fun and laughter over lunch - including gifts from Ann (I haven't dared start my book just yet - I need to get my Tolkien BigBang story finished and am afraid of being side-tracked!). then we set of on a quick tour of the museum before various people had to head of in various directions for trains and other things.

Ann's husband joined us when it was time for her to go - and somehow I forgot to pass him my camera to add to the others that he was kindly taking pics of us all with.

However - under the cut

We saw the Elgin marbles, and the Rosetta Stone, we saw Egyptians - including something that belonged to an Egyptian minor deity, or possibly priest, called Reg - I'm sure we did - I'm sure I didn't make that up! Did I?

Some of us had time to go and look at some of the Viking and Anglo-Saxon rooms - we saw the Sutton Hoo Helmet amongst other things, and some lovely bits of jewellery. There was a fascinating musical instrument that I really wish I'd taken a picture of - especially as I've forgotten what it was called - sort of violin-like with wonderful carving that spoke to me of Elves - or possibly the Rohirrim. Can you remember,

azalaisdep?

But somehow I didn't take many pictures - apart from one of an Assyrian winged lion -

Yes - I know - their idea of a lion is not ours!

And some pictures of Assyrian wall reliefs -

I took that because he made me think of the phrase "A word in your shell-like..." He really does have a shell-like ear!

And these two are from a whole series dating to about 700BC about conquering people and then making an enormous statue of a bull to celebrate - there was more to it than that, but as I only took a couple of pictures further explanation seems overkill!

Talking of overkill - in this first one look at the bottom left - where the Assyrians are piling up the severed heads of their enemies -

Aren't the palm trees neat? And this shows a boat on a river - complete with fish. I wonder why I didn't take a bit that had a crab in it too? They were cute. There seems to be a rather plump man sitting in the stern, with some women in front of him, all being poled down the river by tall athletic men.

Then

azalaisdep and I turned a corner into one of the Egyptian rooms and there, facing us, quite high up on a wall, was this -

We both just stood and went "What on Earth...?"

I mean who are they? What are they doing? Why is there a very small one of them at the left?

They seem to be some sort of naked dwarves doing a ritualised dance that includes cutting their hair with their own sword... or possibly something totally different. Ideas people?

It was lovely to meet up with LJ people - we always know each other so well straight away.

Like when we meet up at our annual do in Coventry. As a committee member I feel it is perfectly reasonable for me to take this opportunity to pimp

writerconuk - meeting up in Coventry on the first weekend of August - provided enough people sign up...

PS - I'm busy because it's almost TT and I am making my usual industrial quantities of carrot cake to sell for/at church!

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Meeting LJ folks is so wonderful! What a terrific day for all of you.

(Could the Egyptians have met up with some Maori warriors? What an intriguing scene!)

They do look as if they could be doing a haka! Kantayra has given me the proper, Egyptologists, explanation, but I think your's is more fun.

Could the Egyptians have met up with some Maori warriors?

That was my first thought.

**nods**

Kantayra has just given me the official explanation - but I think I like dwarves doing some sort of music hall number as being much more fun!

The dwarves on the Egyptian stele are representations of the god Bes. Bes was a protective deity, associated with fertility and childbirth, and he's holding the sword up in a protective gesture, to keep demons from entering the house or shrine this stele would have been erected in front of. It's the same reason he's holding the snake in his left hand; he's subdued it and prevented it from entering the house. The hair is a lion's mane, often shown with Bes, and a symbol of masculine fertility. This is also why, y'know, he's dangling his ding-a-ling to all and sundry. :P

The reason for the smaller figure is that, presumably, when the stele was complete, it was lunette-shaped, so to fit in the maximum number of Bes' under the curved top of the stele, the ones on the sides had to be smaller (there was undoubtedly a similar small figure at the other end as well, originally).

There. I have now demonstrated that approximately a bajillion years of study wasn't totally pointless: I can occasionally answer random questions on my flist. :P

Yay! All that education has come in useful!

It is fascinating to actually know - there was no explanation that we could see in the Museum, oddly. Although our first thought when we saw it was of dwarves doing some sort of Full Monty routine, and that idea still amuses me!

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nutmeg3.livejournal.com - 2011-05-29 20:41 (UTC) - Expand

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curiouswombat.livejournal.com - 2011-05-29 21:23 (UTC) - Expand

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engarian.livejournal.com - 2011-05-30 06:09 (UTC) - Expand

That looks like a really fun day. I'm such a sucker for a museum!

The small figures sure look like achondroplastic dwarfs to me. The legs are very distinctive. Otherwise that just looks like a fascinating day to me!

I think the best way to do the British Museum might be to go for a few hours a day for about a week - or else decide just which period/part of the world interests you most - it is ginormous.

They look like achondroplastic dwarves to me, too - which makes me wonder why the Egyptian God Bes (As Kantayra says this is) should be represented that way.

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zanthinegirl.livejournal.com - 2011-05-29 20:12 (UTC) - Expand

apart from one of an Assyrian winged lion - their idea of a lion is not ours!

Actually, their idea of a lion was very much like ours, as other friezes show. The winged bull with a man's head is called a karabu in Assyrian, and represents a shedu or protective deity. In fact, they provided the blueprint for the biblical cherubim.

There were winged lions in Assyria, too. They were called lammasu, and serve the same function.

Yay! How neat it is to have proper historians and Egyptologists on my FL - your explanation makes a lot more sense of it to me - the museum actually do title it as the Assyrian Winged Lion (http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/me/c/colossal_statue_of_winged_lion.aspx) - the long explanation is on the website, possibly in the guide book - but not on show as you walk past.

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gamiila.livejournal.com - 2011-05-29 21:36 (UTC) - Expand

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curiouswombat.livejournal.com - 2011-05-29 22:27 (UTC) - Expand

It was a really good day, and great to see everyone and get on so well.

My picture of us all didn't come out, but Paranoidangel42 (Nic) kindly sent me a copy of hers. I'll email it to you - have I got your email address?

Oh yes please! I'll send you the e-mail by PM.

So glad you had a lovely time... and that museum looks fascinating.

The British museum is one of the best in the World - or so I have been led to believe. But it would really take at least a week to look at everything properly - hence me forgetting even some of the bits I did see!

LOL! The little figures are of the god Bes. He protects women and children, especially during childbirth, which is why he's being so threatening, frightening away evil. I don't know why there's a small one (size tended to signal importance in AE art), but whenever there are three of something it's worth bearing in mind that that was the Egyptian way of writing a plural. Dwarves were treated well in Ancient Egypt, partly because their dancing was believed to please the gods.

It is so useful to have educated people on my FList! Kantayra suggested the small one was simply to fit if the stele was originally curved - and that there would have been another small one on the other side to match which had simply got broken off.

Although I still rather like the idea of an ancient Egyptian troupe of Full Monty Dwarves... whose dancing would have pleased the gods.

Ideas people?

They seem to be some sort of naked dwarves doing a ritualised dance that includes cutting their hair with their own sword.

Add me to the numbers for The Event. I just paid my subs. and am looking forward to our annual meetup.

Hurrah! Yes - I just noticed the e-mail from PayPal and sent a message to Daiseechain; as she posted the entry with the 'confirmed names' she is the only one who can edit it to add new names, so your name should be added next time she's online.

We were talking earlier - and London museums is something I want to "do" ... but it's true, you do get to see some images that don't make any sense!

Doing the museums would be a lovely way to spend time. I think I could probably spend a week in that museum alone. One of my favourite places is the National Portrait Gallery, and there are so many smaller museums all through London too.

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ayinhara.livejournal.com - 2011-05-30 00:44 (UTC) - Expand

I've only been to the Britis Museum once, but I loved it. It's like the Met in NYC, way too much to see in one visit.

I would happily visit every day for a week I think. I love the Natural History museum, too - and the National Portrait Gallery.

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nutmeg3.livejournal.com - 2011-05-29 21:30 (UTC) - Expand

What a fun thing to do and a great idea to meet up at the museum. I've never been to this one but so want to [time as always!]

The museum was the inspired idea of

kortirion - not only could we all find it, and the meeting place therein, but we then got to have time in the museum itself, too.

I have to admit it was the first time I'd been there - and I think I would really need a week to take things in properly.

What a great trip! I so wish I could've been there with you. *sigh*
I visited London some three years ago, and I was in British museum then. I was so impressed! Unfortunately, I don't know the answers to your questions; I don't remember the musical instrument you mention, nor the "dwarves". Maybe I saw them, but can't remember; and maybe I didn't even see them. The museum is huge, as you know, and I am not sure I saw everything.
If I visit London again - and I hope I will - I'll go to British museum again. :)

London is so full of history and museums - I have been five or six times at least now, and this was the first time I'd been to the British museum. And the dwarves are only about 50cm square quite high on a wall - they just caught my eye and amused me.

But through the wonders of LJ I now have a full explanation of the dwarves - they represent the God Bes!

I mean who are they? What are they doing?

I've seen the official explanation, which is fascinating, but I immediately thought of the Pukel-men of Dunharrow.

Glad you had such a good day.

I though of the Pukel-men too - just as I was writing that they look like dwarves.

It was a very good day - and warm and sunny, too.

The heads one is interesting - despite the grim theme, I quite like the two guys over on the right who are evidently stopping to have a bit of a natter during the ceremony.

That whole frieze is fascinating - I could probably have spent an hour or more just looking at it carefully. For example I noticed that there were people fishing - or possibly even farming fish - along the way as the ship progressed.

What fun! I've met several lj friends and there are many others I'd like to meet someday. I'm glad you had a good time.

The British Museum looks fascinating. (And I love that I learned new things just reading lj tonight.)

(And I love that I learned new things just reading lj tonight.)

Isn't it brilliant the way Kantayra and Gamiila are just here, on my FL - one knowing vast amounts about Egyptology and the other all about Assyrian sculpture?

The British Museum is a wonderful place.

I love meeting lj/fandom friends. It's always much fun :D

Glad you had a great day.

Meet-ups with LJ/Fandom friends always turn out well, I've found - they are people that you really get on well with.

It was a really good day - just serendipitous that it was whilst I wan on the UK mainland and so I could go.

The naked dwarves have a Mini-me!

They do indeed - he amused me even more than the rest of the troupe.

Egyptian sitcom. ;-)

I think you could well be right....

Nice pictures !

Thank you - it's fun to share them.

Yay! I'm glad to see the chorus-line of Bes again, and to hear a professional explanation (though I still think ours is more fun!)

I liked the Assyrian who appeared to be wearing a Rolex, myself.

I do love the BM and I hadn't been in for years; and it was great fun to meet up with everyone.

Wasn't it fun? Somehow I forgot to take a picture of the Assyrian with the Rolex.

I have decided the chorus line is actually a very old dwarven artefact - carved by a female dwarf and showing the entertainment at a dwarven hen-night. Th Bes explanation is simply a way of modern archaeologists trying to rationalise it...!

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