Colossal pyramids, imposing temples, golden treasures, enigmatic hieroglyphs, powerful pharaohs, strange gods, and mysterious mummies are features of Ancient Egyptian culture that have fascinated people over the millennia. The Bible refers to its gods, rulers, and pyramids. Neighboring cultures in the ancient Near East and Mediterranean wrote about its god-like kings and its seemingly endless supply of gold. The Greeks and Romans describe aspects of Egypt's culture and history. As the 19th century began, the Napoleonic campaign in Egypt highlighted the wonders of this ancient land, and public interest soared. Not long after, Champollion deciphered Egypt's hieroglyphs and paved the way for other scholars to reveal that Egyptian texts dealt with medicine, dentistry, veterinary practices, mathematics, literature, and accounting, and many other topics. Then, early in the 20th century, Howard Carter discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun and its fabulous contents. Exhibitions of this treasure a few decades later resulted in the world's first blockbuster, and its revival in the 21st century has kept interest alive. Join Dr. David Silverman, Professor of Egyptology at Penn, Curator in Charge of the Egyptian Section of the Penn Museum, and curator of the Tutankhamun exhibitions on a guided tour of the mysteries and wonders of this ancient land. He has developed this online course and set it in the galleries of the world famous Penn Museum. He uses many original Egyptian artifacts to illustrate his lectures as he guides students as they make their own discovery of this fascinating culture. This course focused on five key areas in the study of Ancient Egypt: 1) Principles of Egyptian Art, 2) The Basics of the Language of Ancient Egypt: Hieroglyphs, 3) Egyptian Magic, 4) Akhenaten, Tutankhamun, and the Religion of the Aten, and 5) The Burial of Tutankhamun and the Search for his Tomb. This course is intended to accompany, and ideally to follow, Introduction to Ancient Egypt (also available on Coursera).
Principles of Egyptian Art: Part 2
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Wonders of Ancient Egypt
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Principles of Egyptian Art
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David P. SilvermanEckley Brinton Coxe, Jr. Professor of Egyptology
Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations
[MUSIC]
When a viewer responds to this type of stimulus, he or she will experience either
a conscious or unconscious reaction to something the artist has expressed.
We must also recognize that it is possible that the artist himself or
herself may have included icons, situations, colors,
etc., either consciously or unconsciously.
In other words, he incorporated deliberately, or
was unaware of what he or she had done.
For the most succesful interaction, then, the artist and
the viewer should have some common ground between them.
And that is why I have just mentioned the importance of some shared information.
Another issue we need to confront is whether the concept of art for
art's sake existed in the art of ancient Egypt.
One possibility of its occurrence might be visible in the minor arts, where there may
be no explicit message in utilitarian objects such as a clay pottery vessel.
In this case, it could be that it was also valued on its aesthetic level,
as well as a simple pottery vessel.
It might have a pleasing shape and a finish produced so well that its value
can be apparent in both its use as well as its aesthetic level.
Although owner of ointment and cosmetic containers from a later period
may seem at first glance to fit into the same category as well.
But often, this type of item can also carry a message.
For example, this vase from Penn's collection has a shape and
image that maybe suggestive of the goddess Taweret,
who is important for protection during pregnancy.
There is an ointment jar that was found in Tutankhamun's tomb and
it possesses icons and scenes evoking the Pharaoh's power over his enemies.
These are only a few of the items with such messages.
It is perhaps safe to say that even the objects that the ancient Egyptians
produced for daily use, could have not only a practical purpose and
a high aesthetic and technical production level, but
it also could convey an explicit or implicit message.
Even the portraits the Egyptians produced in two and three dimensions
had religious significance for the relic to be still on Earth, for example.
And also for the individual who has passed on to the after life.
Some portraits especially of the later periods were framed and
first adorned the walls of the houses of the living.
Only later after the individual died did they become part
of the funerary equipment.
They later affixed the portrait to the front of the coffin after death.
Also, from a domestic context were the ancestor busts,
which could recall a deceased relative, but
also had essential role in the ancestor cult in the house.
Even seemingly decorative carving on furniture and
in architecture can have explicit messages especially
when they take the form of [INAUDIBLE] which you can quite literally read.
And this was the case also with the minor arts where aesthetic
sensibilities existed, as well as in the major arts that
the Egyptians' statutory reliefs and architecture showed.
Needless to say, different levels of quality also existed in this category.
Unlike cultures from more modern times in ancient Egypt, artisans were anonymous and
most of the time the work of art resulted from a group effort.
Ordinarily, it was unusual for specific artists to be singled out and identified.
Imhotep the architect of the step pyramid, which I mentioned a few minutes earlier,
was recognized as the architect of the step pyramid and
even worshiped in later periods of history as an important sage.
Another exception to the rule was the architect Senenmut and
was credited with the design of the temple of Queen Hatshepsut.
While artists, as a rule, never sign their work, Senenmut essentially did that
when he depicted a small image of himself hidden behind a doorway
in the temple that he designed for Queen Hatshepsut.
That both art and artisans were important is clear
from the many representations in tomb chapels depicting them at work.
And this happens in both the old and
middle kingdom as well as the new kingdom and even later.
In addition, there were quite a few titles referring to those professions
relating to art.
For example, line draftsman, sculptor, architect, painter.
Moreover, painter's equipment was also found in upper class and even royal tombs.
At least two officials of the old kingdom are depicted sitting at an easel,
and painting a scene.
And on each of these easels,
it appears that they are depicting the three seasons of an Egyptian year.
Such representations, however, undoubtedly had religious significance.
Perhaps related to the depiction of the seasons found on the walls
of Royal Sun temples of the Fifth Dynasty.
In the 18th dynasty, however, we can identify the sculpture back by the many
titles he held, and he may have even been one of the overseers responsible for
the royal workshops at Amarna that produced some incredibly beautiful pieces.
This was the new capital that Akhenaten built.
Archaeologists have also discovered the studio of the sculptor Thutmose.
At that site and representations on the wall of the Armana Tomb of Huya,
also depict and identify particular sculptors.
As I mentioned before, Egyptians did not identify for the most part the art or
architecture, as a product of a particular individual since almost all
were produced in a workshop with several artisans involved in the process.
Occasionally, however, we can see the distinct style of specific artists
such as the figures in the tomb of the 12th Dynasty official, Ihy.
That I work on in the area of Saqqara,
actually not far from the Step Pyramid of Djoser.
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