Thousands of years of karma and collision of great civilizations

 　　At the junction of Europe, Asia and Africa, there is the largest intercontinental sea in the world. Its coasts include Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Croatia, Greece, Turkey, Spain, France, Italy, Slovenia, etc. More than 20 countries and regions. Since ancient times, it has been the place where Mesopotamian civilization, Egyptian civilization, Aegean civilization, megalithic civilization and other civilizations converged and performed. The sparks of their collisions gave birth to the progress of major civilizations and gave birth to Europe The embryo of civilization. This sea area is the Mediterranean Sea, which has a pivotal position in the history of human civilization.

　　At present, the Louvre Museum in France preserves the most Mediterranean cultural relics in the West. The "Mediterranean Civilization-Exhibition of Cultural Relics Collected by the Louvre Museum in France" jointly sponsored by the National Museum of China and the Louvre was recently launched at the National Museum, and the exhibition will last until February 10 next year. We can admire 280 pieces (sets) of collections excavated along the Mediterranean coast, and their birth time ranges from 2000 BC to the 19th century AD: including glazed pottery, glass, stone carvings, wood carvings, gold and silverware, porcelain plates, tooth carvings, Oil paintings, cloaks, mirrors, prints and other works of art show the civilization of the Mediterranean region from ancient times (before the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD) to the Middle Ages (5th century-15th century AD) and modern times (Renaissance to 19th century) Exchange process. (See the illustration in the middle insert) 

　　Witnessing the history of the development of civilization

　　There are many islands in the Mediterranean region, and sea traffic has become the link connecting the islands. The ancient Greeks and Phoenicians (now Lebanon) sailed by sea and used locally produced wheat, grapes, and olives Oil and other items were exchanged for iron and tin in the west. Other nations basically only plundered along the coast or engaged in short-distance shipping, while a great empire like ancient Egypt, relying on the Nile River, was able to fully meet its own needs.

　　In addition to normal business exchanges, most of the time the various ethnic groups exchange what they need through plundering, so the exchanges at this time mostly rely on wars. Most of the foreigners appeared as prisoners of war or domestic slaves, and some preserved artworks reproduced the history at that time. On the "bas-relief of the image of the Egyptians capturing the Syrian prisoners", the middle of the two Egyptians is their Syrian prisoner; The inscription on the back of the "Shabasda Stone Sculpture of the Shaver" produced in Egypt around 1450 BC records the position of the Sharbas in the Temple of the God of Music. Give up to his captive slaves.

　　Some of the prisoners of war were craftsmen, and it was they who spread the crafts and technologies of various countries, such as metal processing, glass making, pottery making, stone carving, wood carving and so on. The silver cup from about 1900 BC in the Temple of Todd in Egypt perfectly presents the metal processing skills of Egypt in 3000 BC: two or three circles at the bottom of the cup are round and simple lines from small to large, and the wall of the cup is decorated with sea waves Shaped patterns, exquisite workmanship, obviously as a vessel to worship the gods or as a luxury for the emperor and nobles. The Egyptian metalworking technology was promoted by artisans to all parts of the eastern Mediterranean. At that time, the gold and silver utensils used in many imperial palaces and temples had a strong Egyptian style.

　　The ancient Greeks tended to find patterns and themes from daily life and mythological stories; such as banquets, wars, hunting and other life scenes, the gods on Mount Olympus, and heroes, etc., are never uncommon on ancient Greek pottery. On the red statue of Amphora fired in about 470 BC, Demeter, the goddess of fertility in charge of agriculture, and Triptolemus, the half-human and half-god hero, are painted. The goddess is passing the ears of wheat to Triptolemus, who holds a large bowl and respectfully accepts the gift of the goddess. According to legend, it was Triptolemus who traveled tirelessly to various places and passed on the ears of wheat to the world, so that mortals could multiply. In order to appreciate the protection of the gods, the ancient Greeks painted their images on pottery to commemorate them forever.

　　In 1100 BC, the Phoenicians created the Phoenician alphabet consisting of 22 letters, and replaced the graphic writing system with the alphabetic writing system. This simple and fast writing spread throughout the Mediterranean from the merchants, with far-reaching influence . Greek, Latin, and Slavic are all derived from Phoenician. A bow and arrow from 1100 BC to 1000 BC was engraved with Phoenician characters; on a stone tablet from about 480 BC to 460 BC, "Gorthina's Code" was inscribed in Greek—through that Bow arrowheads and steles, we can discern the origin between Phoenician and Greek.

　　The mighty military power of the ancient Greeks and Romans aspired to the Mediterranean, but this did not mean a cultural victory. Although they captured Egypt successively, they were impressed by its profound and long history, and endowed some Egyptian gods with the images of ancient Greek and ancient Roman gods. The statue of Aphrodite-Isis made in Rhodes Island, Greece, is a clearly Hellenized Egyptian statue. The goddess has a willow basket on her head, combs Egyptian-style hairstyles, and wears traditional Egyptian gauze clothing, but her face and complexion are Greek-style. This is exactly how the Greeks combined their goddess of beauty, Aphrodite, with Isis, one of Egypt's most important goddesses. In Egypt, Isis is regarded as a representative of a good wife and mother, and is also regarded as the god of life and health. It is widely loved by the people of the countries along the Mediterranean Sea, and is especially worshiped in Greece and Rome. The main hall of the famous Philae Temple is A place used to worship the goddess.

　　Many "Tanagra" style pottery figurines have been found in tombs and temples throughout the Mediterranean region, from Italy to Turkey. Tanagra is a small city-state in the central part of ancient Greece. The pottery figurines produced are extremely exquisite. With the increasing exchanges between countries, this kind of pottery figurines has also been imitated by people in other regions.

　　Religious Conflicts and Root-seeking Journey

　　Around the 1st century AD, the Roman Empire gradually unified the Mediterranean Sea and gradually converted to Christianity in religion. However, with the demise of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century, turmoil occurred again in the Mediterranean region, and the pattern of rivalry for hegemony resumed in the Middle Ages. From 1095 to 1291, with the support of the Catholic Church, the Western European Knights launched eight military expeditions to the eastern Mediterranean under the banner of recovering the cemetery of Jesus in Jerusalem and the Holy Land in Palestine. 

　　There are a large number of works of art reflecting this history, such as the oil painting "Saints" (about 1550-1600), which not only interprets the story of St. With the joint promotion of Fang Catholics, the Western European Knights were able to make an expedition.

　　In fact, the Eight Crusades were controversial and brought serious disasters to the Mediterranean region, but objectively, they promoted another climax of cultural and artistic exchanges in the Mediterranean since ancient times. For example, ivory carvings in southern Italy, workshops in Syria are good at processing Cyprus copperware, and Arab potters in Spain passed the technology of producing metal chandeliers to Italy... A large number of interactive artworks appeared during this period. The icon of "St. George Fighting the Dragon" from about 1300 to 1350 in Constantinople, Turkey is made of mosaic bricks. It can be seen that the mosaic originated in Greece and flourished in Rome has been popularized.

　　Through the war, silk, ivory carvings, reliquaries, gold and silver wares in Byzantine art were all brought back to Europe by the Crusaders, which promoted the development of European art and influenced the rise of Renaissance art.

　　During the Renaissance in Europe from the 14th to the 17th centuries, the Mediterranean Sea was basically ruled by the Ottoman Turkish Empire. Only Spain, Austria, and later the Republic of Venice and Genoa in Italy were still confronting it for commercial reasons. Europeans seldom go to the Mediterranean region, but they are full of brilliant imaginations about that magical and remote land.

　　As early as in Greek mythology, a legend of "Europa" opened the door to the imagination of Europeans. This is a beautiful story about the origins of Europe (Europa), from which Europeans also tend to trace the history of their ancestors and the roots of their nations. Legend has it that Zeus, the king of the gods, turned into a white bull one day, seduced the beautiful Phoenician princess Europa to ride on the bull, and then forced her across the Aegean Sea to the island of Crete. Zeus wooed the plundered princess, gave her the new land where she was, and named the land after the princess "Europa" - this is the origin of Europa.

　　"Abducting Europa" has become an inexhaustible theme for generations of Europeans. For example, a clay-painted long-necked perfume bottle in Athens from about 350 BC to 300 BC, and a round enamel-coated gold pocket watch in France about 1750, are painted with the pattern of kidnapping Europa. Raphael, one of the three masters of the Renaissance, also created an oil painting on canvas of "The Abduction of Europa" (1498); Italy's Guito Durantino workshop produced a painting between 1535 and 1540. The glazed pottery plate bears the coat of arms of Gatmo Notti, the leader of Urbino, Italy, and the pattern is fired according to Raphael's painting: the main body of the plate picture is the bull and Princess Europa transformed by Zeus, Surrounded by female companions, they are playing on the Aegean Sea with shaded trees and blue water. The young Europa rests her chin on one hand and looks up to the sky. She is carefree and has no idea of ​​the fate that awaits her. 

　　The Great Tour and the Enlightenment of the Expeditionary Army

　　In the 18th and 19th centuries, European shipping was further developed, and the Orient Express from Paris to Istanbul was opened across the European continent. The convenient transportation brought Europeans to farther places, and travel really became popular. At this time, there was an upsurge of investigating the Mediterranean Sea. Many artists and scholars had to travel long distances in Italy, Greece and the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Their outlook on life and aesthetic ability were thus enlightened again. travel".

　　Jean-Pierre Houill (1735-1813) of France created a large number of representative landscape paintings in the Mediterranean region: the Cyclops reef near the port of Triza, the ancient hot tub in Lipari, The northern part of the Gulf of Naples, the ruins of the Segeste Temple...

　　When Jean-Etienne Lyotard (1702-1789) of Switzerland traveled in Greece and Constantinople, he wore local costumes, even Learn from them to grow long beards and mingle with them. Women from Paros, Greece, women from Chios, women from Constantinople, women from Smyrna, Turkey, Tatars, women playing dombra, men sitting on sofas smoking with pipes that reach the ground... He created a large number of oil paintings using local people as models, which earned him the title of "Turkish Painter". The famous French realist landscape and figure portrait painter Corot (1796-1875) also left a lot of oil paintings with oriental charm. Inspired by "Don Juan", the painting is a Greek girl.

　　Gavin Hamilton (1723-1798) of Scotland was an archaeologist and the founder of European neoclassicism. He once lived in seclusion in Italy in the late 1750s to collect archaeological materials and gained a lot. He unearthed a marble tripod water tray from about 30 BC to 200 AD, a sculpture of Prince Paris, and a statue of Artemis, the goddess of hunting... "Venus introduces Helen", one of the most beautiful paintings of Western classicism. To Paris is also written by this master who is obsessed with ancient Greek and Roman culture. 

　　"Venus Introducing Helen to Paris" was created around 1777-1780. It is a large oil painting representing ancient themes at the invitation of the Earl of Shelburne in England. Although the Earl of Shelburne is the prime minister of George III, he has been underappreciated all his life. In order to relieve his depression, he often expresses his feelings in art. He has a beautiful garden and a rich collection of books in his Bowwood mansion in the Lake District, and he has a lot of contacts with literati; and this oil painting specially created for him by Hamilton may be an appropriate metaphor for his situation. In ancient Greek mythology, Paris, the prince of Troy, did not love beautiful women, so he gave the golden apple engraved with "the most beautiful goddess" to Venus, the god of love, in exchange for the most beautiful woman in the world—Queen Helen of Sparta. And this love for the country was the fuse of the Trojan War, which later brought endless disasters to the people of the two countries. In this painting, while gently coaxing Helen, Venus gently lifts Helen's veil, revealing her peerless face; while Helen pulls the veil shyly, while waving her hands reservedly, she half pushes and half stands in front of Paris; Paris, who was sitting on the side, had already been fascinated by Helen, and was looking up at her with admiration; Cupid and two other little angels were also in the middle to win over the young couple. In some respects, the Earl of Shelburne and Paris are very similar, such as political frustration and tireless pursuit of good things. When this oil painting was hung in the earl's mansion, I wonder if he will be touched by the scene and reminisce about those past times in a poetic and picturesque way...

　　In the history of communication and exploration in the Mediterranean, there is a milestone event that cannot be ignored, and this is Napoleon's expedition Egypt. An oil painting by the French painter Léon Cogne, created around 1830, is one of three small samples of the zenith paintings invited to the Louvre, depicting Napoleon on the battlefield of the expedition - a group of Egyptian People, soldiers and drummers of the Republic surrounded Napoleon, and the emperor stood tall under the curtain, looking intently into the distance.

　　From 1798 to 1801, Napoleon launched an expedition to Egypt for the strategic purpose of controlling Egypt and the East and preventing the expansion of his arch-enemy Britain. In this expeditionary force of up to 200,000 people, there are more than 160 scholars. Their mission is completely different from that of the soldiers: to collect and study Egyptian geography, history, art and religion. In order to protect these "expeditionists" who did not carry guns, and to ensure the safety of cultural relics, Napoleon ordered: let donkeys and scholars walk in the middle! The war is cruel, but this time it is a bit more poetic because of the emperor's "ingenuity": not far away is billowing gunpowder smoke, but the scholars sent by the emperor regardless of the danger of their lives, in this land with a great history of thousands of years Digging hard on the land, lingering and forgetting to return, collecting and recording the innumerable precious wealth. Four years later, the failed French army withdrew from Egypt and took with it a wealth of historical materials.

　　Napoleon, who returned to France, ordered the compilation of the book "Egyptian Chronicles". Thanks to the support of the emperor at all costs and the efforts of scholars, this encyclopedia of ancient Egypt, which is 23 volumes long, covers a wide range of areas, and is rich in illustrations and texts, came out after five years, which opened the prelude to the understanding of Egypt by later generations.