Seti I Pyramid Text

The work I chose to analyze was from a wall fragment from the tomb of Ameneemhet and wife Hemet called Mummy Case of Paankhenamun, found in the Art Institute of Chicago. The case of the Mummy Paankhenamun is one of the most exquisite pieces of art produced by the Egyptian people during the time before Christ. This coffin belonged to a man named Paankhenamun, which translates to “He Lives for Amun” (Hornblower & Spawforth 74). Paankhenamun was the doorkeeper of the temple of the god Amun, a position he inherited from his father.

Egypt is also known for its statues depicting various gods and tombs for its numerous pharaohs. Their architectural prowess is a feat marveled at even today. The ability to design and build such grand monuments such as the iconic pyramids of Giza, rivalling even the Mayan and Aztec temples of South and Central America, reveals the true nature of innovation in Egypt. In fact, even without modern tools of measurement, the Great Pyramid, the largest tomb in Egypt, is almost geometrically perfect. For such a large structure, the length of all four sides at its base differ by less than a foot (McKenty 1).

This paragraph will be analysing a primary source from the time of ancient Egypt. The source in particular is a painting made for Ramose, an Egyptian state administrator. He had this job during the reigns of the pharaohs Amenophis III and Akhenaten. His job was regarded very highly amongst ancient Egyptian society. This painting was made from the white limestone fond in the Valley of the Kings. The fine-grained rock that was the limestone permitted attractive decorations in full colour. It was made to decorate Ramose’s tomb and was probably painted by tomb decorators. It was probably created between 1000 BCE-1500 BCE. His tomb was in the Valley of the Kings amongst those of pharaohs, this suggests that

In the late 19th century, the Seated Statue of Ramesses II was uncovered in the Temple of Harsaphes, Heracleopolis, by Sir William Flinders Petrie (Horne 1985, 22). Currently, it rests in the Mummies Gallery in the Egyptian section of the Penn Museum. The king sits heroically with his hands resting on his lap and wears the nemes headdress on his head. Made of quartzite sandstone, the statue sits at an impressive height of 226 cm, with a width of 74 cm and length of 149 cm. On his arms, there are faint traces of red and the nemes headdress has touches of blue and yellow. When it was originally crafted, the statue’s colors would have been more prominent than they currently are; there also would have been a false beard inset that has been lost to history.

Amenhotep III reigned in ancient Egypt from roughly 1391 to 1353 B.C.E. and is most recognized for his construction of The Luxor Temple and hundreds of shrines he had built. (O’Connor, 2001) Throughout the course of this class we have been asked conceptualize different artifacts and determine what this artifact says about the royal figure that contracted it. Amenhotep’s Luxor Temple and the 250 statues that he commissioned show us that his reign was focused on impressing the rich and powerful people who surrounded him. This is based on who was intended to see the Luxor temple and what impression the temple would have left on its audience. Historians cite Akhenaten and Tutankhamun as the source of radical change in Egyptian history (Berman, 2001), when in reality Amenhotep III started the legacy of art appreciation that continued on to his successors.

The painted chest with battle scenes from the Tomb of Tutankhamen illustrates the transformation of frenetic battle where Tutankhamen is victorious over Asian enemies. There is no groundline in this Egyptian painting which can symbolize the enemy’s chaos and disarray that embodied the New Kingdom of Egypt during 1333-1323 BCE. The artist contrasts the chest on two sides where Tutankhamen is in his war chariot battling against the Asiatics on one side and battling against the Nubians on the other. During the XVIII Dynasty, a multitude of artists were inspired to illustrate military relief for the pharaohs as depicted on the tomb, while having the African enemy portrayed as a muddled crowd. The hieroglyphs, cartouches, iconography, animals, and hierarchy of scale in this composition serve to heighten Tut’s military prowess and might send the message that he is no ‘boy’ king, but ‘man’ king!

Once towering, but now slowly crumbling pyramids grace the horizon, bejeweled and dusty royal mummies lay buried and forgotten by the sands of time, and mysterious and often strangely heroic murals intertwined with a scattering of hieroglyphics sprawl across the walls of tombs and temples alike. These are the only evidence left of a once vast empire that is rapidly falling into disrepair as its already decrepit state grows worse. However, the current state of ancient Egypt does not curb the curiosity of adventure seekers looking to peek into a diminished era; today, a multitude of onlookers wander through the glorious yet now empty tombs that once held ancient Egypt’s elite. Millions more in museums around the world peer through the glass enclosing the precious jewels, fragmented pottery and statues, and frayed and often threadbare garments that before adorned peasant and monarch alike. Nevertheless, it is the fascinating intricacies and myths surrounding pieces such as King Tut’s death mask and the statues of Rameses the Great that still grip one with awe and leave lingering unanswered questions behind. What was Egypt like during the reign of each of these age-old monarchs? Even more so, what traits and morals did each hold that wove legacies characterized with such vivid larger than life personas of each, yet above all else, how could one pharaoh inscribe his story in our hearts as to ensure an enduring image even after his death?

Before choosing to write my research paper over this structure, I had decided to write over the three pyramids. After reading the first chapter of the Ancient World, I was interested in finding out more about these three pyramids. I would learn about them in high school or hear something about them in books, movies and sometimes the History channel. I just thought they were three pyramids that were created as art. In which these pyramids were created as temple for the Kings Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaura. The pyramids were to protect the bodies and the items these kings needed for the afterlife. After exchanging a few words with my professor I decided to write over the Mortuary Temple Hatshepsut. It never caught my attention to write over this

The great Sphinx from the old kingdom is built near the south side of Khafre’s pyramids. A hybrid colossus, representing Amen-Re. The original name from the old kingdom was Shesep Ankh Atum, meaning “the living image of Amen-Re .it is Carved from a single block of line stone, It’s 240 feet long . Standing 65 feet tall, it is the largest free standing monument still. The book of dead illustrates the sphinx representing the sun god, because Amen-Re was believed to emerged as a lion bathed in the light before he created the Paradise of Egypt. This explain the strange flat back due to Amen-Re landing on it, while descending from the heavens in a boat. This phenomenon is depicted in hieroglyphics throughout Egypt’s artifacts from the old

Inside it’s very 19th centuryish. There are 1 burial chamber and 2 smaller chambers that lead to the empty burial chamber. There is a Mortuary temple that lies east of the pyramid. This is very interesting because Snefru was the first Pharaoh to use the east-west alignment of the Egyptian temples to match the path of the Sun. Apparently, the mortuary temple was built in a hurry when Pharaoh Sneferu died. It is now almost ruined, but people have tried to rebuild it.It is thought that the son of Pharaoh Snefru, Pharaoh Khufu, buried his father in the burial chamber. For some strange reason, no remains have been found. A lot of historians believe Pharaoh Sneferu was buried in the Red Pyramid and later taken out of the Red Pyramid by a thief.

The two sculptures presented for this assignment are the Statue of Gudea, which dates back to 2090 B.C. (“Statue of Gudea,” 2000) and The Royal Acquaintances Memi and Sabu, which dates back to 2575–2465 B.C. (“The Royal Acquaintances Memi and Sabu,” 2000). Both statues represent people; however, they depict different types of people from completely different time periods and cultural backgrounds. The Statue of Gudea shows the ruler of southern Mesopotamian, Gudea, whose reign was from 2144-2124 B.C. (“The votive statue of Gudea: A formal analysis,” 2011) sitting in a praying position with his hands locked and his eyes forward. He is dressed in what appears to be a lavish robe with an inscription that clearly depicts what Gudea thought of himself and his successes during his time as ruler. The Royal Acquaintances Memi and Sabu represent what is thought to be a married ancient Egyptian couple who are lovingly embracing each other. Aside from looking at

Two types of tombs have been distinguished: the Nabataean and the Greco-Roman. The Nabataean type starts from the simple pylon-tomb with a door set in a tower crowned by a parapet ornament, in imitation of the front of a dwelling-house. Then, after passing through various stages, the full Nabataean type is reached, retaining all the native features and at the same time exhibiting characteristics which are partly Egyptian and partly Greek. Of this type close parallels exist in the tomb-towers at Mada'in Saleh in north Arabia, which bear long Nabataean inscriptions and supply a date for the corresponding monuments at Petra. Then comes a series of tombfronts which terminate in a semicircular arch, a feature derived from north Syria. Finally come the elaborate façades copied from the front of a Roman temple; however, all traces of native style have vanished. The exact dates of the stages in this development cannot be fixed. Few inscriptions of any length have been found at Petra, perhaps because they have perished with the stucco or cement which was used upon many of the buildings. The simple pylon-tombs which belong to the pre-Hellenic age serve as evidence for the earliest period. It is not known how far back in this stage the Nabataean settlement goes, but it does not go back farther than the 6th century BC. A period follows in which the dominant

Egyptians are famous for their giant works of sculptures. Some examples of this include the Great Sphinx of Giza and the statues of Ramses II at the Abu Simbel temples. (Duckster, 2014) The Great Sphinx was made out of limestone and is located by the Nile River and has a face of a man and the body of a lion which pertains to their mythology of human head on an animal’s body and vice versa. The ancient Egyptians also built pyramids. The pyramids are triangle because it was in correlation to the sun rays and a way for their souls to ascend to heaven. They buried the pharaohs in the tombs of the pyramids. Pyramids contained false chambers to trick thieves and were often looted for valuables from the deceased. The pyramid of Giza is

This essay focuses on two different types of pyramids; the Step pyramid which was the first pyramid and the Great pyramid, which was the largest pyramid built in Egypt. The essay investigates the meaning of the selected forms for the Egyptian culture and explains their dialog with the cosmos.

The Egyptian inscription of Sesostris I explains the in depth significance of kings during the Middle Kingdom era in ancient Egypt. The inscription begins with the introduction of the new majesty of Upper and Lower Egypt, Sesostris I Kheperkare. This inscription was taken from a meeting with Sesostris’s followers, companions, and officials in which Sesostris gave commands and an explanation for his new reign on the ancient Egyptian empire. Sesostris begins by explaining how he was crowned this honor and how he intends to handle this responsibility, he says, “Behold, my majesty plans a work, thinks of a deed of value. For the future will I make a monument, I will settle firm decrees for Harakhty” (116). Sesostris later on explains how he will make his reign pleasing to the gods of ancient Egypt. He intends on building a foundation so strong that his excellence will be remembered for ages on. Sesostris explains this plan when he says, “Having established the offerings of the gods, I will construct a great house for my father Atum. He will enrich himself inasmuch as he made me conquer. I will supply his alters on earth. I will build my house in his neighborhood. My excellence will be remembered in his house: the shrine is my name, the lake is my memorial” (117). The inscription ends with the significance of the newly unified one ancient Egypt from the previous separated lands of Upper and Lower Egypt. “The Building Inscription of