Ancient Egyptian Art
The civilization we call ancient Egypt started about 5,000 years ago, when the rule of
pharaohs began. They ordered the building of great temples for their gods and elaborate
tombs for themselves. Much of what we know about ancient Egypt comes from the
surviving tombs. Since Egyptians believed the pharaoh’s ka
(spirit) was immortal, they stocked the tomb with every earthly
delights for it to enjoy .
Wall paintings and hieroglyphics (picture writing ) depicted the
deceased’s life and daily activities in minute detail. Portrait statues
provided an alternative dwelling place for the ka, in case the
mummy deteriorated.
A stele (stee-lee) painted or carved upright stones or slab were
used as monuments.
Sculpture and paintings followed a rigid formula
for representing the human figure.
Statues were intended to last eternally so they were made of hard substances like granite
and limestone.
The Great Pyramid at Giza is the largest stone structure in the world. The base is a
perfect square. It contains two and a half million blocks of limestone.
The huge Giza Sphinx, cut from rock, guarded the pyramids at Giza. The statue had a
human head (representing intelligence) on a lion’s body ( a sign of strength). Together
they symbolized royal power.
Hieroglyphics
The ancient Egyptians wrote things down using a picture writing called hieroglyphics.
The people who did the actual writing were called scribes. Students took up to 10 years
to memorize the several hundred hieroglyphic signs.
The ankh is one of the most familiar of Egyptian hieroglyphs. The meaning is Life and is
often shown carried in the hands of their deities (or gods). It was often shown being
offered to the king’s lips as a symbol of the “breath of life”. Later the Ankh was adopted
as a Christian Symbol.
When the Roman Empire took over in AD 324 Egyptian writing was banned. As a result
hieroglyphs became a lost language. The discovery of the Rosetta stone in 1822 was key
to reading the ancient Egyptian writing.
Cartouche- is an oval shape containing the hieroglyphs
depicting the name of a pharaoh
King Tut- ( the most well known pharaoh) and Hieroglyphics
Written hieroglyphs were a means to eternity. After King Tut died. General
Horemheb became pharaoh. While he was in power, Horemheb had all
references to Tutankhamen erased and replaced with his own name. The
little that we know of Tutankhamen’s life mainly came to us ironically
through his death. It is also through his death that he laid claim to fame
which was the discovery of his nearly untouched tomb. King Tut’s
magnificent tomb contained gilt and gold, rare iron and silver objects as
well as stunning alabaster urns, jewelry and much more.. It was just a
small glimpse of what tombs contained before thieves infiltrated.
Archeologists are making new discoveries in Egypt every day.