Egyptian sculptures also depict deities, kings (pharaohs), and celebrations of military victory. Like Mesopotamian sculptures, Egyptian sculptures are not lifelike but idealized representations. Images show immobile features and always use the frontal pose in all depictions. The Seated Scribe from his mastaba at Saqqara shows the immobile expression and frontal pose popular with Egyptian sculptures. It also shows us that the Egyptians had reverence for scholars and chronicling history. So, too, the painted limestone figure of the writer reveals that the Egyptian culture was fond of color and adornment. The skin of the writer is bronze (See Scribe URL). The body shows a more realistic portrayal of anatomy than the sculptures produced by Mesopotamian culture.

The Bearded Statue of Queen Hatshepsut demonstrates that Egyptian culture created elaborate and enormous sculptures which most often were used to decorate the palaces and burial tombs of high ranking officials and the pharaohs. The Bearded Statue of Queen Hatshepsut definitely demonstrates the tendencies in Egyptian sculptures to largesse, use of the frontal pose, and immobile facial expressions (See Queen URL). We see

Stele of the Code of Hammurabi. Available: http://www3.sympatico.ca/aal/private/hamurab.html, 2002.

Colossal Kouros from Sounion. Available: http://www.davidgill.co.uk/attica/nm2720_kouros.htm, 2002.

In the Middle Ages, the rise of Christianity influenced culture and artworks in many ways. Germany, France, and other countries produced artworks that told much about culture. The Gothic period saw much sculpture in connection with church architecture. Sculptural figures were also found on tombs, pulpits, and other church furnishings. In Germany, Gothic sculpture displays and emotional intensity and characteristic German expressionism as witnessed in the Sculpture of Saint Maurice at Magdeburg Cathedral in Eastern Germany. Religion and medieval passion are witnessed in the sculpture of the Saintly Knight, with the Feudal concept of kingship pervasive in the relationship between God, king, and knight. This sculpture shows the preoccupation with military exploits by the German culture of the Middle Ages, much as Roman and Greek sculptures depicted such historical events. The Statue of Saint Maurice even comes adorned with armor representative of the Middle Ages and worn by many a Germanic knight during battle. We can see from the severe and expressionistic like depiction of the knight that the times were dark and fraught with military conflict in comparison to some of the heavily adorned and lavishly detailed sculptures of Romans enjoying social activities and sophisticated preoccupations like oratory. Those living in the Middle Ages were not privy to such accommodations of lavish lifestyles nor did they enjoy anything remotely resembling the high cultivation of the arts in Roman and Greek cultures. As we can see from this depiction of Saint Maurice, the times were darker, more serious, and l