Chapter 3.1 Art in Egypt

7/30/2019 Chapter 3.1 Art in Egypt

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ART IN EGYPT

Unit III


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Egypt is one of the most populous countries in Africa and the Middle East,and the 15th most populated in the world. The great majority of its over 82

million people[10] live near the banks of the Nile River, an area of about 40,000

square kilometers (15,000 sq mi), where the only arable land is found. The large

regions of the Sahara Desert, which constitute most of Egypt's territory, are

sparsely inhabited. About half of Egypt's residents live in urban areas, with

most spread across the densely populated centres of greater Cairo,Alexandria and other major cities in the Nile Delta.


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PYRAMIDS OF EGYPT


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THE PYRAMID OF GIZA

The Great Pyramid of Giza (also known as the Pyramid of Khufu or thePyramid of Cheops) is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in theGiza Necropolis bordering what is now El Giza, Egypt. It is the oldestof the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one to remainlargely intact. Egyptologists believe that the pyramid was built as a tomb

for fourth dynasty Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu (Cheops in Greek) over a10 to 20-year period concluding around 2560 BCE. Initially at 146.5metres (481 feet), the Great Pyramid was the tallest man-made structurein the world for over 3,800 years. Originally, the Great Pyramid wascovered by casing stones that formed a smooth outer surface; what isseen today is the underlying core structure. Some of the casing stonesthat once covered the structure can still be seen around the base. There

have been varying scientific and alternative theories about the GreatPyramid's construction techniques. Most accepted constructionhypotheses are based on the idea that it was built by moving huge stonesfrom a quarry and dragging and lifting them into place.


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Snofru's Red PyramidThis area is arguably the most important pyramid field in Egypt outsideGiza and Saqqara, although until 1996 the site was inaccessible due toits location within a military base, and was relatively unknown outsidearchaeological circles.

The southern Pyramid of Snofru, commonly known as the Bent Pyramid,is believed to be the first Egyptian pyramid intended by its builders to bea "true" smooth-sided pyramid from the outset; the earlier pyramid atMeidum had smooth sides in its finished state but it was conceived andbuilt as a step pyramid, before having its steps filled in and concealedbeneath a smooth outer casing.As a true smooth-sided structure, the Bent Pyramid was only a partial

success

albeit a unique, visually imposing one; it is also the only majorEgyptian pyramid to retain a significant proportion of its original smoothouter limestone casing intact. As such it serves as the best contemporaryexample of how the ancient Egyptians intended their pyramids to look.


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The Step Pyramid of Djoser

Major pyramids located here include the Step Pyramid of Djoser generally

identified as the world's oldest substantial monumental structure to be built offinished stone the Pyramid of Merykare, the Pyramid of Userkaf and the

Pyramid of Teti. Also at Saqqara is the Pyramid of Unas, which retains a

pyramid causeway that is one of the best-preserved in Egypt. This pyramid

was also the subject of one of the earliest known restoration attempts,

conducted by a son of Ramesses II. Saqqara is also the location of the

incomplete step pyramid of Djoser's successor Sekhemkhet, known as theBuried Pyramid. Archaeologists believe that had this pyramid been completed

it would have been larger than Djoser's.

South of the main pyramid field at Saqqara is a second collection of later,

smaller pyramids, including those of Pepi I, Isesi, Merenre, Pepi II and Ibi. Most

of these are in a poor state of preservation.


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EGYPT ARCHITECT


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SYMBOLISMThe Egyptians believed the dark area of the night sky around which the

stars appear to revolve was the physical gateway into the heavens. Oneof the narrow shafts that extends from the main burial chamber throughthe entire body of the Great Pyramid points directly towards the centerof this part of the sky. This suggests the pyramid may have beendesigned to serve as a means to magically launch the deceased pharaoh'ssoul directly into the abode of the gods.


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FAMOUS KING OF

EGYPT


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Tutankhamun (alternatively spelled with Tutenkh-, -amen, -amon) was anEgyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty during the period of Egyptian

history known as the New Kingdom. He is popularly referred to as King

Tut. His original name, Tutankhaten, means "Living Image of Aten", while

Tutankhamun means "Living Image of Amun". In hieroglyphs, the name

Tutankhamun was typically written Amen-tut-ankh.

THE BOY KING


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KING TUT'S SKULL

TOMB


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Tutankhamun was slight of build, and was roughly 180 cm (5 ft 11 in)tall.[16] He had large front incisors and the overbite characteristic of the

Thutmosid royal line to which he belonged. He also had a pronounced

dolichocephalic (elongated) skull, although it was within normal bounds and

highly unlikely to have been pathological. Given the fact that many of the

royal depictions of Akhenaten often featured such an elongated head, it is

likely an exaggeration of a family trait, rather than a distinct abnormal figure.

HOWARD CARTEROne day, in 1922, during the Roaring Twenties, an archaeologist namedHoward Carter was working in Egypt. He found a really small tomb. Hedidn't think much about it because it was so small. He figured it was thetomb of a commoner. You can imagine his excitement when he opened thedoor and realized he had found the tomb of an ancient Egyptianpharaoh, a tomb so small that it had been overlooked for thousands ofyears!From the hieroglyphic writing on the walls, Howard Carter knew who was

buried in the tomb. It was a young pharaoh named King Tunkhannock,King Tut for short. Today, we know what King Tut looked like becauseHoward Carter found a solid gold mask inside the tomb, designed likethe pharaoh's face.


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Howard Carter (9 May 1874 2 March 1939) was an Englisharchaeologist and Egyptologist known for discovering the tomb of 14th-century BC pharaoh Tutankhamun.


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ANCIENT EGYPT GODS AND GODESSES

RaRa - Sun God, King of the Gods

a falcon crowned with a sun disk or a man with afalcon's head

Ra was the God of the Sun. He sailed across theheavens in a boat called the 'Barque of Millions ofYears'. At the end of each day Ra was thought to dieand sailed on his night voyage through theUnderworld, leaving the Moon to light the worldabove. The boat would sail through the twelve doors,

representing the twelve hours of night-time. The nextdawn, he was born again.

It was not always smooth sailing.

During the day Ra had to fight his

chief enemy, a snake called Apep.

He was helped by the other gods,

such as Seth and Bastet.

The sun disk on Ra's head often has a cobra round it. A cobra appears on the

forehead of Pharaohs, like Tutankhamun.
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Hathor (Sekhmet)Hathor - the Goddess of love,music, dance

cow horns and sundisk on head

Sekhmet - the Goddessof the sunwoman with lion's headhead

Hathor was the goddess of joy, motherhood,

and love. She looked after all women. She

was the goddess of music and dancing, as well.

Dead women were identified with Hathor, asmen were identified with Osiris. She has a sun

disk on her head and cow horns. Sometimes

she had cow's ears or was a whole cow.

But she had another side as well, as Sekhmet,

the Eye of Ra, the destructive Sun Goddess. TheEgyptians knew that the Sun brought life, but they also knew

that the desert Sun could kill you.

Ra, the Sun God, was angry with mankind, because they laughed at him. He

said that he'd send down his anger as Sekhmet, the Eye of Ra. She went

down to Earth, killing men, and drinking their blood. She started to frighten Ra,who only wanted to punish Mankind, not destroy them all. So he dyed some

beer red, to look like blood. When Sekhmet saw the beer, she was thristy for

blood, so she drank it all, got drunk and went to sleep. When she woke up, Ra

persuaded her to stop killing Mankind.
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Husband ofIsis and Father ofHorus

Osiris - God of the Deaddressed in white with crook and flail and white crown

Osiris is shown as a man with a beard wearing white

mummy wrappings. His crown is the white crown of

Upper Egypt surrounded by red feathers. His skin

is green to represent vegetation. He holds thesymbols of supreme power, the flail and crook. The

crook is used by shepherds to catch their sheep. The

flail is used in threshing, to separate the grains from

the outer husks. Osiris was the God of the Dead.

You would expect that such a god would be gloomy

or even evil, but the Egyptians thought about deatha lot. They mummified their dead and buried them

with their belongings so they could enjoy themselves

in the afterlife.

This story begins on Nut and Geb's page. Osiris ruled over the Egyptians

and taught them farming. His brotherSethhad always hated him, and wanted tokill him. Seth made a beautiful box, like a coffin, made to the exact

measurements of Osiris. Then Seth invited Osiris and other people to a great

feast. When everyone had finished eating, Seth displayed the box, and said

that he'd give it to anyone who fitted inside. Everyone tried, but only Osiris

fitted. While he was still inside, Seth and his friends quickly slammed on the lid

and threw the box in the Nile river. But what happened next? See Seth'spage.

HorusSon ofIsis and Osiris

Osiris
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Horus - Son of Osirisa hawk, or a man with a hawk's head crowned with the crown of all Egypt

Horus is shown as a hawk, or a man with a hawk's head and the crown of allEgypt. This makes him look similar to Ra, but Ra is crowned with the sun disk.

Horus' crown is made of two parts. The white part is the crown of Upper

Egypt (in the south) and the red part is the crown of Lower Egypt (including

the Nile delta). Together they show that Horus ruled all Egypt. During their

reign, Pharoahs identified themselves with Horus. After

they died, they became Osiris.

This story begins on Nut and Geb's page. When Horus

was a baby, his fatherOsiris was killed by Seth. Horus

and his motherIsis hid in the papyrus reeds in the delta of the Nile until Horus

grew up. The he went to war with Seth to get his father's crown and kingdom.

The battles raged for a long time. Once Seth managed to blind Horus bytaking out his eye and tearing it to bits, but Thoth, the God of Wisdom,

managed to heal the eye. So how did the war end? See Isis's page.

The Eye of Horus, healed by Thoth, was an amulet, or

magic charm. The Ancient Egyptians also used it to

describe fractions. The Egyptians sometimes had had twoeye symbols, with the left eye being the Eye of Horus, symbolising the moon,

and the right eye being symbolising the Eye ofRa, or the sun.

IsisWife ofOsiris and Mother ofHorus

Isis - Queen of Goddesswith a throne or sun disk and horns on her head

Isis was the great mother-goddess. Her son

was Horus, the enemy ofSeth. Sometimes
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she has the baby Horus on her lap. Sometimes she has a throne on her head,

as she is Queen of the goddesses. Sometimes she has a sun disk and horns,

like Hathor.

Isis was also a great healer and magician. She got her magic powers by tricking

Ra (see Ra's webpage).

This story begins on Nut and Geb's page. The war between Horus and his

enemy Seth had lasted a long time. Isis decided to help her son Horus. She

met Seth, and asked for his help. She described someone killing a man andtaking all he had away from the man's son. Seth said that killer should pay for

his crimes. Isis said that Seth himself was the killer, and he had condemned

himself. The other gods agreed, and Seth was driven out into the Sahara

Desert. This is the end of the story.
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Thoth

Husband ofMa'at

Thoth - God of Wisdom, Time, Writing and the Moonhead of an ibis

Thoth invented hieroglyphs, the picture writing of Ancient Egypt. He was the

measurer of the earth and the counter of the stars, the keeper and recorder of

all knowledge. The ibis is a bird rather like a stork, with long legs and a longbeak which it uses for prodding in the mud to find small fish. It was a symbol of

wisdom and learning because it has a beak shaped like a pen which it dips in the

mud, as if it was ink.

The Book of Thoth had two spells in it. If you read the first spell aloud, you

would be able to understand every beast and bird, and summon the fishes in thesea. If you read the second spell, you could bring the dead to life. Prince Setna,

the son of a Pharaoh, knew the book was hidden in a royal tomb in the City of

the Dead. With his brother Anhurerau, he broke into the tomb of

Neferkeptah. When they found the burial chamber, they saw the mummy of

Neferkaptah, and his wife and young son. The wife spoke to them, and warned

them against taking the book of Thoth. She said that her husband had stolenthe Book from Thoth, and had read the spells, but Thoth was angry and had

drowned her and her son in the Nile, and Neferkeptah had then killed himself.

But Setna ignored her and moved towards the Book. The mummy of

Neferkaptah sat up and said "Play me at four games of draughts. If you win, you

can take the Book." Setna was terrified, but agreed. He played the first game,

and lost. He started to sink into the ground, up to his ankles. Then he lost the
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next game, and sunk up to his hips. As he was losing the third game, he shouted

to his brother, "Run and fetch my magic amulets.

Only they can save me!" He then sank into the

ground up to his chin. His brother ran out of thetomb. Setna played the fourth game as slowly as he

could, trying desperately not to lose, but the mummy

was too good at draughts. Just as he had nearly

lost for the final time, his brother Anhurerau returned with the amulets, and put

them on Setna's head. The spell was broken, and Setna grabbed the Book of

Thoth, and ran as hard as he could out of the tomb.

As Setna tried to read the Book, he saw a beautiful woman walking past. He

fell in love with her, and tried to persuade her to marry him. She demanded that

he kill his existing wife and children. Completely besotted with her, he agreed.

When he had done this, she vanished,

Ma'atWife ofThoth

Ma'at - Goddess of Justiceostrich feather in her hair

Ma'at was the goddess of

truth, justice and harmony.

She was the wife ofThoth,

the god of wisdom, since you

need wisdom to find truth

and justice. Both Ma'at and

Thoth helped atthe Weighing of the Heart.

The feather of Ma'at was an ostrich plume. She wore it on her head. The chief

judge in charge of the Egyptian law courts was known as the "priest of Ma'at".

He began court hearings by wearing the feather of Ma'at. The judge gave the
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feather to the person who won his case in the law courts.

The pharaoh had to promise that he would follow Ma'at. This means that he

would be a just pharaoh, and keep order in Egypt.

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Chapter 3.1 Art in Egypt