Granite Head of Amenemhat III

Figure 1: Granite head of Amenemhat III. British Museum as depicted by Flynn (2019). 

The image of Amenemhat III works because it reflects the rulership of ancient Egypt coupled with demonstrating the ways of life of the people who lived in the time. I chose the image for its distinctive identity and uniqueness in anthropology and my interest in Egypt archeology. I also chose the image for the significance of what it represents. The image's appearance can help analyze the way of life for the Kings of the time, their family line, and how things have changed in Egypt over the years. The image falls into three anthropology categories of archeology, sociocultural and physical. It could give a glimpse of information on how the Egyptians lived in the ancient times of Amenemhat III between the years of 1880-1770 BCE during his reign (Hansen, 2019). The image shows the importance of Kingship to the ancient Egyptians and the value they placed on Pharaohs evident in the Statures of past kings erected in front of various temples in Egypt and currently in other countries outside Egypt. I am particularly interested in Amenemhat for their historical works in building fortresses during their time to protect the western and eastern frontiers coupled with the economic prosperity he delivered through his completion of a system that regulated the Lake Moeris water inflow into the southwest Al-Fayyum depression in Cairo. 

I see myself using more than one subfields of anthropology in the future, such as sociocultural, physical/biological, and applied anthropology. I see myself applying anthropology's three subfields in supporting firms and organizations that rely on cultures, society, and human behaviors for the products for services. Even though the relevance of these fields has not been fully felt in the present day society, I think in the next ten years, technology and design firms will rely on these subfields of anthropology for creating the next generation of products and services. The application of these subfields includes smartphones, hotel experiences, cars, packaged food, banking products, and computers (Connor, 2018). I envision myself applying anthropology through traveling around the world, interviewing people, and spending time with them to determine what they need, what they love, and products or services that could improve their lives and submitting the information to the technology companies for how they create their products and services. The bottom line is that I think I will apply anthropology in helping companies to understand the lives of potential customers, which determine how they design their products and services.  

The initial discussion on the first impressions of anthropology was on the human footprints in Saudi Arabia. I am surprised that both choices revolve around their focus on humans, considering that the first one was on footprints and this one is on the head. Even though my interest in anthropology is not entirely human, I coincidentally chose images related to humans or human parts. Both of them resonate with the study on the full scope of human diversity and understanding peoples' backgrounds, such as culture, holism, bio-cultural focus, and fieldwork. The initial work on footprints found at  https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/human-footprints-found-saudi-arabia-may-be-120000-years-old-180975874/  was on how the evidence implies the presence of humans in the region close to 115,000 years ago. The examination of 376 footprints both for humans, giant extinct elephants, ancestors of modern horses, and the buffalo was an indication of the human presence. The findings reveal routes followed by ancient humans as they made efforts pushing. However, unlike the first pone, the second image of the 12th Egyptian Pharaoh, Amenemhat III, mostly shows the kind of leadership the region had coupled with the value they placed on their leaders, the pharaohs. Furthermore, it helps reveal the physical appearance of the Egyptians at the time in comparison to the present-day physical features they possess that are identifying. Both of them, however, are striking of interest to me and worth considering in anthropology.  

References

Flynn, T. (2019). What Happens When You Share 3D Models Online (In 3D)?  3D/VR in the Academic Library: Emerging Practices and Trends , 73-86. 

Connor, S. (2018). Sculpture workshops: who, where, and for whom?  The Arts of Making in Ancient Egypt: Voices, Images, and Objects of Material Producers 2000–1550 bc , 11-30. 

Hansen, J. (2019).  The US Pivot to Asia-A Carte Blanche for Saudi Arabia? Webster University.