Ancient Egypt

big idea

Ancient Egypt is one of the most important and influential civilizations in history.

1. Period and Location: Ancient Egypt

The entire expanse of the ancient Egyptian empire covers a little less than 3,000 years and extends from about 3100 BC to 332 BC. Egyptian history is also broken up by dynasty, which is a period in which all the rulers come from one family. When this line was broken, a new dynasty began.

The above timeline depicts the period this lesson covers.

The Nile River, a very important river in terms of religion, culture, and agriculture, runs through Egypt. In fact, the annual flooding of the Nile deposited the silt, or the nutrient-rich soil, that the Egyptians depended on to grow food in such an arid region. The Nile was really the lifeline of the Egyptian Empire.

terms to know

Dynasty

A series of rulers from the same family

Nile River

The longest river in the world, located in East Africa, and flowing from the Mediterranean Sea

2. Ancient Egypt and Religion

The religious stories of this region were quite dramatic, much like a modern-day soap opera. At times, the stories contradict one another, but they more or less follow the same narrative.

There are conflicting traditions and stories when it comes to creation. One ancient Egyptian version begins with the idea that there was first nothing but an endless sea. Out of this sea emerged the sun and Ra, the sun god. Ra first brought light into the world.

Ra then created three children—Isis, Osiris, and Seth, or Set. Osiris married Isis, and Set, who was extremely jealous of his brother, decided to murder him. Isis grieved the loss of her husband and gathered up his mutilated remains. She used these to bring him back to life through magic, and they ended up creating a son together named Horus.

All these deities are important in their own right and were honored in countless different ways. Osiris is of particular importance because he became in charge of the afterlife.

did you know

The notion that the ka, or spirit, survives death is important, because the Egyptian traditions associated with death led to the creation of some of the most recognizable artifacts and monuments associated with ancient Egypt, namely the mummified remains and great pyramids at Giza.

terms to know

Ra

Egyptian sun god, a universal creator typically represented as a hawk-headed man with a solar disk and uraeus, or cobra, on his head

Isis

Egyptian goddess of fertility, represented as a woman with cow’s horns and a solar disk between them, also worshiped in ancient Rome and Greece

Osiris

Egyptian god and judge of the dead represented as a man partly wrapped as a mummy with a beard and wearing a crown

Seth

Egyptian god of deserts, storms, and foreigners, also called Set

Horus

Egyptian sun deity, represented by a falcon or as a man with the head of a falcon

Ka

The Egyptian belief that identifies the difference between the living and the dead; when the body dies, the ka departs.

3. Palette of Narmer

The Palette of Narmer is an important piece of ceremonial propaganda. Narmer is believed to be the first pharaoh, or king, of an ancient unified Egypt, and this palette describes that story.

The Palette of Narmer dates to about 2950 BC. It is a relief carving in a hard type of metamorphic rock called schist. It’s broken up in horizontal bands, or ground lines, which create panels called the registers.

EXAMPLE

Here is the Palette of Narmer. Notice the use of the hieratic scale. Remember, this is the same scale as was used in ancient Mesopotamian steles.

Narmer is the largest and most important figure in the above composition. A small, rectangular pictograph identifies him as the king.

IN CONTEXT

As you observe this image of the Palette of Narmer, you might notice some additional notable elements. First, there is a sandal-bearing servant to Narmer’s right, and an unlucky gentleman about to get whacked with the mace. You can tell that this is a major figure from lower Egypt, because it is shown by a pictograph or hieroglyphic on the far right. The inclusion of the god Horus here adds an element of divine authority.

There are also two “hats.” On the left is the white hat of upper Egypt, where Narmer was king. On the right, we see Narmer wearing the unified hat of both kingdoms while observing some post-battle presentation of decapitated enemies. Finally, at the bottom, there are two lion-headed creatures intertwined, possibly suggesting a unified Egypt. In the center is a circular depression that would have typically been used as a place to crush pigments for use as eyeliner, although this palette was probably never used that way.

terms to know

Register

The division of a composition into bands

Hieratic Scale

A system that represents sizes of things according to importance and based on fixed religious traditions

Pictographs

A record that is made up of symbolic representations

4. Canon of Proportions

The Palette of Narmer also offers a good example of what came to be known as the canon of proportions. These are strict standards of Egyptian design. Figures were typically proportional to the size of their fist, which was a unit of measurement. One of these standards in the Egyptian canon of proportion states that figures must be 18 fists from the top of their heads to the ground.

The standards of body portrayal in a canon of proportions was important to the Egyptians because of the effects it could have on an individual in the afterlife. There’s a reason they were codified. Egyptian works of art from this period have a very recognizable quality. It wasn’t because they were incapable of rendering a realistic image but because of the meaning associated with the symbolism.

term to know

Canon of Proportions

An Egyptian rule that mandated dimensions and scale.

5. Design Elements and Depiction

Because they were more than just decorative, statues were stiff, rigid, and durable. They needed to survive indefinitely because each was the home of an individual’s ka, or soul.

This is why you see figures such as the sculpture of the Pharaoh Khafra, seen below, who was responsible for the Great Sphinx of Giza, designed with zero space between their appendages and the body.

For one, it was a depiction of an ideal, more so than an individual. But secondly, arms, legs, and heads were easy to break, and these design elements ensured they would survive intact.

These are elements that we can see carried over on other sculptures, such as this one of the Pharaoh Menkaure and a Queen:

did you know

Menkaure was the successor to Khafra. And what’s interesting about this is how the two figures are portrayed. His queen is much less rigid in her depiction. Her arms are rendered in a far more natural, relaxed way, as opposed to Menkaure, who is very stiff. He almost looks like he is carrying invisible suitcases.

The queen’s foot is also slightly set back, and she’s slightly shorter as compared to Menkaure. He is taller and his foot is positioned further forward. These are elements that help identify her status as less important than that of her king.

As mentioned before, these elements were the result of deliberate stylistic decisions, rather than the limitations of the artists themselves.

EXAMPLE

Here’s an example from about this time showing a very realistic and naturalistic representation of a scribe.

Why the difference? Well, individuals that ranked lower on the social status scale could be depicted in a more realistic manner.