Egyptian+Art


 * 3150-1000 BCE**

[[image:hg_d_oking_d2map.jpg width="192" height="233" align="left"]]Egyptian Art is divided into Old Kingdom and New Kingdom: This division is based on the

 * ===This division of time is based on the dynastic ruling classes of Egypt with the Pharaoh seen as a king whose power was absolute (final, not to be argued with). ===
 * ===This pharaoh was seen as being the earthly manifestation of Horus, the deity of the sky (god). ===
 * ===The king was also said to be the "Son of Ra" (the creator sun god) creating a direct link between the royal family and this god, making the royal family sacred ===
 * ===Hierarchy went from Eternal gods to pharaohs to priests to common people. ===

This link gives a nice illustrated overview of the timeline of Egypt's various periods and artworks within those periods. Note the overlap of the Neolithic period with the pre-dynastic period. Click on the images of artworks at the top to view a slideshow of the entire span of Egyptian art. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/?period=02&region=afe#thumbnails

Egyptian Art In General:

 * very flat 2-dimensional, limited overlapping shapes to show space
 * view is often confusing
 * front facing eye on side facing figure
 * use of hieroglyphs to tell stories, preserved their heritage
 * form of picture writing
 * many artworks are used to commemorate the dead and the royal
 * sophisticated baskets, pottery, paper (papyrus)


 * ==c. 3150-3125 BCE, form of relief sculpture==
 * ==Conveys victory of Upper Egypt over Lower Egypt==
 * ==Narmer is portrayed as god Horus, symbolic representation of falcon==
 * ==We know this is a sacred act because he wears no shoes==
 * ==Less important people are smaller, more important bigger==

=Cult of the Dead=
 * ====motivated by life after death (doorway to afterlife)====
 * ====creation of the tomb is a shadowy replica of their surroundings and life====
 * ====created for the “ka” or spirit to enjoy in the afterlife====
 * ====Mummies were created through embalming techniques around 3000 BCE====
 * ====They believed the mummified body was a place for the ka to reside in the after life====
 * ====If the body was stolen or destroyed then a statue would serve the same purpose====
 * ====Even the lowliest servants would make sure the tomb of the pharaoh would sustain him because they believed that if the pharaoh survived into the afterlife so would they====
 * ====slaves were walled up and put into the tombs with the pharaoh to serve him in the afterlife====

Scenes from the 1932 Mummy movie starring Boris Karloff as Imhotep, architect of the step pyramids of King Djoser at Saqqara. In the movie he is buried alive and comes back as the mummy.
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Mummification Process
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@http://www.discoveringegypt.com/egyptian-mummification.html
=Famous Sculpture: Mycerinus (Menkaure) and his Queen=

Mycerinus (Menkaure)and His Queen

 * Sculpted from one block of slate
 * Cubic Style of sculpting
 * drawn from all five sides and then carved to the middle
 * Realistic, yet idealized
 * most likely full color when it was first on display
 * jewels for eyes
 * one of the pharaohs in the pyramids at Giza
 * discovery of the sculpture

@http://witcombe.sbc.edu/menkaure/menkauredescription.html

=Great Architecture: The Pyramids=
 * ====Two types of pyramid construction====
 * ====Mastaba is the smaller mound construction developed by Imhotep (great architect/artist) in the step pyramids of King Djoser.====
 * ====Giza more advanced construction smooth construction====
 * Giza built between 2530-2470 BCE-20,000-30,000 workers over 80 years to construct, some slaves, some paid
 * Khufu (Cheops) is the earliest and largest (name of Pharaoh)
 * over 2,300,00 blocks of limestone- 2.5 tons, but weighes as much as 9 tons
 * 754 ft each side
 * coated with polished limestone to reflect sun (white)
 * Other pyramids are Khafre (Chephren) and Menkure (Mycerinus)same as the sculpture above

Rosetta Stone: Discovery of the stone enabled modern cultures to read and decipher hieroglyphs of Egypt
The **Rosetta Stone** is an [|ancient Egyptian] [|granodiorite] [|stele] [|inscribed] with a [|decree] issued at [|Memphis] in 196 BC on behalf of King [|Ptolemy V]. The decree appears in three scripts: the upper text is [|Ancient Egyptian] [|hieroglyphs], the middle portion [|Demotic] script, and the lowest [|Ancient Greek]. Because it presents essentially the same text in all three scripts (with some minor differences between them), it provided the key to the modern understanding of [|Egyptian hieroglyphs]. Taken from Wikipedia article. media type="custom" key="12281638"

Here is the Sicilian "Sleeping Beauty" Mummy we talked about in class. Nothing to do with Egypt, but we discussed as part of the conversation about mummies. In case you want to know more. @http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/01/090126-sicily-mummy.html