monumentality
--monere, Latin, "to remind"
--Webster, "exceptionally great, as in quality or degree"

Shang


Sumer


Egypt
(coming soon)


Stonehenge

Both of these objects have been called monumental.  One is a sculpture of a ram, only a few inches tall.  The other is a group of enormous rocks, several times taller than you are.  How can Stonehenge and the tiny golden ram from Sumeria both possess monumentality?

In this unit you will be asked to determine what is monumental about a variety of objects created in China, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and England at approximately 2000 BCE.  These objects are from different cultures and vary in size, purpose, material, and style.

Things that are monumental have a sense of permanence, stability, and power.  A monument glorifies an idea, a person, or an event.  Often these monumental things have been used to serve emperors or kings and have helped societies gain, maintain, or regain power.

A monumental object carries ideas of significance--something that combines ideas of achievement and remembrance.  It may help people to remember an event or an idea.  A tiny object may be monumental, but the ideas behind it may feel or seem immense.  As you study the various objects in this module, ask yourself what qualities they share that make them all monumental?

sumer | stonehenge | shang | egypt

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monumentality exercises

  • Think of something in your hometown that has monumentality.  What are the monumental qualities of this object?
  • What object in your home is monumental?  What ideas or characteristics you associate with it make it monumental?