Art of ancient Egypt

Ancient Egyptian art was made from the 6th millennium BC to the 4th century AD, from Prehistoric Egypt until the Christianization of Roman Egypt. This art included paintings, sculptures, drawings on papyrus, faience, jewelry, ivories, and buildings. The style of this art changed very little, staying very consistent.

Most art that we still have today comes from tombs and big buildings. These artworks tell us about the ancient Egyptian afterlife beliefs. The ancient Egyptians did not have a word for "art" like we do. Instead, their artworks had important jobs tied to religion and ideology. The goal of art was to make things last forever and to show a perfect world, not how things really looked. Art helped keep order in the universe, a concept called Ma'at. Because of this, there was little focus on the artists themselves, as the art served a bigger purpose.

Art of Pre-Dynastic Egypt (6000–3000 BC)

Pre-Dynastic Egypt, from around 6000 BC to about 3100 BC, was when early people began to live near the Nile River. The land was very dry, but people started farming and building villages.

During this time, people made many kinds of art. They created simple pots, small statues, and tools from stone and clay. One of the first life-size heads made from clay came from this period. Over time, the art became more detailed, and people made beautiful decorations and special stones to show important events and leaders.

Art of Dynastic Egypt

The Early Dynastic Period, starting around 3100 BC, followed the joining of Upper and Lower Egypt. During this time, people made cosmetic palettes and early writing called hieroglyphs. These palettes used symbols and pictures to tell stories.

The Old Kingdom, from about 2686 to 2181 BC, is known for its pyramids. Kings like Sneferu and the builders of the pyramids of Giza, such as Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure, ruled then. This time saw Egypt become very advanced, with amazing buildings and artworks like statues and reliefs.

The Middle Kingdom, lasting from around 2055 to 1650 BC, began after a time when Egypt was split. The kingdom was reunited under leaders like Mentuhotep II. Art from this time used older styles but also had new ideas and very good craftsmanship.

The New Kingdom, from about 1550 to 1069 BC, was a time when Egypt was very strong and rich. Many temples were built and many beautiful artworks were made. Leaders like Hatshepsut and Ramesses II were well-known for their work in art and building.

The Late Period, from around 664 to 332 BC, saw Egypt ruled by different foreign groups, including the Persians. Even so, Egyptian art kept growing, with temples and statues made in the old ways. The Ptolemaic Period, from 305 to 30 BC, mixed Egyptian and Greek styles, especially in the city of Alexandria.

The Roman Period, from 30 BC to 619 AD, is known for the Fayum mummy portraits. These were painted pictures attached to mummies, mixing Egyptian and Roman styles. These portraits show us what life was like for people in Roman Egypt.

Characteristics

Egyptian art is special in how it shows people. In drawings and carvings, the body faces forward, but the head is shown from the side, and the legs are apart if the person is standing. These figures follow a fixed size, measuring exactly 18 "fists" from the ground to the top of the head. This style started very early, even on the Narmer Palette, and stayed mostly the same for a long time.

The size of figures in art also showed their importance. Gods and kings were drawn larger than normal people. Smaller figures were often servants or less important people. This helped everyone know who was important in the picture.

Anonymity

Most Egyptian artists did not write down their names, so we do not know who made many artworks. Often, many artists worked together on one piece, so it was a group effort.

Symbolism

Egyptian art used symbols to share important ideas. Colors had special meanings, too. For example, blue stood for life and the Nile River, while black showed the rich soil of Egypt and was used for kings and gods. Gold was linked to the gods because of its bright, rare look.

Materials

Faience

Main article: Egyptian faience

Egyptian faience is a special kind of ceramic. It was made from quartz sand, a little lime, and plant ash or natron. These ingredients were mixed, coated with a glassy surface, and fired until hard and shiny. People used faience for many years to make small objects and decorations, like special statues called ushabtis. It looked like valuable stones such as turquoise and lapis lazuli, but it cost less.

Glass

Glass was made later than faience in Egypt. The way to make glass was learned from places far away, like the Levant. At first, glass was rare and precious, but later, Egypt made lots of it to share with others. Glass was made from silica, alkali, and lime, which were easy to find in Egypt.

Egyptian blue

Egyptian blue is a colorful material related to faience. It was made from quartz, alkali, lime, and coloring agents like copper compounds. This material could be shaped by hand or in molds to make small statues and other items. It could also be ground into powder to color paintings. Blue became a popular color in Egyptian art later on.

Metals

Egypt learned to work with metals like copper, gold, and silver. Copper was used first to make tools and decorations. Gold was very important and was used for royal treasures and jewelry. Silver was rarer at first but became more common later. Iron was used even later, mostly for tools and weapons.

Wood

Wood was used to make furniture, models, and statues, but many wooden items did not survive over time. Trees like date palm, tamarisk, acacia, and sycamore were used, but better wood was imported from far away.

Lapis lazuli

Lapis lazuli is a dark blue stone that the Egyptians valued highly. It came from far away in Afghanistan and was used for jewelry and small statues. When it was hard to get, they used colored glass or faience instead.

Other materials

Other materials used in ancient Egypt included jasper, serpentine, steatite, and turquoise. Each had special uses, like making amulets or decorations. These materials were chosen for their colors and meanings in Egyptian culture.

Sculpture

The big stone statues in ancient Egypt's temples and tombs are famous, but there were also many smaller, detailed works. Egyptians used a special way to carve called sunk relief, which looks best in sunlight because shadows show the shapes. Statues often showed people standing with one foot in front of the other, a style used for a very long time.

Pharaohs were treated like gods, and large statues often showed them or the gods. The Great Sphinx of Giza is one famous early example. Smaller statues were placed in tombs for the spirit of the person to use in the afterlife. These smaller statues could be of people, animals, or gods, made from wood or stone.

Rules for making statues were very strict, so they looked almost the same for thousands of years. Men could be shown as they aged, but women were usually shown as young and beautiful.

A stele was a tall, upright stone or wood tablet with pictures and writing. They were made for many reasons, such as remembering a person who died, praying to gods, or celebrating important events.

Pyramidia

Main article: Pyramidion

A pyramidion was the top part of a pyramid, often made to shine like the sun. They sometimes had writing and symbols on them.

Painting

Main article: Painting in Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egyptian paintings were often found in tombs and temples. Egypt's dry climate helped them last a long time. These paintings were made to help people in their journey to the afterlife. They often showed scenes of the deceased with gods or doing things they liked in life.

The paintings used special colors like red, blue, green, gold, black, and yellow. They were made on stone or wood using minerals as paint. The artists showed people and animals from the side and the front at the same time. While some paintings showed close-up scenes of nature, they usually did not show depth or distance like modern paintings do. Instead, the size of the figures showed their importance.

Architecture

Main article: Ancient Egyptian architecture

Further information: Egyptian pyramids and Egyptian temple

Ancient Egyptian architects built with bricks, sandstone, limestone, and granite. They planned carefully, fitting stones together without using mud or mortar. When building pyramids, they started decorating from the top and worked down. The outside walls of buildings like pyramids had only a few small openings. Brightly colored carvings and paintings, including symbols like the scarab beetle and the sun disk, decorated these buildings. These designs told stories about the pharaoh.

Columns in Egyptian buildings often looked like bundled plants such as papyrus or lotus flowers. These columns were carved from stone and covered with colorful carvings and paintings. One famous type of column comes from the time of the 5th Dynasty and looks like a bundle of lotus stems. At the Luxor Temple, columns remind us of papyrus plants.

Jewelry

See also: Pectoral (Ancient Egypt), Usekh collar, Ancient Egyptian flint jewelry, and Egyptian finger and toe stall

Ancient Egyptians liked to wear beautiful decorations and ornaments. They made jewelry from many things like beads, shells, and bone. Later, they used gold, silver, copper, and special colored stones like lapis lazuli and turquoise.

Jewelry showed wealth and importance. It also had special meanings for their religion. Some pieces were very fancy, especially for kings and queens. We can see how they made jewelry from pictures in old tombs.

Amulets

Main article: List of ancient Egyptian statuary with amulet necklaces

Amulets were small charms worn for protection or luck. People and the dead both used them. Some amulets were put inside mummies. A special amulet, called the heart scarab, was made to protect the heart after death. Amulets were made from things like faience, glass, and precious stones. They could look like sacred objects, animals, or symbols called hieroglyphs. Gods and goddesses were also popular subjects for amulets.

Scarab-shaped amulets

Main article: Scarab (artifact)

The heart scarab was a special amulet shaped like a scarab beetle. The beetle was a symbol of new life because people thought it rolled the sun and hatched from eggs. The heart scarab was placed over the heart of a person in the mummy wrappings. It was made from green and dark materials to represent life and the afterlife.

Pottery

Main article: Ancient Egyptian pottery

See also: Funerary cone

In ancient Egypt, people put different kinds of pottery in tombs with people who had passed away. Some of this pottery looked like parts of the body, such as the lungs, liver, and smaller intestines. They also placed small enamel pottery items with the dead. Special pottery cones were often put on tomb walls. These cones were about 15 to 25 cm tall and had writings about the person buried there.

Calligraphy

Main article: Egyptian hieroglyphs

Ancient Egyptian writing was a special system used by only a few people who could read and write. Over time, the spoken language changed, but the writing stayed mostly the same. The beautiful carvings of hieroglyphs on stone monuments are a big part of this writing.

Hieroglyphic writing started from simple symbols a very long time ago, around the 32nd century BC. The first full sentence in Egyptian was written even earlier. This writing system grew and was used for big stone carvings for many years, lasting until the 4th century AD.

Furniture

In ancient Egypt, homes had very little furniture, but skilled woodworkers made beautiful pieces. Rich people had chairs, while most people sat on simple low stools. Beds were made from wooden frames with mats or leather for comfort, and fancy beds even had canopies to keep out insects. The legs of chairs, stools, and beds were often shaped like animal parts such as bull hooves or lion feet.

Royal furniture was even more elaborate, with decorations made from precious materials. Treasures from the tomb of Tutankhamun included special tables, boxes, and a golden throne. Egyptian designs influenced later styles in other cultures. Common patterns in their furniture included palm leaves, flowers, animal shapes, and simple geometric designs, all created with a grand and serious style.

plaster tomb of Tutankhamun Hetepheres Greco-Roman Empire motifs Metropolitan Museum of Art Brooklyn Museum Hatnefer Chair of Reniseneb semi-precious Egyptian Museum

Clothing

Main article: Clothing in ancient Egypt

We learn about ancient Egyptian clothes from art and a few clothes that survived. Sometimes art shows people in a special way, not exactly how they looked. For example, women in art often wear tight dresses.

Fashion in Egypt changed over time. People wore different clothes for different seasons and jobs. Important people, like priests and the king, had special clothes.

Most people wore simple clothes made from linen, usually white or off-white. Men often wore a simple loincloth or a short skirt called a shendyt, and added a heavier tunic in winter. Richer people could wear fancier clothes.

Later, longer and more elaborate clothes became popular. Men and women wore flowing, pleated robes, especially during the late 18th Dynasty and the Ramesside period. In the Roman Period, Egypt became known for making high-quality clothes. Most people wore sandals made from grass, reed, or leather.

Cosmetics

Main article: Beauty and cosmetics in ancient Egypt

People in ancient Egypt liked to use makeup, especially around their eyes. They used a black paint called kohl to protect their eyes and look nice. This paint was made from a shiny stone called galena. Later, they also used green paint made from another stone. Women painted their lips and cheeks with a red color made from earth. They used a special dye called henna for their hair and nails. They also made creams from plants to keep their skin soft.

Music

Main article: Music of Egypt

Music was very important in ancient Egypt for happy and special events. People played many kinds of instruments, like rattles, drums, flutes, and harps. Women often played special instruments called sistra in temples, especially for the goddesses Hathor and Isis. Pictures from old tombs show that workers also sang together to stay happy and work well.

Sistrum

Main article: Sistrum

A sistrum was a special rattle used in temple ceremonies, mostly by women. It made a swishing sound with small metal disks. The instrument was often decorated with the face of Hathor, the goddess of music. There were two main types of sistra, but the hoop-shaped one became more popular over time.

Funerary art

See also: Funerary art § Ancient Egypt and Nubia

Coffins

In ancient Egypt, coffins were very important for burials. They were like special homes for a person’s spirit and helped protect the body. Early coffins were simple wooden boxes. Later, they became longer so the body could lie flat instead of curled up. The coffins were often decorated with pictures and writing to help the person in the afterlife. Rich people sometimes had several coffins inside each other, made from valuable materials like cedarwood, glass, or even gold.

Canopic jars

Main article: Canopic jar

Canopic jars were special containers used to hold a person’s organs during burial. These jars were protected by four important spirits. At first, organs were kept in one chest, but later each organ had its own jar. The jars changed shape over time, sometimes having tops that looked like animal or human heads. Rich people might still use these jars even when organs were placed back in the body.

Masks

People in ancient Egypt used masks in burials to help the person become like a god. Masks were made from materials like gold and were very beautiful. Famous masks include ones made for important kings and queens.

Ushabti

Main article: Ushabti

Ushabtis were small statues meant to help the person in the afterlife by doing work for them. They started as simple figures and later became more detailed. These statues often had special writing on them to explain their job.

Art of Meroë

See also: Meroë

Ancient Egypt had a long history with the Nile Valley to the south, in a place called Nubia (modern Sudan). Starting with the Kerma culture and later the Kingdom of Kush based at Napata and Meroë, the people of Nubia used many ideas from Egypt for their leaders and gods. This created a rich and interesting style of art.

The art of Meroë shows many different influences. It began with its own African culture, with traditions that are very old. Later, because Meroë traded with Egypt when it was ruled by the Ptolemaic dynasty (332–330 BC) and the Romans (30 BC – 395 AD), it also brought in ideas and objects from Hellenistic and Roman cultures, along with more Egyptian styles.

Egyptian Revival art

Main articles: Egyptian Revival decorative arts and Egyptian Revival architecture

See also: Ancient Egypt in the Western imagination

Egyptian Revival art is a style that became popular in the early 1800s. Artists and designers used symbols from ancient Egypt, like obelisks, hieroglyphs, the sphinx, and pyramids, in many different objects. These symbols appeared in furniture, buildings, pottery, and silver items, giving a special look that was different from other styles at that time.

People became more interested in this style after Napoleon's trip to Egypt and the publication of what was found there. It inspired many creative designs, from special furniture to decorated tea sets, showing how ancient Egyptian culture still influenced art.