ARH 2050: History of Visual Arts I
Prof. S. Bundrick
10, 12, and 17 September 2002
THE ART OF ANCIENT EGYPT
Predynastic Period:
Jar with river scene, from Hierakonpolis, ca. 3500-3400 BC
Wall painting from tomb 100 at Hierakonpolis, ca. 3500-3200 BC
3.1
Early Dynastic Period:
Slate palette of Narmer, from Hierakonpolis, ca. 3000-2920 BC
3.2
Old Kingdom (3rd-6th Dynasties):
Step pyramid and mortuary precinct of King Djoser, Saqqara,
architect: Imhotep, 3rd Dyn., ca. 2630-2611 BC
“Great Pyramids” of Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure,
4th Dyn. (dates for each in text)
Valley temple and sphinx of King Khafre, Giza, 4th Dyn.,
ca. 2520-2494 BC
Diorite statue of King Khafre, Giza, 4th Dyn., ca. 2520-2494 BC
Slate statue of King Menkaure and his queen, 4th Dyn.,
ca. 2490-2472 BC
Statue of a seated scribe, from Saqqara, 5th Dyn.,
ca. 2400 BC
Hippopotamus hunt, limestone relief from Tomb of Ti, Saqqara,
5th Dyn., ca. 2400 BC
Middle Kingdom:
Rock-cut tombs, Beni Hasan, 12th Dyn., ca. 1950-1900 BC
New Kingdom:
18th Dynasty, pre-Amarna period:
Funerary temple of Hatshepsut, Deir el-Bahri, Thebes, 18th Dyn.,
ca. 1473-1458 BC
Limestone seated statue of Hatshepsut, from her funerary temple
at Deir el-Bahri, 18th Dyn., ca. 1473-1458 BC
Kneeling statue of Hatshepsut as pharaoh, from her funerary temple
at Deir el-Bahri, 18th Dyn., ca. 1473-1458 BC
Block statue of Senmut with the princess Nefrua, 18th Dyn.,
ca. 1470-1460 BC
Fragment of scene showing Nebamun hunting in the marshes, tomb
chapel of Nebamun, Thebes, 18th Dyn., ca. 1400-1350 BC
Fragment from banquet scene showing musicians and dancers, tomb
chapel of Nebamun, Thebes, 18th Dyn., ca. 1400-1350 BC
3.4-3.7
3.8–3.10
3.11
3.12
3.13
3.14
3.16
3.18
3.20
3.21
3.29
3.30
3.31
18th Dynasty, Amarna period:
Statue of Akhenaton, from Karnak, 18th Dyn., ca. 1353-1335 BC
Ebony head of Queen Tiye, 18th Dyn., ca. 1353-1335 BC
Altar stela from a domestic shrine showing Akhenaton and his family,
from Amarna, 18th Dyn., ca. 1353-1335 BC
Painted limestone bust of Queen Nefertiti, found in the house of the
sculptor Thutmose, Amarna, 18th Dyn., ca. 1353-1335 BC
18th Dynasty, Tomb of Tutankhamun:
Innermost coffin of Tutankhamun, tomb of Tutankhamun, Valley
of the Kings, Thebes, 18th Dyn., ca. 1323 BC
Gold mask of Tutankhamun, tomb of Tutankhamun, Valley of the
Kings, Thebes, 18th Dyn., ca. 1323 BC
Painted wooden chest of Tutankhamun, tomb of Tutankhamun,
Valley of the Kings, Thebes, 18th Dyn., ca. 1333-1323 BC
3.32
3.34
3.33
3.36
3.37
3.38
19th Dynasty, Ramesside Period:
Temple of Amun-Re at Karnak, built under Sety I and Ramses II,
3.24–3.26
19th Dyn., ca. 1290-1224 BC
Great Temple of Ramses II at Abu Simbel, Nubia, 19th Dyn.,
3.22–3.23
ca. 1290-1224 BC
Tomb of Nefertari, Valley of the Queens, Thebes, 19th Dyn.,
ca. 1279-1212 BC
Book of the Dead fragment with judgment of the deceased before Osiris, 3.39
from the Book of the Dead of Hu-Nefer, 19th Dyn.,
ca. 1290-1280 BC
Late Period:
Statue of Mentuemhet , 26th Dyn., ca. 650 BC
3.40
Ptolemaic Period (=after Alexander’s conquest):
Temple of Horus at Edfu, ca. 237-247 BC
3.28
Terms:
hieroglyphs
cartouche
sema tawy
heb-sed festival
Amun (=Amen)
Lower Egypt/Upper Egypt
nemes headdress
Re (=Ra)
Aton (=Aten)
raised relief/sunk relief
pharaoh
Horus
Imhotep
Thoth
ma’at
obelisk
Anubis
Fun with Ancient Egypt on the Internet!!!!
Website of the Egyptian department of The Metropolitan Museum of Art:
http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/department.asp?dep=10
Website of the Theban Mapping Project (works in the Valley of the Kings):
http://www.thebanmappingproject.com/
ANCIENT EGYPT: INTRODUCTION
-To speak of Egyptian "art" is somewhat of a misnomer-Egyptians had no word that
corresponds to our abstract use of the word "art"-like the peoples of the ancient Near
East, the ancient Egyptians were concerned mainly with the function of what we would
call artworks-this does not mean they were unaware of the aesthetic possibilities, or that
they did not appreciate beauty or craftsmanship, but rather that function was first and
foremost in the minds of artists
-most of the works of Egyptian "art" that we see in survey books or on display in
museums were made for the upper classes-namely, the king and his family, and the elite,
the nobility, the scribal class, high-ranking officials-these persons commanded the most
resources and therefore had access to the best artists-as we look at Egyptian art today and
Wednesday, should keep in the back of our minds that there are innumerable other
objects that are not as aesthetically pleasing and yet served the same functions as more
beautifully made pieces-all of these objects are important for our understanding of
ancient Egyptian culture and the ancient Egyptian worldview
-Egyptian art was greatly influenced by the ways in which they perceived their worldcertain themes seem to be preeminent
-one of these is order vs. chaos-Egyptians saw the universe as consisting of dualities, of
opposites, and much of their thinking revolves around the idea of order versus chaos-for
the Egyptians, their world, defined around the Nile River, the cultivated land, headed by
the king, protected by their gods, represented order-the world beyond, which included the
desert beyond the Nile as well as the wild marsh areas of the river inhabited by animals,
foreign lands ruled by other leaders and supervised by foreign gods, represented the
forces of chaos-the Egyptians perceived the world as being in a delicate balance, with it
being always necessary for the forces of order to be maintained and to repel the forces of
chaos-in the art, we see countless references to this idea, represented in many different
ways
-within this idea of a world order, the king played a vital role, and therefore kingship
becomes a significant theme in Egyptian art-the king in ancient Egypt was not just an
earthly ruler, responsible for supervising the government-he was also a spiritual leader,
for the office of the king was considered divine-the king himself was a kind of junior
god, above mortals but below the gods of the Egyptian pantheon-one of his titles was
netjer nefer, "perfect god"-the king acted as mediator between the human world and the
divine world-in art we often see him interacting with the gods on behalf of his kingdomhe was also responsible for maintaining order in Egypt, for upholding ma'at-in art, we see
the king working to subdue chaos in the universe
-Egyptian beliefs in the afterlife are bound up with the idea of order and chaos, and again
are strongly tied to the art-much of the art and architecture that survives from ancient
Egypt, as in tombs for example, is devoted to the idea of the afterlife-death was
conceived as a potentially chaotic force-it was necessary for a person to overcome the
chaos of death and be reborn into a good afterlife-many of the objects and decoration of
tombs were intended to serve this purpose, to help the deceased reach the next world
safely and effectively
-there are other themes too which are important in Egyptian art-we will consider them as
we go along
-BIG THEMES: Order and chaos; Kingship; the Afterlife
-a word about the ordering of Egyptian history-Egyptian history is divided into dynasties,
in a system created by the ancient historian Manetho-the dynasties are grouped into larger
spans of time--eg Predynastic period, Early Dynastic period, Old Kingdom, First Int pd,
Middle Kingdom, Second Int pd, New Kingdom, 3rd Int Pd, Late Period and Ptolemaic
period. In the next two lectures we will concern ourselves with the Predynastic and Early
Dynastic periods, the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms, and the Ptolemaic period-the
three Intermediate periods and the Late Period cannot be covered in the interests of time
Predynastic Egypt:
-the Predynastic period lasted from roughly 5000-3000 BC-human beings began to grow
crops and keep domesticated animals about 5000 BC, and to live in permanent
settlements-as we saw in the first lecture, these are the characteristics of a Neolithic
culture-over time certain settlements grew in size and became strong political centersthese include the sites of Hierakonpolis, Naqada, and This (near Abydos)-social
stratification was well developed, as indicated by surviving tombs in cemeteries of the
time
-although Egypt at this time was not united as a state, there was a fairly uniform material
culture in the late Predynastic period, today called Naqada II/III by archaeologists after
the site at Naqada where this culture was first encountered-there are no written texts from
this period, so art and artifacts act as our best evidence for this time
-characteristic finds: stone palettes, flint blades, maces, painted pottery
-also have painted tombs from the period, again this is evidence of social stratification
*Jar with river scene
-characteristic Predynastic pottery-painted in red line on buff background-subject matter
of these pots includes boats, plants, animals, and human beings disposed over surface of
vessel-abstract and stylized
-boat with cabin or shrine, human figures-zigzag lines indicate water
*Men, Boats, and Animals, Tomb 100 at Hierakonpolis
-tombs and burials suggest a type of social stratification-rich begin to get burial chambers
in the belief that the body would be better protected
-dominated by three boats with cabin on top
-no base lines or registers, in contrast to later two-dimensional art-a few groups have their
own baselines, eg horned animals at the top and bound prisoners at bottom left
-human figures lack any graet detail-have round heads with beak noses, dot for eye, and
stick limbs
-figures between boats, scattered
-no apparent interaction between figures
-animals basically shown in profile, with full-view horns
-motif of man between lions
-motif of "ruler" smiting enemies-we will see this again
Early Dynastic Period
-unification of Egypt into a single state-began in Late Predynastic/Naqada III periodspread of uniform material culture throughout the country, establishment of unified
political control-cultural "unification" seems to have taken place before the political-the
process of unification seems to have taken place over a couple of centuries, until north
and south became one state-the idea of a gradual unification, which is generally accepted
today among Egyptologists, stands in contrast to earlier views which believed unification
took place quickly and other a single ruler, known as Menes or Narmer
-emergence of writing-use of cylinder seals-development of recessed brick architecture
*Palette of Narmer
-manifestation of new ideology of kingship-kingship as central concept to Egyptian
culture and art for rest of Egyptian history
-votive or ceremonial palette-had existed before-earlier imagery had been confined to
animals, although ideas of order and chaos were certainly present-this palette was
definitely a ritual object
-carved on both sides in low raised relief
-subject matter relates to the expansion of the south into the northern region of Egyptdoea not record the specific conquest, since it was not a single event, and the process was
completed by the idea of Narmer-however, expresses ideals of kingship and king's
function as upholder of ma'at
-human figures are composite figures
-surface divided into registers with base lines
-use of scale to show importance
Obverse:
-'cow goddess' representations at top of palette: Nut? Hathor?
-mace-over-head motif cf. Hierakonpolis tomb painting-king smiting enemies
-a central motif of kingship: king triumphing over enemies=triumph of king over chaosmaintaining order and ma'at-note king has bull's tail
-king's sandal bearer to the left
-falcon sitting on papyrus=writing? falcon may rep. the king-papyrus reps the Delta
-wears the White Crown later associated with Upper Egypt
-below the main scene are two fallen enemies-shown naked-in Egyptian art nudity is not
acceptable for most subjects-because these are enemies, they are naked, have been
stripped of their clothes and arms-humiliation-they are visually placed beneath his feet
Reverse:
-sandal-bearer, king, vizier, standard bearers=procession going to inspect bodies of
enemies
-animals with entwined necks=Near Eastern influence-paired, subjugated animals as sign
of attainable harmony, forces of order and balance (Kemp)
-bull trampling a naked prisoner-probably represents the king-cf. "Strong Bull" as one of
the king's title-king breaks down a fortified place
-palette clearly commemorates a victory over Delta peoples-may relate to the unification
-here king as man, falcon, and bull subdues rebellious subjects as well as Asiatic and
Libyan enemies of Egypt-subduing foreigners as continuous theme
-Narmer's name written at top within palace-glyph (serekh), the surround used to contain
the Horus name of the king-horizontal fish (nar) above vertical chisel (mer)
-appearance of hieroglyphic captions-figures of king, foot-washer and priest are
accompanied by signs which may spell out their names-revus formed by falcon
surmounting personified thicket on reverse has meaning "Horus leads captive the Delta"has been noted as remarkable step in development of hieroglyphic writing
-Spencer suggests maybe it refers to numerous battles for control among various rulers
-note the king wears two different crowns on the palette
-Malek: tricky to assume two kingdoms in late Predyn. Egypt-may just refer to love of
duality rather than two actual kingdoms
-palettes as object popular in Predynastic period, go out of fashion in 1st Dynasty
-purpose of the Narmer palette (Baines): "not to record an event but to assert that the king
dominates the ordered world in the name of the gods and has defeated internal, and
especially external, forces of disorder"
The Old Kingdom:
-development of the pyramid as a new type of tomb
-royal tomb as principal public statement on the nature of kingship (Kemp)-architecture
as political statement (Saw this before, will see it again)
-changes in royal tomb architecture reflect evolution of ancient perceptions of monarchy
(Kemp)
*Step pyramid of King Djoser, Saqqara
-Imhotep: deified after NK by people of Memphis—they ascribed medical skills to him
-Step Pyramid stood in center of large rectangular enclosure surrounded by a stone wallthe wall was built in the form of a modified palace facade
-entire complex concerned with kingship and the life after death-rituals of kingshipreliefs in the complex show the king engaging in rituals-reliefs show the king running
around territorial stones-he will thus perform these rituals throughout eternity-many of
the buildings are nonfunctional for the living
-elsewhere in the complex he can celebrate the ritual of the sed festival, which was
normally held after the king had ruled for 30 yrs, to renew his kingship
-complex also included a funerary temple where daily rituals and offerings for the dead
could be performed-this area included the serdab containing a seated limestone statue of
the king-statue provide a place where the king's ka (life force or spirit) could manifest
itself in order to observe and benefit from the ritual-the ka could inhabit the statue and
look out of the holes in the serdab wall
-first architectural probject built entirely of stone—stone version of mud-brick, textile,
and other perishable architectural forms
-best preserved royal tomb complex of the 3rd dynasty
-kings buried at Saqqara (necropolis of Memphis), had cenotaphs at Abydos in the south
-Djoser definitively built his tomb at Saqqara, incorporating a cenotaph there as well
-vizier Imhotep considered to be the architect of the complex
-defining wall around the entire site-about 33 ft high-14 doorways in the wall, but only
one is real
-Step P. was originally going to be only one level like a mastaba, enlarged eventually to
include 6 steps- 460 x 388 ft, 197 ft high
-Great South Court-contains small buildings with columns with purpose of using them in
the Sed festival
-court for celebration of the Sed festival (also called the Heb-Sed)-engaged columns with
papyrs capitals, symbols of Lower Egypt
-mortuary temple
-Serdab court-statue in enclosed shrine, and rituals celebrated outside it
-funerary goods kept in storerooms above and below ground-40,000 stone vessles found
-first Egyptian building made completely in stone-limestone with casing of limestone
from Tura-note blocks are fairly small at this time
-belief that the circumpolar star inspired placement of the mortuary temple on the north
side of the pyramid and maybe even the steps on the pyramid—a literal “stairway to
heaven”—to help king’s soul ascend after death and join the gods with the “Imperishable
Stars” and Re the sun
-pyramid cf. primeval mound of creation (Malek)
-each face orientated to a cardinal point
-based in palace architecture
-stone version of temporary wooden architecture
enclosure wall and columned passageway: reinforce idea that this was a private domain
“reserved for the king’s ka and the rites performed within”—was not open to just anyone
*Pyramids of Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure
-funerary complexes for the king fully developed in Fourth Dynasty-change from stepped
pyramids to true pyramids-new design for the complex-no longer enclosure where rituals
of king as territorial ruler could be carried out for all eternity
-complex consisted of series of elements on east-west axis-included pyramid marking the
burial at western end, on desert plateau-in the middle of the east side of the pyramid was
the funerary temple for the cult of the king's ka-from here a causeway ran down to the
valley temple at the edge of the cultivation
-the design reflects increased emphasis on the relationship between the king and the sun
god-pyramid shape as symbol of the sun, relating to sacred benben stone that stood in
Heliopolis, center of the sun cult-funerary temple now oriented towards the rising sun
(east) instead of the imperishable circumpolar northern stars (as at Saqqara)
-kings begin to include "son of Ra" in their titulary
-now king is seen as earthly manifestation of the sun god, expressed in the form of king's
filial relationship to Ra, and at death he joined the sun god on his eternal cycle of renewal
-features of 4th dyn complexes: four-sided geometrical mass of primeval mound, each
face orientated to a cardinal point, rises above tomb chambers-entrance to burial vault
usually on the north side facing the polar stars-east side has mortuary temple, leading by
means of causeway beyond enclosure wall to valley temple at edge of the cultivation-on
south side is subsidiary pyramid, probably rep'ing southern tomb in Abydos-in vicinity
are two or more boat-pits for installation of barques, imitations of either solar barques or
actual barques used by the king-within precincts rose smaller pyramids of his chief
queens and mastaba tombs of members of his family or favored officials
-inside: Pyramid Texts, insured apotheosis of the king
-4th dyn complexes at Giza and Dahshur
-note progressive increase in size of blocks of limestone and granite unsed in construction
-evolution towards a linear complex rather than rectangular
-valley temple leads to a walkway that leads to a mortuary temple next to the pyramid
itself(on the east side now, because the solar cult is more important now)-king will join
Re in the solar barque after death
-pyramids represent the power of the king
*Statue of Khafre
-more than 100 statues may originally have stood in Khafre’s funerary complex—this
one, along with some others, was found as a trove by Auguste Mariette in 1860—23
statues originally in the valley temple (including this one)
-very hard stone, epitomizes his power (anorthosite gneiss)-(note: Gardner and others call
it diorite)--comes from Nubia-fact that he could command this stone from far away
shows his authority-stone finished with high polish, enhancing its graining—note: has a
rare optical property—it glows in sunlight with a deep blue glow—not evident in
artificial light, so scholars did not realize it until recently, noted by geologists visiting the
quarry—has been suggested that the glow attracted Egyptians to the materials—would
have helped further the celestial connection of king with Horus
-frontal pose fits architectural setting, set between square pillars-importance of original
context to understanding the piece
-wears the nemes headdress, covering the entire wig
-two arms resting on lap now-right hand clenched into fist, left hand lies palm down
-note the Horus falcon-king as a manifestation of Horus as well as Ra
-sitting on a lion throne, with side carvings rep'ing the united Upper and Lower Egypt
(the sema tawy)-"kingship personified"
-frontal pose works with the architecture
-symbolic dualistic division of Upper and lower Egypt appealed to Eg love of symmetry
and duality (Kemp)
-importance of royal statues: king as intermediary between this world and the next—
people could approach a royal statue and petition it for favors—the king would “hear”
*Slate statue of Menkaure and his queen
-peak of Old Kingdom style
-two-thirds lifesize, unfinished but of quality comparable to the Khafre statue
-wife on same scale as husband, adopts same male pose with left foot advanced
-left arm of wife folded across body, but becomes an embrace
-"Classic OK style"-very broad shoulders, muscles, long torso-small of the back is low to
emphasize masculinity-standing=18 grid squares; sitting=14 grid squares-6 squares wide
at the shoulders-small of back at hor. 11-knees at hor. 6
-problem of costume-her dress could not fit like that
-only heads and upper part of bodies have received final polish
-traces of red on king’s ears, head—traces of black on queen’s hair—contra Gardner’s
assessment of the statue
-description of discovery: “Giza, January 18, 1910: In the evening, just before work
stopped a small boy from the gang at the thieves’ hole in strip 1 appeared suddenly at my
side and said ‘Come.’ In the lower part of the hole the female head of a statue (3/4 life
size) of bluish slate had just come into view in the sand. It was too late to clear it. But
immediately afterwards a block of dirt fell away and showed a male head on the right—a
pair statue of king and queen. A photograph was taken in failing light and an armed guard
of 20 men put on for the night.” (George Reisner)
-discovered in the valley temple of Menkaure’s pyramid, but not in its original location,
had probably been thrown there by tomb plunderers
-does not have an inscription, but identification of the king as Menkaure assured by the
discovery of triad statues previously showing the king with goddesses—the woman here
is definitely the king’s principal wife, judging from the pose
-this pose of marital affection adopted by non-royal individuals for their statues
*Statues of Rahotep and Nofret
-niche chapel of Rahotep, mastaba at Meidum-discovered by French Egyptologist
Auguste Mariette in the early 1870s
-have retained most of their paint because they were walled up in a kind of serdab
-idealized but perhaps based on portraits
-statues are named because of importance of name-Rahotep: king's son-Nofret="king's
dependant" (or perhaps "acquaintance")
-note costume-he wears only a short kilt, where she is almost totally wrapped
-note differences in skin color, proportions-idealized as youthful-archaic gestures
-function of statues-not accessible by mortals-substitution abode for the ka
-rock-crystal pupils inlaid within metal frames
-discovered in 1871: the workmen fled in terror!
-ironically, these statues would not have been seen in antiquity: were walled up in a
serdab with only the eyes visible—family members would bring offerings to the tomb
chapel and would conduct rituals before the hidden statues—before the funeral a priest
would perform the Opening of the Mouth ritual on the statue on order to make it ready to
receive offerings—statues as “living images” (Egyptian term)
*Seated scribe, from Saqqara
-painted limestone
-importance of scribes as profession-officialsduring the 4th dynasty the cross-legged
pose had been reserved for the king’s eldest son
-image of the official: here the official is prosperous, rolls of fat indicate his success (he
has enough to eat)-contrast this with the lean image of Rahotep-alternate form of
idealization-youthful vs. mature official-do not confuse this with portraiture
-Stokstad: "The scribe's sedentary occupation has taken its toll on his physique, leaving
him soft and flabby"-this is misleading-she also says this is "a quite conventional OK
depiction of a man of lower class"-WHAT??!!-form of this statue type had been
introduced in statues of Kawab, eldest son of Khufu
-Gardner: “In the history of art, especially portraiture, it is almost a ruler that as a human
subject’s importance decreases, formality is relaxed and realism is increased. It is telling
that the scribe is shown with sagging chest muscles and a protruding belly.”
-Gardner: “…the color lends a lifelike quality to the statue. But one might argue that this
is detrimental to the portrait’s success, inasmuch as the color detracts from the statue’s
role as a timeless image of the deceased placed in his mastaba.”—WRONG—the
lifelikeness is the point—the living ka inhabited the statue—BESIDES: he contrasts
seated scribe with the Menkaure statue, which also would have been at least partially
painted
-note that the son of Menkaure was shown in such a scribe state
-technique of inlaid eyes: chunk of white stone, into which is inserted a crystal iris, held
in place by large copper cells that look like cosmetic lines—note that the pupils and irises
are slightly off center, adding to the lifelikeness of the statue
*Statue of Ka-Aper, from Saqqara
-painted wood
-“relaxed formality and increased realism”—Gardner—BLECH!
*figure of a brewer
-painted figure of a male brewer straining beer mash through a sieve
-servant statuettes first appear in late 4th Dyn., and become common in 5th and 6th Dyns.
-catches effort of action and he stoops over his work, knees bent, pushing with arms
-limbs totally freed from stone, incocntast to formal stone statues
-not intended to represent a specific person, but rather to convey an activity
-other figures perform other activities, such as grinding grain, baking, butchering,
cooking-group as a whole ensured deceased a supply of food in the afterlife
*Hippopotamus hunt, Tomb of Ti, Saqqara
-hippo as animal of Seth, god of chaos-marshes as the land of chaos and disorderovercoming chaos=overcoming death
-principles of two-dimensional representation: river seen as if from above-balance and
symmetry-formal vs. informal figures-hierarchy of scale-note that the hunters look
naked-nudity reserved for persons of lesser rank and barbarians
-also deals with provisioning the dead for the afterlife-one level of meaning
-shows his status-nobility went out into the marshes to hunt-another level of meaning
-Stokstad calls Ti's pose the "traditional twisted pose"
-note this is a painted limestone relief, not just paint on plaster
Middle Kingdom:
-at the end of the Old Kingdom, the country fell into disarray-development of different
coexisting governments--First Intermediate Period
-country reunified by Nebhepetre Montuhotep II, inaugurating the 11th Dyn. and the
Middle Kingdom-the kings of the 11th and the succeeding 12th Dyn. came from the
south and were mainly centered at Thebes
-12th Dynasty kings were mainly strong-built throughout Egypt-local temples at smaller
sites were constructed mainly of mud brick with stone elements, so that little now
survives-some blocks were reused in later buildings and thus demonstrate 12th Dyn.
artistic practice
*Pectoral with throne name of Senwosret II
-importance of jewelry in MK and NK-highly symbolic rebuses
-gold, carnelian, lapis lazuli, turquoise
-two Horus falcons at the base-above their heads are uraei, symbols of Ra (and kingship),
wearing the ankh sign-cartouche between contains hieroglyphs of the king's name
(Khakeperre)-note arrangement of the hieroglyphs (honorific transposition)
-below cartouche, kneeling male figure helps the falcons support a double arch of
notched palm ribs, a hieroglyphic symbol meaning "millions of years"-this is the god
Heh, personification of eternity-the word heh also means "millions"-he has turquoise blue
skin, a color which in Egyptian iconography suggests fertility and new vegetation,
therefore new life-elsewhere Heh can be shown with the sun disk of Ra on his head, but
the cartouche of the king here supplants that-Heh grips two palm branches-palm branch
hieroglyph used in the word for year, renpet-sign itself implied years or length of timebecame therefore a symbol of the god Heh -he can sometimes be shown wearing a palm
branch on his head-sometimes the king could be shown holding a palm branch
-combination of images reads: "May the sun god give eternal life to Senwosret II"
*Grey granite head of Senwosret III from Medamud
-numerous statues and fragments of statues of king Senwosret III survive from the MKmost intended to stand in temples, meant to present king to gods and also as reminders of
king's power
-not as idealized as earlier decpitions-display individuality, immediately recognizable
-Senwosret's image all severe-looking but examples vary in degree in aging shown
-deepset eye sockets, modelled eyebrows, broad eyelid (hooded eyes), deeply cut lower
eyelid, bulging eyes, broad nose, narrow top lip, fuller bottom lip (pout), corners of
mouth turn down slightly, appearance of bags under eyes
-new image of the king-strong king? world-weary?
-is this a portrait? or a new image of kingship in general?
-complete S III statues have similar faces but same formal poses that have always existed
-Stokstad calls the Brooklyn statue a portrait and says that sculptors "express a special
awareness of the hardship and fragility of human existence"-"portrait statue seems to
reflect not only his achievements but also something of his personality and his inner
thoughts. He appears to be a man wise in the ways of the world but lonely, saddened, and
burdened by the weight of his responsibilities"--how can she say that??!!-"appears
preoccupied and emotionally drained"-note that the body of the Brooklyn statue is still
idealized and youthful despite the aged face
-Gay on the subject: "rather than there being any fundamental change in the meaning of
the statues, the new facial image was regarded as a suitable, if different, way of
displaying the authority and divine role of the king. Without explanatory texts it is
difficult for us today to understand how an ancient Egyptian would have read this image.
The subjectivity of modern attempts is shown by the range of suggested interpretations-from a ruler worn down by care for his people to a ruthless dictator."
MIDDLE KINGDOM:
-at the end of the Old Kingdom, the country fell into disarray-development of different
coexisting governments--First Intermediate Period
-country reunified by Nebhepetre Montuhotep II, inaugurating the 11th Dyn. and the
Middle Kingdom-the kings of the 11th and the succeeding 12th Dyn. came from the
south and were mainly centered at Thebes
-12th Dynasty kings were mainly strong-built throughout Egypt-local temples at smaller
sites were constructed mainly of mud brick with stone elements, so that little now
survives-some blocks were reused in later buildings and thus demonstrate 12th Dyn.
artistic practice
-pyramids continued to be built but on a much smaller scale—thwarting thieves with
complex interior layouts, hiden entrances etc—eventually fell out of fashion
Beni Hasan rock-cut tombs
-new forms of tombs—eg rock-cut tombs at Beni Hasan
-Inscription in Khnumhotep’s tomb says that its doors were of cedar 20 ft high (seven
cubits)—“My chief nobility was: I executed a cliff-tomb, for a man should imitate that
which his father does. My father made for himself a house of the ka in the town of
Menofret, of good stone of Ayan, in order to perpetuate his name forever and establish it
eternally”
-these tombs largely replaced OK mastabas—common form: vestibule with columns
leading to columned hall and sacred chamber
NEW KINGDOM:
-after the MK, we enter the Second Intermediate Period in Egyptian history, a period
which is marked by a rapid succession of rulers in different parts of Egypt-foreigners
from Syria-Palestine (known as the Hyksos) overran the Delta and began their own
dynasty of rulers-a dynasty of local rulers based at the southern city of Thebes ruled
Upper Egypt
-Ahmose, the first king of the 18th Dynasty, reunified Egypt by overcoming the Hyksos
in the north-with this achievement, a new era, known as the New Kingdom by modern
scholars, begins
-the southern city of Thebes is the center of attention during the New Kingdom-although
NK rulers did spend time at northern cities like Memphis, Thebes was the site of royal
burial and therefore of numerous noble burials too-royal and private tombs in the area of
Thebes provide our greatest evidence for Egyptian culture and belief systems at this time
-the area we call "Thebes" consists of several sites, including two important cult centers
dedicated to the powerful sun god, Amun-Ra, Karnak and Luxor-we also have Deir elBahri, a site of royal burials and funerary temples, and the Valley of the Kings and the
Valley of the Queens, also sites of royal burials-nobles and other elite had their tombs
throughout this region-much of the NK material we will be looking at today comes from
Thebes
18th Dynasty, pre-Amarna period
-the early 18th Dynasty is characterized by a series of strong rulers, including such
personages as Thutmose III (c. 1479-1425), who extended the Egyptian empire into the
eastern Mediterranean, and Amenhotep III
-in our discussion of this period, we will concentrate on Hatshepsut, a woman who not
only became queen of Egypt, but assumed the titles of king and acted as sole ruler of the
empire-she was daughter of Thutmose I and the principal wife of Thutmose II-when
Thutmose II died leaving as his heir a young (12 yrs) son by a minor wife (the future
Thutmose III), Hatshepsut became regent for the child-however at some point, she took
the full titulary of the king and named herself as co-ruler with Thutmose III (on the basis
of the fact that she was Thutmose I’s daughter)—then took kingship for herself
*Funerary temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Deir el-Bahri
-kings of the NK cut their tombs in the cliffs of the Valley of the Kings on the west bank
of the Nile-these tombs could be elaborately decorated and contained a wealth of
funerary objects-tomb of Tut is an example
-in accordance with this practice, the funerary cult of the dead king was carried out no
longer adjacent to the tomb, but in a funerary temple on the edge of the cultivation, nearer
the Nile-each king built his (or her) own temple
-the best-preserved is that of Hatshepsut
-built to the north of the 11th Dyn temple of Nebhepetra Montuhotep
-dedicated to god Amun-Ra-housed funerary cults of Hatshepsut, her father King
Thutmose I, and probably also those of her father's mother, Senisonb, and her own
mother, Ahmose
-also served as end point of the Great Festival of the Wadi, when divine boat of Amun
was processed to the west bank to visit the royal funerary temples
-temple consists of three terraced levels on a raised platform-first two levels consisted of
large open courts with central ramps leading to the level above-third level comprised a
colonnaded cour, with a series of rooms on either side, and the main sanctuary for the cult
of Amun-Ra was cut back into the cliff
-axial plan-all separate elements symmetrically arranged along dominant center line
-alternation of open spaces and grandiose architectural forms-light and darkness
-the most noticeable features of the temple when viewed from the east are the three
pillared colonnades that rise one above the other up the cliff face
-vertical lines formed by their pillars echo the vertical striations of the cliffs rising above
the temple
-terraces had been planted with frankincense trees and rare plants brought from Punt on
the Red Sea
-temple decorated throughout with painted relief-many scenes traditional in nature and
show Hatshepsut acting as king in battle scenes and the like-another series of reliefs
shows an expedition to the land of Punt-other scenes depict the divine birth of Hatshepsut
as daughter of Amun-Ra, intending to legitimize her rule as king and give the impression
that had been destined to rule from the time of her conception
*Seated statue of Hatshepsut, from her funerary temple
-temple designed as setting for vast amount of statuary (as many as 200 statues)-niches
throughout the building were designed to contain statues of the king or deities-many
statues and fragments have been recovered from the temple area
-this statue is believed to have come from the queen's funerary chapel on the uppermost
terrace-slightly over lifesize, indurated limestone-represents queen in male costume of a
pharaoh (kilt, nemes headdress), but slender limbs and waist, unmistakable breasts and
delicate features "give an idealization of feminine elegance" (Aldred)
-she is represented as male throughout the decoration of the temple, but there is often
ambiguity in the gender of epithets applied to her in the texts
[cf. fragment from Hatshepsut's dismantled shrine for the sacred boat of Amun, Karnak,
which shows Amun-Ra and Hathor bestowing the kingship upon her]
*Kneeling statue of Hatshepsut
-from upper court of the temple—at least eight colossal kneeling statues lined the
entrance to the Amun-Re sanctuary—red granite
-portrayed as sphinx in lower levels
-pieces recovered from a dump and reassembled
-holds globular offering jars in each hand—offering to Amun-Re
-kings only kneeled before gods
-uraeus cobra has been hacked off her forehead
-note that hieroglyph for “to offer” is hand outstretched with a nu-jar
-inscrip on base of statue says “offering Maat to Amun”
-maleness of statue cf inscriptions describing Hatshepsut as “His Majesty”
*Block statue of Senenmut and princess Nefrua
-block statue form originated in MK, continued to be popular during NK
-Senenmut holds Nefra in hia lap and envelops her in his cloak—expresses his
importance in the queen’s household, to be shown with her child
-Nefra: Hat’s daughter by Thutmose II
-by end of her reign, Hatshepsut had Senenmut removed from office
-Hatshepsut disappears from our sources after a successful reign-Thutmose III becomes
sole ruler-late in his reign, although he was present as co-regent throughout Hatshepsut's
rule, he systematically obliterated her momeory by removing her names and figure from
her monuments or else replacing her name by his own or those of earlier kings-her cult
was abolished in her own funerary temple, but the cult of Amun-Ra and the cult of the
goddess Hathor continued to be practiced there
*Fragment with Nebamun fishing and fowling in the marshes
-Nebamun: “scribe and counter of grain”
-text under his arm says he is enjoying recreation in the afterlife
-theme familiar from the OK, cf. tomb of Ti
-composition: Nebamun as largest figure, occupies center of scene-characteristic-wife
placed in space behind him-daughter occupies space between his legs that would
otherwise be empty-note again large almond shaped eyes of the figures, fleshy lower part
of face-typical of reign of Amenhotep III -elements of the scene carefully observed and
drawn-note the detail of the goose, the cat which perchs on papyrus stems holding a bird
in its mouth-butterfly at Nebamun's foot-all the birds, whose species can be recognizedpainter interested in depicting texture, as in the delicate plumage of the goose, the scales
of the fish, the short soft fur of the cat
-entire composition seems very balance and effetive, with space filled by birds,
hieroglyphs, et al.
-meaning and content:
-idea of provisions for the afterlife-something to eat
-not a realistic depiction-everyone is wearing their finest clothes, not everyone would fit
into that boat
-elaborate clothes recall the owner's wealth and high status
-at same time, additional deeper meaning refers to desire of the tomb owner to be reborn
-word for throwing a throwstick in Egyptian--qema--is same word as "to create" and "to
beget"
-presence of wife-in reality she probably would not have gone along to the marshes-here
she represents the female principle with its promise of rebirth for the tomb ownerdaughter is a concrete symbol of fertility-in addition presence of wife and daughter serves
to commemorate them and include them in the afterlife which the owner hopes to gain
-daughter carries a lotus, a flower which signifies rebirth-young sun god appeared from a
lotus flower in the morning after journey through the underworld
-even the goose can be interpreted as an erotic symbol
-wild life of the marshes represents forces of chaos-by bringing down birds with
throwstick, deceased overcomes these forces of chaos, by extension death-marshes also
associated with Hathor, who wandered the marshes in the form of a wild cow of the
Delta-marshes also recall the primeval swamp of creation
-would have been balanced by a scene of spearing fish, as in the tomb of Menna-can even
see the tip of the spear in the bottom left-here too the action of spearing (sety) is a pun on
the word "to impregnate" (sety)-even the fish depicted are meaningful-tilapia fish, seen as
symbol of rebirth
-technique: dry fresco (fresco secco)—plaster dried before artists painted on it—Egypt’s
dry climate makes this technique possible
*Fragment from banquet scene showing musicians and dancers, tomb of Nebamun
-became the custom during the joint reign of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III for high
officials to construct rock-cut tomb chapels in the cliffs with burial shafts for themselves
and family dependants excavated beneath the chapel-about 400 NK tombs survive
-chapel usually took a form resembling an inverted T
-decoration of tomb chapels included many scene types familiar from the OK and MK,
including scenes of the funeral procession, the deceased seated in front of offerings, and
so-called "scenes of daily life," including the deceased at banquet or hunting
-the function of these scenes was unchanged, to help the deceased pass safely into the
next life and to supply all his needs there
-deceased would have been depicted facing guests: meal at tomb was time for living and
dead to contact each other
-the scenes often have multiple layers of meaning, reflecting this function
-scenes of the deceased and family members at banquet reflects the idea of eating in the
afterlife, but also reflects a real festival, the Festival of the Wadi, in which the living
crossed from the east bank of the Nile to the west to visit the tombs of their relatives and
to eat a commemorative meal there-these meals were times when the living and dead
could commune, and the dead are present in the scene
-much of the imagery here relates to Hathor, a goddess who, as goddess of the west,
helped the dead make the transition to the next world-music and dance were sacred to
Hathor, so this scene for example includes musicians and dancers-the dancers are nude
women, recalling the idea of fertility and ultimately pointing towards the rebirth of the
deceased into the afterlife
-the prominent inclusion of wine jars here refers to the necessity of drink but also refers
to Hathor, who was associated with ritual drunkenness-intoxication was seen as a
transitional state, in which barriers between the this world and the next could be broken
down
-in addition to the iconographic meaning of this scene, it is also noteworthy for its
composition-note that although two of the musicians are shown as composite figures with
their heads in profile, two of them are shown with frontal faces, an extremely innovative
idea-the figures of the dancers also betray an attempt an innovation in their poses,
although not completely successful-this kind of experimentation is acceptable in figures
such as these, because they are minor informal figures, not the main focus of the scene
18th Dynasty, Amarna Period:
-King Amenhotep III was succeeded by his son Amenhotep IV
-at the beginning of his reign, Amenhotep IV continued earlier building projects and
emphasized the sun god-however he introduced an expanded name for the sun god, "RaHorakhty who rejoices on the horizon in his name of 'light' which is the sun disk',
shortened to the word for "sun disk," Aten-eventually a completely new divine image was
introduced for the Aten, with the traditional falcon-headed human image of the sun god
replaced by a non-anthropomorphic representation of the sun disk with rays ending in
hands
-Amenhotep IV created a new city, which he called Akhetaten (horizon of the Aten) and
which we call Amarna today, to act as cult center for the Aten and center for his kingly
administration-around the same time he changed his name from Amenhotep, which
means "Amun is content" to Akhenaten, "beneficial to the Aten"-the cults of other deities
were largely ignored during his reign, with the Aten receiving absolute prominence-the
cult of Amun-Ra was even actively attacked, with the name and image of the god
removed from the monuments
-with the changes in religion and kingship come noticeable changes in art-the Amarna
period witnesses radical new developments in the rendering of the human figure in
particular-changes must have been instigated or at least approved by the king
*Statue of Akhenaten from Karnak
-originally set up at the temple of the Aten at Karnak, toppled and buried after Ak’s death
-curious style: long full-lipped face, heavy-lidded eyes, narrow waist, full hips, heavy
thighs—more effeminate
-theories: Akhenaten suffered from a physical deformity (probably false)—deliberate
artistic reaction against established style?—new androgynous image of the pharaoh,
combining male and female principles like the Aten itself
-also note that the Aten brought abundance and prosperity—the curving forms of the king
cf. the figure of Hapy, who symbolized the yearly inundation (a fat fecundity figure)
-sandstone
-originally stood in front of a pillar in a colonnade that ran round an open court, in the
temple to the Aten which Akhenaten erected at Karnak—buildings later dismantled
-traditional royal insignia: afnet headdress, crook and flail
*Head of Queen Tiye
-only 3 ¾” high
-wood with gold, silver, alabaster, and lapis lazuli
-recent research (scanner tomography) shows that the head was altered in antiquity
-the current headcloth (linen) hides a silver headdress—original headdress had four
golden uraei, two on the forehead and two behind the ears—head also adorned with ear
ornaments and a broad gold band—tall feather crown, part of the alteration of the statue,
is the type worn by Isis and Hathor and is therefore an expression of the queen’s
divinization
-toward the end of the reign of Amenhotep III or on the occasion of his death, Queen
Tiye was given goddess status
-highly individualized features of the elderly queen highlight her active role
*Altar stela with Akhenaten and his family
-sunken relief-shows Akhenaten and Nefertiti with their three eldest daughters seated
beneath the Aten in a pavilion-"stela not just a pretty picture showing the private life of
the royal family but a religious icon that encodes a statement of belief"
-stelae like this one were set up in garden or household shrines at Amarna, where the
Aten and the royal couple were venerated as creator and his first two creations,
representing the male and female principles of the universe-children may symbolize the
continuous process of creation
-composition carefully balanced between the two figures, with the Aten above uniting the
scene-note that the Aten's rays end in small hands, some of which hold the ankh sign to
the nose of Akhenaten and Nefertiti-king is given primary right-facing orientation and
Nefertiti the secondary left-facing one
-figure of the king: large head with drooping features and long neck-narrow shoulders
and waist, small upper torso-belly droops over sagging waistband of the kilt-arms and
short lower legs are thin and lack any musculature-this physique, especially in terms of
the sagging belly and swelling thighs, may suggest the abundance and prosperity of the
land under Akhenaten's rule-face is almost a caraciature, typical of representations of
Akhenaten-figure of the queen is also curvaceous, also suggesting fertility
*Head of Nefertiti
-Nefertiti renowned for her beauty-her name means "the beautiful one is here" or “has
come”
-lifesize-never a complete statue
-elegant representation-sloping line of the crown is balanced by the long graceful neck
-one eye left blank-perhaps to show stage before inlay
-some scholars (esp. Germans) believed that she was not Egyptian, but she is Egyptian
-found in the workshop of sculptor Thutmose at Amarna—deliberately unfinished model
18th Dynasty, Tomb of Tutankhamun
-ultimate successor to Akhenaten was Tutankhamun (originally named Tutankhaten),
who came to the throne as a young boy and reigned for two years-probably son of
Akhenaten
-during reign of Tutankhamun, royal residence was moved back to Memphis, the Aten
theology ceased to be exclusive, and traditonal cults were restored
-tomb of Tutankhamun discovered in 1922-famous because of its intact burial-tomb is
small and consists of a stairway and corridor leading to four rooms-very likely that since
he king died young unexpectedly, his tomb was not ready and more nearly finished nonroyal tomb was used instead
-contents of the tomb showed the astonishing wealth and variety of royal funerary
paraphernalia
-some items, eg funerary masks, coffins, shrines, canopic equipment and divine and royal
statues, were made specifically for burial
-other objects, eg items of furniture, clothing, writing equipment, cermonial sticks, fans
and chariots, were used by the king during life
*gold inner coffin of Tutankhamun
-body of king lay inside three nested coffins that identified him with Osiris, god of the
dead
-innermost in shape of mummy-made of several hundred pounds of solid gold
-surface decorated with colored enamelwork and semiprecious gemstones
-feather pattern throughout, vultures, Isis and Nephthys
-all three coffins were placed within quartzite stone sarcophagus
-king holds crook and flail, symbols of Osiris and traditional part of royal regalia
*funerary mask of Tutankhamun
-gold is the color of the sun god's skin-king is transformed to the god
-vulture and cobra on headdress-only seen on funerary equipment
-quartz eyes, obsidian pupils, lapis lazuli eyebrows and cosmetic line
-body shows that Tutankhamun really did have pierced ears, although men customarily
did not wear earrings
*painted wooden chest of Tutankhamun
-plastered and painted wooden chest-h: 44 cm
-many tomb objects decorated with motifs that show him triumphant over foreigners
-small painted chest has four scenes of hte king in his chariot on its long sides and lidcomposition is the same in all of them-king in his chariot dominates the central part of the
scene as he charges against the forces of chaos, represented by Syrians (the side where
king moves to right) and Nubians (the side where king moves to left) on the sides and by
desert animals on the id
-foreigners and animals form a chaotic mass without register lines
-behind the king much smaller figures of Egyptian chariotry and infantry are arranged
neatly in three registers
-ends of the chest: king portrayed as sphinx trampling Egypt's southern and northern
enemies
-these scenes encapsulate the Egyptian world vision that contrasts the ordered world with
the surrounding chaos of the desrt and foreign lands, and puts the king at the center of the
struggle to maintain order in the face of chaos
-text: "Perfect god, likeness of Ra, who appears over foreign lands like the rising of Ra,
who destroys this land of vile Kush, who shoots his arrows against the enemy" (Nubian
side)
19th Dynasty, Ramesside period
-18th dynasty ended with general-turned-king Horemheb, who, having no son, appointed
his vizier Paramesse as his heir-this king inaugurated the 19th dynasty and the Ramesside
period, which actually encompassed the 19th and 20th dynasties-it is called this because
of the proliferation of kings named Ramesses
-one of the most famous rulers of this period is Ramesses II, son of Sety I, who ruled for
67 years-he continued the restoration of monuments damaged during the Amarna period
and built widely in his own right throughout Egypt-because of length of his reign,
Ramesses II was able to undertake more building projects than any other king
*Hypostyle Hall, Temple of Amun at Karnak, built under Sety I and Ramesses II
-temple of Amun-Ra at Karnak is one of the best-known state temples of the NK
-design of the temple never static-18th and 19th dynasty kings invested large resources in
the temple
-two taller central rows of columns have open papyrus umbel capitals and the rest have
closed papyrus bud capitals (Stokstad calls these lotus capitals but she is WRONG)difference in height allowed for clerestory lighting-one of the window grilles can be seen
in the slide
-Sety I turned space between second and third pylons into gigantic hypostyle hall with
134 columns-interior and exterior walls on north side were decorated by Sety I, whereas
decoration on the south side is in the name of Ramesses II-interior decoration relates to
kings and deities
*Pylon of Ramesses II, Temple of Amun at Luxor
-site of Luxor, 5 km south of Karnak, was location for annual Opet festival, in which
divine nature of king was renewed each year
-Amenhotep III erected monumental sandstone temple which perhaps replaced an earlier
building-fronted by a sun court
-Ramesses II added a large colonnaded court fronted by a pylon to form a new entrance
to the temple
-axis of the court does not follow the axis of the rest of the temple but veers slightly to
the east
-in front of the entrance pylon he erected two obelisks, two coossal seated statues either
side of the entrance, and two colossal standing statues in front of each wing
-standing colossi on the east side were made of red granite, color of the rising sun-two on
the west were made of black granite, the coor of Osiris
-outer face of the pylon is decorated with series of scenes representing Ramesses' battle
against the Hittites at Qadesh, in which the outcome is presented as a great victory-point
out that presence of battle scenes on the pylon not only trumpets the king's achievements
but also serves as metaphor for subduing of chaotic forces that might threaten the templeapotropaic as well as propagandistic function
-inside the court are more colossal statues of the king
-colossal statues are indicated by their inscriptions to be ka statues of the king-king in
divine form, can intercede for mortals-placement at temple entrance meant that
worshipers who were not allowed to enter the temple proper could nonetheless address
their prayers to the king's divine ka
* Facade with colossal statues, Great Temple of Ramesses II at Abu Simbel
-Nubia had been conquered by Egypt at beg of 18th dynasty-successive kings had built
towns and temples there
-under Ramesses II seven new temples were erected in Lower Nubia of which most faou
are Great and Small Temples at Abu Simbel
-cut into sandstone cliffs that bordered Nile on the west
-instead of pylon of free-standing temple, both temples are fronted by a rock-cut facade
-facade of Graet Temple is 30 m high and 35 m wide, with four colossal seated statues
about 21 m high having smaller figures of royal family members by the lower legs
-above the entrance two relief-cut figures of the king offer an image of goddess Maat to
falcon-headed statue wearing a sun disk on his head, id by the text as sun god RaHorakhty, who emerges from a niche-by his right leg is cut hieroglyph that reads user and
by his left an image of goddess Maat-figure in niche therefore provides a cryptic writing
of Ramesses' throne name, Usermaatra-image of Ra-Horakhty stresses solar aspect of the
temple-display of Ramesses' name over the entrance also indicates that the temple was
dedicated to a divine form of the king
-inside the temple the deocration in outer hall is associated on south side with Amun-ra
and on the north side with Ra-Horakhty
-note that temple was placed so that rays of the rising sun would come through the door
to the sanctuary and illuminate a row of four statues-divine Ramesses II and gods Amun,
Ptah, and Ra-Horakhty
-note that the other temple at Abu Simbel is dedicated to Hathor and Nefertari
*Wall painting with Queen Nefertari offering to Isis, from her tomb, V. of the Queens
-during the 19th dynasty, decorated tombs introduced for important royal women and
children, situated to south of Valley of Kings in what is now called Valley of the Queens
-tomb of Nefertari decorated throughout in brightly painted relief of the highest quality,
which because of the poor condition of the limestone in the Valley of the Queens, was cut
not into the stone itself, but into layers of plaster applied on top of the stone
-much of the tomb decoration includes the queen meeting and offering to a variety of
solar and underworld deities
-queen wears vulture headdress surmounted by double-feathers (of Mut?--check)-wears
long white linen gown
-Isis wears horned sun disk headdress--Stokstad says she wears vulture headdress but she
doesn't
-tomb was discovered in 1904-paintings deteriorated-walls had been left damp when
priests sealed the tomb, so that salts from the plaster leaked to the surface-this loosened
layer of pigment causing it to flake-dampness allowed various funuses to attack the paint-
process accelerated when tomb opened to public-closed in 1940
=1968-conversation process with Egyptian Nat'l Antiquities Service and Getty
Conservation INstitute-carried out by team of Italian and Egyptian conservators-process
of conservation described in Stokstad
*Book of the Dead fragment with judgment of deceased before Osiris, Book of the Dead
of Hu-Nefer
-Hu-Nefer was a high official
-the Book of the Dead is a body of funerary texts and accompanying illustrations that is
first known from the 18th dyn., although many of the texts derive from earlier sources
-function was to provide deceased with knowledge necessary to reach the next world
safely
-frequent scenes include funerarl procession and rites before the tombs, the dangeous
journey into the underowlrd through the gates that guard it, the weighing of the heart and
subsequent presentation to Osiris, and life in the next world-scenes can be foundon
tombs walls too
-part crocodile, part lion, part hippo creature=Ammit, "Eater of the Dead"
-note four sons of Horus (canopic jars) stand on lotus blossom rising up out of lake of
natron on which Osiris' little boat floats
-above: Hu-Nefer makes appearance in the afterlife, kneeling before 9 gods of Heliopolis
(sacred city of Ra) and five personifications of life-giving principles
Ptolemaic Period
*Temple of Horus at Edfu
*Colossal statues of Ptolemy II and Arsinoe II