Egyptian Art History

Egyptian Achievements

by David Jenkins

​Big Idea

• Egyptian art and culture created for their people a new source of pride and opportunities.

• Why it matters now: Egyptian art and culture continues to have massive impact in today's world. We see this in television and movies all the time.​

​Egyptian Writing

​●The Egyptians used pictures or symbols for writing

○Hieroglyphics were one of the world’s first writing systems

Hieroglyphics: the ancient Egyptians writing system that used picture symbols.

●Early Egyptian writing

○Writing was carved in stone or other hard material

■Later, Egyptians learned to make papyrus

Papyrus: a long lasting paper-like material made from reeds

○The Process of making papyrus is pressing layers of reeds together and pounding them into sheets

■These sheets were tough but easily to roll into scrolls so scribes could use ink and brushes to write

Multiple Choice

Papyrus is

• a stone with words carved on it

• a long lasting paper-like material made from reeds

• the ancient egyptian writing system that used picture symbols

• created by Sargon of Akkad

​Writing cont.

​●Hieroglyphics used over 600 symbols and is very difficult to translate

○Each symbol represents one or more sounds in the language

○The symbols could be written horizontally or vertically

■The words would be written right to left or left to right

■There was no rhyme or reason for the combination of symbols

●Rosetta Stone

○People have known about hieroglyphics but had no way to read the symbols

■It wasn’t until 1799 when a historian finally found a key

​writing cont.

​Rosetta Stone: a stone slab inscribed with hieroglyphics, Greek and later forms of Egyptian writing that allowed historians to understand Egyptian writing.

○The stone included 3 languages that made it possible for historians to translate the hieroglyphics they found on Egyptian temples, tombs and pyramids!

●Egyptian texts can be read today because of the Rosetta Stone

○Historians have access to government, historical, science and medical text from ancient times.

Multiple Choice

How many languages were on the Rosetta Stone?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

​Temples, tombs, and art

​●The Egyptians are best known for their advance architecture & art

○The walls would be covered with massive paintings and carvings

●Egypt’s Great Temples were the homes of the Gods

○People visited the temples to worship, leave gifts and ask favors.

Sphinx: an imaginary creature with a human head and the body of a lion that was often shown on Egyptian statues

●Egyptian temples shared similar features

○Rows of stone sphinxes lined the path to the entrance of the temples

○The entrances was a thick, huge gate with an obelisk on each side

​Temples, tombs, art cont.

​Obelisk: a tall, pointed, four-sided pillar in ancient Egypt

●The inside of the temples were decorated lavishly with painting & hieroglyphics

○Statues of gods and pharaohs stood along the walls

○The sanctuary was at the back of the temple

■The sanctuary was the most sacred part of the temple

●Egyptian art was painted with lively, colorful scenes

○The tombs/ temples art was meant to honor the gods

■Art could show government, historical events or religious rituals

○Art was done in a specific style

​Temples, tombs, art cont.

​■People heads & legs were viewed from the sides but the shoulders and bodies were viewed from straight on.

● The Egyptians were also known for their jewelry

○Both men and women wore the precious metals and stones

●King Tutankhamen is one of the most famous pharaohs in history because historians were able to learn so much about the Egyptians

○King Tut’s burial tomb is the only tomb we have found that was never touched by grave robbers

■His tomb was found in 1922 and was used to learn for future generations.

Open Ended

Define Obelisk

Multiple Choice

If you wanted to honor a God in Egypt, what would be a good way to do that?

• Build a statue

• Paintings in side a temple/tomb

• neither 1 or 2

• both 1 and 2