1. Ancient Egypt Manetho’s History of Egyptian Greek
31 dynasties / 4 groups:
Old Kingdom (2700 B.C.E.)
Middle Kingdom (1990 B.C.E.)
New Kingdom (1570 B.C.E.)
Late Period ( B.C.E.)

2. Ancient Egyptian Culture
Unified and consistent
Resistant to change
Worldview affected by external events

3. Political Structure Pharaoh Priests Head of the central government
Regarded as a living god
Exercised absolute power
Ordered and controlled visible world
Priests
Preservation of religious beliefs
Divine kingship of Pharaohs

4. Egyptian Religion Obsession with immortality / life after death
Book of the Dead
Osiris, Isis, Horus
Deities, subdeities, nature spirits
Responsible for all aspects of existence

5. Egyptian Art
Principal function of artists: to produce images of deities
Form of worship
Standards set forth by Pharaoh
Artists also provided temples and shrines for honoring deities

6. The Old Kingdom Imhotep Pyramids Mummification
First architect known to history
Pyramids
Funerary monuments for pharaohs, upper class
Mummification
Preservation of the body was necessary for the survival of the soul

7. Great Age of the Pyramid
Pyramids at Giza (Dynasty IV)
Cheops
Chefren
Mycerinus
Who built the pyramids?
Farmers
Slaves

8. Pyramids Constructed of limestone blocks
Quarried, ferried, cut, dragged into place
Center chamber contained mummified body of pharaoh surrounded by treasures
Plundered by robbers

9. Chefren’s Sphinx Created as the guardian for Chefren’s tomb at Giza
Adopted as a divine symbol of the mysterious and enigmatic (Greeks)

10. 1.13 The Great Sphinx, c. 2575–2525 bce. At Gizeh, Egypt. Sandstone, c. 65´ (19.8 m) high, 240´ (73.2 m) long. © Steve Vidler/SuperStock

11. Art of the Old Kingdom Reflects confidence and certainty
Idealized realism
Conceptual, symbolic

12. Art of the Middle Kingdom
Loss of trust in divine providence
Artists attempted to recapture lofty serenity of Old Kingdom
Troubled spirit captured in weight and somber expressions

13. The New Kingdom Artistic traditions continued
Conceptual
Pharaoh Amenhotep IV/ “Akhenaton”
Massive religious/political reform
Tel el-Amarna Art
Tutankhamen
Howard Carter ( )

14. 1. 16 Akhenaton, Nefertiti, and Three of Their Children, c
1.16 Akhenaton, Nefertiti, and Three of Their Children, c. 1370–1350 bce. From Amarna, Egypt. Limestone relief, 17˝ (43 cm) high. Ägyptisches Museum,
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany//© Bildarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz/Art Resource, NY

15. 1. 17 Queen Nefertiti, c. 1355–1335 bce. From Tel el-Amarna, Egypt
1.17 Queen Nefertiti, c. 1355–1335 bce. From Tel el-Amarna, Egypt. Painted limestone, 20˝ (50.8 cm) high. Ägyptisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany//© Bildarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz (Margarete Büsing)/Art Resource, NY

16. 1. 19 Death Mask of Tutankhamen, c. 1323 bce. From Thebes, Egypt
1.19 Death Mask of Tutankhamen, c bce. From Thebes, Egypt. Gold with inlay of semiprecious stones, 1´91⁄4˝ (54 cm) high. Egyptian Museum, Cairo, Egypt//© François Guenet/Art Resource, NY

17. 1. 20 Temple of Ramses II, c. 1275–1225 bce
1.20 Temple of Ramses II, c. 1275–1225 bce. At Abu Simbel (now relocated), Egypt. Colossi c. 65´ (19.8 m) high. © Vanni/Art Resource, NY

18. The Late Period Artists revisited earlier period styles
Recapture realism, volume
Return to pyramid-shaped tombs
Egypt invaded by Nubians (the Cush) B.C.E.
Nubians and Nobatae preserved ancient culture

19. Tomb Reliefs
Senefer’s Tomb Relief

20. Rules of Art in Ancient Egypt
Size of figures commensurate with their social standing
Gods were always depicted with their symbols
Male statues were darker than female statues

21. Symbolism of Colors Egyptians used six basic colors
Red = power (life and victory)
Green = new life and fertility
Blue = creation and rebirth
Yellow= the eternal (Ra & Pharoahs)
White = purity
Black = death

22. Book of the Dead papyrus

23. Aegean Culture Crete Cyclades Islands King Minos / Knossos
Bronze tools
Imaginative/humorous pottery
Marble statues/idols

24. 1.22 Cycladic idol,
c bce. From Cyclades, Greece. Marble, 191⁄4˝ (50 cm) high. British Museum, London, UK//© British Museum/Art Resource, NY

25. The Bronze Age in Crete Arthur Evans, 1894-1900 Early Minoan
Increasing growth
Contacts with Egypt and Mesopotamia
Scattered Towns

26. Middle Minoan Evolution of large urban centers
Art = lively and colorful
Little interest in monumental art
Writing system of hieroglyphic signs

27. [Image 1.22] Palace of Minos at Knossos
1.23 Ruins of the Palace of Minos, Knossos (Crete), Greece, c. 1600–1400 bce. Note the Minoan
columns tapering downward and on the wall below, the faint remains of a fresco of a giant, charging
bull. This image would have been the first impression of Knossos for many visitors because the
walkway (on the right) led to this main north entrance of the palace. {© Gail Mooney/CORBIS}

28. [Image 1.25] Wasp Pendant
1.26 Wasp Pendant, c bce. From Mallia (Crete), Greece. Gold, 17⁄8˝ (5 cm) wide. Heraklion Museum, Crete, Greece/The Art Archive//Gianni Dagli Orti

29. [Image 1.27] Snake Goddess
1.26 Wasp Pendant, c bce. From Mallia (Crete), Greece. Gold, 17⁄8˝ (5 cm) wide. Heraklion Museum, Crete, Greece/The Art Archive//Gianni Dagli Orti

30. Late Minoan Period of rebuilding after earthquakes
High point of Minoan culture
Wall paintings
Religion centered upon mother goddess connected with fertility

31. [Image 1.28] Funerary Mask
1.29 Funerary mask, c. 1600–1500 bce. From Grave Circle A, Shaft Grave V, Mycenae, Greece. Beaten gold, 101⁄8˝ (26 cm) high. National Archaeological Museum, Athens, Greece// © Nimatallah/Art Resource, NY

32. Mycenaean Culture Heinrich Schliemann, 1870-1873
The Trojan War (1250 B.C.E.)
Strongly influenced by Minoan Culture
Art = preoccupied with death and war
Fall of the Mycenaean empire (1200 B.C.E.)

33. Chapter 1: Discussion Questions
What can be determined about the roles of women in early civilizations based on their artistic depictions? Explain, citing examples from each culture.
Based on the universal questions evoked in the Epic of Gilgamesh, what can we assume about the Sumerian people and their lifestyles? In what ways are their concerns shared by people of our culture and generation? Explain.
What role did geography play in the development and preservation of Ancient Egyptian culture? In what fundamental ways was Egyptian culture different from the Mesopotamian and Aegean cultures?
Discuss the role of the archeologist. What impact do the discoveries of ancient cultures have on us today? Explain.