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Egypt enjoyed a remarkable continuity and stability for roughly 3000 years.
Egypts natural borders: the Libyan Desert in the west, the Arabian Desert in the
east.
The borders protected and isolated Egypt.
The Nile Valley nourished the people.
Neolithic Period: the Nile Valley was inhabited by two ethic groups. A group from
Africa occupied Upper (southern) Egypt and a group from Asia occupied Lower
(northern) Egypt.
Upper and Lower refer to the flow of the Nile.
A king from Upper Egypt united the two separate principalities and established the
Period
Predynastic
Dynasty
Years of Influence
Sample Work
Period
Old Kingdom
Middle Kingdom
New Kingdom
Dynasty
Years of Influence
Sample Work
I - XIII
Pyramids at Giza
XI - XVII
XVIII - XX
Treasures of Tutankhamen
Hieroglyphics
Predynastic Art
mother of the pharaohs. In the lower part of the palette, Narmers enemies lie dead.
Front of the palette: two cats with entwined necks, representing the united Kingdom
of Upper and Lower Egypt. The depression formed held the eye makeup. Above the
cats, we find King Narmer, wearing the crown of Lower Egypt, in hierarchical scale,
and marching with his troops. The king and the dead enemies are seen from two
different point of views: the king from eye-level and the dead from above (aerial
perspective). This provides clarity and economy of limited space. The lowest part of
the palette, shows King Narmer as a bull in hierarchical scale, knocking down the
deceased to ensure that a persons ka would be able to enjoy them in the next life.
Earliest Egyptian tombs: walled graves, in which a person would be buried along
with their possessions, placed on the west side of the city to face the setting sun.
Grave sites evolved into Mastabas, which evolved into pyramids.
Mastaba
Rectangular stone or brick structure with sloping slides and a shaft connecting the
Imhotep
Connection between the mastaba and the great pyramids is the step pyramid of King
Djoser (ca. 2750 BCE), a pharaoh of the Third Dynasty. Oldest example of Egyptian
architecture.
Holds the basic plan of a mastaba.
Earliest work in history with a named artist, Imhotep, a royal diplomat and priest.
Imhotep built six mastabas of constant height, but of diminishing size, one upon
another.
Resembles a Mesopotamian ziggurat but the function was different because
intended to protect the tomb and possessions of the dead king.
Step Pyramids
Columns in the North Palace are engaged, meaning that they are attached to the
wall.
Great Pyramids
Greatest achievement of Old Kingdom architecture are the pyramids at Giza built by
Great Sphinx
First royal portrait: of King Djoser (ca. 2750 BCE) during Old Kingdom.
From serdad chamber in the step pyramid of King Djoser.
The sculpture originally had rock crystal eyes and was painted, but robbers took
everything away.
King wears a small kilt, black wig, royal headdress, false ceremonial beard.
Composition is frontal, compact, serene.
elements.
Menkaure and Khamerernebty, king and queen, represent similar characteristics as
the two.
The wooden ka-Aper statue of a minor official. In stiff stance (left foot extended).
As societal status declines, the realism of portraiture increases.
Seated scribe, low position in the Egyptian court hierarchy, so the portraits are
almost real.
(Dynasties XI-XIV).
Power depended on military might.
Control passed to the Hyksos, shepherd kings, a group of Asiatic rulers.
Horse and wheel introduced.
1550 BCE, Ahmose I (first king of Dynasty XVIII), rose to power: New Kingdom
Period.
New Kingdom Period: five centuries.
Brought enormous architecture projects.
Mortuary temples: for the pharaohs.
Pylon temples: for the gods.
Structures located in and around the new capital of Thebes in Upper Egypt.
First mortuary temple: of Queen Hatshepsut (Dynasty XVIII).
Queen Hatshepsut: first great female leader.
Her temple served as the first pictorial tribute to a female in the history of art.
Her chief counsel, Senmut, designed the temple with three colonnaded terraces
connected by ramps.
Colonnade: a row of columns supporting a ceiling.
Terraces held gardens and were decorated with painted low reliefs praising the
queen.
Egyptian characteristics of order and sense.
Lines of the temple harmonize/blend in with the mountain.
Interior courts, temples, chapels are laid out in a symmetrical plan, emphasizing the
Egyptian characteristics.
Egyptian Temples
Pylon temples: for gods. Pylon large stone structure with sloping walls.
Egyptian characteristics.
Pylon followed by a courtyard, then a hypostyle hall, a second hall and the
sanctuary.
Pylon decorated with reliefs featuring a god and the pharaoh who sponsored the
Amarna Period
The relief shows Akhenaton, Nefertiti and the royal princesses basking under the
Tutankhamen
Tutankhamen became king at eight years old and died ten years later.
Tomb intact. Found gold, precious stones, etc.
Mummy placed in the innermost of three coffins (ca. 1323 BCE), weighing over
of Lower Egypt.
Egyptian power and influence faded away.
Invasions. Ashurbanipal sacked Thebes in 664 BCE.
Came under control of Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, Romans.
Despite the occupations, Egyptian art remained.
For three thousand years Egypts prosperity endured.
Artistic influence reflected in Greek art.