LOOKING GOOD: THE POWER OF APPEARANCE

INTRODUCTION

Looking at the title “ Looking good: The power of appearance”, what do you think it
implies? The physical appearance of humans? The importance of being beautiful? How can this
topic apply to our course? This seemingly misleading title does have its own relevant meaning,
which may shock you, that is the significance of historical architecture - “the powerful
appearance” of one civilization.

Human footprints from the past years, decades, or centuries represent human existence
and its evolution during the course of history. These footprints include a variety of things – all
the things that are proof of human existence on planet earth. One of the biggest pieces of
evidence of human life in different parts of the world is its architecture.

Although architecture is the physical structure and has materialistic value it has also been
a representation of culture, society, ways of living, and other abstract concepts of human lives. It
also detects the rise and fall of different societies and civilizations. It describes the evolutions of
the human lifestyle throughout the course of human history. These impacts show the importance
of architecture for human societies, their lives, and the contemporary world.

To better illustrate the importance of so-called looking-good architecture, let us go

through 6 reputed historical designs in today’s presentation: Looking good: The power of
appearance.

1. ABU SIMBEL

1.1. Abu Simbel and its origins

Abu Simbel is an ancient temple complex, originally cut into a solid rock cliff, in
southern Egypt and located at the second cataract of the Nile River. The two temples which
comprise the site were created during the reign of Ramesses II either between 1264 - 1244 BCE
or 1244-1224 BCE. It is certain, based upon the extensive artwork throughout the interior of the
Great Temple, that the structures were created, at least in part, to celebrate Ramesses' victory
over the Hittites at the Battle of Kadesh in 1274 BCE. To some scholars, this indicates a
probable date of 1264 BCE for the initial construction as the victory would have been fresh in
the memory of the people. However, the decision to build the grand monument at that precise
location, on the border with the conquered lands of Nubia, suggests to other scholars the later
date of 1244 BCE in that it would have had to have been begun after the Nubian Campaigns
Ramesses II undertook with his sons and was built as a symbol of Egypt's power.

Whichever date construction began, it is agreed that it took twenty years to create the
complex and that the temples are dedicated to the gods Ra-Horakty, Ptah, and the deified
Ramesses II (The Great Temple) and the goddess Hathor and Queen Nefertari, Ramesses'
favorite wife (The Small Temple).

1.2. The Two Temples

The Great Temple stands 98 feet (30 meters) high and 115 feet (35 meters) long with
four seated colossi flanking the entrance, two to each side, depicting Ramesses II on his throne;
each one 65 feet (20 meters) tall. Beneath these giant figures are smaller statues (still larger than
life-sized) depicting Ramesses' conquered enemies, the Nubians, Libyans, and Hittites. Further
statues represent his family members and various protecting gods and symbols of power. Passing
between the colossi, through the central entrance, the interior of the temple is decorated with
engravings showing Ramesses and Nefertari paying homage to the gods. Ramesses' great victory
at Kadesh (considered by modern scholars to be more of a draw than an Egyptian triumph) is
also depicted in detail across the north wall of the Hypostyle Hall.

The Small Temple stands nearby at a height of 40 feet (12 meters) and 92 feet (28
meters) long. This temple is also adorned by colossi across the front facade, three on either side
of the doorway, depicting Ramses and his queen Nefertari (four statues of the king and two of
the queen) at a height of 32 feet (10 meters). The prestige of the queen is apparent in that,
usually, a female is represented on a much smaller scale than the Pharaoh while, at Abu Simbel,
Nefertari is rendered the same size as Ramesses. The Small Temple is also notable in that it is
the second time in ancient Egyptian history that a ruler dedicated a temple to his wife (the first
time being the Pharaoh Akhenaton, 1353-1336 BCE, who dedicated a temple to his queen
Nefertiti). The walls of this temple are dedicated to images of Ramses and Nefertari making
offerings to the gods and to depictions of the goddess Hathor.

1.3. A Sacred Site

The location of the site was sacred to Hathor long before the temples were built there
and, it is thought, was carefully chosen by Ramses for this very reason. In both temples,
Ramesses is recognized as a god among other gods and his choice of an already sacred locale
would have strengthened this impression among the people. The temples are also aligned with
the east so that, twice a year, on 21 February and 21 October, the sun shines directly into the
sanctuary of The Great Temple to illuminate the statues of Ramses and Amun. The dates are
thought to correspond to Ramesses' birthday and coronation. The alignment of sacred structures
with the rising or setting sun, or with the position of the sun at the solstices, was common
throughout the ancient world but the sanctuary of The Great Temple differs from these other
sites in that the statue of the god Ptah, who stands among the others, is carefully positioned so
that it is never illuminated at any time. As Ptah was associated with the Egyptian underworld, his
image was kept in perpetual darkness. Statues of Ramses, the gods who lived in this temple show
the knowledge of the ancient Egyptians about astronomy.
2. SPHINX OF TAHARQO (Phương Anh)

2.1. Overview

Taharqo

Taharqo or Taharqa, also called Tirhaka, (flourished 7th century BCE) was the fourth
pharaoh (reigned 690–664 BCE) of the 25th dynasty of ancient Egypt.

Taharqa succeeded his cousin Shebitku on the throne. Early in his reign, he supported
Palestine’s resistance against King Sennacherib of Assyria. In 671, however, Taharqa’s army
was defeated by Sennacherib’s son Esarhaddon, who captured Memphis with its royal harem and
took a great amount of spoils; he set up a new Assyrian administration, entrusting the
government and collection of tribute to the native chiefs. On Esarhaddon’s withdrawal from
Egypt, Taharqa returned from his refuge in Upper Egypt and massacred the Assyrian garrisons.
He held control over Egypt until he was completely routed by Esarhaddon’s son Ashurbanipal,
after which he fled south to Nubia, where he died and was buried in a large pyramid at Nuri.

Sphinx

The Sphinx was a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head of a human,
falcon, or ram. The Sphinx is found in both ancient Egyptian and Greek mythology.

In Egyptian myth, the Sphinx was more of a symbol than an individual entity. It was a
guardian figure, the protector of the pyramids, and the scourge of the enemies of Re, the sun god.
It also represented the pharaoh and the pharaoh’s divine power. Sometimes the face of a carved
or painted sphinx was meant to resemble a particular pharaoh.

2.2. Sphinx of Taharqo

2.2.1. Architecture

The Sphinx of Taharqo was created by the Kushites around the year 680 BCE. When
Taharqo requested the sphinx of himself to be built, he decided it would stay in the newly
renovated Temple of Amun.

Only rulers and priests could enter the temple so no one other than those of high power
would see the stone sculpture of the sphinx. At this point in time, the stone was only used in
quantity for public monuments. Granite, which the sphinx was sculpted out of, was from granite
quarries at Tombos. Taharqo brought in and ordered workmen from Memphis to reconstruct the
Temple of Amun, as well as the granite sphinx which stood inside. Many sculptures found from
this early Kushite period are characterized by a realistic appeal which often does little to flatter
the individual portrayed. The sphinx was discovered in the Temple of Amun in Kawa, northern
Sudan by Francis Llewellyn Griffith in 1932 and is now a part of the History of the World in 100
Objects in the British Museum.
 While the Sphinx of Taharqo is significantly smaller (73 centimeters long) than the Great
Sphinx of Giza (73 meters long), it is notable for its prominent Egyptian and Kushite elements.

2.2.2. The history behind Shinx

At the time of the sculpture’s development, King Taharqo and the Kushites were in
power in Egypt. After Shebitku, Taharqo became king. Taharqo was one of the greatest builders
of this time period. He ordered many temples like the Temple of Amun in Kawa to be rebuilt.

During this time period, the general way of life for people was relatively similar to the
past - an agricultural society that mainly consisted of subsistence farming. Also, religion was an
important aspect of everyday life. The chief god of the Kushite State, at least during the 25th
Dynasty, was Amun. Amun was originally an Egyptian god that the Kushites adopted. When the
Kushites took over Egypt, they did not force all of their cultures onto the Egyptians. They
created a hybrid identity combining Kushite and Egyptian traditions in order to govern their new
empire. The sphinx was ordered to be created by King Taharqo. The workmen involved with the
project were from Memphis. These workmen were probably specialized and were probably also
involved with building some of the many pyramids and temples that Taharqo was famous for.
The sphinx statue represented the power that Taharqo had over Egypt and the Kushites. It was
the symbol of his wealth and power.

2.2.3. The significance of Sphinx

For thousands of years, Egypt was in control and would harass the Kushites. Commonly,
the Egyptians would come and take gold and other precious metals from them along with
whatever else they needed at the time. However, around 730 BCE, the power of control changed.
The Kushites took control of Egypt and set up a revival in art, architecture, and religious
practices.

Rather than pushing Kushite customs on the Egyptians, King Tahraqo absorbed and
adopted theirs. Even in Kush itself, Taharqo built pyramids on the Egyptian model. He also
worshiped the Egyptian god Amun. Even his officials wrote in Egyptian hieroglyphics. They
used the existing symbols and vocabulary of power because those were already familiar to the
population. By adopting all of these Egyptian cultures, Taharqo had an easier time strengthening
his political power as well as keeping control of the large new kingdom.

The sphinx as a whole shows the fusion of the Kushite and the Egyptian cultures during
this shift in power. It is an example of the new national identity. The sphinx face was that of
King Taharqo. The rounded face, high cheekbones, and pronounced folds at the base of the nose
are all features seen in Kushite sculptures. Even though the sphinx has a few Egyptian
characteristics, overall it remains a testament to Kushite power and authority. Egyptians used the
sphinx symbol as a sign of wealth and power. By creating a sphinx of his own, King Taharqo is
symbolizing not only his power over everyone in the kingdom but also the morph of both
cultures.

3. LACHISH RELIEFS (Nga Anh)

By 700 BC, the Assyrian rulers based in northern Iraq had built an empire that stretched
from Iran to Egypt - covering most of the area that we now call the Middle East.

Lachish, about 25 miles south-west of Jerusalem, is today known as Tell ed-Duweir. At

the time of the siege, it was a heavily fortified hill town, the second city after Jerusalem of the
kingdom of Judah, which had managed, just, to stay independent of the Assyrians. Lachish stood
at a vital strategic point on the key trade routes linking Mesopotamia to the Mediterranean and to
the immense wealth of Egypt. But around year 700, the king of Judah, Hezekiah, rebelled against
the Assyrians. It was a big mistake. Sennacherib mobilized the Assyrian imperial army, fought a
brilliant campaign, seized the city of Lachish, killed its defenders and deported its inhabitants.
And the resounding success of the Assyrian campaign is what is celebrated in these carvings.

These are the people that we see on the relief - the victims of war, who pay the price of
their ruler's rebellion. Families with carts packed high with bundles are being led into exile,
while Assyrian soldiers carry their plundered spoils towards the image of the enthroned King
Sennacherib.

4. GOLD COIN OF CROESUS (Nga Anh)

The Croesus Stater, produced in Lydia (modern-day Turkey) in the middle of the sixth
century, was the world's first minted gold coin.

Croesus, the king of Lydia, is said to have possessed unimaginable wealth. Although the
gold production in his country filled his treasure houses, his reputation was based primarily on
the coins he minted. The coin was named after the king to emphasize his dominance. During this
period, traders throughout the classical world would be familiar with his symbol – the bull and
the lion.

After his predecessors invented the concept of the minted coin based on the naturally
occurring gold-silver alloy, electrum, Croesus developed a more sophisticated coinage system.
This was thanks to his metallurgists' development of a method for separating electrum into pure
silver and gold, allowing them to produce coins in a set denominational system.

The Lydian kingdom was conquered by the Persians under Cyrus the Great in the year
546 but despite the demise of Croesus, his gold-based monetary system lived on, firstly in the
Persian empire and later in the ancient Greek world around the Mediterranean. The Stater
became the most important coin of antiquity and the name Croesus became synonymous with
fabulous wealth.

5. PARACAS TEXTILE (Hải)

5.1. What is the Paracas Textile?
One of the most extraordinary masterpieces of the pre-Columbian Americas is a nearly
2,000-year-old cloth from the South Coast of Peru, which has been in the Brooklyn Museum of
Art collection since 1938. Despite the textile’s small size (it measures about two by five feet), it
contains a vast amount of information about the people who lived in ancient Peru; and despite its
great age and delicacy, its colors are brilliant, and tiny details amazingly intact. This is due to the
arid environment of southern Peru along the Pacific shore, where it is so dry that organic
material buried in the sand remains well-preserved for hundreds or even thousands of years.
5.2. The mummification process using the textiles
In the ancient cemeteries on the Paracas Peninsula, the dead were wrapped in layers of
cloth and clothing into “mummy bundles.” The largest and richest mummy bundles contained
hundreds of brightly embroidered textiles, feathered costumes, and fine jewelry, interspersed
with food offerings, such as beans. Early reports claimed that this cloth came from the Paracas
peninsula so it was called “THE Paracas textile,” to mark its excellence and uniqueness.
Currently, scholars have revised this provenance and now attribute the cloth to the related, but
slightly later Nasca culture.
Paracas textiles provide some of the most stunning examples of pre-Columbian Andean
fiber art. Close examination of Paracas textiles reveals a great deal of information on the
sophisticated embroidery techniques developed by Paracas artists, their system of textile
production, and their belief systems.
5.3. Mythical imageries in textile arts
Another prevalent theme found in ancient Paracas arts and crafts is the usage of mythical
creatures, of which floating heads are one of the most recognizable. Thought to represent fertility
and power, floating/trophy heads are found everywhere, from the Paracas textile to other artifacts
in the region.

6. TERRA-COTTA WARRIORS (Hằng)

6.1. What are the Terra-Cotta warriors?

What happens after death? Is there a restful paradise? An eternal torment? A rebirth? Or
maybe just nothingness? Well, one Chinese emperor thought that whatever the hereafter was, he
better bring an army.

We know that because in 1974, farmers digging a well near their small village stumbled
upon one of the most important finds in archaeological history: vast underground chambers
surrounding that emperor's tomb, containing more than 8,000 life-size clay soldiers ready for
battle. The story of the subterranean army begins with Ying Zheng, who came to power as the
king of the Qin state at the age of 13
 Ambitious and ruthless, he would go on to become Qin Shi Huangdi, the first emperor of
China after uniting its seven warring kingdoms. His 36-year reign saw many historic
accomplishments, including a universal system of weights and measures, a single standardized
writing script for all of China, and a defensive barrier that would later come to be known as the
Great Wall.

Being a successful emperor means being able to defeat your enemies. And Emperor Qin
was a frighteningly successful emperor. Not only did he defeat armies in six different states of
China, he massacred them. However, for the ancient Chinese, beating your enemies in the living
world was only a temporary victory. And there was a decent chance a guy like Qin might have to
face his enemies again in the afterlife. It was this fear that motivated him to build his Terracotta
Army.

And as early as the first year of his reign, he began the construction of a massive
underground necropolis filled with monuments, artifacts, and an army to accompany him into the
next world and continue his rule. In addition, the emperor feared boredom in the afterlife as
much as he feared the armies of his enemies because he elected to be buried with statues of
entertainers, such as acrobats, strongmen, and musicians. Bronze ducks, waterfowl, and cranes
also appeared among the human statues, a sign most archaeologists have understood to mean that
the emperor hoped to be surrounded by similar animals in the afterlife.

All the figurines are sculpted from terracotta, or baked earth, a type of reddish brown
clay. To construct them, multiple workshops and reportedly over 720,000 laborers were
commandeered by the emperor, including groups of artisans who molded each body part
separately to construct statues as individual as the real warriors in the emperor's army. Many
laborers and artisans died during the construction. Some were possibly even executed to keep the
location of the tomb and its treasures a secret.

One of the most incredible aspects of the Terracotta Army is that while laborers only
used about eight different molds for the soldiers, every single one of the 8,000 statues is different
and unique in its own way.

Aside from being separated into different ranks - infantry, archers, generals, or cavalry -
each individual soldier features unique facial expressions, clothing, and hairstyles, even unique
ears. The Warriors craftsmanship and style astonishes scholars why an emperor would want each
of his troops to be unique. Perhaps for Qin, beauty, ‘looking good’ and individualism were as
important as compliance in uniformity; we can only speculate based on the contents of the
mausoleum, for Qin left no records of this grand creation.

6.2. What is good artwork? Whether aesthetic value is objective or subjective?

So far, we’ve addressed some aesthetic artworks. Although they do not share any
common historical background, all of them are beautiful, or look good. And because we’re in a
humanities class, I wonder whether we can use philosophy to discuss our topic, which is ‘looking
good: the power of appearance’.

But first, what does ‘looking good’ even mean?

To think of an answer, we should see the terracotta warriors as an artwork, put the
question in one philosophy branch called ‘aesthetics’, and relate to one question: “whether
aesthetic value is objective or subjective?”

There comes the value theory: unlike ethics, where many people think there are absolute
right and wrong answers - like killing is wrong and helping people is good - many people think
that beauty is simply in the eye of the beholder (so in the case of terra-cotta warriors, beauty, or
looking-good artwork depends on us, the audience).

If so, aesthetic appreciation isn’t the kind of thing you can be wrong about - it’s all just a
matter of taste. But if you think that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then no one can be
wrong about their aesthetic beliefs. And if that’s the case, then we can’t really have a
conversation about it, because we’re all the ultimate arbiters of aesthetic goodness.

18th-century Scottish philosopher David Hume: when we think about art, we should take
care not to confuse the question, “do I like it?” with the question, “is it good?”

Hume said that as long as you’re being honest, you can’t be wrong about whether or not
you like sth, because it’s totally subjective.

But “being good” is another matter. Hume thought aesthetic value was objective to some
extent, and that we’re all predisposed to find certain objects and patterns to be aesthetically
pleasing.

For example, Hume said that humans are naturally drawn to images of health, but we’re
repelled by depictions of decay. We tend to like symmetry and dislike imbalance.

6.3. But why do beautiful things make us happy?

Beauty is a very human experience that's been with us for millions of years.

Throughout our history, the definition of beauty has changed a lot. Ideals have shifted or
turned into their opposites. But beyond individual and contemporary tastes some things have
never really gone out of fashion.

The golden ratio, symmetry, or fractal patterns can be found in the art and architecture of
cultures from our beginnings, to today. Humans seem to be in mysterious, inherent agreement
about the beauty of certain things. The patterns that keep coming up are all rooted in nature.
They became part of our biology because they helped our ancestors survive. Identifying and
assessing these things correctly used to be vital. Do those clouds mean rain will come soon? Are
these waters safe to swim through? Can I eat this?

Things that help us survive activate the reward center in our brain, recognize signals of
safety and nutrition, and trigger nice feelings in us.

So that’s maybe the reason why the terracotta warriors were created with their own
unique, beautiful appearance, as it would have pleased the Qin’s feelings.

And why, after being excavated, the terracotta warriors artwork has been exhibited in
modern times? Apparently, its influence as a magic art is enormous. The archaeologists expand
the study on the military service system and military equipment of the Qin dynasty. It also
provided new ideas for the research on the artistic style, characteristics, and manufacturing
techniques of figurines in the period. And above all, it looks good, so that’s why millions of
tourists come to the site every year.

CONCLUSION (Hải)

So, our sense of beauty probably evolved from pattern recognition, but it goes way
beyond that now. Humans don't navigate nature trying to survive day by day anymore. As we
spread over the planet and our numbers grew, we shaped a completely man-made environment.

In the process of doing so, we often neglected beauty in favor of functionality, cost or
efficiency. We built rows and rows of concrete housing blocks that nobody wants to live in. We
have ugly underground subway stations, sprawling malls. One bland, standardized box beside the
next. Humans don't like monotony.

Eye tracking software has shown that people keep focusing on details and ornaments of
architecture while brushing quickly over blank walls

And not only are they no fun to look at, they actually make us miserable. Over the last
decades more and more studies have found that surroundings that are actually aesthetically
pleasing to us can improve our well-being, our behavior, cognitive function, and mood. We
know that we humans have been fine-tuned for millions of years to process visual input and
assess our surroundings.

Beauty meets an inherent need for meaningful information. Maybe it would be worth
giving it more space in this man-made world we have created.