The Ancient Egyptians

Part I7,000 to 3,100 BCE

The Nile River, North AfricaThe Nile is the longest river in the world and runs South to North,

emptying into the Mediterranean Sea

Two major Neolithic civilizations before 7000 BCE

Lower Egypt in the NorthAgricultural CommunitiesUsed stone toolsMade Ivory and bone objects (art) Made hand-built pottery

Each had own, local gods confinedto a particular district, or nome

Upper Egypt in the South

Upper Egypt in the South along the Nile River

The Gift of the Nile

Each year, the Nile would flood, soaking the earth

along the river banks with rich, black silt from the swollen river, creating incredibly fertile soil.

The Ancient Egyptians became dependent on this flood, as well as the sunny, cloudless sky.

When these two natural events changed or failed to occur, the Egyptians turned to their gods for help.

“Every natural phenomenon, especially the daily return of the sun and the annual flood of the Nile, seemed a continual rebirth”

Flooding and Rebirth:The central Theme to Egyptian Religion

Polytheists Gods manifest in every aspect of nature Influenced human lives and ordered the

universe They could appear in human or animal form They could appear in various combinations of

human and animal forms

Religion

Egyptian Gods

Gods had “spheres of influence” that could

intersect or overlap, producing many compound deities.

Single gods could have multiple aspects Horus-the-child: the potential power of a child Horus-in-the-horizon: the power or day break or

sunset Like most polytheists, they incorporated new

deities from other cultures into their own, creating new combinations of gods with a combination of powers.

Religion (cont.)

Death was not the end but the transition to a similar existence on

another plane Many personal items were also placed along side of the deceased

to ensure a fortuitous afterlife Three parts to the soul:

the ka, akh, and ba The ka, or soul, was said to be able to enter into the afterlife

either through his/ her preserved body or an image of the deceased

The akh was resided in the heavens The ba moved freely in and out of the body, depicted as a bird

with a human head Many of the art we see is Funerary Art found along with the

preserved human remains due to the dry, desert climate

Death and the Afterlife

King Tut

The Boy King

After the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt

in 3,100 BCE, Egypt was ruled by Pharaohs, or Kings.

Absolute rule Art was used as political propaganda,

promoting the pharaoh as the absolute ruler of the people deemed fit to rule by the devine right of the gods

Pharaohs

A divine state Kings mediated between their people and the gods The pharaohs themselves were considered gods Insestuous marriages to keep the royal liniage as

tighly nit as possible to set the royal family apart from their people so that

they could maintain power to be more like the gods political reasons

Usually only for men (there are a few exceptions)

The Egyptian Concept of Kingship

First king to unite Upper and Lower Egypt

“For thousands of years under his rule, Egypt had many periods of durable power, when artists worked for the state and its rulers within the confines of a political and religious hierarchy” (Art Across Time, p.82)

King Menes’ Reign

Palette of Narmer 3100 BCE

Upper Egypt Side white crown

Lower Egypt Sidered crown

Upper EgyptThought to be King Menes, the first pharaoh of Egypt wearing the white crown of Upper EgyptImage of powerLow reliefEgyptian Convention:Conceptual view of human figureSide view of head with one eyeBoth shoulders in viewOne foot in front of the otherSystem of hierarchical proportionsKing largest, enemy lower, slave smaller holding king’s shoes (on holy ground)Gods always watching (Horus)

Lower EgyptTop Register: 1) King Menes in red crown, again, larger than everyone else; ten decapitated bodies of his enemies lay with their heads between their legs meant to be seen as from aboveCentral Register:2) two felines (serpapards) frame an indented circle meant for mixing eye makeupLower Register:3) a bull (Menes) subdues another fallen enemy before architectural symbols