Art and Culture - Ancient History: Egypt

Throughout ancient Egyptian history, Egyptian people wore amulets that were dedicated to various Gods so that those Gods might offer them protection and good fortune. The Egyptians believed that these amulets were important both on Earth and in the afterlife, and so tended to bury rulers with amulets designed to ensure the favor of the Gods and to ward off evil spirits.

Egypt was once called Kemet (The Black Land). The black referred to the dark, rich soil of the region. It was also called Deshret (Red Land) referring to it's miles of deserts. Finally, the Hwt-ka-Ptah (the House of the Ka of Ptah), Ptah was one of Egypt's first gods.

The Feast of Opet was an annual festival held in Upper Egypt during the New Kingdom period and later. It celebrated the voyage of the God Amun from the temple of Karnak to the temple of Luxor. The celebration was a procession of ceremonial boats that were carried between the two temples. Boats were an important component of Egyptian ceremony and religious worship because the Egyptians believed that the Sun and Moon sailed across the sky in boats.

The ancient Egyptians were concerned with realism in art, but not overly so. Indeed, many Egyptian works of art depict humans in an idealized form, rather than a natural form. The Egyptians did, however, believe that the primary function of art was to manifest life. For example, they believed that a depiction of a God was an incarnation of the God itself.

In ancient Egyptian cosmology and iconography, the scarab was routinely associated with the rising sun. The Egyptians worshipped the Sun in many different forms, and a scarab was used in Egyptian hieroglyphics to refer to the Sun at dawn.

Throughout ancient Egyptian history, Egyptian people wore amulets that were dedicated to various Gods so that those Gods might offer them protection and good fortune. The Egyptians believed that these amulets were important both on Earth and in the afterlife, and so tended to bury rulers with amulets designed to ensure the favor of the Gods and to ward off evil spirits.

Egypt was once called Kemet (The Black Land). The black referred to the dark, rich soil of the region. It was also called Deshret (Red Land) referring to it's miles of deserts. Finally, the Hwt-ka-Ptah (the House of the Ka of Ptah), Ptah was one of Egypt's first gods.

The Feast of Opet was an annual festival held in Upper Egypt during the New Kingdom period and later. It celebrated the voyage of the God Amun from the temple of Karnak to the temple of Luxor. The celebration was a procession of ceremonial boats that were carried between the two temples. Boats were an important component of Egyptian ceremony and religious worship because the Egyptians believed that the Sun and Moon sailed across the sky in boats.

The ancient Egyptians were concerned with realism in art, but not overly so. Indeed, many Egyptian works of art depict humans in an idealized form, rather than a natural form. The Egyptians did, however, believe that the primary function of art was to manifest life. For example, they believed that a depiction of a God was an incarnation of the God itself.

Many historians consider Imhotep to be the “father” of Ancient Egyptian medicine. Imhotep possessed a wide array of talents; he excelled at dozens of complex subjects and skills, including architecture, medical care, poetry, astronomy, writing, and religious knowledge. He first rose to prominence during the Old Kingdom, in the midst of the reign of the Pharaoh Djoser, who employed him as both his court’s Chief Physician and Chief Architect. He is credited with designing two pyramids: the Step Pyramid Complex at Saqqara and the Pyramid of Sekhemkhet. His medical talents were so widely renowned through Egypt that dozens of temples and monuments scattered around the nation bear inscriptions praising his treatments and acts of healing. Although definite proof no longer exists, many historians believe that Imhotep also founded the famous Memphis medical school and/or authored the Edwin Smith Papyrus, a medical scroll detailing how to diagnose and treat many ailments.

Besides perhaps the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Great Sphinx is one of the most majestic and enduring symbols of Ancient Egypt. Although it has been much altered due to the depredations of time and weather, today the Sphinx is as enigmatically compelling as ever. The Sphinx was built sometime during the Old Kingdom and carved entirely out of a single limestone mass. Although neither the name of the architect nor the original name of the monument is known, it is believed that the Sphinx’s face was deliberately styled to resemble the face of the Pharaoh Khafre, for whom the Middle Pyramid was also built. The structure seems to have some sort of connection with the Egyptian deity Horus (the god of the sky and warfare); many later sources reference it as the “Horus of the Horizon” and the “Horus of the Necropolis,” all the while admitting that these monikers are not the monument’s original name.

Ancient Egyptian temple architecture incorporated several very specific elements, all of which were standard due to their assumed religious connotations. Although a variety of decorative motifs and other relatively minor features varied from building to building, each temple had to have a large main gateway, a courtyard surrounded by columns, a hall of columns, and a sacred shrine chamber. Without such elements, by Ancient Egyptian standards, a temple would be not only incomplete, but also unfit for spiritual worship.

In Ancient Egypt, different burial practices were employed depending on the deceased individual’s level of social status. As the highest-ranking figure in the entire nation, pharaohs had the most options available and many chose their own burial structure and site years before their passing. Pharaonic burial customs also changed with the times, so while most Old and Middle Kingdom rulers preferred to be buried in pyramids, New Kingdom pharaohs favored elaborate rock-cut tombs and temples. Highly-elevated court officials and nobles, on the other hand, were much more stable and traditional in their burial preferences; for centuries, these valued courtiers and officials were buried in either rock-cut tombs or mastabas. Especially coveted amongst the nobility were burial sites located in the Valley of the Queens, where the deceased could count lesser (but still prestigious) members of the royal family as their neighbors.

Rock-cut tombs seemed to have first become popular during the Fourth Dynasty and reached their true peak of popularity during the New Kingdom. This particular style of tomb would be carved into the sides of mountains or cliffs, using the naturally strong stone native to the area. The most elaborate and advanced rock-cut tombs were located along the Nile River. Over time, this style of tomb was favored by pharaohs, members of the royal family, and high-ranking nobles alike. A great variety of architectural and decorative features could be found in rock-cut tombs, but a few elements were considered essential to all such structures, regardless of the stylistic preferences of their owners. The most important feature of any rock-cut tomb was the small room or niche that housed the tomb’s sacred honor statue, from which the tomb’s spiritual protection flowed. Regarded as the tomb’s proverbial heart, this honor room was the spiritual center of the structure, on a similarly revered level as the actual burial chamber. The likeness of any god or goddess could be chosen as a particular tomb’s sacred statue (many deceased individuals had an especially favorite deity) but it was imperative that every rock-cut tomb have this sacred statue room.

From the beginning of the Old Kingdom until the fall of the New Kingdom, it was considered traditional for the interior walls of a deceased pharaoh’s tomb or pyramid to be decorated with elaborate artwork. Over time, a very specific artistic canon developed, so that a few main motifs became traditional and necessary. These motifs were scenes from the deceased pharaoh’s reign, scenes from religious funerary books (usually showing the path into the afterlife), scenes showing everyday life (such as food production), and depictions of the lives of various gods and goddesses. Often, these motifs would be combined, so that one wall might depict the average day in the life of the pharaoh’s subjects, while another wall might highlight important moments in the pharaoh’s own life. On the contrary, it was considered extremely transgressive for artwork depicting scenes of religious rituals to be placed anywhere but on the inner walls of a temple.

The ka represented the spirit of a deceased individual and was believed to travel to the underworld after death.

Ancient Egyptian society is rightfully lauded by modern historians for its many cultural and scientific achievements, all of which were made possible by the Empire’s long periods of economic and political stability. The most well-known of Ancient Egypt’s advancements is, undoubtedly, mummification (aka the process of preserving a dead body through the careful removal of the body’s organs and fluids). Other notable Ancient Egyptian accomplishments include the development of: a numerical system, a hieroglyphic writing system, a system of keeping time, and a technique of creating papyrus (an early form of paper) out of river weeds. The Ancient Egyptians also invented door locks and eye makeup, as well as a complex system of legal courts and criminal justice laws.

This image shows a Roman-style portrait of a young man that replaces the sculpted funerary masks of older mummified individuals. This is seen in the large eyes, idealized features, and position of the head that all point to conventions typical of Roman portraits.

Image is in the public domain, accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fayum-71.jpg

The ancient Egyptian practice of incubation emerged during the Late Period. The practice of incubation involved an ancient Egyptian individual sleeping in a temple complex overnight. The individual expected to be visited in his sleep by God. It was expected that God would pass on a prophetic message.