EGYPT: ART AND ARCHITECTURE

Architecture

The great architectural achievements of the past are built of stone. Stone quarries supplied the large blocks of granite, limestone, and sandstone that were used for building temples and tombs. Architects planned carefully as building was done without mortar, so the stones had to fit precisely together. Only pillars were used to sustain short stone supports. At the temple of Karnak, a ramp of adobe brick can be seen leading to the top of the temple wall. Such ramps were used to allow workmen to carry stones to the top of structure and allow artists to decorate the tops of walls and pillars. Pillars were built in the same way. As height was added, the ground was raised. When the top of the pillar was completed, the artists would decorate from the top down, removing ramp sand as they went along.

As soon as a pharaoh was named, construction on his tomb was begun. Tomb building continued throughout his life and stopped only on the day on which he died. As a result, some tombs are very large and finely decorated, while other tombs, like that of King Tutankhamun, are small because he ruled as a pharaoh for such a short time.

The architecture was based upon perpendicular structures and inclined planes since there was no structural assistance except the strength and balance of the structure itself. For this reason, the square and the plumb-line were very important tools.

The Pyramids

One of the most notable and lasting achievements of the Ancient Egyptians are their pyramids. The size, design, and structure of the pyramids reveal the skill of these ancient builders. The pyramids were great monuments and tombs for the kings. The Egyptians believed that a king's soul continued to guide affairs of the kingdom even after his death. To ensure that they would continue to enjoy the blessings of the gods, they preserved the pharaoh's body through the mummification process. They built the pyramids to protect the pharaoh's body, the pyramid was a symbol of hope, because it would ensure the pharaoh's union with the gods.

The largest pyramid in existence is the Great Pyramid built by King Cheops (Khufu) at Giza. The Great Pyramid measures 481 feet high, by 775 feet long at each of its four bases. Other notable pyramids include the Step Pyramid built for King Zoser, and the pyramid built for King Huni, that was a transition between the step pyramid and the smooth sided pyramid we know today.

Art

The art of the Egyptians reflects every aspect of their lives. Depicted in tomb and temple drawings are scenes of everyday living, models of people and animals, glass figures and containers, and jewelry made from gold and semi-precious stones.The wall and pillar drawings are perhaps the best known. In these drawings, it can be seen that people are going about the everyday business of baking, fishing, boating, marketing, and meeting together in family groups. Such drawings were also used to help the deceased to live forever by giving them all of the instructions they would need as they met the gods on their way to eternal life. The good deeds were recorded and the art that surrounded their mummified body was to help their spiritual self in solving the problems related to life after death. Pictures of food, clothing, servants, and slaves could be used by the deceased just as the real things were used by the person when living.

The Tree of Life

On the Tree Of Life, the birds represent the various stages of human life. Starting in the lower right-hand corner and proceeding counter-clockwise:

The light gray bird symbolizes infancy.

 The red bird symbolizes childhood.

The green bird symbolizes youth.

The blue bird symbolizes adulthood.

The orange bird symbolizes old age.

In ancient Egypt, the direction east was considered the direction of life, because the sun rose in the east. West was considered the direction of death, of entering the underworld, because the sun set in the west. They believed that during the night, the sun traveled through the underworld to make its way back to the east so it could rise in the east again on the next day.

On the tree of life, note that the birds representing the first four phases of life all face to the east, but the bird representing old age faces to the west, anticipating the approach of death.

Literature

Religion was often the subject of Egyptian literature. Prayers and hymns were written in praise of the gods. The most important book was "The Book of the Dead." This book contained over 200 prayers and magic formulas that taught the Egyptians how to reach a happy afterlife. The Egyptians also wrote adventure stories, fairy tales, myths, love stories, poems, proverbs and quotes.

Hieroglyphs

•        Hieroglyphs were far more than a language. They were an influential force in the spreading of ancient Egyptian culture for over three thousand years; used as monumental art, as a means of distinguishing the Egyptians, and for communication with the gods. Hieroglyphs also influenced other, but similar forms of writings by other ancient civilizations and may be the oldest form of writing. Hieroglyphs continue to provide information about life in ancient Egypt today.

•        The architecture and the hieroglyphics showed the amazing technological advancement as many still continue to search for the answers to the baffling mysteries of how the pyramids were built and the hieroglyphics weren't decoded until the discovery of the Rosetta Stone.

•        There is consensus among historians and Egyptologists that the ancient Egyptians were the first builders ever known to man; they taught humanity how to design and create buildings; thus laying grounds for human civilization, urbanization and man's settlement in a specific place of his own for the first time in history.

•        Ancient Egyptian art, despite being often seen as simplistic, was perhaps the most-detailed art at the time  (developed the technique of formalism) and sculptures and pottery have evolved as a result of the creativity and artistry of ancient Egyptians.

Impact on Egypt

•        Various impacts to different aspects of life, like religious, technological, social and political 

•        The ancient Egyptians were considered to be extraordinarily religious as the art was often symbolic and intended to preserve the images of things.

•         The architecture (mainly pyramids) housed the deceased people and their symbolic art/possessions for the afterlife. Both also helped to explain the divinity of the pharaohs and the relationship of the gods.

•        In the world of politics, Egyptians used symbolic pictures to explain the relationship of the god-king pharaohs to their inferiors. For instance, height, even if not physically true, did accurately represent a pharaoh's social and political status. Anyone shown barefoot belonged to an inferior class.

•        Hieroglyphics impacted all aspects of ancient Egyptian life as it provided a method for communication and information recording (creation of papyrus). In ancient Egypt, scribes used hieroglyphs to record state documents and important historical events (social impact). Hieroglyphs with religious purposes also were painted on tomb walls and wooden coffins.

•        Overall, most, if not all of the art, architecture and hieroglyphs impacted the ancient Egyptian's religious and political life the most.