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Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology

 

 

Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology & the Ancient World
Brown University
Box 1837 / 60 George Street
Providence, RI 02912
Telephone: (401) 863-3188
Fax: (401) 863-9423
[email protected]

In its most basic definition, a monument is a “statue, building, or other structure erected to commemorate a famous or notable person or event” (Oxford English Dictionary). Of course it is important to note that those ordering the monument determine what person or event is in fact worthy of commemoration. Monuments can range in style from stone victory stelae to mausoleums or other funerary complexes to entire cities like Louis XIV’s Versailles. While these types of monument have a lasting physical presence palpable even today, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon are an example of a more ephemeral type of monument. Although the Hanging Gardens could really only hope to be seen within their own time (and indeed they have not lasted into the present day), they can still be called a monument, as their memory has certainly endured to remind us of Nebuchadnezzar II and the Babylonians, due to their fame as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. For further reading on monuments, see Oxford Art Online.

--Kirstin Purtich

A monument is created for some sort of commemoration and built specifically to be viewed by the public. According to Grove Art Online, due to political changes during the Hellenistic era, public monuments of the time period became more Eastern, in that they expressed glorification of the ruler over glorification of the state. These monuments became more elaborate than those of Classical Greece. Monuments were meant to teach the public about accepted values and celebrate those mores as demonstrated by a culture. In the case of the Khazneh, from the Nabataean city of Petra, the Hellensitic symbolism within the façade shows an acceptance of Hellenism, the then-dominant culture. This shows the tomb owner’s promotion of Hellenistic ideals and therefore an aspect of civilization in the Near East.

--Sarah Evelyn

Basic definitions of a monument nearly always define the object as a physically erected structure. However, a monument may also be a figurative commemoration to a person or an event. In fact, one must ask, does a monument have to maintain a physical presence for it to be noted or defined as such? If so, then the Hanging Gardens of Babylon would certainly not be considered a monument, as their historical presence is considered questionable at best, and no definitive physical remains have been found to conclusively identify the Gardens’ existence. Yet most historians and archaeologists include the Hanging Gardens in their lists of important monuments from the ancient world, acknowledging the lack of definitive archaeological remains. Therefore the definition of monument may be expanded to include figurative monuments, as well as those monumental structures whose physical presence no longer exists, for both still maintain the critical element of commemoration.

(Graciela Kincaid, November 28 2008, 12:20 pm.)

Simply, a monument refers to a constructed piece of architecture meant to remind a community of a meaningful aspect of history. It is in the eyes of the public to interpret this structure; for it can easily have more than one meaning or evoke different feelings depending on the viewer, their background, and their preconceived thoughts on the story behind the monument. The Arch of Titus at the eastern entrance to the Roman Forum, for example, reminded Romans of their success in the Jewish War in the first century A.D. while at the same time, the reliefs upon this passageway oppressed the Jewish population by reminding them of a time they were inferior and hopeless; a time when their sacred Temple was destroyed and looted by the Romans.

--(name removed at request of student)

The objective of a public monument is to remind viewers of an individual or event. In fact, the Egyptian word for monument is “men,” a word often found in dedicatory inscriptions of funerary monuments. Whether a fountain, mausoleum, pyramid, statue, or triumphal arch, monuments can have a very powerful visual impact and can often be used to reinforce the political/social power of the patron. --Jean Mendoza