Ancient Egyptian Art
Introduction and Exam Strategy Overview
What thoughts come to your mind when you
think of Ancient Egypt?
If you are like most people, you immediately
think of the pyramids, the Great Sphinx, and
the golden treasures of King Tutankhamen.
In contrast, AP Art History test writers have an
entirely different set of artistic priorities.
AP Art History test writers are far more interested in:
[1] the Stepped Pyramid than the Great Pyramid,
[2] the Statue of Khafre than the Great Sphinx, and
[3] the artistic revolution of Akhenaton than the
treasures of King Tutankhamen.
Therefore, this chapter focuses on the artistic styles and
works of art and architecture that have the greatest
likelihood of appearing on the AP Art History exam.
Stepped Pyramid
YES!!
Great Pyramid
No!
Statue of Khafre
YES!!
Great Sphinx
No!
artistic revolution of
Akhenaton
YES!!
Tutankhamen
No!
Ancient Egypt has always occupied an important place
on the AP Art History exam.
You can expect to have 10 points, or 5 percent of the
total exam, devoted to Ancient Egypt. Slide-based
multiple-choice questions are relatively infrequent; only
three have appeared on tests since 1983.
Because the most recent slide-based multiplechoice question on Ancient Egypt was on the
2005 test, it is unlikely your test will have any. In
contrast, essay questions on Ancient Egypt are far
more common, with 11 appearing on tests since
1983.
Because the last essay question devoted to
Ancient Egyptian art was on the 2003 exam, it is
very likely that your exam will have one.
Ancient Egypt is important for another reason: it is
considered part of the non-European artistic tradition
[aka ABE].
As you know, one of the two 25-point essay questions
must include an example from outside the European
tradition [ABE]. As a result, Ancient Egyptian art
can be worth as much as 20 points, or 10 percent of
your exam.
Because you need approximately 135 points to earn
a test score of 5, Ancient Egypt is a vital and easily
mastered building block in your drive for a 5.
Summary
Ancient Egypt is an important part of each AP Art
History exam. Test writers rarely ask questions about
popular topics such as the pyramids and Pharaoh
Tutankhamen.
Instead, make sure you study:
[1] the Palette of Narmer,
[2] the Stepped Pyramid,
[3] the Statue of Khafre,
[4] Hatshepsut's mortuary temple, and
[5] the Amarna style of art.
Always remember that Ancient Egypt is considered to
be outside the European artistic tradition. It is therefore
an excellent source of examples for the long essay
requiring an example of non-European art [ABE].
Summary
Egyptian civilization covers a huge expanse of time
that is marked by the building of monumental funerary
monuments and expansive temple complexes. The
earliest remains of Egyptian civilization shows an
interest in elaborate funerary practices, which resulted
in the building of great stone pyramids.
The Egyptian canon remained constant throughout
much of its history, with its emphasis on broad frontal
shoulders and profiled heads, torso, and legs. In the
Old Kingdom, the figures appear static and
imperturbable. Later, in the Middle Kingdom, the faces
show more naturalistic poses and introspective
expressions.
In the Amarna period (from the New Kingdom), the
figures lose their motionless stances and have body
types that are softer and increasingly androgynous.
The content of the tomb of the short-lived King
Tutankhamen give the modern world a glimpse of the
spectacular richness of Egyptian tombs.
Conclusion
DO study the Ancient Near East and Ancient Egypt.
Art works from the Ancient Near East and Ancient
Egypt are categorized as art beyond the European
tradition (ABE), and the two topics usually account for
multiple-choice and short essay questions worth about
20 points, or 10 percent of your total test score.
In addition, you can use examples from either the
Ancient Near East or Ancient Egypt for the long
essay question requiring at least one example of art
beyond the European tradition (ABE). That example
is worth another 12.5 points.