prehistory, ANE, egypt, Aegean

sofiaroro

CH_3_-_Ancient_Egypt1020.ppt

Home >History homework help >prehistory, ANE, egypt, Aegean

Ancient Egypt

3100 BCE – Unification of Upper and Lower Egypt by Menes (aka Narmer)- capital placed at Memphis
2900 BCE – Hieroglyphics develop (Egyptian writing)
2700 BCE – 365 solar calendar develops – June 21 is beginning of year - greatest Egyptian scientific achievement
2686-2613 BCE – Pharaoh Djoser orders first pyramid built by Imhotep (step pyramid)
2585 – 2470 BCE – Khufu, Khafre (also builds Sphinx) and Menkaure order the 3 pyramids of Giza built.

Ancient Egypt

2325-2150 BCE Pepi II Neferkare’s lifespan, he has longest reign in history – 92 years
2100 BCE – capital is moved to Thebes by the priesthood under Mentuhotep II of the 11th Dynasty
1674 BCE – Egyptian former capital of Memphis falls to Hyksos; Hyksos conquer Lower Egypt and rule it for the next 100 years
1567 - 1550 BCE – Ahmose I conquers the Hyksos and reunites Upper and Lower Egypt to begins 18th Dynasty – he fuses Ra and Amon together to create Amon-Ra the main god of the New Kingdom

Ancient Egypt

1478 – 1458 BCE – Hatshepsut rules as first female pharaoh with her son Thutmoses III
1479 – 1425 BCE – Thutmoses III builds the largest Egyptian Empire conquering Israel, Mesopotamia and Nubia – considered the greatest Egyptian pharaoh bringing Egypt into her Golden Age
1352 – 1336 BCE – Amenhotep IV changes his name to Akhenaten; changes Egyptian religion to monotheism; moves capital from Thebes to Akhetaton (Amarna)
1336 – 1327 BCE – Tutankhamen restores capital to Thebes; restores old religion; dies shortly after – most famous pharaoh

Ancient Egypt

1299 BCE – Rameses II of the 19th dynasty, fights Hittites at Battle of Kadesh which ended in the world’s first peace treaty. Rameses II goes on to build many temples, buildings and even cities during his reign.
1224 – 1165 BCE – Rameses III repulses the invasion of the Indo-European Sea People; he is considered the last of the great Egyptian pharaohs

Ancient Egypt

Egyptian History can be broken down in 3 major periods:
Old Kingdom – 2686 – 2181 BCE - Age of pyramid builders
Middle Kingdom – 2040 – 1700 BCE – rock cut tombs
New Kingdom – 1550 – 1070 BCE - most successful period

Ancient Egypt

The fertile land next to the Nile river was called the Black Land; it is because of this Egypt is called “the gift of the Nile”
Egyptian kings were called pharaohs
The pharaoh’s assistant was known as a vizier (and was also usually the chief priest)
Egyptians develop the dynasty – a series of kings/queens from the same family
If a pharaoh was too young to rule a regent took over – temporary ruler until the king was old enough to self-govern

Ancient egypt

RELIGION
Egyptian religion controlled every aspect of their lives and after-lives
Strict rules must always be followed in daily life as well as in depictions of life in art in order to successfully cross over to the after-life
The Egyptians believed that the soul lived on forever doing the same things that one did in life
Some gods were worshiped all over Egypt and some were only minor local gods

Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egyptians were Polytheistic
Major Egyptian Gods:
Ra (later named Amon-Ra or Amon-Re) – sun god; ruler of the gods
Osiris – god of heaven, resurrection, and plants
Isis – goddess of fertility , wife/sister of Osiris
Amen – god of creation; later combined with Ra to create one leading deity
Anubis – god of the dead
Thoth – god of wisdom, the moon, and writing
Hathor – goddess of love, birth and death
Set(h)- god of chaos
Horus – protector of the pharaoh, a sky god
Bastet – Egyptian cat god, protector of souls
The ka was the Egyptian word for the life force or soul

Chart: Some of the Principal Egyptian Gods (with color drawings).

Ancient Egypt – Art Characteristics

Strong sense of order
All figures must stand on horizontal lines
Egyptian canon of proportions is clearly defined (all measurements must correspond exactly)
Aim at clarity rather than illusion
Head, hips, legs and feet always in profile
Eyes, shoulders and upper torso seen from front
Hierarchic scale – higher ranking individuals depicted larger than lower ranking ones
Higher ranking officials were depicted within the rules more strictly seeming almost rigid
Frozen, timeless quality to Egyptian Art

Ancient Egypt

Canon of Proportions – a set of rules governing the proportions of the human body as they must be rendered by the artist
Hierarchic Scale – use of relative size to indicate the comparative importance of depicted objects or people

Ancient Egypt - Art

Palette of King Narmer
3100 BCE
Memphis, Egypt
This work shows Pharaoh Narmer (Menes) conquering lower Egypt and uniting it with Upper Egypt
Relief sculpture

Slide concept by Anthony D'Ascoli, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights.

Ancient Egypt – Art

Tomb of Perneb (mastaba)

from Saqqara, Egypt

ca. 2,350-2,323 B.C.E.

limestone

approximately 16 ft. high

Ancient Egypt - Art

Step Pyramid of Pharaoh Djoser
2681-2662 BCE
Saqqara, Egypt
Artist: Imhotep
First pyramid structure built
First known artist –Imhotep as architect
Djoser is also called Zoser
Oldest stone structure ever built

Old Kingdom Art

Ancient Egypt - Art

Collapsed Pyramid
2600 BCE
Meidum, Egypt
The finished height of this pyramid would have been 301 feet tall, the angle was too steep to get that height and caused it to collapse while being built
One of the 3 pyramids built for Pharaoh Sneferu

Collapsed Pyramid

Ancient Egypt - Art

Bent Pyramid
2600 BCE
Dahshur, Egypt
One of the 3 pyramids built for Sneferu
Builders realized angle was too steep and would collapse so changed angle hoping it would not be noticeable
Started at 54 degree angle changed to 43

Ancient Egypt - Art

Red Pyramid
2600 BCE
Dahshur, Egypt
Third pyramid built for Sneferu
Third tallest pyramid in Egypt at 344 feet at a 43 degree angle

Red Pyramid of Sneferu

Ancient Egypt - Art

Pyramids of Giza
2530 – 2470 BCE
Giza, Egypt
Pyramid of Khufu on right; Pyramid of Khafre in center; Pyramid of Menkaure on left in front
Served as tombs like all pyramids
Face exactly north, south, east and west and are aligned to the stars in Orion’s belt

Ancient Egypt - Art

Great Pyramid of Giza
2530 BCE
Giza, Egypt
The only surviving member of the Seven Wonders of the World
The largest stone structure ever built
480 ft tall – 100,000 workers – 23 years to build

Cutaway elevation of the pyramid Khufu, Giza (color drawing).
2549-2526 BCE.

Ancient Egypt - Art

The Great Sphinx
2570 – 2544 BCE
Giza, Egypt
World’s largest sculpture
In the image of Khafre
Size was meant to impress visitors and show pharaoh’s power

Khafre

from Gizeh, Egypt

ca. 2,520-2,494 B.C.E.

diorite

approximately 66 in. high

Seated pharaoh – one of 3 accepted poses

Ancient Egypt - Art

Menkaure (Mycerinus) and Queen Khamerernebty
2470 BCE
Giza, Egypt
King slightly taller and much more rigid than wife
Canon of proportions followed
Queen is allowed to be less rigid – can even place her hand around his waist
Weight equally distributed on both feet

Old Kingdom Art

Rahotep and Princess Nofret
C. 2620 BCE
Meidum, Egypt
Possibly Sneferu’s daughter
In Egyptian canon of colors, size, pose

Ancient Egypt - Art

Ti Watching a Hippopotamus Hunt
2500 – 2400 BCE
Saqqara, Egypt
Typical Egyptian pose
Ti is larger than servants – watching and not participating in the hunt
Hippos were symbols of the god of chaos – Set(h) in Egypt and looked upon unfavorably

Middle Kingdom

Rock cut Tombs BH 3-5

Beni Hasan, Egypt, Dynasty XII

ca. 1950-1900 B.C.E.

These tombs are cut directly into the cliff

Slide concept by Anthony D'Ascoli, PhD
FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY
For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights.

Riverboat

from tomb of Meketre, Thebes, Egypt

ca. 1,985 B.C.E.
gessoed and painted wood
50 3/8 in. long

Granary

from tomb of Meketre, Thebes, Egypt

ca. 1,985 B.C.E.
gessoed and painted wood
29 1/8 in. long

New Kingdom

Ancient Egypt - Art

Mausoleum of Queen Hatshepsut
1478 - 1458 BCE
Thebes, Egypt
Hatshepsut became the first female pharaoh
First important historical female
Tomb built on terraces – this was a temple – the body not placed here

Hatshepsut
with offering jars

Deir el-Bahri, Egypt

ca. 1,473-1,458 B.C.E.

red granite

8 ft. 6 in. high

Although female, she appears male in all public functions and in monuments and sculpture

Ancient Egypt - Art

The Weighing of the Heart and The Judgement of Osiris
1285 BCE
Thebes, Egypt
Part of the Book of the Dead – Ancient Egypt’s Holy Book
http://maatlaws.blogspot.com/2010/06/42-laws-of-maat.html

Ancient Egypt - Art

Temple of Rameses II
1260 BCE
Abu Simbel (Answan), Egypt
Greatest example of all temples Rameses II built
Placed his name on over 50% of all New Kingdom monuments
Egyptian standards unchanged despite passage of centuries

Temple of Amen-Re (Amon-Ra)

Karnak, Egypt

ca. 15th century B.C.E.

World’s largest religious structure

Slide concept by Anthony D'Ascoli, PhD
FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY
For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights.

Hypostyle Hall – Amon-Re Karnak

Amon-Re – Avenue of the Sphinxes

Ancient Egypt
- The Amarna Revolution

Amenhotep IV’s religious and artistic revolution
It started as an attempt to thwart the power of the priests at Thebes and turned into a full blown revolution in religious beliefs
Amenhotep IV proclaims Aten as the only god – all others are declared false and their temples are ordered closed
Amenhotep IV changes his name to Akhenaten (son of Aten)
Akhenaten moves capital from Thebes to new capital called Aketaten (Amarna), basically putting priests out of power

Ancient Egypt
- The Amarna Revolution

Major changes are also made in art
Amarna Period Characteristics:
Exaggerated features – protruding stomach; large lips, elongated heads
Sensitive Portrayals – more intimacy and emotion is portrayed
More Informal – everyday scenes are depicted
Overemphatic Outlines
Stylized realism

Ancient Egypt - Art

Akhenaten, Nefertiti and Their Children Worshipping the Sun
1348 – 1336 BCE
Amarna, Egypt
Typical Amarna period characteristics: deep outlines, exaggerated features, daily life scene, intimacy
Yet still within Egyptian basic rules

Ancient Egypt - Art

Bust of Akhenaten
167-1350 BCE
Amarna, Egypt
Found inside the Temple of Aten
Note the elongated form that breaks Egyptian tradition as well as exaggerated features
https://katherinestange.com/egypt/hymn2.htm - Prayer to Aten written by Akhenaten

Ancient Egypt - Art

Bust of Queen Nefertiti
1348 – 1336 BCE
Amarna, Egypt
Limestone
Considered the masterpiece of Egyptian Art
A symbol of beauty even in modern times

Death Mask of Tutankhamen

1323 BCE

Valley of the Kings, Thebes, Egypt

Probably the most famous Egyptian Artifact

gold with semiprecious stones

21 1/4 in. high

Over 22 lbs. of gold

Tutankhamen is also known as King Tut and is the most famous pharaoh because of his tomb’s discovery

Ancient Egypt - Art

Cover of Tutankhamen’s Coffin
1336 – 1327 BCE
Thebes, Egypt
Sculpture
Solid gold with gemstones
Tutankhamen is most famous of pharaohs
Because his tomb was only one ever discovered intact – Howard Carter
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IQHtsdCPp4

Ancient Egypt - Art

Throne of Tutankhamen
1336 – 1327 BCE
Thebes, Egypt

Shrine

Wedjat Eye of Tutankhamen

from Thebes, Egypt

ca. 1,333-1,323 B.C.E.

gold and precious stones

2 in. wide

Symbol of protection for the king

King Tut’s Treasures

Ptolemaic Egypt

Bast (Cat Goddess)

from Thebes, Egypt

304-31 B.C.E.

bronze

11 in. high

Kept evil spirits from tombs

Cleopatra

Ancient Egypt - Art

Rosetta Stone
196 BCE
Rosetta, Egypt
Inscription in 3 languages allowed for the decipherment of hieroglyphics by Jean Champolloin
The story in the 3 languages tells of Ptolemy V

Roman Egypt

Temple of Dendur

from Nubia

ca. 15 B.C.E.

sandstone

82 ft. long

Held inside Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY

Portrait of a boy

from Faiyum, Egypt

2nd century A.D.

encaustic on wood

15 in. high

Placed over the mummies of Roman aristocracy in Egypt

Faiyum portraits

2nd century A.D.

encaustic on wood

Ancient Egypt

The End
Next Lecture : Aegean Greeks

Chart: Some of the Principal Egyptian Gods (with color drawings).

Cutaway elevation of the pyramid Khufu, Giza (color drawing).
2549-2526 BCE.

Slide concept by Anthony D'Ascoli, PhD
FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY
For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights.