Download HIEROGLYPHICS, ART, ARCHITECTURE

HIEROGLYPHICS, ART,
ARCHITECTURE
By: Tracy Wong, FeiFei Lo, Annette
Yuen
Ancient Egyptian Art
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Ancient Egyptian art was mainly inspired by familiar images taken
from nature.
The function of the art was originally either religious or funerary or
both.
Majority of art such as paintings and sculptures was made to
decorate the darkness of temple interiors, away from public view or
buried with the dead in tombs to protect and sustain them in afterlife.
Ancient egyptian art
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Every example of Egyptian art from any time period strictly adheres to
the same style called frontalism, which means that the head of the
character is always drawn in profile, while the body is seen from the
front.
Colour was important, especially with deities – black and green =
Osiris, god of underworld and vegetation, red = Seth, god of chaos, blue
= sky as reflected in the Nile, to represent divinity, golden yellow =
protective hue, ruddy shade = males, paler tones = females
Architecture
• Most of the architecture was made out of stone, the most durable of
all building materials.
• Architecture includes: pyramids, tombs, temples and palaces.
• Pyramids were built to be royal tombs.
• The design of the first temple was laid down by the gods, and each
successive temple was a copy of the first one.
• Palaces consisted of complicated designs
Hieroglyphics
• AD 391 Emperor Theodosius I closed all
pagan temples
• language was lost
• Rosetta stone (1799)
Hieroglyphics
• developed about 4000 BC
• direction: read either way, depending on
symbols
• number system
Hieroglyphics
Hieratic: another form of writing
in Egypt at the same time
Sample of Hieratic
Influences on World
History
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Hieroglyphs were far more than a language. They were an influential force in the
spreading of ancient Egyptian culture for over three thousand years; used as
monumental art, as a means of distinguishing the Egyptians, and for communication
with the gods. Hieroglyphs also influenced other, but similar forms of writings by other
ancient civilizations and may be the oldest form of writing. Hieroglyphs continue to
provide information about life in ancient Egypt today.
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The architecture and the hieroglyphics showed the amazing technological advancement
as many still continue to search for the answers to the baffling mysteries of how the
pyramids were built and the hieroglyphics weren't decoded until the discovery of the
Rosetta Stone.
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There is consensus among historians and Egyptologists that the ancient Egyptians
were the first builders ever known to man; they taught humanity how to design
and create buildings; thus laying grounds for human civilization, urbanization and
man's settlement in a specific place of his own for the first time in history.
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Ancient Egyptian art, despite being often seen as simplistic, was perhaps the mostdetailed art at the time (developed the technique of formalism) and sculptures and
pottery have evolved as a result of the creativity and artistry of ancient Egyptians.
Impact on Egypt
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Various impacts to different aspects of life, like religious, technological,
social and political
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The ancient Egyptians were considered to be extraordinarily religious as the art
was often symbolic and intended to preserve the images of things.
The architecture (mainly pyramids) housed the deceased people and their
symbolic art/possessions for the afterlife. Both also helped to explain the divinity
of the pharaohs and the relationship of the gods.
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In the world of politics, Egyptians used symbolic pictures to explain the
relationship of the god-king pharaohs to their inferiors. For instance, height, even
if not physically true, did accurately represent a pharaoh's social and political
status. Anyone shown barefoot, belonged to an inferior class.
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Hieroglyphics impacted all aspects of ancient Egyptian life as it provided a
method for communication and information recording (creation of papyrus). In
ancient Egypt, scribes used hieroglyphs to record state documents and important
historical events (social impact). Hieroglyphs with religious purposes also were
painted on tomb walls and wooden coffins.
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Overall, most, if not all of the art, architecture and hieroglyphs impacted the
ancient Egyptian's religious and political life the most.
Bibliography
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Ageless Classical Reproduction. Egypt: Ancient Art.. 18 Oct. 2006
<http://www.agelessclassicalreproductions.com/site/1430558/page/816660>.
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Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation. Egyptian Civilization Architecture. 08 Jan. 1998. 16 Oct. 2006
<http://www.civilization.ca/civil/egypt/egca06e.html>
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Egyption Government. Construction in Ancient Egypt.. 18 Oct. 2006
<http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/construct.htm>.
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Fletcher, Joann. Ancient Egypt: Life, Myth and Art.
London: Duncan Baird Publishers, 1999
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"Hieroglyphs," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2006
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2006 Microsoft Corporation
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Kremen,Lisa. Egyptian Art. 17 Dec 1996.19 Oct 2006.
<http://www.bergen.org/AAST/Projects/Egypt/egyptian_art.html>
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Millmore, Mark. Egypt Pyramids Pharaohs Hieroglyphs.. 17 Oct. 2006 <http://www.eyelid.co.uk/>.
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Omniglot. Ancient Egyptian Scripts.. 19 Oct. 2006 <http://www.omniglot.com/writing/egyptian_hieratic.htm>.
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Sewell, Max. The Discovery of the Rosetta Stone.. 19 Oct. 2006 <http://www.napoleonseries.org/research/miscellaneous/c_rosetta.html>.