egyptian art and architecture

canon of proportions

A set of guidelines used in Egyptian art to depict the human figure in a standardized manner, ensuring consistent proportions.

they used a grid system which often can be seen in unfinished tombs.

artists were members of the craftsmen class and were “anonymous”, had no name to their work.

cult statues

art played a functional role.

provided laces for gods and goddesses to manifest themselves in temples.

the daily ritual ensured the continued renewal of the cosmos

some important statues were in silver which was more valuable to the Egyptians than gold as they had to import it.

art was magical and was used to uphold a protecting and ideological power (upholding maat)

they had ka-statues which were used as a vessel/resting place for the deceased soul

most 3D-representations present frontality

cult statues were not for decorations bur for cult practice

if statues/artwork were destroyed it would “kill them”/stop the offerings in the afterlife, statues were sometimes killed or their nose/ears were cut off, meaning they could not breath or hear

images

images of offerings mean that they would be eternal

seemingly straight forward scenes allegories to maintaining cosmic order

images and text were often combined

art aimed to depict the ideal and not the real

correct rightward orientation - the main figure faces right

sometimes for balance or symmetry they would face left as well

it was to the utmost importance that the symbolism was correct (hands were switched as the scepter was to be held in the right hand) than the real representation 

depictions often show them with frontal eyes but the face sideways, as you wanted to show everything from the most characteristic way (the gods needed to recognize you) and the eyes are characteristic as well as the nose

the depiction would be how the person would be seen in the afterlife, so they are often depicted stranding straight in fishing images as they did not want to be crouched in the afterlife

egyptian art was conceptual as opposed to perceptual

hierarchy of size - main figure is larger

art

art was for eternity

there is continuity in egyptian art with many of the same motifs (smiting the enemies) but stylistic changes

images of dangerous things were used as powerful amulets: images of hippos meant you “tamed the danger”

wadi sura

cave of beasts

features neolithic rock paintings

show early cultures in the Nile valley

cave of swimmers

Fayum A

earliest neolithic site in/near the Nile Valley

the earliest farming culture

domesticated cereals and animals

seasonal camps

communal grain silos

Merimde (c.5000-4100 BCE)

first permanent farming community

first face depiction

houses, storage pits and silos - settled village life

mixed economy: farming, herding, hunting and fishing

burials within the settlement 

represents shift from seasonal to permanent living

Badarian culture (c. 4400-4000 BCE)

first clear evidence of agriculture in upper Egypt

cultivated wheat, barley, lentils

distinct pottery: black-topped red ware, ripple ware

evidence of long-distance trade (ivory, red sea shells, turquoise)

social stratification

craft specialization in pottery and jewelry 

predynastic egypt

the transition to agriculture 

permanent supply of goods due to farming and herding but also the growth of zoonotic diseases

we see the first fundamental egyptian concepts both in art and in society

predynastic - NI-II

protodynastic - NIII/ Dynasty 0

early dynastic - dyn. 1-2

narmer palette

a cosmetic palette containing some of the earliest hieroglyphic inscriptions

cosmetic palettes were used to grind pigments (malachite) and made of greywacke

it depicts the unification of upper and lower egypt under the name/ruler Narmer

wearing the white crown (upper egypt)

images of conquest later showing him in the red crown (lower egypt)

shows a sandal bearer of the king which was an important role - the ideal of sandals was elegant and sandals can be found in tombs (not meant for use)

dynasty 1-2 

c. 3000-2786 BCE (Ian Shaw)

early formative stage of a pharaonic civilization

growing consolidation state

divine kingship development

characterized by monumental funerary complexes, specialized and sophisticated craft

art/architecture builds upon and expands from earlier periods

dual nature of kingship

small labels and ivory tags tied to jars/oil found inscribed with hieroglyphs of royal names, officials and goods

early step toward royal annals and historical records

serekh - a rectangular enclosure indicating that the enclosed text is a royal name, predating the cartouche

Abydos burials

dynasty 1: Aha, Djer, Djet, Merneith

all have tombs in Umm el Qa’ab and enclosure in the north cemetery, all subterranean mudbrick with wooden elements (no structure remains), all have a large number of subsidiary graves, funerary enclosures were buried

aha burial: large number of subsidiary graves, human sacrifice? many young adults (not natural mortality) with high level of skeletal trauma

no physical evidence for this: could be poor preservation and trauma may be post-depositional, no explicit artistic or textual evidence and could be alternative causes like an epidemic

Dynasty 1: Den, Anedjib, Semerkhet, Qa’a

more of a centralized arrangement with fewer subsidiary graves but more personalized, all tombs had a staircase

den burial: first use of stone, granite imported from aswan with c. 3000 ceramic vessels and 2000 stone vessels found in the tomb

Qa’a burial: a large tomb with several revisions - long reign, seal belonging to Hotepsekhemwy found near the entrance showing the transition to dynasty 2, it was important for the son/successor to bury the father/predecessor to inherit their divine power (“the one who buries inherits”)

boat graves found, no function other than use in afterlife by royals, 14 boats c. 18-21 m long

donkey burials

Dynasty 2:

peribsen burial: appears to have been finished in haste, seth replaces horus on serekh (political upheaval?), thinnest walls of any known enclosure (1.5 m) and large deposits of pottery found showing his funerary cult continued for a while

khasekhemwy burial: started small but expanded, luxury goods found like stone vessels with gold lids, copper and flint knives, statue found of him wearing the heb-sed cloak

also built shunet el zebib which was the largest and most elaborate building, the palace facade was painted white and the interior court was empty, many votive deposits (objects left in a place for religious purpose), untouched for a long time and had burials around outer perimeter

mastabas for elite d.1 in saqqara

first thought to be kings due to sealings found (mud impressions with kings serekh) but it’s likely that king had given grave goods to the officials tomb

lots of interior rooms and the tomb itself is bigger than kings

had a funerary chapel

made in mudbrick and vibrant colored

had subterranean stairway access

the body lay in a wooden coffin where the wooden components often were recycled parts (from housing)

the body had traces of linen - the body decomposed and was later wrapped (could be connected to the osiris myth)

body flexed to the right side

mastabas for elite d.2

mastabas become smaller above ground but bigger underground

the construction mimics a house (burial chamber - bedroom)

they had stelas and coffins became more elaborate

we see the first evidence of mummification - probably treated with natron with linen-wrapped limbs and skull

djoser complex d.3

built by the architect imhotep (later deified) 

this marks the tradition of royal pyramids

started as a mastaba which was enlarged with limestone (a five-step process)

the enclosure wall was more than 15 km circumference

impermanent materials were made into stone - doors and fences often made of wood were made into stone to become “immortal” objects

serdab - a structure that served as a chamber for the ka-statue, it was a seal chamber with a small hole to allow the soul to move freely and receive offerings