The Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt


Book Description

A survey of Egyptian art and architecture is enhanced by revised text, an updated bibliography, and over four hundred illustrations.




Art, Architecture, and Temples in Ancient Egypt


Book Description

Ancient Egyptian art and architecture are fascinating, beautiful, and complex. I've always been fascinated by the pyramids of Egypt and how they were built. They are incredible feats of engineering—but also religious centers where worshipers would go to pray and make offerings to their gods. In addition to temples, there were also tombs for royalty (known as mastabas) and commoners (known as shaft tombs), which were all made with an eye toward eternal life. Ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses were important in Egyptian culture. They were often represented in art or architecture and played an integral role in daily life. Though the god Osiris was known to be king of the dead, he did not hold the same power as other gods such as Ra or Hathor (a cow-headed goddess). The priesthoods of these deities generally ruled over specific cities or professions; for example, priests at a temple dedicated to Amun would preside over all matters related to agriculture. Such temples were built throughout Egypt's history; one example is Deir el-Bahari (meaning "monastery of the northern valley"), which served as both a royal mortuary temple and monastery for Nefertari during her lifetime. Many structures built during this period reflect traditional architectural practices: thick columns made from stone support large roof beams made from wood; outer walls are covered with painted plaster decorated with scenes depicting daily life—for example, artists working on wall paintings inside temples such as this one often described themselves taking part in those very activities! You may have heard that pyramids were built as tombs for pharaohs, but there's more to it. The pharaohs were buried in the Valley of the Kings, part of the Great Pyramids complex. The pyramids are made up of stone blocks of limestone, built with ramps rather than cranes or scaffolding so that workers could move them into place. In terms of shape, they're somewhere between a cube and a cone; this helps keep them stable during construction and makes them look good from afar! Temples were the most important buildings in ancient Egypt. They were places of worship and learning, government, and justice. The temple was the most important place for any Egyptian because it was where people could connect with their gods and get guidance on how to lead a good life.




Ancient Egyptian Art and Architecture: A Very Short Introduction


Book Description

From Berlin to Boston, and St Petersburg to Sydney, ancient Egyptian art fills the galleries of some of the world's greatest museums, while the architecture of Egyptian temples and pyramids has attracted tourists to Egypt for centuries. But what did Egyptian art and architecture mean to the people who first made and used it - and why has it had such an enduring appeal? In this Very Short Introduction, Christina Riggs explores the visual arts produced in Egypt over a span of some 4,000 years. The stories behind these objects and buildings have much to tell us about how people in ancient Egypt lived their lives in relation to each other, the natural environment, and the world of the gods. Demonstrating how ancient Egypt has fascinated Western audiences over the centuries with its impressive pyramids, eerie mummies, and distinctive visual style, Riggs considers the relationship between ancient Egypt and the modern world. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.




A Companion to Ancient Egyptian Art


Book Description

A Companion to Ancient Egyptian Art presents a comprehensive collection of original essays exploring key concepts, critical discourses, and theories that shape the discipline of ancient Egyptian art. • Winner of the 2016 PROSE Award for Single Volume Reference in the Humanities & Social Sciences • Features contributions from top scholars in their respective fields of expertise relating to ancient Egyptian art • Provides overviews of past and present scholarship and suggests new avenues to stimulate debate and allow for critical readings of individual art works • Explores themes and topics such as methodological approaches, transmission of Egyptian art and its connections with other cultures, ancient reception, technology and interpretation, • Provides a comprehensive synthesis on a discipline that has diversified to the extent that it now incorporates subjects ranging from gender theory to ‘X-ray fluorescence’ and ‘image-based interpretations systems’




The Monuments of Egypt


Book Description

With more than 600 entries and 350 plans, diagrams and photographs and maps, this guide provides a comprehensive introduction to ancient Egyptian monuments that is an essential companion for every visitor to the ancient sites along the Nile.




The Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt


Book Description

The civilization of Ancient Egypt extended from the fourth millennium BC to the conquest of Alexander. The Egyptians in their tombs recreated life for the dead in a naturalistic way, often against the background of the landscape in which they lived. They also left revealing portraits ranging from the civil servants of the kings to the kings and queens themselves who built the pyramids at Giza and Saqqara; the tombs at Thebes, including the treasure-filled burial-place of Tut-ankh-amon; the temples of Luxor and Karnak and the palaces of Akhenaten at Tell el Amarna and of Amenhotep III at Thebes.







Egyptian Art (World of Art)


Book Description

An insightful volume delving into the enduringly compelling art of ancient Egypt, from a new historical perspective The art and architecture of Egypt during the age of the pharaohs continue to capture the imagination of the modern world. Among the great creative achievements of ancient Egypt are a set of constant forms: archetypes in art and architecture in which the origins of concepts such as authority, divinity, beauty, and meaning are readily discernible. Whether adapted to fine, delicate jewelry or colossal statues, these forms maintain a human face—with human ideas and emotions. These artistic templates, and the ideas they articulated, were refined and reinvented through dozens of centuries, until scenes first created for the earliest kings, around 3000 BCE, were eventually used to represent Roman emperors and the last officials of pre-Christian Egypt. Bill Manley’s account of the art of ancient Egypt draws on the finest works through more than 3,000 years and places celebrated masterpieces, from the Narmer palette to Tutankhamun’s gold mask, in their original contexts in the tombs, temples, and palaces of the pharaohs and their citizens.




Ancient Egypt Transformed


Book Description

The Middle Kingdom (ca. 2030–1650 B.C.) was a transformational period in ancient Egypt, during which older artistic conventions, cultural principles, religious beliefs, and political systems were revived and reimagined. Ancient Egypt Transformed presents a comprehensive picture of the art of the Middle Kingdom, arguably the least known of Egypt’s three kingdoms and yet one that saw the creation of powerful, compelling works rendered with great subtlety and sensitivity. The book brings together nearly 300 diverse works— including sculpture, relief decoration, stelae, jewelry, coffins, funerary objects, and personal possessions from the world’s leading collections of Egyptian art. Essays on architecture, statuary, tomb and temple relief decoration, and stele explore how Middle Kingdom artists adapted forms and iconography of the Old Kingdom, using existing conventions to create strikingly original works. Twelve lavishly illustrated chapters, each with a scholarly essay and entries on related objects, begin with discussions of the distinctive art that arose in the south during the early Middle Kingdom, the artistic developments that followed the return to Egypt’s traditional capital in the north, and the renewed construction of pyramid complexes. Thematic chapters devoted to the pharaoh, royal women, the court, and the vital role of family explore art created for different strata of Egyptian society, while others provide insight into Egypt’s expanding relations with foreign lands and the themes of Middle Kingdom literature. The era’s religious beliefs and practices, such as the pilgrimage to Abydos, are revealed through magnificent objects created for tombs, chapels, and temples. Finally, the book discusses Middle Kingdom archaeological sites, including excavations undertaken by the Metropolitan Museum over a number of decades. Written by an international team of respected Egyptologists and Middle Kingdom specialists, the text provides recent scholarship and fresh insights, making the book an authoritative resource.




Temple of the World


Book Description

Despite the prominence of ancient temples in the landscape of Egypt, books about them are surprisingly rare; this new and essential publication from a prominent Czech scholar answers the need for a study that goes beyond temple architecture to examine the spiritual, economic and political aspects of these specific institutions and the dominant roles they played. Miroslav Verner presents a deeper and more complex study of major ancient Egyptian religious centers, their principal temples, their rise and decline, their religious doctrines, cults, rituals, feasts, and mysteries. Also discussed are the various categories of priests, the organization of the priesthood, and its daily services and customs. Each chapter offers the reader essential and up-to-date information about temple complexes and the history of their archaeological exploration, in the context of the spiritual dimension and cultural legacy of ancient Egypt.