Hoa Hakananai'a is carved from hard basalt and on his back are a number of petroglyphs depicting frigate bird heads and human/bird figures, amongst other things. Today, Moai are described as the aringa ora, the living faces of the ancestors. Moai were raised in honour of important deified ancestors. Across Polynesia, Islanders worshipped ancestors who traced their lineages back to the gods. ![]() Most moai were positioned on platforms (known as ahu), which generally faced away from the ocean, so the statues gazed inwards to the land and its people. It is one of a number of statues, known as moai, for which the island is famous, which date to around AD 1000–1200. This statue, known as Hoa Hakananai'a, comes from the ceremonial village of Orongo on Rapa Nui (Easter Island). Basalt statue, Orongo, around 1000–1200 AD. The drum is part of our Collecting and empire– find out more about the trail and how this object arrived at the Museum. In North America, drums were confiscated and banned as part of the forced suppression of Africans and their culture. Drums were played during these journeys and captives were forced to dance for 'exercise' in order to keep them healthier for plantation labour amid the horrendous conditions. It is thought that the Akan Drum was taken to Virginia on a slave ship, part of the trans-Atlantic slave trade which transported millions of Africans to America against their will between the 17th and the 19th centuries. It was probably made by a craftsperson of the Akan people in the region of present-day Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, hence it being known as the 'Akan Drum'. It was once incorrectly thought to be an object produced by Indigenous People of North America, but was in fact made in West Africa more than 300 years ago. It was collected in Virginia, then a British colony and now a state within the USA, around 1730. This wooden drum is the earliest African-American object in the British Museum. Made in Ghana, found in Virginia, USA, 18th century. The Akan Drum. Drum made of wood with an animal skin head. Mary Beard, who recently became a Trustee of the British Museum, picked this object as one of her top five in the Museum – read her thoughts about this stunning sculpture. The Ife Head gives us a perspective on the fascinating history of powerful rulers and kingdoms in medieval West Africa. In the past, Western scholars falsely believed that the Ife heads may have been influenced by Classical sculpture, or that they were made by Europeans, reflecting historic negative attitudes towards African art and culture and the perceived superiority of Western art. Representations of humans in art from Ife, like this one, have a striking, highly naturalistic style. Ife, today in Nigeria, is regarded as the cultural and spiritual homeland of the Yoruba-speaking peoples and the title of Ooni is still that used today by the traditional ruler of Ife. It is considered to most likely depict an Ooni, a sacred king of the West African Kingdom of Ife. This naturalistic brass head is probably around 600 years old. Grayson Perry's The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsmanīrass head of an Ooni (king) of Ife, 1300–early 1400s. Or take a trip back to classical Athens in our Historical city travel guide. ![]() You can read more about the Parthenon in our Introduction to the Parthenon sculptures. A colossal image of Athena made of gold and ivory once stood inside the temple – it is now lost. The pediments (the triangular structure on the top of the temple) and metopes (carved panels) illustrate episodes from Greek myth, while the frieze represents the people of Athens in a religious procession to celebrate the birthday of the goddess. The temple was richly decorated with sculptures, designed by the artist Pheidias. ![]() The word parthénos means 'maiden, girl' or 'virgin, unmarried woman'. The temple was dedicated to the goddess Athena Parthénos, who was the patron deity of Athens. ![]() Athens, 438–432 BC.Ĭarved about 2,500 years ago, these ancient Greek sculptures adorned the Parthenon, a temple on the Athenian Acropolis (the ancient citadel on a rocky hill in the city). Sculptures from the Parthenon's East pediment on display in Room 18.
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