As Empires fall and new empires evolve, new religions and ideologies appear. In order for people to adapt to a new belief system easier, there should be similarities between the previous and the new one. From early Egyptian times to early Christian times, several religious motives showed similarities. The Sun, one of the most used religious motives in art, was not an exception. One can see the Sun motivated in carvings, mosaics, and vases as a religious symbol throughout the ages. The reason for this is that even back then in Prehistoric times, people understood the power and necessity of the sun in order for them to survive: It brought them security, vision, and light, saving them from the cold, and dangerous darkness of the night. The usage of the Sun motive continued from Prehistoric times to Christianity times, including Greek mythology. In all three of these, the representative of the Sun was called the Sun God and people believed that these sacred representatives brought the Sun to the Earth and all of them were depicted somehow in the artworks of their ages.
Firstly, in Egyptian times (3000 BC), the Sun God was believed to be Horus. He was a personification of the Sun and he arranged the Sun’s movement in the sky. By looking at the ancient hieroglyphics from Egyptian times, we learn a lot from this god. It was believed that he fought against another god known as Seth, who was the God of darkness and night. In those times, to rationalize the sunrise and sunset, people believed that Horus was winning the fight against Seth in the mornings so the sun was rising, but in the evening, Seth was conquering Horus and locking him into the underworld, so the night is coming (Cartwright). In this carving in figure 1, which is from the Temple of Horus at Edfu, built in the Ptolemaic Period, Horus is depicted with the Sun on his crown. This carving shows a scene of Horus’ victory against Seth, bringing the sun and the light to the Earth. This will be my first artwork in my exhibition since I will go in chronological order.
In Greek times (700 BC), the Sun God was Helios. Again, he was believed to bring light and warmth to the Earth every day. “He was thought to ride a golden chariot which brought the Sun across the skies each day from the east (Ethiopia) to the west (Hesperides) while at night he did the return journey in leisurely fashion lounging in a golden cup” (Livingstone). As can be seen from figure 2, Horus was depicted with the Sun on his crown. This vase, created in the ancient Greek era, is now kept in the British Museum. After 1300 years, the fact that the Greeks used a very similar god to the Egyptians used shows the influence of the Egyptians over the Greeks. It is also proof that throughout the ages, even though there are slight changes, gods and goddesses were kept similar in introducing new belief systems since it is easier for people to accept what they used to believe. This will be the second artwork in the exhibition, in the second room.
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The similarity between these two objects is not limited to the Sun motive. Both of these Sun Gods connect to one of the most well-known monotheist religions, Christianity. Horus was born on the 25th of December, he was born a virgin, his birth was accompanied by the star in the East, his birth was adorned by three kings, was a teacher at the age of 12, was baptized, and began his ministry in the age of 30, he had 12 disciples who traveled with him to perform miracles such as healing the sick and walking on water and he was known as the “lamb of god” and “the light”. After being betrayed by Typhon, Horus was crucified, buried for three days, and after that, resurrected. Likewise, Helios was born of a virgin on the 25th of December, he performed miracles, and upon his death, he was resurrected. Without stating that these attributes are similar to Christianity, I will give this information in the third room of my exhibition. On the wall of the last room, I will paint the number 12, the date 25th of December, and the cross of the zodiac, as it was used in the Egyptian era (which will be explained in the next room).
In this next room, the first thing that visitors will see will be a cross inside a circle (Sun) that symbolizes Christianity. In prehistoric times, on top of observing the sun, people also observed the stars and created the cross of the zodiac, which reflects the Sun as it figuratively passes through the 12 major constellations over the course of a year. It also reflects the 12 months of the year, the four seasons, and the solstices and equinoxes. As can be seen in figure 3, in the middle of the cross of the zodiac, there is a cross and a Sun in the middle.
In astrological interpretation, this is where the cross in Christianity comes from and as can be seen in figure 4, this cross is used in Christian art in mosaics. On top of this, Helios’s and Horus’s life story was given in the previous room, and in this room, Jesus Christ’s life story will be given to prove the similarity: He was born of the Virgin Mary on December 25th in Bethlehem. His birth was announced by the star in the East. He was a child teacher at 12. Jesus has 12 disciples, coming from the 12 zodiac signs, which he traveled about performing miracles such as healing the sick and walking on water. He was known as “the light of the Earth” and “lamb of God”. After being betrayed by his disciple, he was crucified, placed in a tomb, and after three days, resurrected and ascended into heaven (Sanders, Pelican). This will be the last room in my museum. Observing the religions’ parallel beliefs and evolution through history on the motif of the Sun, this museum will prove belief systems to be man-made and built on top of each other.
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