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Lesson 3 - Egyptian Art
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Carved from the bedrock of the Giza plateau over 4,500 years ago,
the Sphinx is truly a mysterious marvel from the days of ancient
Egypt. With the body of a lion with the head of a king or god, the
Sphinx has come to symbolize wisdom and strength. The Sphinx appears
to have started in Egypt in the form of a sun god. There are many
different Sphinxes in Egypt as well as the rest of the world.
Where it sits was once a quarry that perhaps helped shape the pyramids
around it. Many 200-ton bricks were added to the rough shape that
suggested a lion's body. Pharaoh Khafre (Chephren) had his workers
carve the Sphinx in his own likeness to protect his father's (Cheops)
pyramid.
The Sphinx faces the rising sun with a temple to the front that
resembles the sun temples which were built later by the kings of
the 5th Dynasty. The figure was buried in the sand for most of its
life. King Thutmose IV placed a stela between the front paws of
the figure. It describes when Thutmose, while still a prince, had
gone hunting and fell asleep in the shade of the Sphinx. During
a dream, the Sphinx spoke to Thutmose and told him to clear away
the sand because it was choking the Sphinx. The Sphinx told him
that if he did this, he would be rewarded with a kingship. Thutmose
carried out this request and the Sphinx held up his end of the deal.
Legend has it that there is a secret chamber under the Sphinx. In
Greek, Roman, and ancient Arab texts, there is much speculation
that something may indeed lie beneath the Sphinx. Famous psychic,
Edgar Cayce, revealed the location of the Hall of Records as between
the Sphinx and Great Pyramid. He also prophesied that a chamber
containing the historical records of Atlantis would be discorvered
under the paws of the Sphinx. With what's been discovered, his predictions
become more fascinating. While ancient and modern researchers have
probed various tracks and tunnels, they have found no sign of a
pedestal, a doorway, or the secret chamber that the American mystic,
Edgar Allen Cayce, claimed to have seen in a vision. However, scientific
facts support some of Cayce’s contentions. Borrowing variously
from seismography, geology, and astronomy, all have argued that
there is ample reason to believe that the Sphinx may indeed have
a secret chamber.
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Nut's Children
In long-ago times, Re, the head of all the gods, still lived on
Earth as a pharaoh in a palace. One day, one of his servants came
and told Re of an awful rumor he had heard. Thoth, god of wisdom and
magic, had prophesied to the goddess Nut that someday her son would
become pharaoh of Egypt.
Re was very selfish, he had absolutely no intention of giving up the
throne, ever! "How could they even suggest such a thing? No child
of Nut will claim my throne!" He cast a spell on the goddess.
He spoke these words out loud: "I cast this spell upon Nut, so
she shall not bear any children on any day or any night of any year."
The news traveled quickly amongst the gods. Nut soon heard of Re's
evil spell, she was heartbroken. She so badly wanted a child, but
she knew Re's magic was too strong.
Only the god Thoth could break the spell. She quickly set off to see
him. When she got there, she quickly told Thoth of her problem. Thoth
loved her dearly, and couldn't bear to watch her cry. So he told her,
"I cannot lift Re's spell, but I might be able to work around
it. Just stay here." Thoth went to see Khonsu, the moon god,
who was also a great gambler. He went to visit him, and challenged
him to a game of senet. Khonsu didn't think twice. He couldn't resist
a challenge. "Thoth," Khonsu said, "you might be the
wisest god, but I am the best senet player there ever was and will
be. I haven't ever lost a game. I will gladly play you, and win easily,"
he said. From the very start Thoth was winning every game. "Ha!
You have just been lucky up till now, but soon your luck will change,"
said Khonsu snobbishly. "I bet an hour of my light that I will
win the next game," he said.
Thoth kept on winning. When he finally won enough light to equal five
whole days, Thoth fitted the five extra days into the year. At this
time there were only twelve months with thirty days each, making up
a total of 360 days in a year. Nut was so excited she couldn't stop
laughing and crying. These five extra days weren't yet days in a year,
so Re's spell wouldn't be upon them. Which meant Nut could bear her
children on these five extra days.
On the first day Nut bore Osiris, who would later become pharaoh
after Re; on the second day Harmachis, who is immortalized
as a Sphinx; on the third, Seth, who later killed Osiris and
became pharaoh for a while; on the fourth day Isis, who was
to be the wife of Osiris; and on the fifth Nephthys, who was
to be Seth's wife. As for Khonsu, he was so weakened after the games
with Thoth, that he lost most of his strength forever. He could never
again shine as brightly as he once could. Now, even today, the moon
only shines brightly on a few days of the month and he spends the
rest of his time wishing he never had played senet with Thoth.
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What does this say?
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Osiris: Osiris brought agriculture and civilization
to the Egyptian people. His brother, Seth, got jealous. Osiris was
tricked into lying in a fine wooden chest. Seth covered the chest
with lead and threw it into the Nile. Isis, his wife, found Osiris's
body and hid it. Seth found the body in a thicket and hacked it
apart and spread the pieces all over Egypt. Isis and her sister
Nephthys found all the pieces and Isis took the pieces to Anubis,
the jackal-headed god of embalming. After being mummified, Osiris
became the ruler of the underworld and sent his son, Horus, to go
and avenge his death. Horus lost his left eye (the moon) in the
battle with Seth. Horus was identified with Lower Egypt and Seth
with Upper Egypt in this battle, which lasted eighty years. The
gods judged Horus to be the winner, and Seth was either killed or
castrated. Osiris is known as the Lord of the Afterlife, his face
green as a symbol of regeneration.
Hathor: Egyptian cow goddess. In early Egyptian mythology she
was the mother of the sky god Horus, but was later replaced in this
capacity by Isis. Hathor then became a protectress of Horus. She
was depicted either as a cow or in human form wearing a crown consisting
of a sun disk held between the horns of a cow. Hathor took on an
uncharacteristically destructive aspect in the legend of the Eye
of Re. According to this legend, Re sent the Eye of Re in the form
of Hathor to destroy humanity, believing that they were plotting
against him. However, Re changed his mind and flooded the fields
with beer, dyed red to look like blood. Hathor stopped to drink
the beer, and, having become drunk off it, never carried out her
deadly mission.
Horus: Egyptian sky god. Usually depicted as a falcon or
in human form with the head of a falcon. The sun and the moon are
said to be his eyes. Son of Isis and the dead Osiris. He was born
at Khemmis in the Nile Delta, and Isis hid him in the papyrus marshes
to protect him against Seth, his father's murderer. The Egyptian
pharaoh was believed to be an incarnation of Horus, and the name
of Horus formed part of his name. The pharaoh was said to become
Horus after death. Seth restored the eye he had torn from Horus,
but Horus gave it instead to Osiris. The image of the "eye
of Horus", a human eye combined with the cheek markings of
a falcon, became a powerful amulet among the Egyptians.
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a
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b
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c
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d
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e
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f
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g
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h
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i
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arm
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leg
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basket
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hand
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vulture
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viper
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jar stand
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twisted wick
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reed leaf
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r
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j
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k
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l
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m
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n
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o
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p
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q
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r
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cobra
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basket
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lion
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owl
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water
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quail chick
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wicker stool
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basket
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mouth
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s
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t
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u
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v
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w
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x
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y
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z
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folded cloth
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bread
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quail chick
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viper
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quail chick
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basket with folded cloth
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double reed leaf
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door bolt
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Much of what we know about the Ancient Egyptians comes from the hieroglyphs
on the walls of their tombs, papyrus, stones, and in their art. Hieroglyphics
were a form of writing developed by the ancient Egyptians. There were over
seven hundred hieroglyphic symbols to read or write.
The hieroglyphs in pyramids and ancient tombs cover the walls spelling out
laws, prayers, and ancient ceremonies that might have been part of the funerals
of the kings or queens buried there. But hieroglyphics were not only used
in pyramids. Scribes would use hieroglyphics to record important information
such as trading and the rise and fall of the Nile. Scribes were special
members of society who could read and write. It was their job to write and
keep records. They kept records of taxes and the activities of the Egyptian
pharaohs. The Egyptians had great respect for the scribes. This was because
it took a long time to learn to read and write hieroglyphs. A scribe started
school when he was just a boy. Girls were not allowed to go to school, so
that meant that girls could not become scribes.
Rosetta Stone, courtesy Kendra
Brott, 2002 |
The tomb writing tells about the individual who died, their accomplishments,
where and how they lived. The writing is an attempt to justify their
lives and win a place in the after life. It is interesting to note
that the writing has lasted thousands of years and their stories
have granted them immortality, if not everlasting life. Hieroglyphics
are meant to be read from right to left. These little pictures were
sometimes switched in order to make them look more visually appealing!
Rosetta Stone
Hieroglyphs are found on the Ancient Egyptian art, sculpture, and
architecture. This picture writing was a mystery for hundreds of
years until the discovery of the Rosetta Stone, which helped unlock
the language mystery. More is known about life in Ancient Egypt
than other ancient civilizations. This knowledge comes from the
discovery of the Rosetta Stone, a basalt rock inscribed with a message
written in three languages: Egyptian Hieroglyphic, Egyptian Demotic,
and Greek. This marvelous object was found in 1799 among the ruins
of Fort Saint Julien near the mouth of the Nile. Inscribed on the
stone were fourteen lines of hieroglyphics, thirty-two lines of
Demotic script, and fifty-four lines of Greek. The stone measures
about three feet tall, two feet wide and eleven inches thick. When
the stone was brought to scholars for studying, they discovered
that one of the languages was Greek, which many scholars knew how
to read. In the 1820s, Jean-Francois Champollion became the first
man to read the ancient Egyptian writing. The process took many
years, but finally the secret of the hieroglyphs was unlocked.
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| Interpretation of a Hieroglyphic |
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In this hieroglypic, Ramses III is introducing his son to various
other gods. Notice that the person in power (Ramses) is much larger
then those who are not. Size equals power. Slaves were sometimes
only as big as a pharaoh's foot. You can always tell how important
or powerful someone is by their size. Also notice, that in
all pictures of people, you will only see a side (profile) view
of the face, but the chest is facing you. The hips and legs are
also drawn sideways. Art historians theorize that the Egyptians
did not know how to draw in perspective at this time.
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QUIZ: Egyptian Art: Lesson
3
You will be finished with this lesson after you take the quiz. When done,
go on to lesson 4.
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