ANCIENT EGYPT

Egypt and the Nile• The Nile is one of the largest rivers in the

world

• The Nile runs from the blue mountains of Northern Ethiopia to the Mediterranean Sea

• It is divided into Upper and Lower Egypt

• Upper Egypt = Northern Ethiopia, The Sudan, and Sothern Egypt

• Lower Egypt = Northern Egypt• Every year the Nile floods and helps the

land surrounding it become fertile

• Because of this people began settling along the Nile thousands of years ago

• Egypt is home to one of the longest lasting civilizations and is an important part of developing the modern world

Egyptian Civilization

• By 5,000 BC Egypt had become a fully developed civilization- One of the very first on earth

• Because the Nile flooded every year- Egyptians were able to calculate yearly production of goods- thus creating a highly stratified society

■ In the social pyramid of ancient Egypt the pharaoh and those associated with divinity were at the top, and servants and slaves made up the bottom.

■ The Egyptians also elevated some human beings to gods. Their leaders, called pharaohs, were believed to be gods in human form.

■ They had absolute power over their subjects.

EARLY DYNASTIC PERIODS(CA. 2950 – 2575 BCE)

People, Boats, and Animals (detailed reconstruction)Artist Unknown (Hierakonpolis, Egypt, Predynastic, ca. 3500 – 3200 BCE)Paint on PlasterEntire painting 16’ 4” x 3’ 7 1/8”Egyptian Museum, Cairo, Egypthttp://www.lacourart.com/ArtHistorySurvey/03-egypt/01-predyn/00-predyn-early-dyn-01.html

Pre-Dynastic Art• During the Pre-Dynastic periods

Egyptians created works that closely resemble those created in Mesopotamia, Anatolia, and Persia

• One of the main forms of art found from the Pre-Dynastic eras is wall painting

• The wall paintings found in the tombs of Hierakonpolis depict funerary scenes

• People march in lines to give offerings to the dead

• They are surrounded by boats (which were important to carry the Egyptian dead to the after life)

• Style very similar with wall paintings found in Çatal Höyük

The Palette of King Narmer (left, back; right, front)Hierakonpolis, Egypt, Predynastic, ca. 3000 – 2920 BCE)

■ Egyptians prepared eye makeup on such tablets for protecting their eyes against irritation and the sun’s glare

■ The Palette is important not only for representation of a historical event but also serves a blueprint of the formula for figure representation that characterized Egyptian art for 3,000 years!

■ Narmer’s palette is the earliest existing labeled work of historical art• It contains some of the earliest hieroglyphic inscriptions ever found. • The tablet is thought by some to depict the unification of Upper and Lower

Egypt under the king Narmer. • On one side, the king is depicted with the bulbed White Crown of Upper

(southern) Egypt, and the other side depicts the king wearing the level Red Crown of Lower (northern) Egypt.

• Although the Unification took a long time the Palette shows it happening in one great event

King Narmer is shown slaying an enemy- becomes the standard pictorial formula signifying the inevitable triumph of the Egyptian god-kings.

Horus is the King’s protector. Represented as a falcon or a human with a falcon head. Horus served many functions, most notably being a god of the sky, war and hunting.

Harthor is sometimes referred to as his wife or his mother.

Two heads of Harthor, a goddess favored by Narmer, shown as a cow with a woman’s face

Back

The elongated necks of two felines form the circular depression that would have held eye makeup

Front

In the uppermost register, Narmer, wearing the red cobra crown of Lower Egypt, reviews the beheaded bodies of the enemy.

The dead are seen from above.

The artist depicted each body with its severed head neatly placed between its legs.

By virtue of his superior rank, the king, on both sides of the palette, performs his ritual task alone and towers over his own men and the enemy

The king’s superhuman strength is symbolized in the lowest band by a great bull knocking down a rebellious city whose fortress walls also are seen in an “aerial view”

Specific historical narrative is not the artist’s goal in this work.

What is important is the characterization of the king as a deified figure, isolated from and larger than all ordinary men and solely responsible for the triumph over the enemy.

Here, at the very beginning of Egyptian history, is evidence of the Egyptian convention of thought, of art, and of state policy that established kings as divine and proclaimed that their prestige was ones with the prestige of the gods.

IconographyThe figure of Narmer on both sides reveals the

stereotype of kingly transcendence that, with several slight variations, was repeated, with few exceptions, in subsequent representation of all Egyptian rulers.

The artist’s portrayal of the king combined profile

views of his head, legs, and arms with front views of his eye and torso.

Although the human figure’s proportions changed, the method of representation became a standard for all later Egyptian art.

The Palette established the basic laws that governed art along the Nile for thousands of years!

Mastaba: (meaning "house for eternity. is a type of ancient Egyptian tomb in the form of a flat-roofed, rectangular structure with inward sloping sides, constructed out of mud-bricks (from the Nile River) or stone.

The Step Pyramid of DjoserImhotep (Saqqara, Egypt, Third Dynasty, ca. 2630 – 2611 BCE)Mud BrickNew burial practices

• Considered to be the first true pyramid• Created for the Pharaoh Djoser in the

Third Dynasty• Djoser was looking for something

different• Imhotep

• The worlds first true architect• He applies architecture, engineering,

and aesthetics to create monumental buildings

• The pyramid he came up with seems to be a series of Mastabas (of differing sizes) placed on top of one another

• The sides are placed along important cardinal points are were important in maintaining the religious purposes of the burial complex

Changing from Mastabas to Pyramids

• Mastabas were used as burial sites in Egypt before pyramid building became popular

• In their construction and style Mastabas are more closely related to the Mesopotamian Ziggarut than to the Pyramids we are used to

• Egyptian builders first created pyramids by adding Mastabas on to of Mastabas

• They created stepped structures which were taller than the normal Mastabas, but were weaker in construction than pyramids

• This system was later refined and developed by architects like Imhotep

Hieroglyphs• The most known form of ancient writing system• Developed over time• Each dynastic period developed hieroglyphics in

their own style, therefore over the 3000 year history of ancient Egypt many forms of hieroglyphics were used

• Both phonetic and symbolic• There were symbols that were only associated

with the sounds it takes to make words• There were symbols that were only associated

with whole words or phrases• These two forms were mixed together to make a

highly complicated writing system that was used for everything from religion, to politics, economics, and even daily life

THE OLD KINGDOM(CA. 2575 – 2150 BCE)

The Great PyramidGizeh, Egypt, Fourth Dynasty

The Great Pyramids of Giza• Considered the greatest of all ancient

Egyptian constructions

• There are three main pyramids + smaller ones created for royal family members

• They were created over 75 years

• Created for the Pharaohs Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure

• Although we see this as the final stage of the evolution of the Mastaba, there are other things which can describe the use of the Pyramid

• At the time the Pharaohs worshiped Ra (the sun god) and one of his main symbols what that of a pyramid

• Many Egyptologists believe that the choice of a pyramid shape was to connect the Pharaoh with Ra

• Great Pyramids are burial chambers• Inside lies the burial chambers of the

Pharaoh, and his main wife• These chambers were placed at specific

spaces inside the pyramid in order to have them line up with cardinal points

• These points allowed the dead to enter in and out of the pyramid

• The pyramid was viewed as the home of the dead persons soul and a place for him to meet with the gods

• The shafts created inside the pyramid are believed to be used by the soul as a kind of door to the heavens

• They were also used for engineering purposes in order to keep air flowing into the main chambers while they were being constructed, as well as a place to bring in the Pharaohs coffin

Inside the Great Pyramid

Pyramid complexes• Along with the pyramids themselves

the whole area creates a pyramid complex

• These complexes included:

• Main Pyramids• Smaller Pyramids• Procession Ways• Temples• Statues• Gardens

• The complexes are basically mini cities and often are referred to as the cities of the dead

The Great PyramidGizeh, Egypt, Fourth Dynasty

The Great SphinxEgypt, Gizeh, (ca. 2520 – 2495 BCE)Sandstone65’ x 240’The Gizeh Plateau

The Shpinx• Is located in the pyramid complex of

Gizeh

• Connects to the pyramid of Khafre

• It is the largest statue in the ancient near east

• Believed to be the head of the pharaoh Khafre attached to the body of a lion

• This type of imagery is connected to the sun god so it makes sense that it was built at the entry way to the causeway leading to the great pyramid of Khafre

• Connects the idea of human intelligence with the strength of a lion

Sculpture ■ Statues to serve for eternity■ Sculptors created images of the deceased to serve as abodes for the ka

should the mummies be destroyed. (insuring immortality) ■ Ka- a spiritual entity, an aspect of the individual, believed to live within

the body during life and to survive it after death ■ For this reason, an interest in portrait sculpture developed early in Egypt■ Permanence of style and material was essential ■ Their primary material was stone

– Most commonly diorite, an exceptionally hard dark stone brought 700 miles down from the Nile from royal quarries in the south.

Statue of KhafreEgypt, Giza, Fourth Dynasty (2520 – 2494 BC)1.68 meters

Early Royal Statues• The beginning of creating life like 3 dimensional sculptures• This early statue shows the beginning of specific stylization

techniques• The head and upper body of the statue were copied by later

pharaohs who wanted to mimic the style of Khafre• The seated positions shows that sculptors were not

comfortable with creating statues that were free standing• This is similar to the types of statues that were found in

Mesopotamia and Persia• The seated king is permeated with serenity, reflecting the

enduring power of the pharaoh and of kingship in general. • Few breakable parts* lasting for eternity

Stylized lions

Intertwined lotus and papyrus plants- symbol of the united Egypt

Falcon-god Hortus, extends his protective wings to shelter Khafre’s head (indicating divine status)

Royal False Beard

As befitting a divinity, Khafre is shown with a well- developed, flawless body and a perfect face.

The Egyptians considered ideal proportions appropriate for representing imposing majesty, and artists used them quiet independently of reality.

The pose is frontal, rigid and bilaterally symmetrical.

The sculptor suppressed all movement and with it the notion of time.

Statue of Menkaure and a QueenEgypt, Giza, Fourth Dynasty (2490 – 2472 BC)

Couple Statuary• During the Old Kingdom statues of couples became very

popular• These statues are often of Pharaohs and their wives or of

princes and princesses

• This style of sculpture is very unique to ancient Egypt• The statues remain wedded to the stone back from which

they are carved• They stand in a very typical stance with the left leg coming

forward as if they were in motion- rigidly frontal • She stands with her arm wrapped around his back and

touching his left arm- indicates marriage • The body form of the pharaoh is strong, young, and muscular• The body form of the queen is soft and supple • No sign of affection or emotion and look not at each other

but out into our space.

Seated ScribeEgypt, Saqqara, Fifth Dynasty (2450 – 2325 BC)

The Use of Hyper-Realism• At the same time that statues of

pharaohs like Khafre and Menkaure were being created some Egyptian artists were becoming interested in Hyper-Realism

• Hyper-Realism is the use of realistic features in order to create depictions of people that actually look time the people being depicted

• This sculpture was found in the tomb of an important scribe named Kai, and believed to be Kai himself

Wall Paintings ■ In Egyptian tombs, the deceased were not

represented exclusively in freestanding statuary.

■ Artists also depicted many individuals in relief sculpture and in mural painting, and sometimes in a narrative context.

■ These activities represented the fundamental human concern with nature and were associated with the provisioning of the ka in the hereafter.

■ But they also had powerful symbolic overtones.

■ In ancient Egypt, success in the hunt, for example, was a metaphor for the triumph over the forces of evil.

Goats treading seed and cattle fording a canal, reliefs in the

mastaba of Ti, 2450-2350 BC

■ The basic conventions of Egyptian figure representation used half a millennium earlier in the Palette of King Narmer are seen here again!

■ Egyptian artists regularly ignored the endless variations in body types of real human beings.

■ Painters and sculptors did not sketch their subjects from life but applied a strict canon, or system of proportions to the human figure.

Ti Watching a Hippopotamus HuntEgypt, Saqqara, Fifth Dynasty, (2450 – 2325 BC)Painted limestone reliefTomb of Ti, Saqqara, EgyptScenes for the Afterlife• Some of the first depictions of the afterlife that are

found in the Old Kingdom are found in the tomb of Ti• Ti was a wealthy government official from the Fifth

Dynasty• The wall etchings found in his Mastaba depict many

scenes but the most spectacular is that of him watching a hippopotamus hunt

• These scenes depicted the daily life of the royals and were meant to keep them entertained in the afterlife

• Hippopotamus hunting was a normal part of royal life

• We know that Egyptians used a grid system

• Recording numerous details

• The figure 19 squares tall. Etc

• Then they applied the same grid to different parts of Egypt

• Egyptian society didn’t want the images to change

• Shared obsession with consistency and order

• The same orders the civilization had been founded on.

• We can now begin to see it in everything they did.

THE MIDDLE KINGDOM(1975 – 1640 BC)*

■ During the Middle King, the Egyptians continued to build pyramids but on a much smaller scale than in the Old Kingdom

■ Because it became apparent that size was no defense against tomb robbers, builders next attempted to thwart thieves with intricate and ingenious interior layouts.

■ Entrances were hidden and screened from the secret tomb chamber by various types of sliding doors and by a series of passages that turned and doubled back on themselves at various levels like labyrinths.

■ What the pyramids lost in size and mass during the Middle Kingdom , however, was partly gained back by the increased size of the sarcophagi (literally “flesh eaters”) inside the tombs that contained the mummified remains of the dead.

■ These granite coffins were extremely large and heavy.

■ Designed like small tomb chambers and weighting up to 150 tons they were intended to foil potential robbers by their very bulk and mass.

Beni Hasan12th Dynasty 1950 – 1900 BCE• During the middle kingdom tombs began

moving away from the pyramid forms found in the old kingdom in to rock cut tombs

• Architects and engineers used the natural form of the mountains to carve the overall structures

• By moving the tombs of the pharaohs into the mountains the royal families were trying to protect the dead, and their possessions, from grave robbers

• The fluted columns they used in the entry way were obviously an influence to the Greeks

• Hollowed out of the cliffs, these tombs often were fronted by a shallow columnar vestibule (porch), which led into a columned hall and then into a sacred chamber.

Artists decorated the tomb walls with paintings and painted reliefs, as in former times, and the subjects were much the same

THE NEW KINGDOM(1539 – 1075 BC)

Hatshepsut KneelingEgypt, Deir el-Bahri (1473 – 1458 BC)

The Woman Who Would be King• Hatshepsut was the wife of Thutmose II

• After he died, there was a problem because Hatshepsut had not given birth to any sons

• Because of this, and in order to keep control over the empire, Hatshepsut decided to transform herself from a woman to a man in order to become king

• She was a ruthless leader who used art and propaganda to show the legitimacy of her reign

• There are over 200 sculptures that have been found of Queen Hatshepsut

• These statues are often very large and depict Hatshepsut wearing the ceremonial crown of the Pharaohs

Hatshepsut holds a globular of fering jar in each hand as she takes part in a ritual in honor of the sun god. (A king kneeled only before a god, never a mortal).

She wears the royal male nemes headdress and the pharaoh’s ceremonial beard.

The figure is also anatomically male, although other surviving portraits of Hatshepsut represent her with a woman’s breasts.

The male imagery is however, consistent with the queen’s formal assumption of the title of king and with the many inscriptions that address her a man.

Funerary Temple of HatshepsutEgypt, Deir el-Bahri, (ca. 1473 – 1458 BCE)

The Burial Complex of Hatshepsut• The burial complex of Hatshepsut is one of

the most interesting in all of Egypt

• The burial complex is believed to have been designed by Senmut

• Senmut was not an architect but managed to make a monumental complex that used the natural landscape as a building tool

• The complex takes after the history of building rock cut tombs

• The main part of the burial complex is built into the rock, and is preceded by a large temple complex where priests would worship the life of Hatshepsut and the gods

• The temple would have been surrounded by lush gardens and would have been a very different world than the cities that surrounded it

Temple of Ramses II Abu Simbel, Nineteenth Dynasty, (1279 – 1213 BC)65 feet high.

• Construction was ordered by Ramses II

• Ramses II was one of the greatest pharaohs of Ancient Egypt

• Ramses II ordered the construction of his temple Abu-Simbel in order to commemorate his victories over the Nubian peoples

• The pharaoh, proud of his many campaigns to restore the empire, proclaimed his greatness by placing four colossal images of himself on the temple’s façade.

• Larger than any other sculptures they lack the refinement of earlier works. Due to colossal size.

Interior Giant 32 figures of the king, carved as one with the pillars, face each other across the narrow corridor.The pillars, carved from the cliff like the pharaoh's façade portraits, have no load-bearing function. The statue-column, in its male (atlantad) and female (caryatid) variants reappears throughout the history of art.

Colossal Figure of Akhenaten1353-1335 BC Temple of Amen-Re,

Karnak• Gained power in 1353 BCE after a revolution• He was originally called Amenhotep IV but later changed his name to

Akhenaten• He did this because he chose to abandon traditional Egyptian

polytheism and introducing worship centered on the Aten, the sun god (Ra)

• Akhenaten disrupted the political and religious system of the time• Because of this he was not favored by the ruling classes in Egypt, but

was very popular with the common peoples• During his brief rule profound changes occurred in Egyptian art. • Effeminate body, with its curving contours, and the long full-lipped

face, heavy-lidded eyes, and dreaming expression are a far cry from the heroically proportioned figures of Akhenaton’s predecessors.

• His body is curiously misshapen, with weak arms, a narrow waist, protruding belly, wide hips, and fatty thighs.

• Some art historians think that Akhenaten’s portrait is a deliberate artistic reaction against the established style, paralleling the suppression of traditional religion.

Akhenaten and His FamilyEgypt, Tell el-Amarna (1353 – 1336 BC)The Power of Ra

• Akhenaten and his wife Nefertiti set up a new home in a city they created called Amarna

• They viewed this city as their new capital and the main place to worship the sun god Ra

• As a worshiper of Ra Akhenaten and his family are often depicted with images of the sun

• The sun gods arms always stretch down in the rays of the sun to protect not only the pharaoh but also is family and the people he reign over

• This love of the sun god is eventually what lead to the down fall of Akhenaten

• Many people believe he was killed by other royal families who did not like the power that he gave to the new priests of Ra, or to his wife Nefertiti

Pharaoh Amenhotep IV not only changed his name from Amenhotep to Akhenaten, and the religion of ancient Egypt from polytheistic to monotheistic, but he also challenged the norm of Egyptian society by depicting his reign in a vastly different way from the rulers who came before him. 

Previous to Akhenaten's rise to the throne, Egyptian art was stagnant, focused heavily on permanence both of the object and of the subject (most pertinently, the pharaoh) itself.

■ When Akhenaten became the Egyptian pharaoh in 1353 BCE, he took it upon himself to change the standards of art and culture. 

■ This was intended to aid in the solidification of the singular god Aten, as well as to separate the reign of Akhenaten from his predecessors. 

■ What Akhenaten chose, however, for the artistic community was drastically different from what had once been.

■   Naturalistic physical features, familial affection, and the singular god Aten replaced the unrealistic human proportions, rigidity, and god-given leadership images of the past. 

■ Before Akhenaten's time, the pharaoh in particular was routinely depicted with wide, broad shoulders, a strong body, and an emotionless, ageless face.  Always the standard royal headdress and false beard were depicted, and the posture appeared to be rigid and immovable—as though the pharaoh himself was immovable from the throne.

■ his imperfections were highlighted rather than hidden—as noted in his overly long forehead and pudgy belly.

■ There are rumors that Akhenaten was a very sickly man and thus his elongated skull and rounded belly may be attributed to illness.

■ These details included in the art introduced a new sense of realism that had not been present in the past.

■ Images of Akhenaten did not exude the strength of rulers past, making it all too easy to differentiate his images from those of his predecessors.

Unknown. Akhenaten, 18th Dynasty. 1353-1335 BC. From the temple of Aton, Karnak, Egypt, Sandstone.

The portrayal of his body was feminine in nature, making it so that he looked quite androgynous—both masculine and feminine. His torso became slim with hips seemingly wide enough for birthing, and his neck, face, and fingers were elongated.

The body of Akhenaten is further altered as his posture is much more fluid than had previously been seen in Egyptian art.

His artists attempted to focus on creating a more genuine vision of the pharaoh, breaking away from the traditional stationary depictions to show movement and emotion

NefertitTell el-Amarna, (1353 – 1336BC)

Gender Roles in Ancient Egypt

• Nefertiti was one of the most important women in Ancient Egyptian history- wife of Akhenaten

• Much like Hatshepsut, Nefertiti was a strong woman who took power (for her son) after the death of her husband.

• The art which we have that is related to Nefertiti is related to that of Akhenaten

• The statues that exist of her how less stylized features and focuses more on the actual style and look of Nefertiti

• Many of the remaining artifacts depicting Nefertiti are damaged

• This is due to the revolution that was healed after the death of her husband Akhenaten. The people wanted to remove traces of their reign, and their worship of Ra

Temple of Karnak• Temples were built at Karnak for over 1,500

years

• Covers around 60 acres

• This temple complex was dedicated to the god Amun

• There is a main (or inner temple) that is surrounded by smaller temples, procession ways, and housing for the priests and priestesses

• Statues of the gods would be placed in the inner temple along with all the things they would need to live their life

• Every morning the priests and priestesses would wash the gods and change their clothes

• Gods and goddesses were seen as living beings and needed to be treated with respect

Entryway to the Temple of KarnakKarnak, EgyptLimestone

Monumental Statues• Monumental Statues are found throughout

the temple of Karnak

• Lines of monumental sculpture line the entry ways to the temple complex

• These statues are depictions of the Pharaohs and their families

• Pharaohs that gave orders to construct different parts of the temple would have monumental statues made of themselves and placed outside the wall of the temple to impress anyone who was visiting the complex

• Some of the most well knows sculptures at Karnak are those of Ramses II and his wife

• They are the largest, that most detailed, and considered to be the most beautiful

Procession Ways• Along the main procession ways

into Karnak monumental sculptures were constructed

• These sculptures are often of ram-headed sphinxes

• It is believed that they were meant to protect the home of the gods

• Much as you would if your were to get a large dog to protect your house

• These procession ways are very long, very wide, and often contain dozens of statues

Lotus Columns• One of the main architectural details

found from throughout Egypt are capitals

• One of the main forms of capitals mimics the design of a lotus flower

• Lotus flowers were an important part of Egyptian religious practices

• They were believed to be life giving, because the bloom from water and were associated with the flooding that gave food to the people who lived along the Nile

• There are different forms of the Lotus Capital

• They changed as architectural techniques changed, but their overall use and meaning did not change for almost 2000 years

Inner Coffin of Tutankhamun’s SarcophagusTomb of Tutankhamun, Valley of the Kings, Eighteenth Dynasty, (ca. 1332 – 1322 BCE)

King Tutankhamun• Tutankhamun was the son of Akhenaten• He is known as the boy king, because he gained power

from his step mother Nefertiti at a young age, but died at only the age of 18 ruling for about a decade.

• What intrigues people about the tomb of Tutankhamun is the amount of decorated items that were placed within his tomb

• There are large amounts of gold, shell, precious stones, sculptures, furniture and jewelry.

• The principle monument is the body of the pharaoh himself.

• The royal mummy reposed in the innermost of three coffins.

• The innermost coffin was the most luxurious of the three.• Made of beaten god (1/4ton!) and inlaid with such

semiprecious stones as lapis lazuli, turquoise, and carnelian, it is a supreme monument to the sculptor’s and goldsmith's crafts.

• 1.85 meter long, 243 pounds

The Death MaskCovered the king’s face, is

also made of gold with inlaid semiprecious stones

It is a sensitive portrayal of the serene adolescent king dressed in his official regalia, including the nemes headdress and false beard

The general effects of the mask and of the tomb treasures as a whole are a grandeur and richness expressive of Egyptian power, pride, and affluence. Thebes, Egypt, Dynasty XVIII, 1323BC. 1’9 1/4 “ high.

The Egyptian Book of the Dead• An important document in

understanding the religious beliefs of the ancient Egyptians

• Shows the process of going to the heavens or going to the underworld

• This shows the judgment of the dead by Osiris

• If the feather and the heart weighed the same than the person would go to the heavens and live with the gods

• If the heart is heaver than the feather than the person will be sent to the underworld

Judgment of Hunefer Before Osiris (Illustration from the Book of the Dead)Egypt, Nineteenth Dynasty, (1285 BC)Painted Papyrus

Osiris: god of the dead and king of the underworld, as well as giver of eternal life.

Anubis: jackal-headed god of embalming, leads Hu-Nefer into the hall of judgment. Adjusts the scales to weight the man’s heart against the feather of the goddess Maat (protectress of truth and right)

Ammit: ½ hippopotamus and half lion, the devourer of the sinful, awaits the decision of the scales.

Horus

Rosetta StoneEgypt, (196 BC)

• granodiorite stele, found in 1799, inscribed with three versions of a decree issued at Memphis, Egypt, in 196 BC on behalf of King Ptolemy V.

• The top and middle texts are in Ancient Egyptian using hieroglyphic script and Demotic script, respectively, while the bottom is in Ancient Greek.

• the Rosetta Stone proved to be the key to the decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphs

• The discovery of this stone allowed academics to finally decipher the hieroglyphics written on the top

• Through the deciphering the content of this one stone, Egyptologists could then understand writings found throughout Egypt

Musicians and DancersTomb of Nebamun, Thebes1400 – 1350 BC

Court Life• From the tomb of Nebamun we have

some o the best examples of Royal Court life

• These examples come from wall paintings, and include events such as musical and dance performances, and hunting

• From these paintings we can see not only the actions of the royals, but also how they viewed themselves

• We gained an understanding of dress, hairstyles, actions, and status

• These insights are important so that Egyptologists can differentiate between depictions of royals and depictions of commoners

Canopic jar with a lid in the shape of a royal woman's head

New Kingdom, Amarna Period, Dynasty 18, (ca. 1352–1336 B.C.E)

Travertine (Egyptian alabaster), blue glass, obsidian, unidentified stone

Canopic Jars• Many artifacts which have been found

from the New Kingdom relate to the Egyptian practice of Mummification

• Canopic Jars were very important to mummification

• They were used to store the internal organs of the deceased person

• When people were mummified they needed to have their internal organs (stomach, lungs, etc..) removed because of their moisture content

• These items were placed in ceremonial jars which were buried around the mummy

• These jars are usually highly detailed, and often relate to religious beliefs surrounding the organs and their purposes

Life of Non Royals• Royals were not the only people who

Egyptians felt could have art created

• Art was a common part of every day life

• People often had small sculptures created representing their families, or the deceased

• This was for the same purpose that you would take a photograph

• In the statue to the right you can see a husband and wife with their son

• What is most noticeable is that the body forms are exactly that as what we find with royals

• Forward (contropossto) leg, Height of the man and the woman, Man and woman holding hands

• The same as the statue of Prince Rahotep and his Wife Nofret

Statue of two men and a boy that served as a domestic iconNew Kingdom, Amarna Period, Dynasty 18 (ca. 1353–

1336 B.C.E)

LATE EGYPTIAN PERIODS715 – 332 BC

Temple of HorusEdfu, Egypt(237 – 47 BC)• Is a great example of Egyptian use of visual

propaganda to help keep control over the population

• At the time the engravings were made of the main wall of the Temple of Horus, the rulers of the Ptolemaic Dynasties were trying to maintain control

• The Ptolemaic rulers were part Egyptian and part Greek (from the line of rulers who came in with Alexander the Great)

• The Ptolemaic rulers depicted themselves as gods on the side of the Temple of Horus to show their connection to the Egyptian people and to distance themselves from their Greek predecessors

• This type of propaganda was not used in Egypt again, as the people who conquered Lower Egypt (the Romans) did not see the need to connect themselves to the propaganda systems of the past

The Influence of Greek Art• During the Ptolemaic Dynasties there was a

mixture of Egyptian and Greek art• The rulers of the country were descendent

from Greeks like Alexander the Great and wanted in many ways to maintain the Greek traditions of art

• They often chose to show the Greek side of their heritage with their depiction of people

• Greek depictions of people, found in Egypt, are more detailed than their Egyptian forms and are often closer in appearance to what people actually look like

• These forms were not only used for cultural purposes but also for political purposes

• The Greeks wanted to show their superiority through their art

■ The End of Mummification• Once the Greeks, and later the Romans, took control

of Egypt ancient traditions began disappearing• Ancient Egyptian traditions, such as Mummification,

were seen as old fashioned by the Greeks and Romans• As Egyptian families began interbreeding with Greek

and Roman families, these practices were seen less and less

• Even the mummies that have been discovered from this time period are very Greek and Roman in style

• As the process is developed and changed more detail is added to the preparation of the mummies, as well and the decoration of the outer wrapping

Mummy Wrapping of a Young BoyHawara, Egypt, Roman Period (ca. 100 -120 BCE)Linen Wrappings with gilded stucco buttons and inserted portrait in encaustic on woodheight of mummy 133 cm, portrait 24 x 16.5 cm