ANCIENT EGYPT

Ancient Egypt’s art and culture were heavily influenced by a person’s access to the afterlife. The people of Ancient Egypt regardless of their class were looking to ensure their place in the afterlife upon their death. The art was functional, simple, and had a purpose, it wasn’t intended to just look nice. The Pharaoh actually commissioned all the art by master craftsmen in his court to show him as a god, the connecter to the afterlife. The Pharaoh was always shown to be bigger and most powerful in the artwork than the other people or animals. The master craftsmen worked out the designs and other lower craftsmen copied them for ordinary Egyptians.  The master craftsman created many items that were meant to help the journey from the present to the afterlife. Some of these items included protective amulets, funeral jars, pottery to hold food, protective weapons, boats, magical enchantments written on papyrus, paintings on tombs, sculpture carvings on the sides of temples, gold tombs and many more. The art from Ancient Egypt’s 3000-year existence didn’t actually change much. It was basically the same showing faces and stories about the afterlife and protecting a person’s spot. What evolved was the form such as painted hieroglyphics to carved hieroglyphics or simple funeral tombs to golden decorated tomb caskets.  

 

Ancient Egypt’s culture was also connected to its land as it was believed that the afterlife was only accessible from the fertile Northern Delta region. That is why many of Ancient Egypt’s people didn’t travel outside their region, they feared dying outside Egypt and not being able to access the afterlife. For those people such as army men or traders, they made plans to have their bodies to be returned to Ancient Egypt for burial so they could get into the afterlife. The cultural activities in Ancient Egypt were also dependent on the class you belonged to. Upper-class people were able to enjoy their leisure time by watching or playing in sports such as hunting, archery, sailing, swimming, and water-jousting. They also held large fancy banquets and feasted on good food. The lower class people also enjoyed these types of things, but at a level that they could afford.