The Art Of Mortality
Few civilizations took the art of mortality as magnificently as the ancient Egyptians. Egypt, a land of pyramids, portrays an organized land. The kings were so rich and powerful that they could force thousands of workers or slaves to work for them in quarries, building sites, and to till the tomb. The Egyptians had a belief that preservation of a body was not enough; sculptors chiseled out the king’s head out of granite and put it in tombs; it was there to work its spell and help keep his soul alive.
Egypt was the birthplace of the oldest known civilization in Africa, and it was sophisticated. The Egyptians did not accept death and took their inspiration from the sun, which ‘died’ at dusk and ‘reborn’ at dawn. They believed that humans, too, could be reborn after death and exist in eternity.
As farmers, herders, fishers, and hunters, the Egyptians paid attention to the sky, weather, animals, and plants. They were so dependent on nature that they attributed divine powers to these elements. The sun was the most important natural force, and they considered it as a god, Re to be the most powerful
The river Nile was another important element to Egyptians, and the river provided a reliable source of water for crops. It was also a major highway for travel, communication, and transport. The river was beneficial to Egyptians, and it was at the center of their daily lives. Religious beliefs dominated Egyptian life. Cosmetic dishes were made in lotus flowers or fish; they symbolized rebirth and resurrection. The people had to fulfill certain responsibilities such as making sacrifices to Osiris, the god of death, preparing a tomb, and arranging a body to be mummified
The Egyptians included cosmetic items and jewelry in burials because they believed they would be necessary for the afterlife. On the pain part of Egyptian art, it morally functioned like writing; statues, reliefs, and paintings were all produced to communicate information. The rules followed by scribes influenced how sculptors carved a statue or decorated a tomb. They sought to communicate ideas rather
than to produce reality
Ancient Egyptians tended to adapt and refine imported technologies rather than inventing. They attached wheels on ladders to help them navigate things. After they saw the chariots being driven by Asian invaders, they started making carts, wagons, and chariots. The way they worked was by laboring in teams rather than working as an individual.
Kings were buried in the pyramids, and the people compared the shape of the pyramid to the sun’s ray and believed that it helped the king’s spirit ascend to join the god of the sun. Later the chambers and other rooms in the pyramids were carved with hieroglyphic texts. These magic spells were intended to help the king achieve his divine destiny. The private people were buried in underground chambers, and the society believed that their spirits would continue to require food, drink, and other necessities. The burial chambers contained chapels where funeral priests placed offerings of real food or drink and prayed for the deceased’s sustenance. On tomb walls, scenes of hunting, fishing, cattle herding, and farming were intended to guarantee the food supply renewal.
Delight. (2018, November 17). The story of art: Ch 2 art for eternity (Part 1). Medium. https://medium.com/the-story-of-art/the-story-of-art-ch-2-art-for-eternity-part-1-3742039572b6