Why do so many Egyptian statues have broken noses?

[Thesauron]

Why do so many Egyptian statues have broken noses?

 

The ancient Egyptians, it's important to note, ascribed important powers to images of the human form. They believed that the essence of a deity could inhabit an image of that deity, or, in the case of mere mortals, part of that deceased human being's soul could inhabit a statue inscribed for that particular person. These campaigns of vandalism were therefore intended to "deactivate an image's strength," as Bleiberg put it.

 

"The damaged part of the body is no longer able to do its job," Bleiberg explained. Without a nose, the statue-spirit ceases to breathe, so that the vandal is effectively "killing" it. To hammer the ears off a statue of a god would make it unable to hear a prayer.

 

Why do so many Egyptian statues have broken noses? (CNN)

[tuntun]

It's still better rather than the Buddha's head statue in Indonesia, mostly headless.

 

 

[EccentricM]

Interesting stuff!

 

And @tuntun, people best be careful which Buddah statues they chop the heads off, some of them actually have mumified monks in them! (usually gold ones) 😄 (And they were mumified alive as they thought this would lead them to enlightenment in the final stages of their meditation).

Edited March 22, 2019 by EccentricM

[Katty]

Maybe the Assyrian statues came and punched the Egyptian statues in the face

Edited March 23, 2019 by Katty

[Old]

My Mother told me that if I didn't quit picking my nose I would look like the Sphinx. Short of my wearing glasses I think she may have been right.

[hatcheckgirl]

Just don't blame Napoleon for busting up the Sphinx's nose!

http://education.abc.net.au/home#!/media/1567326/who-broke-the-sphinx-s-nose-

 

Some other reasons, apart from Arab religious fanaticism, include racism (if the Sphinx was supposed to represent an African and not a European look) and just plain erosion.

 

[tuntun]

I don't understand why people can do that to the god they worship. Decapitate their god's head and sell it to the art collectors or to an online website.

Since many Buddhists worshiped Buddha statues like the god himself was present. The god they hoped could give them eternal life. There must be something with their hearts.

Edited March 23, 2019 by tuntun

[EccentricM]

25 minutes ago, tuntun said:

Since many Buddhists worshiped Buddha statues like the god himself was present

It's strange isn't it? I've spoken to some Buddhists who were athiests, because Buddah is not seen as "God" to all Buddhists, but rather a man who unlocked immortality, and to other Buddhists, was just a philosopher who had an ideal life style.

 

Ultimately they seek to be their own gods, by copying the "path" or way of Buddha (whether they see him as a man, immortal or form of god), in order to become immortal themselves in the next life, or to be "at peace" in this life (depending on their outlook).

 

But really, the philosophy of this religion is a fancy way of saying "if I don't care about anything, and even eventually my own life, nothing will bother me", as they see attachments as the form of all suffering, and so seek to rid of all attachments, by means of meditation, isolation and so on. A systematic and advanced way of simply putting one's head in the sand, as it were.

 

They seek to aviate the fear of death by removing their attachment to life, or for some they seek to remove their attachment to all things, so that if they end up in hell and not heaven (if they believe such), it won't matter, because they can detach themselves from the pain of eternal suffering by not caring about it, and as such, they unlock their personal "immortality" as it were, that they can be in a "personal heaven" even if put in hell. Trying to "outsmart the gods" as it were. But Satan's lies again of "you will certainly not die", all based upon the false concept of "sin does not equal death", the same deception from the very beginning.

 

Edited March 23, 2019 by EccentricM

[EccentricM]

Addtionally, I find it striking how Buddhism has similarities to chronic depression.

 

-Not caring about anything

-Continual focus on a single thought until you can think of nothing else and desire for life is taken from you

-Nihilistic outlook to life

-Suicide

[tuntun]

55 minutes ago, EccentricM said:

It's strange isn't it? I've spoken to some Buddhists who were athiests, because Buddah is not seen as "God" to all Buddhists, but rather a man who unlocked immortality, and to other Buddhists, was just a philosopher who had an ideal life style.

You mean Siddharta Gautama? being Buddhist means those who are conscious or who are seeking true enlightenment.

And Siddharta as its founder. Buddhists generally do not regard Siddharta Gautama as the first or the last Buddha. (Divinity in the Buddhism).

Most think of him as an example for humans who have been conscious (the core of Buddhist teachings).

 

This is somewhat similar to the Confucianism religion. Many people have known the history of it's founder - Confucius who was a politician living in Lu state (China).

Who, since he often opposed certain policies of his government, then he was exiled and became a wandering scholar. Until finally he was invited to return to his country at a very old age. Through his writing his status was elevated from an ordinary man to a prophet. Now if you're visiting a pagoda you will find a statue of Confucius there.

 

 

[well]

On 3/22/2019 at 9:07 PM, tuntun said:

It's still better rather than the Buddha's head statue in Indonesia, mostly headless.

 

 

Are those in Borobudur?

[tuntun]

6 hours ago, ivy said:

Are those in Borobudur?

yes, 

 

Behind the splendor of the Borobudur Temple in Central Java, the mystery is still kept. Especially related to the loss of Buddha statues whose head has yet to be found.

 

Of the 504 Buddha statues left by the king of the 8th century. There are 248 statues that are now in a headless condition.

[BLEmom]

This was brought out during our MET tour. There is one queen of Egypt that was systematically damaged on the nose on the statues. The thought is that this could have been the one who found baby Moses and eventually became queen of Egypt. I don’t have any references but the brother doing the tour said “may have been” based on whatever research they were referencing. 

Cool stuff!

[nzbeeker]

I heard that Napolian’s men used them as target practice. It was either that or Obilix and Astirix.

[Ahuvah]

I vote for Obelix and Asterix as well... that was going to be my answer. However, there is another contender ... the movie - Prince of Egypt kinda layed claim to a reckless young Moses and Ramses as the culprits - that being said - the 'brother' scenario is not very accurate.

[Tortuga]

I thought it was allergies. Sometimes I feel like blowing my nose off....

[Ahuvah]

4 hours ago, Tortuga said:

I thought it was allergies. Sometimes I feel like blowing my nose off....

My turtle is frequently sneezing, coughing, and yawning

It’s okay if your turtle does this occasionally. However, too much could be a sign of a respiratory infection. A common infection is pneumonia.

The recommended thing to do is take your turtle to the veterinarian. They can give your turtle x-rays and antibiotics. Your turtle is going to need a lot of care and chicken soup! (Just kidding on the soup part)

A good prevention technique is to make sure that the temperature in the tank is not too low. Raise the temperature up a little, this will help your turtle’s immune system become more active. Colds, respiratory infections, and pneumonia seem to be the most common cause of death in turtles.