AI – ‘Beliefs about a vital life force and energy were prominently symbolized in Ancient Art through specific icons, deities, and motifs, particularly in Egyptian and Chinese cultures. 

Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egyptian art prominently featured symbols representing the soul’s different aspects, life force, and the desire for eternal existence. 

• The Ankh (☥): The most famous symbol, known as the “key of life” or “key of the Nile,” the Ankh represented eternal life, immortality, and the life-sustaining elements of air and water.
  • Artistic Depiction: Deities like Osiris, Isis, and Anubis were frequently shown holding the Ankh, often to the lips of the deceased, to symbolize the transfer of divine energy and the bestowing of everlasting life. It was widely used in temple carvings, tomb paintings, and as protective amulets made of gold or faience. The shape itself is interpreted as the union of masculine and feminine principles or the sun rising over the horizon.
• The Ka: The Ka represented a person’s vital essence or life force, which left the body at death.
  • Artistic Depiction: It was often symbolized in art as a pair of upraised arms. Egyptians created “Ka statues” as vessels for this life force to inhabit after death, ensuring its survival and ability to receive nourishment through offerings in the tomb.
• The Lotus Flower: This motif symbolized creation, rebirth, and the cyclical nature of life because it closes at night and re-emerges from the water at dawn, much like the sun god Ra at creation. 

Ancient China

In ancient Chinese philosophy and art, the concept of a vital force called Qi (or Chi) was central, along with symbols of balance and longevity. 

• Qi (氣): While the character for Qi literally meant vapor or air, it was understood as the “vital energy” or life force that permeates all living entities.
  • Artistic Depiction: The concept itself was philosophical, but related ideas of energy flow and balance were integral to art forms like calligraphy and principles such as Yin and Yang. The interconnected light and dark halves of the Yin Yang symbol represent the harmony and balance of complementary forces essential to life’s flow.
• Longevity Symbols: Objects and creatures associated with long life and vitality were frequent art motifs:
  • The peach and the Lingzhi mushroom represented immortality.
  • The crane was a symbol of longevity and peace.
  • The pine and bamboo symbolized resilience and endurance of the life force. 

Other Ancient Cultures

• Ancient Greece/Rome: While not a single universal symbol like the Ankh, specific natural elements were used. The pomegranate symbolized life, rebirth, and fertility in Greek and Roman traditions. The Greek key or meander motif was used as a symbol of eternal life and infinity.
• Ancient Mesopotamia: The Tree of Life motif symbolized cosmic order, fertility, and eternal life. Protective hybrid figures like the human-headed bulls (lamassu) guarded entrances, representing strength and protection of the living space from malevolent spirits. 

Further Q. – ‘What ancient Egyptian scrolls were recently discovered below a pyramid?’

AI – ‘In May 2022, a significant 52-foot-long (16-meter) papyrus scroll containing texts from the Book of the Dead was discovered in a coffin at the Saqqara necropolis, near the Step Pyramid of Djoser. 

This was found in a burial shaft area often used for interments centuries after the pyramids were built. 

Key Details of the Discovery

• Name: The scroll has been named “Papyrus Waziry 1” after Mostafa Waziry, the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities who led the Egyptian excavation team.
• Contents: The papyrus contains 113 chapters from the Book of the Dead, a collection of ancient Egyptian spells and instructions intended to help the deceased navigate the afterlife.
• Owner: The scroll was personalized for a man named Ahmose, whose name appears approximately 260 times throughout the text.
• Dating: It dates to around 300 BCE, during the early Ptolemaic Period, a time when ancient Egyptian religious traditions were interacting with Greek influences.
• Condition and Display: The remarkably well-preserved manuscript, written in hieratic script (a cursive form of hieroglyphs), was unrolled and restored. It is now on display at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. 

While this is one of the most notable recent papyrus finds, no ancient Egyptian scrolls have been recently discovered in a secret vault directly beneath one of the major Giza pyramids. Archaeological discoveries in the Giza pyramids in recent years have focused more on the detection of hidden corridors and voids using advanced scanning technologies.’

See also – Ancient Scrolls Found in an Egyptian Burial Shaft Rewrite Everything We Know: Ancient Scrolls Found in an Egyptian Burial Shaft Rewrite Everything We Know

Further Q. – ‘What is the significance of Step Pyramid of Djoser?’

AI – ‘The Step Pyramid of Djoser is significant as the world’s first pyramid and monumental stone building, a revolutionary shift from earlier mastaba tombs, designed by the genius architect Imhotep as a stairway to heaven for the pharaoh’s soul. It established the pyramid as the quintessential royal tomb, transformed stone architecture in Egypt, and formed a vast funerary complex symbolizing royal power, the afterlife, and the king’s connection to the gods, influencing all subsequent pyramids. 

Architectural Revolution

• First Pyramid: It evolved from stacked mastabas (flat-topped tombs) into a six-tiered stepped structure, the first of its kind.
• First Stone Monument: It marked the first large-scale use of cut stone for a monumental building in Egypt, a massive technological leap.
• Innovative Design: Architect Imhotep created features like colonnades mimicking bundled reeds and intricate underground tunnels, setting new standards. 

Religious & Symbolic Importance

• Journey to Afterlife: The stepped design symbolized a stairway for the pharaoh’s soul (ka) to ascend to the heavens and join the gods.
• Eternal Resting Place: It provided an unprecedented, eternal tomb, reflecting deep beliefs in the afterlife and divine kingship.
• Symbol of Power: The vast complex, with its massive enclosure wall and ceremonial buildings, projected Djoser’s immense power. 

Cultural Legacy

• Blueprint for the Future: It became the prototype for later, smoother-sided pyramids (like those at Giza), establishing the iconic pyramid shape.
• Imhotep’s Genius: It cemented the legacy of Imhotep, the first named architect in history, who was later deified for his contributions.
• Complex Function: More than just a tomb, the surrounding complex included symbolic structures for rituals, like the Heb Sed festival, making it a complete city for the afterlife.’ 

AI – ‘In ancient art, the sacred and the mundane were often merged because the people of these cultures perceived the entire world, including everyday life, as imbued with a spiritual dimension. Unlike modern perspectives that often separate the sacred and secular, ancient societies integrated religious beliefs and daily activities into a unified worldview, which was reflected directly in their art. 

This integration was achieved in several key ways:

• Deities in Daily Life: Gods and spirits were considered ever-present and involved in human affairs, not detached from the physical world. Art depicted these deities actively participating in or observing scenes from daily life.
• The Afterlife as an Extension of Earthly Life: In ancient Egypt, for example, the conception of the afterlife was closely modelled on the experiences, needs, and desires of life on Earth. Consequently, tomb art featured elaborate scenes of the deceased enjoying everyday activities (farming, feasting, etc.) to ensure a pleasant existence in the afterlife, effectively merging the sacred space of the tomb with mundane aspirations.
• Incorporation of Real People and Settings: In ancient Greek and Roman art (and later the Renaissance), religious figures were often presented in a human way, using real people as models or setting biblical scenes in contemporary, recognizable landscapes to create a clear connection between the divine and the human world. Patrons even had themselves included in religious paintings, often in their daily attire (e.g., a military commander in his armour), to express their piety and merge their worldly status with a spiritual context.
• Mundane Objects Becoming Sacred: Everyday objects could gain sacred significance through their use in rituals or religious contexts. An object commissioned by God, like the bronze serpent (Nehashtan) in the Hebrew Bible, was a common object (a snake on a pole) that became a potent sacred symbol of healing.
• Architecture as a Transition Point: Architectural design itself could facilitate the merging. Ceremonial gateways in Asia, for instance, are designed to signify the crossing from the mundane world to a spiritually purer, elevated sacred area, making the physical transition a spiritual one as well.
• Syncretism in Iconography: The blending of gods from different cultures, such as the Roman god Mercury with the Egyptian Anubis to form Hermanubis, resulted in hybrid imagery that combined the attributes of both deities and their associated domains (guiding souls, investigating truth), merging disparate sacred beliefs into a single form.’

See – Lost Ancient Wisdom, the Breakaway Civilization & the Code to Reality | Randall Carlson: Lost Ancient Wisdom, the Breakaway Civilization & the Code to Reality | Randall Carlson – YouTube

Under English Law an unincorporated joint-venture may take the form of a contract, e.g. a Consortium Agreement.

Therefore, subject to overcoming any ‘legal obstacles’ to the ‘pledging’ and ‘lending’ of items in a Museum’s collection, that are:

(i) contained in a Museum’s Governing Statute/Trust Deed/Charter; and/or
(ii) which are attached to a ‘gift’ of an item to a Museum, i.e. as a legally enforceable ‘restriction’ on:

(a) ‘notional’ transfer by ‘Pledge’ (as security); and
(b) actual ‘physical transfer’ by ‘delivery into possession’, in furtherance of a ‘Loan’,

then it would appear that a group of Museums may enter into a framework Consortium Agreement, whereby they agree under the terms of that ‘Umbrella’, to enter into future ‘project-specific’ arrangements for the ‘reciprocal loan’ of artefacts in their respective collections, i.e. by subsequently entering into a series of bespoke ‘Loan Agreements.’

In the context of collaboration between Museums and Galleries, which includes state actors, this ‘Umbrella’ could be described as being a ‘Cultural
Collaboration Agreement.’

So, if as ‘consideration’ for entering into the contract (which in any event would be executed as a Deed), each party agreed to ‘anchor’ and notionally ‘capitalise’ the ‘Cultural Collaboration Agreement’, by pledging assets as reciprocal ‘security’, then would the transfer of these assets by subsequent ‘loan’ in furtherance of the ‘Umbrella Cultural Collaboration Agreement’ = ‘Deaccessioning?’

Note that Legal ownership of these ‘Anchor’/’Notional Capitalisation Assets’, would remain vested in the Trustees of each Museum, so e.g. if Museum 1 pledges an asset [‘Asset M.1’] as security to Museum 2, i.e. in return for Museum 2 reciprocally pledging an asset ‘[Asset M.2’] as security to M.1, then legal title to ‘Asset M.1’ will remain vested in M.1, even though M.2 may under the terms of a subsequent bespoke ‘Loan Agreement’ created under the ‘Umbrella Framework Cultural Collaboration Agreement’, have been granted an indefinite ‘Loan’ of ‘Asset M.1’, by M.1.

By drafting each ‘Pledge’ Deed with ‘creative ingenuity’, could delivery into possession for the purposes of capitalising the Pledge for Asset M.1, be contractually deferred, until the expiry of the date under the Loan Agreement for Asset M.2 for return of Asset M.2?

E.G. if Asset M.1 is loaned today by M.1 to M.2 for return on 22 July 2026, i.e.
under terms of the Loan Agreement for Asset M.1., and in parallel today a ‘Pledge Agreement’ is executed under Deed, governed by English Law, which provides for ‘crystallisation’ of the Pledge post delivery in furtherance of the ‘Loan Agreement’ e.g. on 1 August 2026, then technically, how can Asset M.1. have been permanently removed from M.1’s collection by transfer in furtherance of the Loan Agreement today?

What are your thoughts?

See: The True History of the Sphinx of Ancient Egypt – The True History of the Sphinx of Ancient Egypt

The unit of measurement “the meter” was known by the Egyptians of the Fourth Dynasty. The appearance of two Egyptian units of measurement, at par, within the measures of the main sarcophagi of Gizeh, demonstrates that they knew the meter, since the relationship between these two units of measurement always gives the value of both units of measurement in meters. See: (DOC) The “Mathematical Meter” of the 4 th Dynasty

‘By the fifth century BCE, the Greeks had firmly established that the earth was a sphere. Although they knew it was a sphere, they didn’t know how big the sphere was.

The philosopher Plato (400 BCE) declared the earth’s circumference to be 64,412 kilometers (40,000 miles). Some 150 years later, the mathematician Archimedes estimated it to be 48,309 kilometers (30,000 miles). It’s not known exactly how Plato or Archimedes arrived at their calculations, but Plato’s measurement was off by sixty percent and Archimedes’ by twenty percent. At least they were making progress.

Observations and calculations by two later Greeks, Eratosthenes and Posidonius, finally resulted in accurate estimates of the size of the earth.

In the third century BCE, Eratosthenes, a Greek librarian in Alexandria, Egypt, determined the earth’s circumference to be 40,250 to 45,900 kilometers (25,000 to 28,500 miles) by comparing the Sun’s relative position at two different locations on the earth’s surface. Because of differences in translations or interpretations of his records, and his own methodological errors, the exact figures are in dispute. Today, the earth’s circumference is usually accepted to be 40,096 kilometers (24,901 miles). If you take the lowest estimate attributed to Eratosthenes, his error was less than one percent—a phenomenal calculation.’ See: Determining the earth’s size

On Tuesday 11 November 2025 I presented a 70 minute Zoom webinar for members of the SCMA entitled – ‘Mediation of Cultural Heritage Disputes.’

Link to the YouTube video – https://lnkd.in/e8MmMyZV

There are also links to the video on the ‘How I can help’ page at www.carlislam.co.uk – scroll down to find, and at the top of www.artandcivilization.tv.

Alternatively, you can search in YouTube by using the words – ‘Carl Islam Mediation of Cultural Heritage Disputes.’

I am currently writing a new book entitled – ‘Mediation of Cultural Heritage
Disputes’, see the ‘Mediation of Cultural Heritage Disputes’ page at
www.carlislam.co.uk.

As I state in the introduction to my Talk – ‘The Participants’ Paradigms in
these disputes are shaped by multiple Dynamic Forces. Therefore, Cultural
Heritage Disputes are ‘Multi- Dimensional’. Because these disputes are
International – they are also ’Inter-Cultural.’

In the second half of the Talk, I discuss ‘Parameters in mediation’ as being
‘Dimensions of the dispute’, i.e. ‘Parameters’ = ‘Dimensions’.

I have identified seven Dimensions in Cultural Heritage Disputes, which I will
develop in the book.

These are:

·       ‘The Human Dimension.’
·       ‘The Existential Dimension.’
·       ‘The Object Dimension’.
·       ‘The Legal Dimension.’
·       ‘The Ethical Dimension’.
·       ‘The Political Dimension’.
·       ‘The Decision-Making Dimension.’

These Dimensions are all dynamic and inter-connected.

The dynamic interplay that takes place in Mediation between each of these Dimensions demonstrates that Mediation = ‘A World of Possibility!’

As I demonstrate in my concluding remarks by reference to Egypt’s claim for the return of the ‘Rosetta Stone’ – what it is possible to achieve in Mediation is only limited by the skills and imagination of the Mediator, Participants and their Mediation Advocates.

In 2024 I also gave a Talk that was broadcast on YouTube about ‘Mediation
Advocacy in Trust & Estate Disputes.’ There is a link to the video at the foot of
the ‘How I can help’ page at www.carlislam.co.uk.

May I also take this opportunity to wish all readers of my posts a Joyous Christmastime and a Happy and Peaceful New Year!