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Gardner’s Art Through the Ages,
12e
Chapter 3
Pharaohs and the Afterlife:
The Art of Ancient Egypt
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Goals
• Understand the evolution of Egyptian culture and its
relationship to the Nile.
• Recognize stylistic conventions of Egyptian art.
• Describe Egyptian funerary art forms from these
periods and state reasons for the development of these
monuments.
• Understand architectural evolution from pyramid to
the tomb temple and burial monuments of the Old and
Middle Kingdoms.
• Discuss how Egyptian art changed as a result of the
Hyksos’ invasions.
• Understand aspects of the New Kingdom as reflected
in its art.
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Ancient Egypt
The Nile is the
“backbone” of
Ancient Egypt:
defining the cultures
that lived alongside it.
• The Nile guaranteed
fertile land in an arid
desert.
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Important Names & Terms
engaged column: A column attached to the wall.
Horus: The son of Osiris and Isis, he avenged his father’s
murder by Seth and replaced Seth as king of Egypt. He
was represented as a falcon or a falcon-headed man. All
pharaohs were identified with him during life.
Imhotep: The first known name of an artist in recorded
history; the architect who created the Stepped Pyramid of
Djoser.
Isis: The sister and consort of Osiris, she collected his body
parts after he was killed by Seth.
Ka: Life force.
Necropolis: City of the dead--a large burial area or
cemetery.
Osiris: God of order and the king who brought civilization
to Egypt. Killed by his brother Seth, god of chaos, and
resurrected by Isis.
Re (or Ra): God of the sun.
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Predynastic, Early Dynasties, and the Old
Kingdom
The Oldest Egyptian Art:
• Pre-dynastic paintings from 3500 BCE.
– Already representing a funerary scene.
– Stick figures are reminiscent of Catal Hoyuk.
– Mesopotamian influences also evident.
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Predynastic, Early Dynasties, and the Old
Kingdom
The Unification of Egypt:
• Division between
Upper and Lower
Egypt was
geographic as
well as political.
• The Narmer
“palette” dates
this at 2920 BCE,
but thought to
have taken several
centuries to
complete.
.
– A palette was, in its simplest form, a surface to prepare
eye makeup. [used for protection against the sun]
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Predynastic, Early Dynasties, and the Old
Kingdom
Narmer’s Palette:
Important as a document, but also as a template for
representing the human figure that lasted for 3,000 years
• The goddess Hathor is at the top of both sides,
represented as a cow with a woman’s face
• Motif on the back
resembles the lower
left group in the
Hierakonpolis painting
& became the formula
for representing triumph
of the god-kings over
their enemies. The
falcon represents Horus.
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Predynastic, Early Dynasties, and the Old
Kingdom
Narmer’s Palette:
• The elongated necks of
two felines form the
circular depression
where the eye makeup
would be placed.
• The intertwined necks
may be a reference to
Egypt’s unification.
• The dead are seen from above, as the bison were in the
Altamira cave.
Portraying the Human Figure: used a convention from
Mesopotamia & also seen earlier
– head, legs, arms in profile -- eyes, torso in frontal view
– Introduction of “registers” [a kind of ground line]
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Gods & Goddesses of Egypt
Creation myth – different from others in the region.
• Primeval waters existed before beginning of time – at
creation a mound rose out of the limitless water
• The creator god appeared and brought light.
• Later the mound was formalized as a ben-ben, or
pyramid shape, supporting Amen, the sun god.
Shu & Tefnut appeared – from them came Geb [earth]
& Nut [sky] From them – many gods including
Osiris, the god of order & the king that brought
civilization to Eygpt.
• After further complications Osiris became god of the
underworld and Horus [sign was a falcon] became
king.
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Early Funerary Art Forms & Mummification
• No sharp distinction between soul and body
• The “ka”, or life force could live on after death, but
only if the body was preserved intact.
– Mummification was a 10 week process. [see p. 59]
– Various symbols were wrapped with the mummy,
such as an image of Horus, heart scarabs & The
Book of the Dead. [spells to protect the mummy]
– Food and drink was provided – nothing that was
enjoyed on earth was lacking.
– These practices existed for thousands of years, even
when ruled by the Greeks & Romans.
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MASTABA
Standard Tomb Type in Early Egypt
• Tombs provide most of our information about
Egyptian civilization.
• Mastaba – Arabic for “bench”
– Were erected over an underground burial chamber,
with an open shaft so the ka could gain access.
– Later were used for multiple burials and some had
a temple attached.
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Stepped Pyramid of Imothep– Djoser, Egypt
• First known
named artist.
• Worked for
King Djoser of
the 3rd dynasty.
• Built before
2600 BCE, was
first truly grand
royal tomb.
• Begun as a
mastaba, it was
enlarged twice.
• 200 ft tall – the stepped pyramid looks like piled up
mastabas, resembling the old ziggurats of Mesopotamia.
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The First Pyramid ca. 2630–2611 BCE.
• The stepped temple was the centerpiece of a large,
walled precinct and includes a funerary temple.
• Some were dummy structures.
• Buildings made of
plants previously,
were now made of
stone, thus the
reed patterns on
the pillars of the
entrance to the
mortuary precinct.
The entrance to the mortuary precinct of Djoser, Saqqara, Egypt
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The First Pyramid ca. 2630–2611 BCE.
• “engaged columns” These early stone columns
influenced the Greeks, although they were not freestanding, but attached to the wall.
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Restored plan (top) and view (bottom) of the mortuary precinct of
Djoser, Saqqara, Egypt, Dynasty III, ca. 2630–2611 BCE.
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Stepped Pyramid of Imothep– Djoser, Egypt
Cross section
Photo
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The Old Kingdom:
The Great Pyramids at Gizeh
• Begins with the 4th dynasty in the 26th cen. BCE
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The Old Kingdom:
The Great Pyramids at Gizeh
• The three great pyramids of Kufu, Khafre and Menkaure
were built over a period of 75 years.
– A culmination of the architecture that began with the
mastaba
• Shape was probably influenced by Heliopolis, the seat
of the cult of the sun god Ra, whose sign was a pyramid.
– The suns rays were the ramp the pharaoh used to get
to heaven.
– The limestone came from the Gizeh plateau. & was
moved using rollers and sleds.
– Building style for regularly shaped stones laid in
rows or course is called ashlar masonry
– Ropes, pulleys and levers were used to lift and lower
the stones.
– Polished casing stones stripped in later centuries
during the building of Cairo.
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The Great Pyramids at Gizeh
How do the pyramids of Gizeh differ from King Djoser's
pyramid at Saqqara?
• The Gizeh funerary temples are on the east side
(towards the rising sun) rather than the north side
(towards the stars in the northern sky) like at Saqqara,
reflecting the connection with Re.
• The Gizeh pyramids are much larger and more refined
in shape than the Saqqara pyramid, and are covered
with dressed [polished] limestone.
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Gizeh,
Sphinx &
Pyramids
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The Tomb of Khufu
• Almost a solid mass of limestone
masonry, except for the galleries and
burial chamber.
• Length of one side is 775 feet and it
covers about 13 acres. 2.3 blocks of stone, weighing an
average of 2.5 tons. Originally had a dressed and shiny
stone surface.
• The four sides are oriented to the cardinal points of the
compass. The temples are on the east for the rising sun,
cementing their link with Ra.
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Section of the Pyramid of Khufu, Gizeh, Egypt.
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Khafre and the Sphinx
• Khafre’s funerary complex included many buildings,
serving as his palace in the afterlife.
• The Great Sphinx rises near the valley temple
• Probably an image of Khafre.
• The sphinx, a lion
with a human
head was associated
with the sun god.
• The composite form
suggests intelligence
and strength
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Gizeh, Sphinx & Pyramids
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Sculptural Forms: Statues for Eternity
• Tombs included images of the
deceased for the ka’s abode in case
the mummy was destroyed.
Statue of Khafre
• Stone is diorite [cf. Gudea]
• Symbolism includes: -- Throne of
two stylized lion’s bodies
– Intertwined lotus & papyrus
representing union of Egypt.
– Horus spreads falcon wings
behind his head to protect him.
– Headdress has royal cobra on
front.
ca. 2520-2494
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Sculptural Forms: Statues for Eternity
Statue of Khafre
• Wearing his royal false beard
• Represented in ideal form and
flawless face.
• Form manifests purpose: to
last for eternity.
Characteristics of the style:
• Bilaterally symmetrical
• Frontal pose
• Idealized body and features
• Compact and solid with few
projecting parts
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Sculptural Forms: Statues for Eternity
• Menkaure & one of his wives.
– This standing statue was one of
the basic formulaic types.
– Stood in the valley temple of his
pyramid complex.
– Also shows how close to the
stone block shape these statues
were.
– Pose is rigidly frontal – use of
conventional poses to suggest
timeless nature of these
substitute homes for the ka.
– The wife’s pose symbolizes their
marital status, but no emotion is
expressed.
ca. 2490-247227
Sculptural Forms
• The scribe, Kay
– Differences show both the
conventions of representation and his
lower status than the pharaoh.
[below]
• More relaxed in
the 5th dynasty
[on left] with
increased
realism.
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Egyptian Relief Conventions
From the mastaba of Ti, 5th dynasty
The "canon of human proportions”
• An artist drew a grid on the wall, then placed
various body parts at specific points on the
network of squares.
• Each body part was a fixed number of squares.
• Artists did not sketch from life or show much variation on
the canon.
• The canon
lasted
thousands
of years.
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The Middle Kingdom
The pyramid tombs so popular in the Old Kingdom were
replaced by mountain tombs in the Middle Kingdom.
• How does the portrait of Senusret III reflect
the changed political
conditions of the
Middle Kingdom?
• His mood is shown
through the realism in the
features, indicating
expression by lines
around the nose and eyes.
Senusret III ca. 1860 BCE
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Mountain Tombs: Beni Hasan
• There were rock-cut tombs
earlier, but the best
preserved are from the
Middle Kingdom.
• ca. 1950-1912 BCE
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The New Kingdom Egypt: People
Akhenaton: Pharoah Amenhotep IV—abandoned the
worship of most Egyptian gods in favor of Aton. He
claimed to be Aton’s son and sole prophet.
Aton: Declared by Akhenaton as the universal and only
god; identified by a sun disk symbol, not as an animal
or human.
Hatshepsut: Wife of the Pharoah Thutmose II, she
declared herself a man after his death in order to ascend
the throne instead of one of Thutmose’s young sons.
She is the first female monarch whose name has been
recorded. She created the most majestic of royal
mortuary temples at Deir el-Bahri. She was often
depicted as a man by artists.
Nefertiti: Akhenaton’s queen; her name means “The
beautiful one is here.”
Ramses II: Reigned from 1290-1224 BCE, created a huge
rock-cut temple at Abu Simbel.
Tutankhamen: Akhenaton’s son by a minor wife, ruled
for a decade and died at 18; a very minor figure. His
tomb was uncovered by Howard Carter in 1922.
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The New Kingdom : Terms, Places &
Things
Amarna style: More elongated, curved, and effeminate
figure representation, a reaction against the
established style. More intimacy shown in family
scenes.
Amen-Re: Walled temple at Karnak, created from
18th-26th Dynasties. Had an artificial lake in the
center.
Book of the Dead: Papyrus scrolls illustrated with a
collection of spells and prayers. They show the ritual
of the cult of Osiris, including the judgement of the
deceased. These scrolls were essential equipment in
the tombs of the well-to-do.
sunken relief: Figures cut into the stone rather than
stone cut back to create figures.
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The Grand Mortuary Temples
Tomb of Hatshepsut:
• With no male sons she
acted as regent for
Thutmose III, but
eventually took over.
• Some evidence in a
relief that Thutmose
II had intended that
she be queen.
• First recorded great
female monarch.
Hatshepsut
c. 1492-1458 BCE
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Hatshepsut
• Thutmose III removed or
shattered most of the statues
and reliefs of Hatshepsut,
removing the symbols of her
power.
• Figure is anatomically male
– in keeping with her taking
on the role of Pharaoh.
» ca. 1473-1458.
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Ramses II Tomb: Abu Simbel
• Ruled for 2/3 of
a century.
• Was the last great
warrior Pharaoh.
• Proud of his
conquests,
he put 4 images
of himself on the
temple façade.
• Not as refined as
earlier work
because of their size.
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Ramses II Tomb: Abu Simbel
Pillar statues: The solid,
geometric pillars show a return
to the timelessness and eternal
nature of the old gods, who
were restored after
Akhenaton’s reign.
c. 1290-1224 BCE
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Pylon Temples
• Have a simple
and massive
gateway with
sloping walls.
• Bilaterally
symmetrical
along a single
axis leading
from an
approaching
avenue that runs
through a colonnaded court to a dimly lit sanctuary.
• The name derives from the gateway.
• Only the Pharaoh & priests could enter the sanctuary.
Temple of Horus, Edfu c. 237-47 BCE
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Hypostyle Hall
• Columns support the
roof, stone slabs
carried on lintels,
which rest on cubical
blocks which in turn
rest on giant capitals.
• Central rows of
columns raised higher
than those at the sides
creates a clerestory,
which allows sunlight
through openings or
grilles.
– Examples from Karnak.
.
Egyptian columns seem to derive
from earlier binding together of
sheaves of reeds and other swamp
plants.
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Hypostyle Hall: Karnak
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Sculpture: Senmut & Nefrua
• Good example of the
block statue designed to
house the ka.
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Painting and the Tomb of Nebamun
Thebes:
• fresco secco: let the plaster dry before painting it.
• Figures are more active.
c. 1400-1350
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Akhenaton and the Amarna Period
Amarna style & figural representation:
• Figures were shown as more effeminate
or androgynous, with curving contours
and elongated forms rather than
masculine and angular as in the old style.
• More individuality
is allowed in
portraits.
Akhenaton c. 1353-1335
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Amarna Period
What aspects of the head of
Queen Tiye that reflect the
Amarna style?
• Age is shown with lines
and furrows.
• Her features are more
individualized rather than
exact to the canon’s
proportions.
• She was sometimes shown
equaling her husband in
size at the temple of Aton.
Queen Tiye c. 1353-1335
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Statue Comparison
Early Kingdom Style-- Khafre
Amarna Style—Akhenaton
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Statue Comparison
Akhenaton, Nefertiti & Daughters – Amarna Style
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Discussion Questions
 How do you speculate the great pyramids were
built? What would have been some specific
problems to consider?
 Is Egyptian art similar stylistically to any
Mesopotamian culture from that time? Which
culture and how are they similar or different in
style and cultural context?
 What would be some reasons for the modification
of pyramid scale and institution of rock-cut tombs
as seen at Beni Hasan?
 Why does a change in religion bring about a
change in art in ancient Egypt? Describe some
specific changes in the presentation of the human
figure.
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