Download The hallmarks of ancient Egyptian civilization, such as art

The hallmarks of ancient Egyptian civilization, such as art, architecture
and religion, took shape during the Early Dynastic period.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE [ edit ]
Summarize the common aesthetic practices in the Early Dynastic Period of Egyptian art,
including the use of symbolism and color.
KEY POINTS [ edit ]
The Early Dynastic Period of Egypt immediately followed the unification of Lower and Upper
Egypt around 3100 BC, and is generally taken to include the First and Second Dynasties.
Ancient Egyptian art forms depicted gods, human beings, heroic battles, and nature, and were
intended to provide solace in the afterlife; many of the common aesthetic practices were
formalized during the Early Dynastic Period.
Much of Egyptian art revolved around the theme of permanence, as artists endeavored to
preserve everything from the present as clearly and permanently as possible.
Symbolism, ranging from the pharaoh's regalia (signifying his power to maintain order) to
depictions of goddesses, gods, and animals, is omnipresent in Egyptian art.
Colors were expressive and symbolic rather than realistic, with various skin colors implying
youth, royalty, or divinity.
The first mastabas were constructed as burial sites for eminent Egyptians, and became models for
the Step Pyramids that would be developed later in the Old Kingdom.
TERMS [ edit ]
pictographs (hieroglyphics)
An ideogram that conveys its meaning through its pictorial resemblance to a physical object;
often used in writing and graphic systems.
mastaba
a rectangular structure with a flat top and slightly sloping sides, built during Ancient Egyptian
times above tombs that were situated on flat land
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The Early Dynastic Period of Egypt
immediately followed the unification of
Lower and Upper Egypt around 3100 BC.
It is generally taken to include the First
and SecondDynasties, lasting from the
Protodynastic Period of Egypt until about
2686 BC, or the beginning of the Old
Kingdom.
During the First Dynasty,
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the capital moved from Abydos to
Memphis, with a unified Egypt ruled by an Egyptian god-king. Abydos remained the major
holy land in the south. Before the unification of Egypt, the land was settled with autonomous
villages. With the early dynasties, and for much of Egypt's history thereafter, the country
came to be known as the Two Lands, and the rulers established a national administration and
appointed royal governors. The hallmarks of ancient Egyptiancivilization, such as art,
architecture and many aspects of their polytheistic religion, took shape during the Early
Dynastic period.
Many of the common aesthetic practices of Egyptian art and architecture were formalized
during this era, as Egyptian society grew and advanced rapidly toward refined civilization.
Much of Egyptian art revolved around the theme of permanence, from large architectural
structures to writing and imagery of the afterlife. Artists endeavored to preserve everything
from the present as clearly and permanently as possible.
A new and distinctive pottery appeared during this time, along with the use of copper, the
Mesopotamian process of sun-dried bricks, and architectural building principles such as
the archand decorative recessed walls. Open-air temple buildings of the central government
were constructed of wood or sandstone. It was also during this period that the Egyptian
writing system was further developed: initially composed of a few symbols, by the end of the
3rd dynasty it had been expanded to include more than 200 symbols, both phonograms and
ideograms.
While funeral practices for peasants remained much the same as in predynastic times,
wealthier members of Egyptian society began seeking something more. The
first mastabas were constructed in the form of a flat-roofed, rectangular structure with
outward sloping sides that marked the burial site of many eminent Egyptians. These
structures became models for the Step Pyramids that would be developed later in the Old
Kingdom.
Symbolism is omnipresent in Egyptian art, and played an important role in establishing a
sense of order. Symbols ranged from the pharaoh's regalia (signifying his power to maintain
order), to the individual symbols of Egyptian gods and goddesses, to animals depicted as
highly symbolic figures .
Sunken relief of the crocodile god, Sobek
Animals were usually also highly symbolic figures in Egyptian art.
Colors were more expressive rather than natural. For instance, red skin painted on characters
implied vigorous, tanned youths; yellow skin was used for women or middle-aged men who
worked indoors; blue or gold indicated divinity because of its unnatural appearance and
association with precious materials; and the use of black for royal figures expressed the
fertility of the Nile from which Egypt was born. Stereotypes were employed to indicate the
geographical origins of foreigners.
Art forms were characterized by regularity and detailed depiction of gods, human beings,
heroic battles, and nature, and were intended to provide solace to the deceased in the
afterlife. Mediums ranged from papyrus drawings to pictographs(hieroglyphics) and
include funerary sculpture carved in reliefand in the round from sandstone, quartz diorite,
and granite. The art displays an extraordinarily vivid representation of the Ancient Egyptian's
socioeconomic status and belief systems.