Egyptian Art and Archeology Midterm Slidea

Title: Naqada II Jar

Date: Predynastic period

Material: Clay pottery (sandstone), L-ware

Provence: Adaima, Egypt. Currently in the MET

Function/meaning:
shows humans vs. animals/humans on a boat on one side and animals in lines on the other(gazelles, flamingoes), uses stick figures and lines and the zig-zags on the top represents water
A jar of this shape and size would have been used for storage, like for liquids (water, wine, oil, et cetera).

Significance: shows the interaction between man and animal on the nile
We know that this jar comes from a tomb, so we might also guess that the decoration served some religious purpose.

Title: Tomb 100 Mural from Hierakonpolis
Belonging to: A powerful member of the Hierakonpolis elite

Date: Late Predynastic Period

Material: The grave was a rectangular brick-lined and plastered tomb with painted walls and a brick partition

Provence: Aswan Governorate, Egypt. Displayed at the egyptian museum in Cairo

Function/meaning: Its function was a tomb, place for afterlife. Imagery of smiting enemies, register lines not used, human figures not developed

Significance: shows evidence of social order, the imagery of smiting enemies and herding animals becomes a common depiction of power

Title: Narmer Palette

Date: Predynastic Period

Material: Siltstone

Provence: Hierakonpolis, is now part of the permanent collection of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo

Function/meaning: It depicts the king celebrating victory over the north
The palate is divided by baselines
Human figures fully developed (recognizable perspectives of each feature)
Scale is used to show importance of King, naked figures represent low status
Horus falcon signifies king is a living impersonation of the god

Significance: The palette was able to confirm that Narmer was the true founder of united Egypt. It also shows the level of unrest and chaos that spread all over the divided regions of Egypt before Narmer's unification.

Title: The Cities Palette (Lybian or Towns Palette)

Date: Protodynastic Period

Material: Schist

Provence: it was found in Abydos, now in Egyptian Museum in Cairo

Function/meaning: It contains some of the earliest hieroglyphic inscriptions ever found. Used for ceremonial tablets, The fact that the palette is carved on both sides means that it was created for ceremonial instead of practical purposes.

Significance: Thought by some to depict the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the king Narmer.

Title: The Scorpion Macehead, owner: King Scorpion

Date: Early Dynastic Period, 0 dyansty

Material: Limestone

Provence: Hierakonpolis- now in Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

Function/meaning: raised relief, similar properties to the Narmer Palate
scale represents importance, hieroglyphs of king's name he is doing agriculture/water ritual, servants/lower class around

Significance: King Scorpion performing the ceremonial opening of an irrigation canal.

Title: Bone and Ivory Tags from Tomb U-j

Date: Predynastic Period

Material: pottery vessels, and clay seal impressions

Provence: found in tomb U-J of Um, el' Qa'ab at the site of Abydos

Function/meaning: their purpose was to documented the quantity and geographic origin of particular commodities that were to be exchanged

Significance: earliest examples of Egyptian writing

Title: Statue of King Djoser

Date: 3rd dynasty

Material: made of limestone

Provence: currently at the egyptian museum in cairo

Function/meaning: The statue depicts the king with his left hand resting on his thigh and his right hand over his heart which is thought to be the center of wisdom.Thus, his statue reflects his ability to fearlessly and strongly lead Egypt by following the wisdom found in his heart.
The strong and bold proportions of the statue seen in his ears, nose, and feet are to underscore his importance and impact on Egypt.

Significance: His statue serves as a tangible connection to the era of prosperity and societal well-being that Djoser was responsible for. Crafted from limestone, the statue's choice of material reflects Djoser's strength and eternal presence.
Allow the king to manifest himself and be able to see the rituals performed in and out the serdab.

Title: Cedar Boat from Giza, Owned by Pharaoh Khufu

Date: 4th dynasty

Material: made of lebanon cedar

Provence: found in the Great Pyramid of Pharaoh Khufu alongside other grave goods and offerings meant for the afterlife- now in Grand Egyptian Museum

Function/meaning: oldest boat intact, "masterpiece of wood"

Significance: known as a "solar barge", a ritual vessel believed by ancient Egyptians to carry the resurrected king across the heavens with the sun god Ra. Transporting Khufu's body on the Nile to the Giza necropolis or on a final pilgrimage to holy sites.

Title: Statue of Khafre

Date: Old Kingdom, 4th Dynasty, Reign of Khafre

Material: Gneiss- an extremely hard stone that symbolizes the strength and permanence of kingship

Provence: Giza Pyramid Complex of Khafre - currently: Egyptian Museum, Cairo

Function/meaning: semi-tawny symbol on the side of his throne representing unity in Egypt in Khafre - represents the king's duty to bind the different parts of Egypt under one rule

Significance: Used in funeral rituals, This Old Kingdom statue has an important function in Egyptian tombs as substitute abodes for the Pharaoh's ka—the life force that accompanied a person with a kind of other self.

Title: Bust of Prince Ankh-haf, owner: Prince Ankhhaf

Date: Old Kingdom, 4th dynasty

Material: painted limestone

Provence: Ankhhaf's Tomb in Giza, now at Museum of Fine Arts Boston

Function/meaning:
overseer during the reign of Pharaoh Khufu-son of Sneferu- held the title of vizier, "the great one of Five of the house of Thoth"- had great interest in the building of the Great Pyramid of Giza and most likely had a role in the construction of the Sphinx

Significance:

Title: Tomb of Mereriqer at Relief

Date: First intermediate period

Material:

Provence:

Function/meaning:
depicts people bringing offerings to the king- the style and proportions of figures resemble the stelae from Naga ed-Deir- the figures have huge eyes and slender unmuscled figures

Significance:

Title: Stela of Inhurnakht and His Wife Hu

Date: First intermediate period

Material: limestone painted

Provence: Excavated at Naga ed-Deir, currently in the British Museum in London

Function/meaning:
figures facing offerings- man holding staff with his left foot forward; woman holding arm of man signifying she supports him, feet closer together, and half the size of the man- standing for the offering table - differs from previous early dynastic depictions of offerings being received- smaller people feeding the man food/ offerings- the top half is registers of hieroglyphs- at the time when people preferred to be buried in their provinces - meaning the artists were less skilled (better artists were in Hierakonpolis)

Significance:

Title:Fertility Figurine

Date:

Material:the color is probably from lupis lazuli or turquoise

Provence:

Function/meaning:

Significance: figures that protected the dead; being reborn in the afterlife
the blue color of the figurine ties to the Nile/water- water = rebirth, cleansing, the source of life in general and the Nile especially in Egypt

Fertility Figurine

Title: Pectoral of Mereret, a necklace of Princess Mereret

Date:Middle Kingdom, 12th dynasty

Material:made of lapis lazuli, carnelian, amethyst, turquoise and gold

Provence: found in the Tomb of Mereret, now in Egyptian Museum in Cairo

Function/meaning: vulture goddess, Nekhbet depicted spreading her wings over the king, protecting him- two falcon-headed sphinxes stepping on the king's enemies/smiting-bears a cartouche containing the coronation name of Amenemhat III

Significance: king putting his branding on people; the balanced nature of the composition into which the chaotic poses of the foreigners are subsumed signifies the ordered world triumphant over the forces of chaos

Title: Stela of Wepwawetemsaf

Date: End of the 14th dynasty

Material: Limestone

Provence: Found in Abydos, now in British museum, London

Function/meaning: Simple, line outlining, contains no shadow as a result
Shows that by the end of the dynasty, the control of the resources the king has has weakened

Significance: Symbolic as the political power of kingship in egypt-in Abydos - shows the real decline and overall comparison and differences between different time periods/ pyramids vs. this stela