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CHAPTER 3
EGYPTIAN ART
Predynastic and Early Dynastic Art
Key Images
Palette of King Narmer, p. 49, 3.1

From ca. 5000 BCE until ca. 3150 BCE, Egypt was divided into two independent
regions, Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt, becoming unified under King Narmer during
the predynastic period.

The Palette of King Narmer, dating to ca. 3150 BCE, commemorates Narmer′s victory
over Lower Egypt and is the earliest surviving image of an historic personage
identified by name.

The signs and symbols of Upper and Lower Egypt are unified on the Palette of King
Narmer, and stylistic conventions for portraying the figure are used, including legs
and head being in profile, and the torso being frontal. King Narmer is represented as a
divinity, being much larger than the other figures in the Palette.
The Old Kingdom (Dynasties 3–6)
Key Images
Step Pyramid and Funerary Complex of King Djoser, Saqqara, p. 50, 3.3
Papyrus-shaped half-columns, Funerary Complex of King Djoser, p. 52, 3.6
The Pyramids of Menkaure, Khafre, and Khufu, Giza, p. 53, 3.7
Model of the Great Pyramids at Giza, p. 54, 3.9
The Great Sphinx, p. 55, 3.10
Sculpture of Khafra, p. 55, 3.11
Sculpture of Menkaure and His Wife, Queen Khamerernebty, p. 56, 3.12
Sculpture of Prince Rahotep and His Wife, Nofret, p. 57, 3.13
Relief Panel of Hesy-ra, from Saqqara, p. 57, 3.14
Sculpture of Seated Scribe, from Saqqara, p. 58, 3.15
Sculpture of Ka-Aper, from Saqqara, p. 58, 3.16
Ti Watching a Hippopotamus Hunt, p. 59, 3.17
Third Dynasty

The Egyptians believed that the ka, or the individual’s life force, lived on after death,
traveling between this world and the next. Egyptian tombs were equipped with ka
doors so that the ka could go through the door into the next world, as well as ka
statues in which the ka could sleep at night if the mummified body of the deceased
were not available.
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
The earliest funerary complex was that of the Third Dynasty King Djoser
(Netjerikhet) at Saqqara designed by the priest Imhotep, the first named architect in
history. The funerary complex at Saqqara included a funerary temple built in the form
of a mastaba, a South and North Palace, and a serdab that contained the ka statue of
Djoser inscribed with the name of Imhotep. The entire complex was oriented northsouth, allowing the king′s ka statue to look toward the circumpolar stars in the
north sky.
Fourth Dynasty

During the Fourth Dynasty there was a dramatic change in funerary architecture with
the adaptation of the step pyramid into a smooth-sided one. The earliest of these
pyramids is attributed to Sneferu, the founder of the Fourth Dynasty.

The most well-known of the pyramids, considered wonders of the ancient world, were
built at Giza by Sneferu′s son Khufu, who built the first and largest of the pyramids,
Khafra, and Menkaure. Each pyramid was covered with a white limestone with a gold
capstone.

Also a part of this necropolis is the Great Sphinx, whose head is thought to resemble
the features of Khafra, in front of whose pyramid he stands. The Sphinx is almost
certainly inspired by Near Eastern lamassus, serving the same protective function for
the funerary temple of the deceased pharaoh.

Beginning in the Fifth Dynasty, a canon of proportions was used in which the body of
members of royalty and courtiers were portrayed in an idealized manner. Examples of
this can be seen in the ka statues of Khafra, the Sculpture of Menkaure and His Wife,
Queen Khamerernebty, the Sculpture of Prince Rahotep and His Wife, Nofret, and the
Relief Panel of Hesy-ra. These works are all abstracted to conform to a standard of
perfection dictated by Egyptian cultural preferences. The canon of proportions was
not used for people of lower status.
The Middle Kingdom (Dynasties 11–12) and Second Intermediate Period
(Dynasties 13-17)
Key Images
Sculpture of Senwosret III, p. 59, 3.18
Sculpture of the Lady Sennuwy, p. 60, 3.19
Rock-Cut Tombs at Beni Hasan, p. 60, 3.20
Interior Hall of Rock-Cut Tomb, p. 61, 3.21
Female Figurine, from Thebes, p. 62, 3.23

Following the death of the Sixth Dynasty pharaoh King Pepy II in ca. 2152 BCE, there
was a turbulent First Intermediate Period which lasted over a century. Much of the art
of the Eleventh and Twelfth Dynasties relied on Old Kingdom forms, especially in
funerary art.
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
Sculptures of members of the royal family show a breaking away from earlier
sculptural conventions. This can be seen in the Sculpture of Senwosret III which
showed less idealism and more naturalism than earlier periods. This reflected a shift
in the perception of the pharaoh during this period, where he was seen not simply as a
god but as an individual with responsibilities to his subjects.

The Middle Kingdom ended when a group of immigrants known as the Hyksos
moved into the Nile Delta, forcing the pharaoh to retreat to Thebes. The period of the
Hyksos control is known as the Second Intermediate Period.
The New Kingdom (Dynasties 18–20)
Key Images
Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Deir el-Bahri, p. 63, 3.24
Kneeling Figure of Queen Hatshepsut, p. 64, 3.26
Hypostyle Hall of Temple of Amun-Ra, Karnak, p. 65, 3.28
Seti I’s Campaigns, Temple of Amun at Karnak, p. 66, 3.29
Temple of Ramses II, Abu Simbel, p. 66, 3.30
Interior of Temple of Ramses II, Abu Simbel, p. 67, 3.31
Sculpture of Senenmut with Nefrua, Thebes, p. 68, 3.32
Musicians and Dancers, from the Tomb of Nebamun, p. 69, 3.33
Mai and His Wife, Urel, p. 69, 3.34
Sculpture of Akhenaten, from Karnak, p. 70, 3.35
Akhenaten and His Family, p. 71, 3.36
Sculpture of Queen Tiy, p. 71, 3.37
Sculpture of Queen Nefertiti, p. 72, 3.38
Cover of the Coffin of Tutankhamen, p. 73, 3.39
The Weighing of the Heart and Judgment of Osiris, p. 74, 3.40

Within a century, the Hyksos were expelled by Ahmose, the first pharaoh of the
Eighteenth Dynasty, and Egypt entered a final period of cultural and economic
prosperity known as the New Kingdom.

One of the key differences between the Old Kingdom and the New Kingdom can be
seen in their burial practices. Eighteenth Dynasty pharaohs did not build pyramids,
but instead chose to dig their tombs out of rock in the Valley of the Kings.

The best preserved of these tombs is the funerary temple of the female pharaoh
Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahri, built by her architect Senenmut. Hatshepsut′s funerary
temple demonstrates a radical departure from previous temple and tomb building,
with an axial plan that takes into account the stark landscape in which it is placed.

Eighteenth Dynasty pharaohs constructed temples of the Theban divine triad, Amun,
his consort Mut, and their son Khons at Karnak and Luxor, creating two temple
complexes to honor the triad.
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
During the Nineteenth Dynasty Ramesses II (aka Ramses and Rameses)
commissioned numerous architectural projects at Abu Simbel.

During the New Kingdom the block statue, where the seated figure with knees drawn
up to his chest and wrapped in a cloak, regained popularity. An example of this is the
Scultpture of Senenmut with Nefrua.

During the reign of Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten) a new style of art called the Amarna
Style was launched. The sculptures from this period break with the established canon
of proportions, showing an expressive naturalism. Some scholars suggest that the
exaggerated features shown in the portraits of Akhenaten suggest an underlying
medical condition that the pharaoh passed on to his children, but the feminized
appearance of the sculptures could also reflect an identification of the pharaoh with
the fertile Aten as life-giver.

The Amarna style can be seen in the naturalism of the Sculpture of Queen Tiy,
Akhenaten′s mother, and the Sculpture of Queen Nefertiti. In the incised relief of
Akhenaten and His Family the pharaoh and his consort sit with their children under
the life-giving rays of Aten. This family grouping emphasizes the close familial
relationship and is a radical departure from previous images of pharaohs with their
consorts and offspring.

Ahmenhotep IV challenged the traditional polytheistic system in Egypt, practicing
monotheism, worshipping Aten—the god of the sun disk. Changing his name to
Akhenaten (meaning “beneficial to Aten”), Akhenaten established a new capital at
Amarna.

Akhenaten′s innovations angered the priests and the political elite, who were able to
restore the conventions of older ways both in religion and art after his successor,
Tutankhamen, took the throne.

Ramesses II completed a massive temple at Luxor whose two walls, with sloping
sides, form a gateway or pylon entrance.

The Ramesses dynasty was the last significant dynastic family of the New Kingdom.

Alexander the Great conquered Egypt and founded the city of Alexandria before his
death in 323 BCE, and his general Ptolemy established the Ptolemaic Dynasty which
lasted for almost 300 years, until Egypt was conquered by the Roman Emperor
Augustus in 30 BCE following the Battle of Actium. The Ptolemaic Dynasty ended
with the death of Ptolemy XIV, the pharaoh Cleopatra VII’s son by Julius Caesar.
Key Terms/Places/Names
hieroglyphs
Narmer
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mastaba
ka
ka statue
sarcophagus
mummification
Djoser (Netjerikhet)
Saqqara
Imhotep
necropolis
serdab
Sneferu
pyramid
Khafra
Khufu
sphinx
ben-ben
canon of proportions
hierarchical scale
faience
Hatshepsut
Senenmut
pylons
hypostyle hall
obelisks
sunken (incised) relief
Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten)
Amarna style
Aten
monotheism
Nefertiti
Tutankhamen
Alexander the Great
Ptolemy
Ptolemaic Dynasty
Cleopatra VII
Ptolemy XIV
Discussion Questions
1.
Discuss in both form and function tomb architecture from the mastaba to the
pyramids at Giza.
2.
Compare and contrast painting and sculpture from the Fourth Dynasty with that of
the reign of Akhenaten.
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3.
Discuss the representation of the deceased in Old Kingdom tomb decoration, such as
that of Ti Watching a Hippopotamus Hunt.
4.
The Palette of King Narmer reflects the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under
King Narmer. Which symbols of each region are used in the work, and what is the
overall meaning of the iconography?
5.
How do Middle Kingdom portraits and paintings differ from those of the Old
Kingdom?
6.
Discuss the importance of tomb paintings and how these paintings relate to the
Egyptian concept of the ka.
7.
How were aristocratic women of Ancient Egypt portrayed in the art of the Old
Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, and New Kingdom?
8.
What was revolutionary about the reign of the pharaoh Hatshepsut?
9.
What characterizes Amarna style art?
Resources
Books
Aldred, Cyril. Akhenaten: King of Egypt. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1988.
Kemp, Barry. Ancient Egypt: Anatomy of a Civilization. New York: Routledge, 1989.
Redford, Donald. Akhenaten: The Heretic King. Princeton: Princeton University Press,
1987.
Roehrig, Catharine, Renée Dreyfus, and Cathleen Keller, eds. Hatshepsut: From Queen
to Pharaoh. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2005.
Shaw, Ian, ed. The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. New York: Oxford University Press,
2000.
Walker, Susan, and Peter Higgs, eds., Cleopatra of Egypt: From History to Myth.
Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2001.
DVDs
Egypt: Quest for Eternity. (2002) National Geographic. 60 min.
Empires: Egypt’s Golden Empire. (2005) PBS Paramount.180 min.
NOVA: Secrets of Lost Empires. Pyramid. Obelisk. (1996) 60 min.
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Pyramid. Hosted by David Macaulay and Derek Jacobi. (1999) PBS Home Video.
www
The Ancient Egypt Site http://www.ancient-egypt.org/index.html
Cleopatra: A Multimedia Guide to the Ancient World http://www.artic.edu/cleo/
Digital Egypt for Universities http://www.digitalegypt.ucl.ac.uk/
Guardian’s Egypt http://www.guardians.net/egypt/
The Egyptian Museum, Cairo http://www.egyptianmuseum.gov.eg/
The Karnak Hypostyle Hall Project http://cas.memphis.edu/~hypostyle/
The Tomb of Senneferi http://www.newton.cam.ac.uk/egypt/tt99/index.html