Relationships between humanity and the divine, or the sacred and the profane

Over the course of the term, we have discussed the ways that the humanistic works explore and represent the relationships between humanity and the divine, or the sacred and the profane. To this end, we have looked at artwork, architecture, music, and literature from different historical periods representing very different cultural beliefs and practices. You will recall that we looked at humanistic artifacts from Ancient Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, and Medieval and Renaissance Europe. For this project, I would like you to write a cross-cultural essay analysis of what these humanistic artifacts tell us about how the cultures that produced them conceived of the relationship between the human/worldly and the sacred/divine. I would like you to consider four of the six available time periods/civilizations that we studied. Then, drawing from the art, music, literature, and architecture that we discussed from these periods, discuss what these artifacts have to tell us about how the culture that produced them conceived of the relationship between the worldly and the divine. Your essay should: • Consider four of the six time periods/cultures that we discussed in class. • Consider at least seven artifacts (works of literature, pieces of art, etc.). You must address at least one artifact from each time period/culture that you choose. • Look like an academic essay. This includes an introduction with a thesis, specific support for your thesis in the body of your essay, and a conclusion. • Make specific reference to the cultural artifacts, and avoid generalities. For art and architecture, for example, point to specific components. For literature, quote/paraphrase/summarize. • Specifically explain how each artifact represents a relationship between the human and divine. Explain the nature of the relationship, and tell me how/why you interpret the artifact in the way you do. • Reflect on what the artifact tells you about what its producing culture believed the relationship of the human and divine to be. • Include MLA in-text and post-text citation for all references to literary texts. Remember, there is no need to do outside research for this assignment!