Egyptian Body Symbols

The Beaker with Ibex Motifs is a prehistoric pottery art work, found in near-perfect condition during a 1906-1908 excavation of a Susian necropolis in Susa, Iran. The Beaker with Ibex Motifs is a large vessel with dimensions at 28.90 x 16.40 cm. Used by the first inhabitants of Susa, this beaker is a the first example of a funerary item. The identity of artist is unknown, however, it is thought the beaker was created sometime between 4200 and 3500 B.C.E.

Description/Source: This artifact shows a ceramic bowl that was used by the Mayans in everyday life for pottery making and used in everyday art.

The Granite Sphinx of Ramses II wears a headdress and false beard to signify representation of a king and serves as a protective entity to temples and pyramids. The false beard was tied to the divinity of the Pharaoh (Redford 308). The beard is an innovation of the New Kingdom and did not exist during the Old or the Middle Kingdom (Zivie-Coche 148). Many

Culture includes the behaviors, beliefs, values, religion, and many other characteristics of life. I have already explicated the behaviors revealed by the artifact, but the hawk also shows what the people of Egypt at this time valued and believed. We can see that they were religious. The Egyptian gods were oftentimes associated with certain animals, so the Egyptian peoples would worship those animals as manifestations of the god’s power (David, 2003). The hawk was probably either a sacred animal that was mummified, or a votive mummy (Cornelius et al., 2012). Votive mummies are animals that were mummified and placed in catacombs or other locations as offerings to the gods (David, 2003). According to the Museum of Anthropology, hawks were associated with the god Horus (n.d.). In general, the mummification of animals shows how much the ancient Egyptians loved and valued their pets. Rich Egyptians chose to mummify many of their beloved pets in order to take them into the afterlife after their death. Closely related to this is the Egyptian outlook on death and the afterlife. The mummification of the hawk reveals the religious aspect of the Egyptian culture. The people of this time in Egypt believed that there was an afterlife and that they needed to preserve (or mummify) bodies to “preserve [them] for ‘eternity’” (Cornelius, et al., 2012). The purpose of mummifying the animals was to take them into

The Mihrab (prayer niche) dated 12th century, the point of origin being the city of Isfahan located in Iran is the object that captured my attention. This piece is considered to be a ceramic design made of “polychrome glazed cut tiles on a stone paste body that was later set into mortar”. Madrasa Imami is a school, in which this piece in was created 1354, later it was sold to Arthur U. Pope in 1931.

This artifact is either a tomb or a temple, made primarily of cut stone. There are stairs leading up to the top, where there would either be an entrance or a place for prayer or sacrifices. The land around the artifact looks to be landscaped.

The first object I picked was the “Head of a calcite figure of a cow”. This is supposed to represent the animal manifestation of the goddess of the west, Hathor. The “Head of a calcite figure of a cow” is coloured white because it represents omnipotence and purity. Hathor was well known as the goddess of fertility and the reason for this is that he is the protectress of pregnant women and midwives. She was the patron of all women and it did not matter what stages they were in their lives.

The liver was placed in a jar with a human shaped lid depicting the god Imset. The lungs were placed in a jar with the depiction of a baboon’s head representing Hapi. The stomach was placed in a jar represented by the head of a jackal for Duamutef. Lastly the intestines and anything left were placed in a jar associated with Kebechsenef represented as a falcon. In later years the internal organs were just cleaned and placed back within the body, the Canopic jars were still buried with the deceased as a symbolic gesture of the protection of the organs (Discovering Ancient Egypt hieroglyphs pharaoh’s pyramids).

A lekythos (plural: lekythoi) is a container for oil, ointments, and were sometimes used as offerings for the dead (Folsom, Handbook of Greek Pottery, 175). How did this object come to be? A potter must start with an idea. The shape of the object was good for the careful pouring required when dealing with oil. In starting to fashion this idea, the potter first must grab a large ball of clay and lift up the edges to make the body. Next, the potter places the clay on a pottery wheel and, using various tools, the potter is able to scrape the base and other areas in order to add ridges. The neck is created through a small ball of clay that’s then ripped apart to form a hollow neck and mouth at the top. The potter will flatten the rim and turn the neck to get rid of excess clay. Next, the potter will attach the neck to an open hole on top of t the body. He will then use a sort of place-holder in order to make sure it is applied straight-on. Lastly, the handle will be added. The potter will elongate a pear-shaped piece of clay into a handle with a

These figurines support the evidence that egyptians were one of the earliest major cultures to use tattoos in their modern day life. “Figurines from the Middle Kingdom traditionally known as “Brides of the Dead”, frequently display a series of dotted geometric tattoo patterns, running in horizontal bands across the lower abdomen. Occasionally, the thighs are also decorated.”(“Angel”).

Ancient Egyptians used to wear clothes that would keep them comfortable and cool that were made of linen. men used to wear a kilt that went on their waist. women used to wear a dress that was long and tight fitting as well.the younger children wouldn't wear any clothes.some woman wore wigs to cover their head if it was shaved.they wore their hair in many styles. they would use headbands for their hair called diadems.

Egyptian artifacts captivate the attention of art historians and enthusiasts alike. The unknown artifact shown in Fig. 1. is one of these Egyptian pieces and dates back to the Old Kingdom sometime between 2500-2200 BCE.

In particular the Pyramid of Chefren which is protected by the Sphinx, a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head of a human. The book mentions, "The aloof tranquility of the human face, perhaps a portrait of the pharaoh" (Page 14, Culture and Values). This is another example of how the art in Egypt was more to glorify the rulers than a tribute to the gods. Even the purpose of the pyramids shows that they thought they would go to another existence and rule there as well, taking great amounts of their material possessions from this world with them.

According to ancient Egyptians, the pyramid shape represents the human body arising and ascending to the light. This could explain why Egyptians placed their pharaohs in pyramid tombs.

The Egyptian pyramid as we know today is the result of centuries of evolution, adaptation and development of religious, cultural and political manifestations. These royal tombs are meant to represent religious beliefs and burial rites that have been developing since the earliest times of the Egyptian civilization. They began as simple graves, and with time they developed into mastabas, which were built with mud bricks. Advancements in technology and construction led to the creation of the step pyramids and then the true pyramids. Later, simpler mortuary complexes were created and tombs became more modest. The belief on life after death was kept constant during all these structural changes of the royal tombs, which became of great influence