Ancient Egyptian Religion as Seen in Art and Architecture Essay Example For Students

Ancient Egyptian Religion as Seen in Art and Architecture Essay As the hot Egyptian sun beats down upon his head, the archeologist realizes his time is drawing to a close. The local government had allotted a period of two weeks for the expedition to take place, and the thirteenth day is now in its peak. The search for the tomb of the great king Menes has, thus far, been a complete failure. The archeologist begins to feel a bit queasy, realizing his sudden failure; however, a cavalcade of shouts suddenly penetrates the intensely hot air. He strains his burning eyes to find the source of the commotion. Then he sees it: the corner of some ancient edifice is peeking sleepily from the sand and grit that buried it so long ago. Could this be it, the archeologist asks himself, still in awe over the pale stone that his eyes now gaze upon. It seems almost impossible that the tracks of a culture so great could be covered by such an inadequate foe as time. But even now as he gazes upon the tomb in success, the archeologist sees no culture behind these artifacts; he merely sees the makings of a fortune. It will be nearly fifty years before the people represented by these pieces of time are honored for their diverse culture. Once vast and thriving, the Ancient Egyptian culture was a center of commerce, philosophy, and religion alike. The people had a culture like that of no other group in history; however, its complexity has led to many misconceptions about the Ancient Egyptian populace. The ever-popular archaic art style of a figure in profile surrounded by hieroglyphs has become the worlds favorite view of the Egyptian. As a result of this ignorance, the cultural aspects of this society are not fully appreciated. One of the greatest little-known truths about the people of this society is that they based almost everything they did around their spiritual beliefs. In the life of Egyptian people, religion a far more important part than modern man can imagine. With the peoples of antiquity, as in Europe in the Middle Ages, belief in gods or in ne god the focal point of mans world-outlook. Religion the stimulus to art and philosophy and a matrix for the development of moral principles. (Woldering 28) This similarity between everyday tasks and belief in the gods lead to advances in numerous aspects of this society. Ancient Egyptian religion has been fully demonstrated through Egyptian art, architecture, and funerary practices. One of the most unique aspects of the Ancient Egyptian culture was the profusion of exceptional artwork. These compositions demonstrated not only style of art never before seen, but they also showed innovative techniques that have been duplicated for centuries. Although these works, which consisted mostly of pottery and wall murals, seem to be quite simple to the untrained eye, they were what most consider to be a stylized portrait of the times. J. R. Harris comments on this in his book, The Legacy of Egypt: Purported lack of grace and charm, unnatural stylizationthese were not shortcomings, but essential manifestations of specific nature (194). In addition to the natural talents of the Ancient Egyptians, another explanation for their success in the arts is that there were few technological advances during their times. This allowed them to concentrate on aesthetic skills rather than on scientific ones. One of the most important contributions that the Ancient Egyptians made to the future of all art was a canon system that assigned particular proportions to parts of the human anatomy. This development created a more realistic view of the figures of people used in wall murals and pottery. Freak Economics EssayThe religion, art, and architecture of the Ancient Egyptians were so closely tied to one another that it is sometimes hard to distinguish between them. In fact, the Ancient Egyptians religion was the most common subject matter of their sculptures, paintings, and structures. For example, the prominent area of construction was that for temples and tombs. Such edifices were skillfully painted with murals to depict the purpose of the room or section; a temple would have pictures of the gods, and a tomb would have art showing a burial or death. In addition, ancient mythological texts were beautifully carved and painted on these walls. Although these were all applications of art and architecture in religion, the most prominent is most likely the funerary art of the Ancient Egyptians. According to Irmgard Woldering, Most of what is known about the life of the Ancient Egyptians about their actions as well as their ideas is derived from representations in their tombs, funerary gifts, and inscriptions (29). In addition, most rare art uncovered by todays archeologists is found adjoining or in tombs and cemeteries. For this reason, todays archeologists have searched the tombs of Ancient Egypt in order to uncover the truth behind this society. Many incredible discoveries have been made pertaining to the use of art and architecture within tombs. For example, it was customary for the Egyptians to bury funerary gifts along with the deceased. Such items included pottery, weapons, furniture, and wooden replicas of the body. These gifts were given so that the deceased would have all the comforts of earthly life in the hereafter. Another amazing aspect of the Ancient Egyptians funerary art and architecture was their grandeur. The walls were once painted and overlayed with gold, silver, alabaster, and marble, the gates plated with gold and adorned with pillars, courtyards, and gardens (Showker 156). Such architecture was often built in the form of great pyramids, towering high above the horizon. These tombs were made not only to encase the body of a powerful ruler but also to glorify the gods to the fullest degree. It was believed that the body, or the ba, was merely a transport for the earthly life, and in death the spirit, or the ka, would be resurrected to pursue a life in the hereafter. This is why such emphasis was place upon the grandeur of funerary art and architecture. Although the Ancient Egyptians religion has been fully demonstrated through Egyptian art, architecture, and funerary practices, the influence of their beliefs has extended far beyond what is imaginable. According to Noel Q. King, author of Religions of Africa, Egyptian religion of old has had one of the greatest effects upon Africas modern religions (47-48). For example, the multiple gods that the Ancient Egyptians adopted into their theism so long ago are still today present in many African tribes. In addition, the methods used in ancient mummification are the root of corpse preservation in modern society. Such contributions of the Ancient Egyptians have been adapted into methods used by todays populace in many instances. This is because the culture of Ancient Egypt has provided a stimulus which creates the desire to live, to succeed, and to be remembered in history.