Egypt: Pyramids on the Nile

Nile River, 4,100 miles long, longest in the world Yearly flooding July rains in east Africa Watered crops using irrigation Worshipped as a god Regular as clock work Desert shut out invaders Divided into two kingdoms The Geography of Egypt

Different from Mesopotamia Kings were not representatives for gods, they were gods Theocracy Government which is based on religious authority Pharaoh called the sun, controlled the Nile, and helped the crops to grow Pharaohs Rule as Gods

Approached life more confidently than Mesopotamia Polytheistic Gods were Re, the sun god Osiris, god of the dead Anubis, god and guide of the underworld Mummification Involved drying out the body to preserve it from decay Tombs were built and filled to aid an individual on the way to the afterlife Egyptian Culture

Preparation for Underworld

Pyramid

Egyptian Society

Egyptian Art

Egyptian society was obsessed with immortality Art remained constant for 3,000 years Overriding concern was the afterlife Colossal architecture was built to surround the pharaoh's spirit Most of what we know comes from these tombs Egypt: The Art of Immortality

Palette of King Narmer, 3000 BC

Palette of King Narmer It records the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt The Palatte reflects the Egyptians belief that the creation of the “Kingdom of the Two Lands” was a single great event Became a blueprint for figure representation for the next 3000 years Intertwined necks of the animals may be another reference to Egypt’s unification

Statues were intended to last for eternity Made of hard substances Granite and diorite Whether standing of sitting they had few projecting parts The pose was always frontal and bisymmetrical with arms close to the torso Human anatomy was usually at its best an approximation Egyptian Statues

Khafre from Gizeh, 2500 BC

Khafre Statues filled an important function in Egyptian tombs Images of the deceased served as vessels for the ka This statue found by the Sphinx Made of diorite - hard stone Khafre is idealized - shown as well developed, flawless body, ideal proportions The purpose is to proclaim godlike nature of Egyptian kingship

King Tut

Akhenaten

Akhenaten and King Tut