Arts and Literature in Ancient Egypt

1. Arts and Literature in Ancient Egypt By: Aya Dandache, Mona Khan, Bianka Bodo, and Mona Abdullah.

2. Statues and Monuments Built in Ancient Egypt • STEP PYRAMID: • The step pyramid has a height of 62 meters. • It is considered as one of the greatest constructional accomplishments of its time. • It is known for the use of stone as its building material, instead of objects such as mud brick which was previously used. • GIZA PYRAMIDS: • The Great Pyramid of Giza was built west to the Nile River. • The large pyramid was mostly built of limestone and had the base of a perfect square. • Inside this magnificent construction were traps and curses put on the tombs. • TEMPLES: • These large temple building were made of stone, making them very durable. • Most of the walls had scenes and hieroglyphs carved on to them and painted over with bright colors.

3. BENT PYRAMID: • The Bent Pyramid was known as the “bent” one because when the structure almost reaches the top, it changes angles. • At the bottom the pyramid’s shape is angled at 54 degrees but once it reaches the point of change it suddenly flattens to about 43 degrees. • OBELISKS: • They are very tall and narrow, four-sided monuments that form a triangle at the top. • Obelisks consist of a single piece of hard stone, with polished and smoothed sides. • Decorated with monumental inscriptions. • MASTABA’S: • Mastaba’s were a form of tombs that were used mostly in the Old Kingdom. • These were somewhat of a building over where the body was buried. • It consisted of heaps of stone covered with flat blocks that covered the actual tomb.

4. What was the Purpose of these Statues and Monuments? • GIZA PYRAMIDS: • Egyptologists predict that this pyramid was built as a tomb for the Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu. • There are three known chambers inside the Great Pyramid. • The Kings Chamber and the Queens Chamber are high in the structure. • TEMPLES: • Ancient Egyptians built temples believing they were the homes of the gods and goddess. • Some temples were also dedicated to death or celebration. • When death or celebration temples were built, each pillar had a lotus, and when it was open it meant the temple was for celebration, when it was closed it was for death.

5. STEP PYRAMID: • It was built for the burial of Pharaoh Djoser by his vizier called Imhotep. • The vast complex was surrounded with several ceremonial structures and decoration. • It was made of a series of six mastabas that decrease in size as the pyramid reaches the top. • THE SPHINX: • The purpose of the Sphinx is actually unknown. • Some archeologists believe it was built as a symbol of protection towards the pyramids. • There are many assumptions but the main one was, it acted as a guard to Khafre’s pyramid from robbers. • OBELISK’S: • The purpose of an obelisk was that it was a monumental figure. • It symbolized the stability and strength of the sun God, Amun Ra. • They were also believed to represent a magical protection to other structures like temples and tombs.

6. What was art used for in many cases? • Ancient Egyptian art also reflected a lot towards their religion. • Art was used to create objects for funerary rituals or paintings portraying religious ceremonies. • The Ancient Egyptians had many illustrations of the gods and goddesses they worshipped. • This meant that art was their way of showing their beliefs and rituals. • Art was used many times in leadership to artistically illustrate the power and reign of many Pharaohs. • Pharaohs were the main subject for many sculptures, carvings, inscriptions, and much more. • Pharaohs like King Ramses used art as a way to embrace their power, like having towering sculptures of them being made. RELIGION: LEADERSHIP:

7. Art was used as a form of communication in Ancient Egypt. • People who didn’t have the ability to read and write would use art to express their thoughts and feelings. • The Ancient Egyptians also used art in order to document important issues and aspects of their lives. • These documents were passed down from generation to generation and still exist today. • The Ancient Egyptians were very known for using art as decoration. • Many pictures and illustrations were carved or painted on to monuments such as obelisk’s or the pyramids. • Special workshops and communities existed were such work was to be completed. • The decorations signified importance in Egypt due to all the information one illustration could tell us in the present day. COMMUNICATION: DECORATION:

8. Works of Literature in Ancient Egypt • PAPYRUS: • One of the many “Gifts of the Nile” was a weed called papyrus. • The word paper is derived from papyrus; some sheets are up to ten meters. • Papyrus texts illustrate all dimensions of ancient Egyptian life and include literary, religious, historical and administrative documents. • HIERO-GLYPHS: • The ancient Egyptians thought that it was important to record and communicate. • This lead tyo the invention of written scripts that could be used to record this information. • They were called hieroglyphics and was a language written using several illustrations and symbols.

9. FUNERARY TEXTS: • Ancient Egyptians believed that funerary texts acted as ‘travel guides’ for the dead in their journey through the underworld. • These texts were written on walls, coffins, statues or papyri. • They contained all the required passwords and spells for use in the underworld. • They put these texts in coffins before they buried the dead person, so it could be “found” later. • PYRAMID TEXTS: • Pyramid texts are sacred texts that are written on pyramid walls in Sakkara. • They are the oldest sacred texts known. • An example of the pyramid texts are: NUT AND THE DECEASED KING, (an example of a utterance), UTTERANCES 1-11 “1a. To say by Nut, the brilliant, the great: This is (my) son, (my) first born, N., opener of (my) womb;

10. What role does art and literature take in Ancient Egypt? • The art of Ancient Egyptians reflects and represents many aspects of their lives. • Religion was often the main topic of Ancient Egyptian literature, and art had a lot to do with religion as well. • Several prayers and hymns were written, but one of the most important books was “The Book of the Dead”. • Egyptians also wrote adventure stories, fairy tales, myths, love stories, and more. • Some examples of religious literature include: • -Hyms to the Gods • -Mythological Texts • -Pyramid Texts • -Coffins Texts • -Book of the Dead

11. What does the art and literature of Ancient Egypt tell us about their culture? • The Ancient Egyptians were very religious people. They believed in spells, myths, and other immortal ideas. • Death was not considered to be the end of one’s life, rather it was considered to lead them to another life and eternity. • Their strong belief in afterlife lead to them to thinking they could communicate with the dead by writing “letters to the dead.” • This shows that they were people who strongly believed in the afterlife and mummification. • The Ancient Egyptians were very artistic; they used to paint the places they wanted to be in the afterlife and things they wanted. • They were very creative people since they were skillful when it came to literature such as story telling. • The Ancient Egyptians were also preservative. • They recorded a lot of the actions that took place and managed to keep their monuments, statues, art, etc. in a good condition until this day.

12. CARTOUCHE: • A cartouche is an oval with someone important’s name. • They were used during the beginning of the Fourth Dynasty by Pharaoh Sneferu, • The Ancient Egyptian word for it was “shenu”. • Cartouches were found on the walls of the tombs or the cases that the mummy lied in. Works of Art in Ancient Egypt • TEXTILE AND DYING: • Weaving and dyeing were mostly used in for the cloth of the mummy. • Dye was also used on the walls of the tomb to color in the picture. • It has been found that the dye and clay that were used on the walls on the tombs have protected the walls and all the drawings that were on them. • POTTERY: • Ancient Egyptians used steatite and carved small pieces of vases, amulets, images of deities, of animals and several other objects. • On most vases they would carve some drawings and decorate them. • Some artists also covered their pottery with enamel which would help the art pieces be preserved them.

13. FUNERARY CONES: • Funerary Cones are long cylinder cones that have some writing on them. • Some of them contained information about the ruler or about the lives of some of the Egyptians that were famous in history. • The funerary Cones were made from mud and rocks and placed in some temples. • CANOPIC JARS: • These jars were used to preserve the organs of the person who was mummified for the afterlife. • In order to enter the afterlife it was mandatory to have all the organs included in the jars. • The most important organ was the heart, and that is why it was most importantly stored. • PAINTINGS: • Ancient Egyptians made paintings of better places that they wanted to be in, mainly in the afterlife. • Painters would carve the drawings then they would fill them in with dye to make them look more colorful. • Some paintings would also have the pictures of grate rulers and some pictures of their battles.

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