Brief 4 : Leeds City Museum and more research Into Eygpt

Today I went round Leeds city Art gallery and also met up with Oli to discuss our briefs. The museum was again another insight into the vast subject matter we've chosen to base our publication on, Egypt truly fascinates me and I'm overwhelmed each time I see a sarcophagus or mummy, the thought that that person still reamins in-tact after years of existing baffles me. Below are some photographs from the Museum.

Page plans for our book.

Over the past few weeks, me and Oli have been conducting lots of research around the Pyramids and their relaitionship with the constellations. We have derived lots of different chapters of research including, lifestyle, food, diet, artifacts, tools symbolism, mythology, Gods, How the pyramids were built, Intricacy in design, Sacred geometry, interesting facts and theories. So our content doesn't wander and so that we don't start to write a book that becomes a life-long dedication to Egyptology, we've started to plan out what we want to have on each spread across the whole publication. This is show below in some of the photographs I've taken. This has also given us the ability to further define our roles as designers, working on the publication together Oli is going to deal with type and layout and I will be dealing with image making and illustration, we will derive the content together.

The flower of Life

Recently I've been collecting lots of information on sacred geometry and how the pyramids were build using geometrical shapes and patterns that recure throughout maths and science today. The flower of life is a shape that is meant to be fundamental in every aspect of life and the Universes is designed around it.  For our opening page, we want to give readers a quick short snappy insight to get them thinking before even beginning to fathom the rest of our content. I've been researching into the flower of life so we have a good strong symbol and shape to house our contents page and to instantly inspire readers.

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http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/sacred_geometry_the_flower_of_life.htm

The flower of life shape contains a secret shape known as the fruit of life that consists of 13 spheres that hold many mathematical and geometrical laws. These laws represent the whole universe. Giving the flower of life to someone is like giving them the whole universe in one jewel. The Flower of Life can be found in all major religions of the world. In Egypt, the source of all the monotheistic religions, the "Flower of Life", can be found in the ancient Temple of Abydos. In Israel, it can be found in ancient synagogues in the Galilee and in Mesada. People reported physical and psychological changes after wearing this pendant - faster heart beats, prophetic dreams, breaking of illusions, seeing the reality as it is and becoming free from long time fears. The flower of life is one of the strongest sacred geometric shapes!





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flower_of_Life

The Flower of Life is the name coined by New Age author Drunvalo Melchizedek for a geometrical figure composed of multiple evenly-spaced, overlapping circles. This figure, used as a decorative motif since ancient times, forms a flower-like pattern with the symmetrical structure of a hexagon.

A "Flower of Life" figure consists of seven or more overlapping circles, in which the center of each circle is on the circumference of up to six surrounding circles of the same diameter. However, the surrounding circles need not be clearly or completely drawn; in fact, some ancient symbols that are claimed as examples of the Flower of Life contain only a single circle or hexagon.

New Age followers ascribe many forms of significance to the Flower of Life and three similar figures, called the "Egg of Life," the "Fruit of Life," the "Seed of Life,"and the "Tree of Life." Melchizedek and others assert that these figures are symbols of sacred geometry, that they represent ancient spiritual beliefs, and that they depict fundamental aspects of space and time. They claim that Metatron's Cube may be derived from the Flower of Life pattern, and that the Platonic solids within it were "thought to act as a template from which all life springs."

The Flower of Life and the Seed of Life are linked by New Age authors with the Biblical prophet Enoch, the Archangel Metatron, the six days of Creation, the Vesica Piscis religious symbol, and Borromean rings

It was originally thought that the Temple of Osiris in Abydos, Egypt contained the oldest known examples of the Flower of Life. It is now known that an earlier example of the pattern can be seen in the Assyrian rooms of theLouvre Museum in Paris. The design forms part of a gypsum or alabaster threshold step measuring 2.07 x 1.26 meters (6.8 x 4.1 feet) that originally existed in one of the palaces of King Ashurbanipal, and has been dated to c. 645 BC.

The Abydos examples from Egypt are also worthy of note. Claims that they are over 6,000 years old and may date back to as long ago as 10,500 BC. or earlier have not yet been confirmed. Recent research shows that these symbols can be no earlier than 535 B.C., and most probably date to the 2nd and 4th century AD, based on photographic evidence of Greek text, still to be fully deciphered, seen alongside the Flower of Life circles and the position of the circles close to the top of columns, which are over 4 metres in height. This suggests the Osirion was half filled with sand prior to the circles being drawn and therefore likely to have been well after the end of the Ptolemaic dynasty.

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http://www.tokenrock.com/explain-Flower-of-Life-46.html

Possibly five Flower of Life patterns can be seen on one of the granite columns and a further five on a column opposite of the Osirion. Some are very faint and hard to distinguish.

SEED OF LIFE

The 'Seed of Life' is formed from seven circles being placed with sixfold symmetry, forming a pattern of circles and lenses, which acts as a basic component of the Flower of Life's design. According to some, the seed of life depicts the 7 days of creation in which God created life.

EGG OF LIFE

The 'Egg of Life' is also a symbol composed of seven circles taken from the design of the Flower of Life.The shape of the Egg of Life is said to be the shape of a multi-cellular embryo in its first hours of creation.

FRUIT OF LIFE

The 'Fruit of Life' symbol is composed of 13 circles taken from the design of the Flower of Life. It is said to be the blueprint of the universe, containing the basis for the design of everyatom, molecular structure, life form, and everything in existence. It contains the geometric basis for the delineation of Metatron's Cube, which brings forth the platonic solids.

METATRON'S CUBE 

Metatron's cube depicts the five platonic solids which may be derived form the flower of life. The five platonic solids are geometrical forms which are said to act as a template from which all life springs, according to spiritual belief. The Platonic solids are five structures that are crucial because they are the building blocks of organic life. These five structures are found in minerals, animated and organic life forms, sound, music, language, etc. Metatron's cube is also considered a holy glyph, used to ward off evil spirits. The Kabbalah's Tree of life is also thought to be derived from the flower of life.

The following are some of the locations in which the Flower of Life symbol can be seen:

The Temple of Osiris at Abydos, Egypt contains the oldest known examples of the Flower of Life. They are at least over 6,000 years old and may date back to as long ago as 10,500 B.C. or earlier. It appears that it had not been carved into the granite and instead may have been burned into the granite or somehow drawn on it with incredible precision. It is thought to possibly represent the Eye of Ra, a symbol of the authority of the pharaoh. Other examples can be found in Phoenician, Assyrian, Indian, Asian, Middle Eastern.

Brief 4 : World Pyramids - How Many Pyramids are in the World? & Other relavent information

Really relavent article I found online, outlining the different areas of the world that have pyramids. 

World Pyramids - How Many Pyramids are in the World?

Calculating a pyramid
Modern and ancient pyramids come in many forms and sizes. To determine which is the largest pyramid one could compare their heights for example. At a height of 260 meters (85 feet), the Transamerica Pyramid would certainly be a serious candidate.

Many big pyramids however come with a very large base but are not very tall. A better measure of size therefore is probably the volume of a pyramid. The volume of a pyramid can be calculated by the following formula: Length_of_base * Width_of_base * Height * 1/3. This is 54 x 54 x 260 x 1/3 = 252,720 m³ for the Transamerica Pyramid, which isn’t even close enough to be included in our list of biggest pyramids.

http://www.touropia.com/largest-pyramids-in-the-world/

http://www.earthmatrix.com/great/pyramid.htm
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Geometrical Proportions of Pyramids.

The basic size of measurements in ancient Egypt was the cubit which consist of seven palms, and each palm was subdivided into four fingers. Total the cubit consists of 28 fingers that corresponds to 28 days of lunar month.

Pay attention that the diheptagonal network of lines has 14 tops, and the quadraheptagonal linear network has 28 tops that also is equal to the number of days at one lunar month.

In the modern science about ancient Egypt there are different parameters of cubits.

One ordinary Egyptian cubit = 6 palms = 24 fingers = 450 millimeters.

One royal Egyptian cubit = 7 palms = 28 fingers = 525 millimeters.

But however 466 millimeters is the most authentic size of one Egyptian cubit as it is anthropometrical magnitude or otherwise to tell the measure of a human body from elbow up to bases of fingers.

The triangle AEK is approximate silhouette of lateral sides of the Khufu pyramid.

The shown silhouette of lateral sides is approximate as the size of heptagonal angle AEK with top in the point K is 360/7=51,429, namely 51 degrees and 25,71 minutes, but the size of incline of lateral sides in the Khufu pyramid is 51 degrees and 50 minutes.

Egyptian builders compensated the existing difference by addition of human stature sizes AX to height of triangle AEK. Namely builders of the Khufu pyramidal design have conditionally placed a stature of human figure at top of pyramid, and as a result they have received 51 degrees and 50 minutes as the angular size EKX in the point K.

Namely if the height of triangle XEK is 318 cubits then height of the triangle AEK is approximately 314 cubits, and height of a human stature is 4 cubits.

Brief 4 : More Egyptian Artwork and Diagrams // research into Pyramids that exist across the world

Within mine and Oli's collaboration I am deriving all the imagery and diagrams for our publication, so far I've been collecting little snippets of information from around the web to work from and produce my own info graphics from. 

Below are some lists of pyramids from all over the world I've collected from the site referenced. It would be a really good point to start off our publication talking about all the pyramids that exist across the world before we start to explain the Egyptian pyramids of Giza so I thought this would be really relavent. A brief touching on the matter before we go onto the main content would be ideal.

I found these world map images below which apparently show the pyramids across the world. Its amazing how many exist, I think a diagram showing this at the start of the publication would be Ideal.

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http://www.midnightsciencejournal.com/2012/12/01/the-mayan-reset-explained/

"A map of earth can be created by first plotting the stars surrounding the Summer Triangle. The Summer Triangle are the primary stars of Cygnus, Lyra and Aquila – here the layout of the primary pyramids of Giza matches the location of the wing and body stars of Cygnus. Cygnus is the only constellation that occupies North Pole star position, and is located fully on the Milky Way."

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http://www.historvius.com/ancient-pyramids-of-the-world/fr261

Abusir Pyramids

Admittedly less impressive than the nearby ancient pyramids of Giza, the Abusir Pyramids belonged to the Fifth Dynasty pharaohs and, to their advantage, are far quieter to visit.

Angkor Wat

The ancient Khmer empire built some astounding structures and nestled among the wider Angkor site are a number of step pyramids - notably the late 9th / early 10th century Phnom Bakheng temple and the Baksei Chamkrong temple.

Brihadisvara Temple

One of several remarkable Hindu temples built by the leaders of the Chola Empire, the Brihadisvara temple has a quite spectacular central pyramid structure.

Cahuachi

Dominated by several adobe pyramids made of sand and clay, Cahuachi is an ancient site of the Nazca civilization in Peru and perhaps mark some of the lesser-known pyramids of the world.

Calixtlahuaca 

An Aztec archaeological site near Toluca in Mexico, Calixtlahuaca is known for its vast pyramid-like temples.

Chacchoben

Chacchoben in Mexico is a Maya archaeological and includes some impressive ancient pyramid temples.

Cobá

Boasting some of the best ancient pyramids from the Maya period and a fascinating entry on any list of world pyramids, Cobá is an important and vast Maya site in Mexico’s Quintana Roo region.

Copan

The UNESCO-listed site of Copan in Honduras was an important Maya city, and contains a number of truly impressive step pyramids.

Dahshur

Among the most famous ancient pyramids of the world are those at Dahshur in Egypt, home to the famous ‘Bent Pyramid’ and the Red Pyramid of Sneferu.

Dos Pilas

A lesser known entry on the list of world pyramids, Dos Pilas was a major Maya city. The largest surviving structure is an impressive pyramid which rises 20m, while a number of other ancient pyramids survive at the site.

Ek Balam

The vast main pyramid at Ek Balam is over 30m high, making it a remarkable example of Maya engineering and one of the most impressive pyramids in the world.

El Brujo

El Brujo is an early Chimu archaeological site in Peru. The most fascinating remains at the site are its three “huacas” or sacred pyramid temples.

El Tajin

An awe inspiring collection of ancient pyramids can be seen at El Tajin in Mexico, particularly the Pyramid of the Niches, an incredibly impressive six-stepped pyramid which would once have been crowned with a temple.

Emerald Mound

Though not an ancient pyramid in the classic sense, some argue that American pre-colonial burial mounds such as the Emerald Mound and Monks Mound should be classified as step pyramids and included in lists of pyramids of the world.

Giza

Probably the most famous ancient pyramids in the world, Giza is home to Ancient Egypt’s Great Pyramid, the famous Sphinx and two other amazing pyramids.

Hawara Pyramid

Built by Amenemhat III around 1840BC, the Hawara Pyramid in Egypt has largely been eroded by time and is but a shadow of its former glory.

Monte Alban

A remarkable UNESCO listed pre-Columbian site in Mexico, Monte Alban contains a number of large and impressive pyramids, probably built by the Zapotecs.

Piramide de Cuicuilco

Thought to have been of religious and cosmic significance, the 23m, five-level Piramide de Cuicuilco is believed to be one of Mexico’s oldest surviving archaeological sites.

Polonnaruwa 

Polonnaruwa was once the capital of Ceylon (modern Sri Lanka) and contains the impressive - if slightly hidden away - ancient step pyramid Sathmahal Prasada.

Pyramid of Cestius

A rare entry in the list of world pyramids is the Pyramid of Cestius, a burial tomb and probably the only true surviving Roman pyramid and located in Rome itself.

Quirigua Archaeological Park

A former Maya settlement and now a small, yet important UNESCO listed site in Guatemala, Quirigua contains some smaller step pyramids.

Roman Pyramid of Vienne

Really more of an obelisk than a pyramid, the Roman Pyramid of Vienne makes it into the list of pyramids of the world due to its name, which seems to have stuck through the ages.

Saqqara

Among the most famous pyramids in the world, Saqqara was the burial ground of the Egyptian city of Memphis and home to numerous pyramids and tombs. 

Sun Temple of Konark

A truly stunning and intricate ancient pyramid, the Sun Temple of Konark is an iconic 13th century Hindu Temple listed as a UNESCO site.

Tchogha Zanbil

One of a handful of surviving Mesopotamian ziggurats and a crucial entry on any list of pyramids of the world, Tchogha Zanbil forms part of the remains of the ancient city of Dur Untash, the holy capital of the Elamite Kingdom.

Templo Mayor

Templo Mayor was a holy temple built in the step-pyramid style in the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, whose ruins can now be seen in modern day Mexico City.

Tenochtitlan

Tenochtitlan was the Aztec capital and was famed for its enormous pyramids. Sadly, it was mostly destroyed by the Spanish in the 16th century and little evidence remains.

Teotihuacan 

The Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan measures 225m by 222m at its base and 75m high is one of the largest and most impressive ancient pyramids in the world. A leading entry on any world pyramid list.

Terracotta Army

The Terracotta Army forms part of the mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. At the heart of the mausoleum stands a 51m high burial mound pyramid believed to contain the emperor’s tomb itself.

The Moche Temples

The Moche Temples are two ancient adobe pyramid temples in Peru, known as the temples of the Sun and the Moon. One of many religious structures to feature on the list of world pyramids.

Tikal 

Tikal in Guatemala was a major Maya site and contains five magnificent pyramids, the largest being an amazing 213ft tall.

Tiwanaku 

Tiwanaku, Bolivia, was the capital of a pre-Inca civilisation. One of its most famous structures is the Akapana, which would once have been a pyramid, but has since been significantly eroded.

Uxmal 

Uxmal was a Maya city in Mexico which contains a series of stunning ceremonial pyramids - the most celebrated of which is the Pyramid of the Soothsayer. This ancient pyramid is considered unique among pyramids of the world because of its unusual elliptical base.

Yaxha

A lesser-known entry on the list of world pyramids, Yaxha is an impressive ancient Maya site in Guatemala’s Peten region which contains several incredible step pyramids.

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Below is a really good link to a book I found on the construction of the pyramids, this could be a good reference of sources plus has some detailed close up images of the pyramids brick work.

http://www.gizapyramids.org/pdf%20library/hawass_fs_stadelmann.pdf

Brief 4 : Sacred Geometry Explained Part 1 of 2

Final Proposal : Derived Briefs

After a long period of writing and re-writing my briefs the finalised Proposal Statement below outlining the complete set of briefs I wish to complete for my FMP. The last couple of weeks starting on my Egyptian brief and having opportunities given to me means I've replaced two of my briefs with new live briefs for clients. I've replaced the briefs (rising of djent and extinct animal pack with Moral Fibre and Sigmafly) I've gone with my instincts and dropped the last brief I wrote called the rise of computers.

To avoid confusion a clear List of numbered briefs is outlined below along with corresponding documents;

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Brief 1: The Universes Pupils SB

Brief 2 : Sigma fly

Brief 3 : Global Warming Isn't Cool.

Brief 4 : The relationship between the pyramids and the constellations.

Brief 5 : Moral Fibre

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Additional Brief 6 : Beth Owen Branding


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Final Statement of Intent

FINAL SOI.pdf by Will Cotterill

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Final proposal and preparation

OUGD303 PREPARATION.docx by Will Cotterill

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All Briefs ( In Order) 

Brief 1 (The Universes Pupils).pdf by Will Cotterill

Brief 2 (Sigmafly).pdf by Will Cotterill

Brief 3 (Global Warming is not Cool).pdf by Will Cotterill

Brief 4 (The Pyramids and Orion).pdf by Will Cotterill

Brief 5 (Moral Fibre).docx by Will Cotterill

Brief 6 (Beth Owen).pdf by Will Cotterill

Brief 4 : Write Your Own Egyptian Hieroglyphs

This week I also went to Liverpool World Museum to go round their Egyptian Exhibition, visit the Tate and the Walker Gallery to get a mini break of inspiration to re-boost me over easter. When attending Manchester Museum I started to take an interest in the way the Egyptians set out their hieroglyphs thinking from a modern point of view of setting out/design a typeface considering and analysing the rules used within typography. I bought the book below to help me and Oli Out with getting started on our publication, I thought it would be a good idea to use some of the characters to set out different chapters or themes linked around the hieroglyph being used.

The link below also really helps to clear up a myth thats been floating around about hieroglyphs that depict advanced technology within the pyramids of Giza.

http://members.tripod.com/~A_U_R_A/abydos.html

Main Things to Consider when Writing in Hieroglyphs

II. Nature of the Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic writings:

The written Ancient Egyptian Language is not alphabetic. So, one can't read or (write) Egyptian words using a series of simple letters or phonemes. It depends solely on bilateral phonetic signs. Therefore, any Egyptian word could be written in avariety of ways depending on what proper bilateral signs should be used.

III. Reading Rules:

The following important rules and remarks should be followed **strictly** for the sake of correct reading (and writing) of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic texts, taken from the 'Alsaadawi's Theory On True Hieroglyphs':

1. The sequence of reading successive signs should be followed exactly, and there is no exception for that.

It means that one could never read the second or third sign then return to read the first sign. This is an absolute ERROR.

2. There are two groups of basic Egyptian Hieroglyphs:

Brief 4 : Manchester University Museum

This week I went to Manchester whilst travelling back to Leeds and visited the University Museum to look at there exhibit on Egypt. This provided some really good photographs and reference material to work and draw from in relation to mine and Oli's brief. 

I found the display completely fascinating, in terms of typography the Egyptians paid close attention to things like kerning and spacing between hieroglyphics and character sizes. It's so interesting to think that processes that are very important to typographers today were obviously understood over 2000 years ago. 

Whilst I was there I also got talking to one of the Museums leaders, who was currently finishing off a talk on sarcophaguses. I explained to him what me and Oli planned to cover during our brief, a in-depth theory that the pyramids were built in correlation to the star constellation orion. He explained to me that this is a really interesting theory because the Egyptians were accurate and renowned mathematicians and the skill in figuring out the angles of shafts within the pyramids is outstanding in terms of Math. However he alos explained that he thought there could be no connection between different cultures and other cultures with pyramids around the world because at that time the Egyptians wouldn't of known how to travel across continents. 

Pictures from my camera





Pictures from my phone