ART LIT- JAMES TEMPLETON

King Tut (Egyptian Art)

This is an example of the slide show and the project that we are going to do. We will have a meeting on Friday, January 17th @ 1:30 in the Library.

Symbols - a familiar object that has greater meaning. Can you figure out what this says? It says “I Love You.”

Hieroglyphics - Egyptians used symbols and pictures to represent different objects, actions, sounds or ideas. These symbols are called hieroglyphs. We only have 26 letters in our alphabet, but there were thousands of hieroglyphics. This is one way to spell “I Love You” in Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Ancient Egyptian art is characterized by the depiction of gods, humans, heroic battles, animals, and nature. Clear and simple lines combined with simple shapes, symbols, and flat areas of color helped to create a sense of order and balance.

Ancient Egyptian art was created using media ranging from specialized paper, stone, clay and metals.

Egypt is a country in Northern Africa. A large river called the River Nile flows through the country into the Mediterranean Sea and ancient Egyptians lived along the banks of this river. Egypt is mainly made up of hot deserts and receives little rainfall. Without the River Nile, the area would be entirely desert.

Historians believe the hot dry climate of Egypt has helped with the natural preservation of ancient artwork.

The Great Pyramid at Giza in Egypt is the world’s largest stone structure. It has more then 2 million stones and the base is about 12 acres or roughly 12 football fields!

Many of the pyramids and structures in ancient Egypt housed burial tombs. The Egyptians decorated these tombs with wall paintings and writings filled with symbols telling stories about the person’s life and family. The chambers were filled with precious gold vases, statues, shrines, jewels and other items that were important to the person. This picture shows the interior of King Tut’s tomb.

Have you ever heard of King Tut? He is known as the “Boy King”. He became King of Egypt when he was only 9 years old! His tomb was discovered in 1922, about 3000 years after he died. It was filled with wonderful treasures.

Sculptures were built to represent gods and pharaohs and their queens, usually for open areas in or outside temples. Materials include limestone, alabaster, sandstone, wood (cedar and sycamore), copper, and granite. Sculptures were stiff, formal, and solemn. There were very strict rules when it came to sculptures. For nearly 3000 years these rules were followed so strictly there was little change in the appearance of sculptures and statues.

The Great Sphinx of Giza was built around 2500 B.C. and was carved out of limestone. The body is that of a resting lion and the upper body and head is that of a man. Facing due East, it aligns with the rising sun each morning.

Hieroglyphics were carved into stone, painted on walls, and written on special paper (next slide).

This is a piece of a door from a tomb showing a person sitting at a table with bread. Above the table there are inscriptions and symbols of important items in his tomb, such as incense, eye-paint, wine and important dates.

The direction of hieroglyphics can be read from left to right, top to bottom or the other way around. This depends on where the symbols are facing. If the symbols are facing right then reading is done from right to left and so on.

Egyptians made their own paper called Papyrus (pronounced “pu – pie – rus”). Papyrus is the oldest writing material that is in existence today, dating back at least 5,000 years. In fact, the very word "paper" is derived from its name.

This type of paper is formed by laying thin strips of plant stalk in horizontal and vertical (crosswise) layers. The ancient Egyptians used papyrus to make others things, such as baskets, sandals, mats, and rope.

Hieroglyphics were written on papyrus using a type of pen and ink. The pens were thin sharp reeds and the ink was made from plants which they crushed and mixed with water.

Egyptians painted on papyrus and stone walls. Figures in the paintings always looks flat and strange because they are always painted in a particular way. Heads and lower bodies are painted looking sideways while the upper body faces forward.

Paint was made from local raw materials so there were only 8 colors. Color was applied in flat tones - strict rules often applied to the use of a particular color for particular purpose. For example, men's skin was colored red while women's was yellow.

Ancient Egyptian potters crafted some truly fascinating pottery and ceramic objects. The Egyptians used clay to make their pottery and were the first to use a potters wheel. Egyptian pottery was used for everyday use including cooking, storage, and shipping. Pots like these were narrower at the bottom then at the top so people could set them firmly in the sand.

Pottery was also used in burial tombs. Statues, figurines, and other important objects would be placed in the chamber to protect and help the deceased person in the afterlife. Notice again, the hieroglyphics on these small figurines.

Egyptians used various types of metals such as bronze, iron, gold, silver, and copper. Metals were used to make objects such as spearheads, weapons, statues, helmets, beads, jewelry, coins, and pots.

Of these metals, the most important for the upper class was gold. Goldsmiths would make faces and masks and often paint intricate designs on the face or color the eyes. These are commonly found in burial tombs.

King Tut’s burial mask was made of several layers of gold. There are 10 lines of hieroglyphics on the back which describe different parts of his body, his connection to gods and goddesses, and how he is to be protected in the afterlife