Introduction
3200-3000 BCE 2600 BCE 2218 BCE 1750 BCE 645-635 BCE
Egypt:
Stable society;
maintained a culture
that saw little change
for 3,000 years
Upper Egypt
Upper Egypt
=South
The Nile flows North, so to the Egyptians Southern Egypt was “up”
and Northern Egypt was “down”
Lower Egypt
Upper Egypt
Upper Egypt
The crown of Upper
Egypt was the Hedjet
crown: a white
crown with a bowling
pin shape
Unified Egypt
According to written records, King Menes was the first king to unify
Upper and Lower Egypt, marking the beginning of the Dynastic
period
Unified Egypt
At this time, the crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt were combined
to form the Double Crown of unified Egypt
Egyptian Chronology
Second
First Intermediate
Intermediate
Period
Period
Egyptian history is divided into four main periods: Pre-Dynastic and Early Dynastic, Old
Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, New Kingdom — separated by Intermediate periods
when centralized government broke down
Egyptian Chronology
Second
First Intermediate
Intermediate
Period
Period
These periods are also divided into dynasties, referring to dynasties of kings that
descended from the same family
The Egyptians developed a system of writing called hieroglyphics
The Egyptian creation myth explains how the world was created out of the primeval
waters of Nun, and includes a story about the rivalry between Osiris, the good ruler of
Upper Egypt, and Seth, the jealous brother and ruler of Lower Egypt
Seth Isis Osiris
God of storms, desert, Goddess of health, God of the afterlife,
evil, chaos, war marriage wisdom death, life, resurrection
Seth killed his brother and threw his dismembered body into the Nile, but Isis (Osiris’
wife and sister) gathered up the pieces and restored him to life
Seth
Horus Isis Osiris
God of the
storms,
sky and
desert, Goddess of health, God of the afterlife,
evil, chaos, war
kingship marriage wisdom death, life, resurrection
Isis and Osiris bore a son named Horus, who became the ruler of the world, while Osiris
became the ruler of the dead
Horus Isis Osiris
God of the sky and Goddess of health, God of the afterlife,
kingship: falcon head, marriage wisdom: wears death, life, resurrection:
and double crown of a throne on her head green skin, plumed
unified Egypt crown, carries a crook
and flail, and legs bound
together like a mummy
Later Horus merged with the sun god Ra to become Ra-Horakhty (“Ra, who is Horus of
the two horizons”); he has the head of a falcon like Horus, but he wears the sun disc on
his head, enclosed by a cobra
Ra-Horakhty Isis Osiris
God of the sun; head of a Goddess of health, God of the afterlife,
falcon (Horus), and a sun marriage wisdom death, life, resurrection
disc enclosed by a falcon
on his head
To the Egyptians, the death of Osiris and his rebirth as Horus/Ra-Horakhty represented
the unchanging order of the universe:
“For the Egyptians, creation was reenacted yearly as the inundation of the Nile receded
and the land was renewed, bringing forth lush vegetation and a good harvest. They
interpreted this annual event as a renewal of life and a triumph over death. They saw the
same cosmic drama embodied in the daily cycle of the sun, which was born in the east
and died in the west only to be reborn the next day. They also saw it in the human cycle
of birth, death, and rebirth in the afterlife.”
Edith W. Watts, “Ancient Egypt: A Resource for Educators,” Metropolitan Museum of Art,
p. 20
The Osirin myth also explains the source of kingship in ancient Egypt
The Egyptians believed that the Pharaoh was the living embodiment of Horus, and when
he died he became Osiris
The Pharaoh was therefore believed to be a living god, and the cycle of death and
resurrection embodied in the Osirin myth echoed the cycles of the sun and the moon,
the changing seasons, and the ebb and flow of the Nile river
The Pharaoh’s immortality therefore embodied the unchanging cycles of nature, and
guaranteed the stability and prosperity of the kingdom
Thanks for listening!
Next up: the Palette of Narmer
The Palette of Narmer
Victory Stele of Naramsin,
c. 2254-2218, sandstone. Louvre
Roughly contemporary with The Stele of Naramsin, The Palette of Narmer dates to
about 3,000 BCE, and is one of the first time an Egyptian king is represented in art
Palette of Narmer, c. 3,000-2950 BCE
Egyptian Museum, Cairo
The circular recess
was used for mixing
eye paint
Decorated on both sides, the object was a ceremonial palette used for mixing eye paint
Palette of Narmer, c.
3,000-2950 BCE
Egyptian Museum, Cairo
This “smiting-pose” became a standard convention in the representation of Egyptian
rulers for centuries to come
Relief at Medinet Habu, Ramesses III smiting his enemies in the battle
against the sea peoples. Egypt. Ancient Egyptian. 20th dynasty c 1186
1070 BC. Medinet Habu.
Rather than representing an “actual battle,” it is more like a symbol
connoting the kings’ conquest of his enemy
The king’s status is indicated by the use of hierarchic scale, and his
idealized muscular appearance – but his costume also indicates his
importance
He wears the bowling pin shaped crown of Upper Egypt, and a
false beard – attributes of kingship in Egypt
He also wears the shendyt skirt with bull’s tail, probably connoting
his “bull-like” strength
The defeated enemy also wears a
beard, but he wears a loincloth
rather than the shendyt skirt
Though smaller in size, if he stood
up he would be as tall as Narmer
– suggesting that he could be the
enemy king
Two figures on the lower register probably signify the enemy dead
Behind Narmer (and represented in
smaller scale) a servant carries a
jar and a pair of sandals
The king is also clearly barefoot,
perhaps symbolizing that he is
carrying out a sacred act
To the right of Narmer is a strange symbol: a Falcon perched atop
a clump of Papyrus, and clutching a leash attached to a man’s
head
The falcon is a reference to the god Horus, who was identified with
Egyptian kingship, and papyrus was a common symbol for Lower
Egypt
So the pictograph symbolized the idea that Narmer, as the Living
Horus, has conquered Lower Egypt – the “land of the papyrus”
Divine approval of Narmer’s deed is further emphasized on top,
with two images of the cow goddess (Bat or Hathor), flanking his
serekh
The other side of the palette includes the kings name, and the
image of the cow goddess
Palette of Narmer, c.
3,000-2950 BCE Victory Stele of Naramsin,
Egyptian Museum, Cairo c. 2254-2218, sandstone. Louvre
Both show powerful rulers, whose importance is indicated by size, costume and
attributes – not to mention their idealized muscular bodies, and powerful stance
Palette of Narmer, c.
3,000-2950 BCE Victory Stele of Naramsin,
Egyptian Museum, Cairo c. 2254-2218, sandstone. Louvre
Both also emphasize the king’s close connection to the gods
Palette of Narmer, c.
3,000-2950 BCE Victory Stele of Naramsin,
Egyptian Museum, Cairo c. 2254-2218, sandstone. Louvre
But a major difference is how the story is told
Palette of Narmer, c.
3,000-2950 BCE Victory Stele of Naramsin,
Egyptian Museum, Cairo c. 2254-2218, sandstone. Louvre
The Stele of Naramsin is like an action packed drama, as if the battle is happening right
in front of our eyes
Palette of Narmer, c.
3,000-2950 BCE Victory Stele of Naramsin,
Egyptian Museum, Cairo c. 2254-2218, sandstone. Louvre
The Palette of Narmer on the other hand has none of this sense of the momentary
Palette of Narmer, c.
3,000-2950 BCE Victory Stele of Naramsin,
Egyptian Museum, Cairo c. 2254-2218, sandstone. Louvre
The figures are more symbolic than real, and seem to be frozen in time, as if to suggest
a timeless order, rather than an actual event
Palette of Narmer, c.
3,000-2950 BCE Victory Stele of Naramsin,
Egyptian Museum, Cairo c. 2254-2218, sandstone. Louvre
As we will see, this timeless quality was a distinguishing feature of Egyptian art, and was
intimately connected to Egyptian beliefs about the afterlife – which they believed to be
an unchanging continuation of the present; as if time really did stand still – and for an
eternity!
Palette of Narmer, c.
3,000-2950 BCE Victory Stele of Naramsin,
Egyptian Museum, Cairo c. 2254-2218, sandstone. Louvre
Thanks for listening!
Next up: The Egyptian Canon of Proportions
The Egyptian Canon of Proportions
What does it mean to “walk like an Egyptian”?
Image source: https://jenwoo.wordpress.com/2009/01/10/walk-like-an-egyptian-2/
Everybody seems to know how to do it: make your body stiff, position your legs in a
forward striding motion, with both feet directly in line; then twist your torso forward, while
turning your head to the side. Be careful not to fall over!
Image source: https://jenwoo.wordpress.com/2009/01/10/walk-like-an-egyptian-2/
Everybody knows how to “walk like an Egyptian” because we’ve all seen Egyptian
images -- and they all look like pretty much alike
Offering Bearers, relief from Mastaba of Nofret and Rahotep, c. 2570-2545 BCE
This is because Egyptian artists used a standard formula for representing the
human figure that varied very little for over one thousand years
Wall Fragment from the Tomb of Amenemhet and His Wife Hemet, Middle Kingdom, Dynasty 12 (1991-1784 B.C.)
Art Institute of Chicago
Let’s start with the composite pose
Offering Bearers, relief from Mastaba of Nofret and Rahotep, c. 2570-2545 BCE
The Canon of Proportions was essentially a grid, that was used for plotting out the
figure following a standard formula
Here’s how it works: The Egyptian artist would begin by plotting the figure out on
the grid, using a pre-determined set of measurements
Key anchor points of the figure
would be set in place, starting with
18 squares from the top of the
head to the feet (the hair will rise
above the top square)
Count 2 squares down for the
base of the neck, and 3 square
either way for the shoulders
Wall Fragment from the Tomb of Amenemhet and His Wife Hemet, Middle Kingdom, Dynasty 12 (1991-1784 B.C.)
Art Institute of Chicago
Hierarchic scale was also used to differentiate social status
Ti Hippopotamus Hunting, painted relief from the tomb of Ti, Saqqara, Dynasty V,
Old Kingdom, c. 245-2350 BCE
This can be illustrated by this painted relief depicting an important official named
Ti, hunting hippopotamus with his servants
Ti Hippopotamus Hunting, painted relief from the tomb of Ti, Saqqara, Dynasty V,
Old Kingdom, c. 245-2350 BCE
We can tell that Ti is the most important person in the scene because he is larger
than everyone else, and because he is shown in the conventional composite pose
But his servants are rendered very differently; not only are they smaller in scale,
they are also shown in active poses
In fact, lower class people are often depicted with great naturalism in Egyptian art
Shoulders are seen in true perspective, rather than twisted frontally