The Boy King’s Treasure

One of the most famous of all of the Egyptian kings or pharaohs in history is the boy king, Tutankhamen. Tutankhamen was not known for his accomplishments (even though he opened up religious tolerance which was absent during his father’s reign) or great building projects, but rather the artwork that came out of his burial chamber in the Valley of the Kings. His tomb is unique because most of the treasures and art was untouched and still intact. The treasure that was put in the tomb showed the wealth that would be buried with the pharaohs and kings, and how much wealth the ancient Egyptian culture has been lost to modern times due to tomb raiders. There are many symbols that show the religion of the ancient Egyptians within the tomb such as the hawk symbol for Horus. The detail that was also shown on the death mask, sculptures, and even the coffin is a true marvel of metal works. Tutankhamen was a king during the New Kingdom period of the 18th Dynasty. The death of both kings some two years later resulted in the accession of Tutankhaton, as Tutankhamun was then called, when he was about nine years old and married to Ankhesenpaaton, Meritaton’s younger sister. †[1] Tutankhaton was also known to have been disfigured and weak, but by the painting and statues of him you would never guess. Tutankhaton did not rule long over Egypt dying at the aged of nineteen. Tutankhaton unlike the kings of the past with the giant p yramids, he was buried with many other kings of his time in the Valley of the Kings. The Valley of the Kings is, â€Å"which is a rocky desert west of the Nile opposite Luxor,†[2] this took fewer resources and had more room for the kings to have their tombs put into. Figure 1. Egyptian, Thebes: Tomb of Tutankhamen: King Ay complete ritual of opening of mouth on King Tut represented as Osiris, Date 1580-1085 B. C, Luxor, Egypt, New Kingdom-Dynasty XVIII–1580-1085 BC The picture above was found inside of Tutankhamen’s tomb which shows Tutankhamen’s successor Ay, and Tutankhamen dressed as the god, Osiris. The idea of this is to show the religious aspect where the King hopes to be able to rise from the dead just like Osiris. The picture depicts also a ritual called the opening of the mouth. This was link to both birth and death on someone. Historians were able to connect that the opening of the mouth ritual through Tutankhamen’s tomb and the pyramid texts that the opening of the mouth ritual has been around since the Old Kingdom in Egypt. â€Å"Although flint pss-kfs are rare after the beginning of the First Dynasty, models of the implement, often made of other types of stone, are known from Old Kingdom tombs and continue to occur occasionally as late as the Eighteenth Dynasty. [3] This was a great discovery for the religious and belief system of ancient Egyptians. This picture also show that the Canon law which was used when Egyptians depicted people, which was used in the Old Kingdom was still in use during the New Kingdom during Tutankhamun. Showing that both the religious and art basics within Egypt has not changed much over the course of the hundreds of year that span from the Old Kingdom to the New Kingdom. Figure 2. Egyptian, Funerary Mask of Tutankhamen, Date 1333-1323 BCE, Luxor, Egypt, New Kingdom, Eighteenth Dynasty The funerary mask that was found inside the tomb of Tutankhamun is one of the most famous pieces of art to have been discovered in the tomb. The funerary mask shows the amount of wealth the kings and pharaohs gathered over time. The materials that were used within the mask are made of solid gold and other semi-precious stones. The demotions of the funerary mask are, â€Å"height 54. 0 cm, width 39. 0 cm, depth 49. 0 cm. †[4] The shape of the mask is believed to be a pretty good depiction of what Tutankhamun looked like when he was alive. The rather narrow eyes, fleshy lips, and shape of the nose and chin all agree with the features visible on his mummy. †[5] This mask would have been buried on King Tutankhamun in the coffins for there were three coffins that were stacked inside one another (kind of like the Russian nesting dolls). All the coffins also had the almost identical mask piece as the funerary mask. The coffins were also made with extreme care and precision, whi ch includes both wood work and metal work. Figure 3. Egyptian, Statuette of Tutankhamen on Papyrus Boat as Harpooner: Front 3/4: from Tomb of Tutankhamen, Date 1350 B. C, Luxor, Egypt, New Kingdom-Dynasty XVIII–1580-1085 BC This piece of art has shown the amount of treasure that the kings gather being that it wooden figure gilded in gold. But the think that is that through scientific data there believe that Tutankhamen was a disfigured and weak person so to show him as a harpooner does not come to mind. This could be to show that the king was not weak to the outside and even to have the king to have a strong body in the afterlife. This piece of art also shows the â€Å"Egyptian sculptor’s ability to represent realistically the poise of the human body in the course of movement. †[6] The rest of the statuette was left out was a hippopotamus of Seth which was what Tutankhamen was harpooning. It was left out for a simple reason that it may be dangerous to the king in burial place of the king in the afterlife. â€Å"This gilded wooden figure represents Tutankhamun as Horus throwing a harpoon at one of Seth’s hippopotami. †[7] The perception that the king was the embodiment of Horus was still around from the beginning of the Kingdoms. Thanks to the discovery of the boy king’s tomb historian are able to see religious aspect of the ancient Egyptians and the wealth that has been lost through history. With the art work you can also see the masterful work of metal work that Egyptians mastered over a long time of metal working. Historians can also see that the times during Tutankhamun’s rule that the Egyptian were still using the canon of proportions as the Old and Middle Kingdoms periods. The tomb of Tutankhamun was a view of the past that was lost to historian and Egyptologist which helps to link the past with dates further back and to the future of the Egyptians.

Ryanair Dogfight over Europe

Dogfight over Europe: Ryanair (A) 1) What is your assesment of Ryanair? s launch strategy? The Ryanair's launch strategy was not the best for that moment. They began flying between Ireland and London, in a very saturated market, which competed with two strong companies owned by the government and with great experience: Aer Lingus and British Airways (who also had come together to improve their perform). And also entered the market independent carriers Such as British Midland.Another important factor was that the Dublin-London route was the only one that provided reasonable returns for Aer Lingus, so it was not going to let customers easily take him by force, and Ryanair will be difficult without a really differentiating strategy. Ryanair's differentiate notion was delivering first-rate customer service â€Å"with lower fares†. But for a new company as Ryanair would not be able to compete in prices following the same strategy as other companies in the market focus on meals and amenities and good service.Ryanair also has high fixed costs (characteristic of this industry) and has enough volume in order to face a price war (economics of scale). Although the market was saturated, Ireland is a small country with a small population and the two big companies were operating at 60-70% capacity. If since 1986 was using new Boeing 747s with room for nearly 400, means that every plane carried 360 passengers on average, which was down the performance of the planes.But on the other hand, Ryanair could only get a license for aircraft with room for 44 Passengers, so it had to make eight flights, with the maximum capacity to carry the same number of passengers than BA or Aer Lingus. This could decrease the efficiency of Ryanair and increase the cost per flight management. Although it also because of the low initial demand Ryanair (only 4 flights per day to 44 passengers, 176 passengers) can be a good strategy to distribute the flights throughout the day and get more custo mers.Moreover this market consists mostly by Irish emigrants who resided in the UK. These clients are marked by strong seasonal character, and the most important, the majority of customers traveling in economy class and they are very price sensitive, so we are going to be interested in low prices and discounts and are not interested in great facilities and services. Again we see that Ryanair's idea was not the most appropriate for this market, ecause although Ryanair turn down the price, customers will be more interested in large decreases in the price. Meals also make little sense in a flight of one hour duration. In favor of Ryanair we have to say however, that it test the initial service between Waterford y ? Gatwick Airport, which was a small service, in order to prove the company? s ability to operate. So if the company had problems or losses would be on a large scale and this would give you the ability to identify problems and improvements.Similarly, although Ryanair did not g et expected outcomes, with their low prices, I think it would get take away some customers to the other companies and have started to consider the proposal in the market. To sum up, The Ryanair? s launch strategy wasn? t successful from my point of view because it did not do a good analysis the market to which was coming and did not calculate the chances of success between these two great companies.They were strong companies with experience and great brand recognition, so if prices dropped to the level of Ryanair and Ryanair provides the same service to the market, customers will continue to use the companies that are already used. 2) How do you expect Aer Lingus and British Airways to respond? Why? As I said earlier, the only differentiation of was in the price Ryanair, therefore the immediate reaction of Aer Lingus and British Airways will be reduce the price. If these two companies started a price war, Ryanair would have no chance.They were flag carriers and they had the support of the government, so they can have loses during a while of time, at least until they get Ryanair out of the market. On the other hand, B. A was one of the biggest aircraft of Europe and it has an operating margin of 6. 9%, because of B. A can decreased the price at Ryanair level (? 98). While, the Dublin- London route was the only for Aer Lingus, with reasonable return of capital. Therefore is not going to let easily Ryanair steal their clients. ) How costly is it for Aer Lingus and British Airways to retaliate against Ryanair? s launch? Even though, as we think the launch of Ryanair was not successful or at least the outcomes did not reach the expected ones, was a new competitor in the market and also with a more competitive price than theirs so it is threat their capability to meet demand.. With price-sensitive customers such as travelers between Ireland and UK I believe that the two companies would lose customers. Furthermore, a price war is never good for any company, even if i t will be winner.These two companies would have to reduce their prices to more than half the normal price, which would generate losses until they get Ryanair out and this would weaken the two companies. If these companies reduce so much the price, once they get Ryanair out of the market, they can not automatically raise the price to the previous number because customers would feel cheated and companies would lose their credibility. If Aer Lingus and British Airways didn? t get Ryanair out with the war of Price, they would get only weaken themselves and lose the most profitable route for Aer Lingus.

Effects of the Black Death Essay

Imagine one half of the world’s population by wiped out in a space of less than a ten years. You probably cannot imagine such an event occurring; it seems unreal. Yet, this very thing happened in the between the years 1347 and 1351 in Europe. This massive destruction of human life was known as the Black Death. This Black Death was an ecological disaster on a global scale. The effects of the plague on human and certain animal populations from East Asia to as far west as Greenland were catastrophic. All facets of society, from peasant to king were affected; no one was safe. All of society was affected; nothing would ever be the same. Thus, there were many economic, social, and political effects of the Black Death. Before one can understand the effects of the Black Death, one must understand precisely what is and what it did. The Black Death was the common name for what is now known today to be three different diseases. The first, and most common of these was Bubonic Plague. The Bubonic Plague lasts for approximately six days. The early symptoms include hemorrhaging and splotches on the skin. Later on, various neurological and psychological disorders can occur. Bubonic Plague is fatal fifty to sixty percent of the time. The other two forms of the Plague, Septicaemic and Pneumonic were both much more rare, but much deadly, killing ninety-five a hundred percent of the time. The Black Death did not originate in Europe, however. It originated in Central Asia, far away from Europe. So how did it get to Europe, and why during the Late Middle Ages? Before the time of the Late Middle Ages, infrastructure was vastly underdeveloped. Thus, diseases spread by humans could not possibly spread far, as most humans did not move too far from their homeland. By the time of the Late Middle Ages, trade and infrastructure had evolved into an advanced state. Trade routes connected all the main cities of Europe to the far away lands of Asia. Now, as the Black Death epidemic began in Asia, it began to slaughter and spread immediately. By the 1350s, two-thirds of China’s population lay dead, but this was just the beginning. The Black Death quickly spread across Central Asia, following the route of the Silk Road. Soon it reached the Middle East, where Italian merchants proceeded to spread it to Europe via their trading  ships. At the time the Black Death reached Europe, the population was in full swing. Population numbers, due to new agricultural methods and other means, were at all time highs. The Black Death would quickly change that. The Black Death, traveling quickly across trading routes covered Europe in the brief span between the years 1347 and 1351. Everywhere from Ireland to Scandinavia to Spain was hit. Once the Black Death hit a town only some were spared. Anywhere from twenty-five to seventy-five percent of a town’s population would perish. And once a town would begin to recover, the Black Death would strike again and again, relentlessly slaughtering thousands. For an event as destructive as the Black Death, the economic effects are vast. After the plague had swept through Europe and reduced the population by a third, a sudden surplus of all items and food drove prices down drastically. In reply to this people began to wildly overspend what was not worth that much. However, after the excess amount of food had been used up, the insufficiency of labor began to make an impact. Prices rapidly shot up, way beyond pre-plague rates. In addition, those laborers who remained soon were in high demand. They realized that their services were rare, and thus they could charge any rate they wanted. In response to this, governments created laws limiting wages. This in turn would later cause peasant revolts in the later 14th Century. However, Some places experienced economic prosperity as a long term consequence of the plague. In addition to the effects on wages, there were other economic effects as well. Towns in the Late Middle Ages were slowly becoming important centers of trade. Towns were the center of commerce, and places were markets were. The Black Death struck these very towns the hardest. Towns, being crowded and infested by rats, were more susceptible to the plague than rural areas. Thus, people abandoned many towns for the safety of the countryside. This heavily stunted trade, as now towns were abandoned, and there was no central location for people to meet and trade. Furthermore, there were many social effects as well. Middle Age culture  became a culture of death and decay. Life became cheap. The stench of death became unavoidable when entering towns and cities. Everywhere there were the dead and the dying. Bodies were literally piled up outside in wheelbarrows, waiting to be dumped. The dead were not treated with respect or dignity. Fear was so great of infection that bodies were simply piled up and dumped in mass graves. People, ignorant of what was causing this terrible catastrophe, blamed those on the margins of society. Others questioned the Church. Why would God inflict such suffering? The Church had no answers, so people began to question it more and more. Some took matters into their own hands. Groups of people, known as flagellants began to go through towns and cities, wiping themselves to appease God. They believed that if they caused enough pain to themselves, then perhaps God would ease their suffering. In addition, the new devaluing of life and questioning of the Church, the fabric that held society together society was ripped. The plague affected everyone from kings to peasants. Soldiers who once protected peasants were no longer there, and survivors were vulnerable to looters and highwaymen. Nobility who once guided society were now deceased, and people could no longer count on them to run manors and provide for general protection against enemies. Nobles could no longer rely on peasants, as they quickly became scarce. In short, the Black Death caused a violent upheaval on society as death became common, and nothing could be trusted. In addition to the many social and economic effects, there were also many political effects of the Black Plague. As stated before, the Black Plague affected virtually all facets of society, including the nobility. The nobility’s ability to effectively assert their power became extremely limited due to the rapid decline of feudalism that occurred due to the plague. The main source of the power of the nobility came from their feudal powers, and once these powers became limited, the ability of the nobles to effect political change also became limited. Before the Black Plague, kings had to take into account the nobles and their ideas. Following the Black Plague, nobles became helpless, unless they agreed to further the kings’ claims and demands. This in turn further centralized power, which was a trend of the 14th Century. The main political effect of the Black Death was  the further loss of power of the nobles in government. The Black Death was the terror of the Middle Ages. Serf and king alike feared it. And where the plague struck, nothing could be the same. Overpopulated towns suddenly became deserted. Flourishing commerce suddenly became dead and empty. Whereas the dead were once respected and taken care of, now they were devalued and thrown in piles. The kings continued to gain in power, due to the weakening of the feudal system. In retrospect, the Black Death was, perhaps, one of the most transforming events in human history. The economy, society, and politics of the time were transformed forever.

Maasai Culture v American Culture

In the tribal villages of eastern Africa the Maasai marriages are arranged by the elders without ever first consulting the bride or the mother of the bride to be. Unlike, that of my own culture in the United States of America, where I am free as a citizen to choose whomever I may choose to marry and when and if I may marry. Polygyny is that of which is practiced in the Maasai culture, as an ideal that is achieved only by that of the elder men of the tribe. Unfortunately, as a result ofthemen being much older at the time of marriage, most women become widows, knowing that it is understood that they should never remarry again. Although, I myself practice monogamy, as it is tradition in my culture and that of what is expected by me, my community, and my family. A young girl's childhood in Maasai culture is dominated by a strict avoidance of her father and other elders. Her marriage prospects and her family's reputation hinges on her ability to develop an accurate sense of respect in her community. She is socialized from birth to accept her service to her future husband as an elder and to all other elders in the community. The father is the key figure in the patriarchal family. Theoretically, his control is absolute only to the interference by close senior elders. It is tradition in Maasai culture that as long as the father is alive, no son has final control over his cattle or over his choice in marriage. It is practiced that as the younger men of the community age, the older men begin to rely on their sons to take over the management of the family. After a husband's death, the widow is then subordinate to her sons in the management of her herd. If she has no sons; she is unprotected. As this idea is not practiced in my own community, where typicallythe roles of the head of house hold is shared among husband and wife equally. Inheritance of property and land is dispersed thru the doctrine of a will written out before death or handled in the courts of law. Although, respect is greatly admired and sought out upon in my community, it does not determine the stance of potential marriages and families in the community. A young girls childhood is shared by the love and affection of a girl’s father and elders, not that of fear and solitude. Love, high morals, and affection is that of which typical childhoods are instilled with upon their growing up in my society. Similar to that of my own culture, the marriage ceremonyis one of the longest and most celebrated ceremonies in the Maasai community. It begins by a man showing interest in a woman and giving her a chain, called an olpisiai, similar in retrospect as that of an engagement ring in American society. Likewise, as the word of this proposal circulates the family as well as the community waits for the initial proceedings to begin. The Maasai man does this by finding women of his own age who will bring a gift of alcohol to the mother of the girl. This first stage called esirit enkoshoke indicates to everyone that the girl is now engaged. After some odd time, the man has to make his intentions clear again once more. By presenting a gift of alcohol to the girl's father, the man has shown this once again, as the alcohol will be brought by the same women who brought the other gift of alcohol to the women earlier. The gift of alcohol is called enkiroret, which the father of the intended bride drinks with his brothers and then summons the man asking him to declare his initial interest and to speak of the woman he wishes to marry. If the family agrees to the man's request, both parties officially establish a relationship, and the wedding planning begins to take foot. In the Maasai community and as in mine, marriage is considered very important. However, when two people are brought together to become a husband and wife in the Maasai community, the newlyweds are expected to live with each other forever; divorce is not an option. Once the Maasai man has chosen and paid for his wife he is then allowed to bring gifts to the woman's family. By first giving the presents as he sees fit, to a final point where it will become clear to those in the community that he has taken an interest in the well-being of the girl's family and that she is not to be readily available. These gifts the Maasai man has given to the girl will create the bride-to-be’s dowry, the purpose of which is not to create wealth for the bride's family, but rather to legalize the marriage. By the man putting his mark on that family, he is making itso that if anyone else tries to approach the family and offer a bride price, it will have been made clear that the girl has already been given away to another family and is spoken for. Like that of an engagement ring or wedding band worn by both the men and women in my community, as it is displaying to everyone that they are spoken for and are not available to others in the community. As the wedding day begins in Maasai culture the groom brings the bride price, including three cows, of which two are female and one is male and all are black, and two sheep, one female and the other male. The male sheep is to be slaughtered during the wedding day to remove its rich fats and oils, which will then later be applied to the wedding dress. The remaining’s of the oil is put in a container for the bride to carry to her new home after the wedding in her husband's kraal. The morning of the wedding, the bride's head is shaved and anointed with lamb fat. She is decorated similarly to that of my own culture by beautiful beaded decorations, and her wedding dress. Although unlike wise, her dress is made by relatives in the community and her mother, making the wedding dress an expression of community, not individuality. The bride is also blessed by the elders using alcohol and milk, and she is led from her family's kraal to her new home, in the kraal of her husband. There, she will enter the house of her husband's mother, where she will stay for the next two days, during which time the groom may not sleep with her or eat food in the house she is staying in. Finally, after those two days, the wife's head is shaved once more by her husband's mother, and the wedding ceremony is finally over; the man and woman are married elders. Concluding that although both cultures differ greatly in their practices and expectations there are still similarities to be understood. Both cultures dually express and display their affection towards one another in some public manor or display. Even if our ideals and morals are different, the feelings that everyone wants to be with their true love forever is evident.

People in History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

People in History - Essay Example This paper has selected Herbert Hoover and Frances Perkins as its two discussions who are considered to have played key roles in forming the America we know of today. Herbert Hoover, the 31st United States President, was born to a Quaker home and specialized in mining engineering (Hoover 19). He attained American and global prominence in humanitarian liberation efforts, in Belgium war-time, and worked as chair of the United States Food Administration throughout the First World War (Schiff 66). Hoover, an internationally qualified engineer, believed greatly in the Efficiency Movement, which detained that the government, as well as the financial system, were puzzled with inadequacy and waste, and could be enhanced by experts who could spot the problems and unravel them (Hoover 21). He also trusted in the significance of volunteerism along with of the role of people in society and their financial system. Herbert, who had made a petite fortune in his mining job, was the former of two United States leaders to donate their income (President Kennedy was the other) (Schiff 70). When the 1929 Crash of Wall Street hit less than 8 months after Herbert assumed office, he attempted to fight the resulting Great Depression with Congressional enforced attempts, tariffs like the Smoot-Hawley Tariff, public projects like the Hoover Dam, a rise from 25% in the top tax bracket to 63%, and raises in corporate taxes. These proposals did not create economic recovery in his term but worked as th e foundation for a variety of policies integrated in Franklin D. Roosevelts government (Hoover 34). After 1933, Hoover became a spokesperson against the domestic and international policies in Roosevelts New Deal. In 1947, President Truman brought Hoover back to assist in making the federal government more efficient by setting up the Hoover Commission. The agreement

Religion in What Dreams May Come True Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Religion in What Dreams May Come True - Essay Example These religions based their teachings on psychoanalytical postulations of human beings urging followers that the answers to their questions were to be found in no other place other than within. The 1998 film starring Robin Williams called â€Å"What Dreams May Come† clearly brings into perspective some of the postulations that have been used by emerging religions and the reason for the sudden popularity of those religions among the masses. There are questions that even in this age of technological advancements human beings have not been able to answer particularly the ones that pertain to his essence as a being and whether the earthly existence is by chance, or it is a journey with a purpose and a particular destination. The paper looks at how the film â€Å"What Dreams May Come True† manages to bring about some key characteristics in the teachings of New Thought Religions. The Power of the Mind. The concept of the power of the mind is clearly found in the teachings of Ernest Homes who postulated that human beings had the power to control their destiny through the power of their minds. Holmes outlines that the first greatest discovery that human being ever made was that ‘He could think† (Holmes 24). Holmes goes on to outline that the power of the human mind is evident in how man has utilized the resources nature has provided for him to come up with great inventions. New Thought religions propose on the power of the mind and are perhaps the source of the concept of the power of positive thinking. In the film â€Å"What Dreams May Come† the producer manages to bring about the concept of the power of thought through the family of Dr. Christopher. After the death of his children and going through emotional distress, Dr. Chris is also involved in car accident and finds himself in heaven.

Build a prototype E-Commerce Website Assignment - 1

Build a prototype E-Commerce Website - Assignment Example Logically, it is the marketing in every business that constructs the fundamental basis on which the business performance lies. The business has performed development-oriented studies and ascertained the origin of its misfortunes. Moreover the business has realized the remedy activities that if executed would reinstate the original performance capacity of the organization (Miller 2009). While pointing out the fact that there are particular aspects that influence the business situation and their adverse effects, the business has identified technology and proper management as the critical sources of the difficulties. However, the company problems have been condensed into a single trouble bordering the marketing and monitoring of stock. The company has experienced a slow pace of delivering products to its customer. The slower pace in selling as well as delivery of products to its customers has attributed to the cheaper sales due to the application of manual systems in the sales. Moreover, the manual outdated system of controlling the stock has been identified to being time consuming and wasting more time as a result. According to all the above provisions, the business has realized that a sole solution to its predicaments attributing to its ability to meet its threshold of  £2500 to cater for the basic requirements can be solved through the e-commerce. The contemporary system to be adopted by the company besides being observed as a future development strategy, it will also operate as a platform in the entire United Kingdom with a current venture in technological applications regarded as probable solutions (Schneider 2011). Throughout this piece, there will be an explicit elaboration on the current trends in e-commerce and the entire business fraternity. There will be a complete elaboration on the infrastructure needed to uphold development in the business. There will be justification of the desired choice amongst