The Head room as they called it in production had spiritual overtones

Whether it was in the script or not, the Big Head Room certainly gives me the impression that it is cathedral-like. Fifield, too, wonders out loud if the Big Head is some kind of a God; something the Engineers worshipped. Maybe, like mathematics, some concepts are universal, religion being one of them. What I find intriguing is that the Engineers are clearly hyper-intelligent, yet they apparently have religion. Many people now are dismissive of religion, since it is an 'enemy of reason'. But even someone like Richard Dawkins would change his way of thinking if he were to be presented with the kind of evidence that the Engineers apparently have. God [no pun intended], I really need to know where the Engineers and black goo come from.

great post. agreed...very spiritual overtones in the design of the "headroom" (and in engineer culture in general). As a viewer, the "headroom" has provided me with so much to chew on (multiple and varying pieces of art, ampules, the green mineral etc.) Very interesting room. +1 to both of the above posts. (@zzplural) im with you concerning your last sentence. I need a sequel...stat. Such a fun and interesting film.

It was interesting to see what each of our charactors investigated once they entered the Big Head room. Shaw/Ford attended to the obvious decapitated head..the one the holograms depicted. Holloway went to the Mural/Green stone area. I am sure he noticed the big Head,,but he investigated the mural and Green stone table. David looked over the big head but turned his attention to the sweating urns,,and in fact smuggled one on board the Prometherus. In reading the notes on this thread it is kind of curious that no one took the Big HAead as the object to investigate, the one huge item in the room and then one item that it seems to me was the very reason for the room. Look at it this way. If you didn't know anything about anything,,you enter the Big Head room the Statue would command the most interest to me because of it's placement,,it's size and it's image of a Head only of something that must have been important to the Engineers. It is also of interest that if the Big Head represents something tremendously important to the Engineers' way of life,there is no reference to it at any other location in the pyramid. In fact i kinda expected , like Shaw wore her Dad's cross, the Last Engineewr to be wearing or having some small idol or trinket to help his spititual side of life on his person as he emerged from the sleep pod.

[i]"If you didn't know anything about anything,,you enter the Big Head room the Statue would command the most interest to me because of it's placement"[/i] Maybe, but they were completely swamped with information when they got into that room, with little time to do any investigation before they were commanded to leave. It's the first thing that David comments on, as being "remarkably human", however. Holloway, as ever, is far more interested in finding something alive. And Shaw, with her bent for biological matters, unsurprisingly makes a bee line for the severed head. As for myself, it's the murals that would have grabbed my attention the most. A picture paints a thousand words, and all that. Especially an alien picture.

Thanks for the perspective. There were indeed a lot of info coming at the crew and audience not discounting the fact the holograms showed another culture. Fot me the mural would sort of be the last I would look at,,,but in the long run the depictions that Holloway saw and Shaw's ceiling observation may be the most significant. The cave exploring that Shaw did caused her to look up and shine a light check out the ceiling.

I agree with you all on the Ampule Room being a reverent-looking place. @zzplural - I agree the murals tell a lot to the crew. I tried desperately to get a good view of the murals during the movie, but they panned away from them too fast for a proper look. I am thankful we can observe them closer on this site. Being able to see them in better light, & having time to look at them closer, with no time limit is great! The murals are very impressive & captivating! @nostromo001 - The big head is such a great idea. We still do not know what it is? I love this movie!

@zz: yup. it would be (and is) all about the murals/bas relief for me too. Interesting stuff. I am particularly drawn to the potential implications of the mural depicting the traditional alien hand and the traditional alien egg. very cool that this stuff was tucked into the film the way that it was.

Well having read Lindeloffs and Spaights Drafts and there connections with the Sacrificial Scene and the Room. The Frescos seem to depict that from the Engineers own Body a Xeno type Organism was created and from this Organism the Eggs came after. The Head seems to show and depict the Engineer Race and that the Urns contained something they created that can create and manipulate all life. The Xeno Mural seems to show that the Xeno or Xeno Progenitor was sacrificed to create the end Goal of their Agenda.