Ancient Egyptian Art

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arthistoryandartistsancientegyptianart.mp3

A lot of what we know about the Ancient Egyptians comes from their art. From the many
pieces of art they created we can learn things like what they looked like, what kind of
clothes they wore, what jobs they worked, and what they considered important.

Nefertiti by Unknown

Similar Art for Over 3000 Years

The civilization of Ancient Egypt ruled the land of the Nile for over 3000 years.
Surprisingly enough, their art changed little during that time. The original style of art was
first used in 3000 B.C. and the most respected artists continued to copy these styles for
the next 3000 years.

Religion and Art

Much of the artwork created by the Ancient Egyptians had to do with their religion. They
would fill the tombs of the Pharaohs with paintings and sculptures. Much of this artwork
was there to help the Pharaohs in the afterlife. Temples were another popular place for
art. The temples often held large statues of their gods as well as many paintings on the
walls.

Egyptian Sculpture

The Egyptians are famous for their giant works of sculptures. Some examples of this
include the Great Sphinx of Giza and the statues of Ramses II at the Abu Simbel
temples.
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Abu Simbel Temple by Than217

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In the above picture the statues of Ramses II are shown. They are each over 60 feet
tall. The Sphinx at Giza is over 240 feet long!

Although they are famous for their giant statues, the Egyptians also carved smaller,
more ornate sculptures. They used various materials including alabaster, ivory,
limestone, basalt, wood gilded with gold, and sometimes even solid gold.

Golden funeral mask of Tutankhamun by Jon Bodsworth

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Above is an example of the intricate work of Ancient Egyptian sculpture. It is the

funerary mask of a pharaoh named Tutankhamen. The expression on his face is the
same used to convey the look of all the pharaohs throughout the history of Egypt. The
coloring of the collar is made with semiprecious stones and the stripes on the
headdress are made with blue glass. The rest of the mask is made from twenty-four
pounds of solid gold!
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Egyptian Painting and Tomb Walls

In Ancient Egypt the tomb walls of the rich and powerful were often filled with paintings.
These paintings were there to help the person in the afterlife. They often depicted the
person buried passing into the afterlife. They would show scenes of this person happy
in the afterlife. In one painting the man buried is shown hunting and his wife and son are
in the picture.

Nefertari from the Yorck Project

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The above painting is a picture on a tomb wall of Queen Nefertari, wife of Ramses the
Great.

Relief

A relief is a sculpture that is part of a wall or structure. The Egyptians often carved them
into the walls of their temples and tombs. Reliefs were generally painted as well.

Interesting Facts about Ancient Egyptian Art

 They mostly used the colors blue, black, red, green, and gold in their paintings.
 A lot of Egyptian art depicted the pharaohs. This was often in a religious sense
as the pharaohs were considered gods.
 Many of the paintings of Ancient Egypt survived for so many thousands of years
because of the extremely dry climate of the area.
 Small carved models were sometimes included inside tombs. These included
slaves, animals, boats, and buildings that the person may need in the afterlife.
 A majority of the art hidden in tombs was stolen by thieves over thousands of
years.
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Activities

 Take a ten question quiz about this page.

Test Quiz
Questions on this quiz are based on information from
Ancient Egypt - Art.

1. Most of Egyptian art was based on what subject?

a. People
b. Religion
c. Landscapes
d. Animals
e. Politics

2. The mask of Tutankhamen was made from 24 pounds of what valuable metal?
a. Iron
b. Silver
c. Platinum
d. Bronze
e. Gold

3. True or False: Egyptian art changed little over the course of the Egyptian
civilization.
a. TRUE
b. FALSE

4. What can we learn about the Egyptians from their art?

a. What kind of clothes they wore
b. What kind of jobs they had
c. What they looked like
d. What they considered important
e. All of the above
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5. Around how long did the Egyptian civilization last?
a. 100 years
b. 500 years
c. 1000 years
d. 3000 years
e. 10,000 years

6. The giant statues at Abu Simbel were of what pharaoh?

a. Cleopatra VII
b. Ramses II
c. Ahmose I
d. Hatshepsut
e. Amenhotep

7. What is a sculpture that is part of a wall or structure called?

a. Statue
b. Carving
c. Relief
d. Figurine
e. Bust

8. Why are so many Ancient Egyptian paintings preserved after thousands of

years?
a. Because they were covered with a protective layer of plastic
b. Because of the special paint the Egyptians used
c. Because of the dry climate in Egypt
d. All of the above
e. None of the above

9. True or False: Tomb walls were left blank as paintings were considered bad
luck in the afterlife.
a. TRUE
b. FALSE

10. What happened to most of the art that was hidden in Egyptian tombs?
a. It was stolen by thieves
b. It was destroyed by the humid weather
c. It is likely still hidden and may someday be found
d. It was found by archeologists
e. It was removed by the relatives of the dead