art forms in ancient egypt

8/11/2019 Art Forms in Ancient Egypt

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Research paper on:Art forms in Ancient Egypt

Due: Tuesday December 19, 2006

Art in the Ancient Egypt Society


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Art is the ua!ity, production, e"pression, or rea!m, according to aesthetic

princip!es, o# $hat is beauti#u!, appea!ing, or o# more than ordinary signi#icance%&

Art p!ayed a big ro!e in Ancient Egyptian Society% 't $as part o# most aspects o#

dai!y !i#e( architecture, c!othing, music, dance, drama etc% Egyptians used the

symbo!ism in their art to sho$ their )ie$ point o# ho$ they sa$ the $or!d and

themse!)es in it% '# ' $ere to pic* a $ord to describe their artistic mo)ement it

$ou!d be sameness% This is because their society $as ab!e to *eep up the same

sty!e o# art such as +ronta!ism #or thousands o# years%

Ancient Egyptian art $as usua!!y e"pressed through paintings and

scu!ptures and he!ped *eep their history a!i)e% Egyptians $ere high!y re!igious

and considered ods, oddesses and -haraohs to be )ery signi#icant% This is

$hy most o# their art #orms inc!uded pictures o# them%

Art #orms #rom the Ancient Egyptians ha)e contributed great!y to our

society today% 't $as not on!y genius& but a!so the starting point in the history o#

$estern sty!e art% Art #rom their ci)i!i.ation such as $a!!/paintings ha)e pro)ided

us $ith a c!ear picture o# $hat !i#e $ou!d ha)e been !i*e in their society%

Architecture in the Ancient Egypt Society

The a#ter!i#e became an important part o# Egyptian !i#e at the start o# the

!d ingdom in 23 45% This $as $hen peop!e started to thin* o# !i#e a#ter

death beginning $ith preparations #or it $ith the bui!ding o# tombs%

ne o# the most outstanding contributions made by the Ancient Egyptians

to ci)i!i.ation $ere the -yramids( other$ise *no$n as houses o# eternity% Today

they are considered the o!dest and !argest structures in the $or!d% Their purpose

$as to house the tombs o# pharaohs as they $ent on into a#ter!i#e, as $e!! as hide

the pharaohs mummies to protect their sou!s%


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4e#ore the pyramids $ere made, the Ancient Egyptians made 7astaba

tombs( 7astaba meaning bench%& They $ere rectangu!ar tombs made #rom mud

bric*s% They had a #!at roo# $ith s!oping sides and resemb!ed a typica! Egyptian

)i!!age house% They $ere used to bury 8ob!es and -haraohs% 5ommoners& or

!oca!s $ere usua!!y buried in a pit o# sand%

The 7astaba tombs $ere #o!!o$ed by the #irst pyramid that re)o!utioni.ed

tombs ca!!ed the Step -yramid&( bui!t in 260 4%5% at Saara% 't $as designed

by 'mhotep, a $ise man and scho!ar $ho $or*ed #or ing Doser% The pyramid

$as bui!t by stac*ing 7astaba tombs on top o# each other% The comp!eted

pyramid had si" steps% They $ere said to be the staircase to hea)en in $hich the

person $ou!d encounter a ourney $ith the Sun od, e%

-yramids started to become more ad)anced $hich resu!ted in the bui!ding

o# true pyramids( the !argest best preser)ed monuments% # these, the most

#amous $ere the reat pyramids% They $ere bui!t #or the pharaohs hu#u, ha#re

and 5heops are no$ 1,000 years o!d% The pyramids are the resu!t o# 20 years o#

hard manua! !abour #rom thousands and thousands o# $or*ers% They $ere bui!t o#

!itera!!y mi!!ions o# b!oc*s o# stone and granite that each $eighed around 2% tons%

The monuments are !ocated at the i.a% They ser)e as spectacu!ar reminders o#

the g!ory o# ancient Egypt%&

+ashion in the Ancient Egyptian Society

5!othing in Ancient Egypt $as )ery !ight$eight and usua!!y made #rom

!inen since the c!imate $as so hot and dry% 7en genera!!y $ore *i!ts $ith a band

o# c!oth $rapped around their shou!ders% ;omen $ore !ong #itted dresses%

A!though #ashion changed !itt!e o)ertime, in the 8e$ ingdom a ne$ sty!e o#

adding many intricate p!eats to c!othing $as introduced% Accessories $ere a!so

)ery important to Egyptians% E)eryone $ou!d $ear e$e!!ery #or ornamentation as

$e!! as spiritua! and magica! protection%


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7usic in the Ancient Egyptian Society

7usic $as an important part o# Ancient Egyptian !i#e% 't $as so important

that there $ere speci#ic ods associated $ith music% 't $as #ound

in many p!aces such as temp!es, pa!aces, #arms, tombs etc% The instruments

$ere $e!! de)e!oped, )aried and inc!uded a!! the maor groups #ound today(

string, percussion and $ind% The musicians had di##erent ran*s in society $hich

$ere determined by their s*i!! and the p!aces they per#ormed%

Dance in the Ancient Egyptian Society

The Egyptians used dance as a $ay to e"press their oy in !i#e% 'n#!uenced

by 8ubian sty!e traditions, their routines b!ended acrobatics, s!o$ ba!!et/!i*emo)ements and mimetic e"pressions together% They $ere per#ormed at socia!

gatherings such as the enthroning o# a *ing% Dances $ere usua!!y presented by a

group o# $omen in pairs%

Drama in the Ancient Egyptian Society

A!though it is said that the Ancient ree*s in)ented theatre, many be!ie)e

it $as tru!y the Ancient Egyptians% The p!ays that $ere presented $ere based

di##erent subects but the most popu!ar stories $ere the ones in)o!)ing ods and

re!igion% These p!ays high!ighted myths based on e)ents in ods !i)es such as

the murder o# siris by Seth&% They p!ays $ere per#ormed in pub!ic( a!though

there $ere no specia! p!aces a!!ocated #or per#ormances% 7any o# the p!ays a!so

inc!uded music choruses and dance scenes%

?21 ;ords

4ib!iography

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