Research paper on:

Art forms in Ancient Egypt

Due: Tuesday December 19, 2006
Art in the Ancient Egypt Society
Art is the ua!ity, production, e"pression, or rea!m, according to aesthetic
princip!es, o# $hat is beauti#u!, appea!ing, or o# more than ordinary signi#icance%&
Art p!ayed a big ro!e in Ancient Egyptian Society% 't $as part o# most aspects o#
dai!y !i#e( architecture, c!othing, music, dance, drama etc% Egyptians used the
symbo!ism in their art to sho$ their )ie$ point o# ho$ they sa$ the $or!d and
themse!)es in it% '# ' $ere to pic* a $ord to describe their artistic mo)ement it
$ou!d be sameness% This is because their society $as ab!e to *eep up the same
sty!e o# art such as +ronta!ism #or thousands o# years%
Ancient Egyptian art $as usua!!y e"pressed through paintings and
scu!ptures and he!ped *eep their history a!i)e% Egyptians $ere high!y re!igious
and considered ,ods, ,oddesses and -haraohs to be )ery signi#icant% This is
$hy most o# their art #orms inc!uded pictures o# them%
Art #orms #rom the Ancient Egyptians ha)e contributed great!y to our
society today% 't $as not on!y genius& but a!so the starting point in the history o#
$estern sty!e art% Art #rom their ci)i!i.ation such as $a!!/paintings ha)e pro)ided
us $ith a c!ear picture o# $hat !i#e $ou!d ha)e been !i*e in their society%
Architecture in the Ancient Egypt Society
The a#ter!i#e became an important part o# Egyptian !i#e at the start o# the
0!d 1ingdom in 2232 45% This $as $hen peop!e started to thin* o# !i#e a#ter
death beginning $ith preparations #or it $ith the bui!ding o# tombs%
0ne o# the most outstanding contributions made by the Ancient Egyptians
to ci)i!i.ation $ere the -yramids( other$ise *no$n as houses o# eternity% Today
they are considered the o!dest and !argest structures in the $or!d% Their purpose
$as to house the tombs o# pharaohs as they $ent on into a#ter!i#e, as $e!! as hide
the pharaoh6s mummies to protect their sou!s%
4e#ore the pyramids $ere made, the Ancient Egyptians made 7astaba
tombs( 7astaba meaning bench%& They $ere rectangu!ar tombs made #rom mud
bric*s% They had a #!at roo# $ith s!oping sides and resemb!ed a typica! Egyptian
)i!!age house% They $ere used to bury 8ob!es and -haraohs% 5ommoners& or
!oca!s $ere usua!!y buried in a pit o# sand%
The 7astaba tombs $ere #o!!o$ed by the #irst pyramid that re)o!utioni.ed
tombs ca!!ed the Step -yramid&( bui!t in 2620 4%5% at Saara% 't $as designed
by 'mhotep, a $ise man and scho!ar $ho $or*ed #or 1ing D9oser% The pyramid
$as bui!t by stac*ing 7astaba tombs on top o# each other% The comp!eted
pyramid had si" steps% They $ere said to be the staircase to hea)en in $hich the
person $ou!d encounter a 9ourney $ith the Sun ,od, :e%
-yramids started to become more ad)anced $hich resu!ted in the bui!ding
o# true pyramids( the !argest best preser)ed monuments% 0# these, the most
#amous $ere the ,reat pyramids% They $ere bui!t #or the pharaohs 1hu#u, 1ha#re
and 5heops are no$ 1,000 years o!d% The pyramids are the resu!t o# 20 years o#
hard manua! !abour #rom thousands and thousands o# $or*ers% They $ere bui!t o#
!itera!!y mi!!ions o# b!oc*s o# stone and granite that each $eighed around 2%2 tons%
The monuments are !ocated at the ,i.a% They ser)e as spectacu!ar reminders o#
the g!ory o# ancient Egypt%&
+ashion in the Ancient Egyptian Society
5!othing in Ancient Egypt $as )ery !ight$eight and usua!!y made #rom
!inen since the c!imate $as so hot and dry% 7en genera!!y $ore *i!ts $ith a band
o# c!oth $rapped around their shou!ders% ;omen $ore !ong #itted dresses%
A!though #ashion changed !itt!e o)ertime, in the 8e$ 1ingdom a ne$ sty!e o#
adding many intricate p!eats to c!othing $as introduced% Accessories $ere a!so
)ery important to Egyptians% E)eryone $ou!d $ear 9e$e!!ery #or ornamentation as
$e!! as spiritua! and magica! protection%
7usic in the Ancient Egyptian Society
7usic $as an important part o# Ancient Egyptian !i#e% 't $as so important
that there $ere speci#ic ,ods <=athor, 4eth> associated $ith music% 't $as #ound
in many p!aces such as temp!es, pa!aces, #arms, tombs etc% The instruments
$ere $e!! de)e!oped, )aried and inc!uded a!! the ma9or groups #ound today(
string, percussion and $ind% The musicians had di##erent ran*s in society $hich
$ere determined by their s*i!! and the p!aces they per#ormed%
Dance in the Ancient Egyptian Society
The Egyptians used dance as a $ay to e"press their 9oy in !i#e% 'n#!uenced
by 8ubian sty!e traditions, their routines b!ended acrobatics, s!o$ ba!!et/!i*e
mo)ements and mimetic e"pressions together% They $ere per#ormed at socia!
gatherings such as the enthroning o# a *ing% Dances $ere usua!!y presented by a
group o# $omen in pairs%
Drama in the Ancient Egyptian Society
A!though it is said that the Ancient ,ree*s in)ented theatre, many be!ie)e
it $as tru!y the Ancient Egyptians% The p!ays that $ere presented $ere based
di##erent sub9ects but the most popu!ar stories $ere the ones in)o!)ing ,ods and
re!igion% These p!ays high!ighted myths based on e)ents in ,ods !i)es such as
the murder o# 0siris by Seth&% They p!ays $ere per#ormed in pub!ic( a!though
there $ere no specia! p!aces a!!ocated #or per#ormances% 7any o# the p!ays a!so
inc!uded music choruses and dance scenes%
?21 ;ords
4ib!iography
http:@@$$$%a!do**an%com@art@art%htm