The Egyptian Pyramids as a Form of Art

The Egyptian Pyramids as a form of Art

Imagine living in ancient Egypt. You are an experienced pyramid builder. A highly respected king just died and you are asked to build a pyramid in his name. You know very well what a

big job it is to construct a pyramid. First you would help select the type of pyramid to be built. It would help to look at previous pyramids built, including two of the most interesting: the first

pyramid and the biggest pyramid. You would design the pyramid and plan for where the chambers would be. Once this was done, the long building process would begin. If you really were this builder, you would have been working hard for many months, and you probably would have had no idea of how important that pyramid would be many years later. The pyramids of ancient Egypt are a very important part of Art History. There are two main types of pyramids: step pyramids and true pyramids. Step pyramids were built in the third dynasty. They were the first monumental stone structure ever built. They got their name from the stepped sides which were created by building one mastaba (layer of pyramid) on top of another. Step pyramids were not as pleasing to the eye as True Pyramids. Sometimes they had different chambers than True

Pyramids. There was usually a descending passage from the North Burial Chamber and underground galleries surrounded all sides but the south side.True pyramids were a natural development to step pyramids, but the structure and construction were very similar. Packing blocks were stacked until the dimension was correct, and then limestone blocks were the

finishing touch. The first true pyramid was built after the beginning of the fourth dynasty. One of the first ones was King Sereferu's. His was also the first one to reach great height in True Pyramid form.King Zoser's pyramid was the first pyramid ever built. It was built by Imhotep during the third dynasty. It was a very strong step pyramid. It stayed just as it was built for hundreds of years. During this time, people had the right to take stones away from anything that was built. This started out on a small scale. As centuries went on, anyone in need of stones could

take some. Soon the stones were almost gone. Imhotep was sure his pyramid was safe forever, but it wasn't. Chambers beneath the pyramid were not safe. Soon they were stripped down for riches. Anything in the way was crushed down as people dug for the riches.There was always a burial or secret chamber. It could also be called the queen's or king's chamber. This is where the kings or queens were buried with their riches including furniture, hunting equipment or food. It was usually beneath the ground. The Egyptian people believed there was some sort of after-life and that is why things were buried with them. There were sometimes false burial chambers to fake out robbers.The biggest pyramid was called the Great Pyramid and was built for King Khufu. It was originally 481 feet tall. It's square base covered 13 acres. It contained more than 2 million stone blocks and each weighed 2 Ð... tons. This pyramid was part of the pyramids of Grza. The people who built it had to be very careful to make it perfect to prevent it from collapsing. The length of the 4 sides had to be carefully measured. They had to make sure the site was level and that the pyramid was perfectly square. Mud walls were built so it would remain sturdy.Pyramids continue to provide many clues about the ancient past and it is no surprise that they are listed as one of the seven wonders of the world. Unfortunately, no records, plans, blueprints, or direct accounts of the pyramid's construction have survived. There is no inscriptions or texts, and the names of the architects remain unknown. There is no way of knowing exactly how the ancient Egyptians built the pyramids, in a time of only primitive tools, and at best only simple machinery.

Every example of Egyptian art from any time period strictly adheres to the same style. There is a code, or a set of rules for producing the artwork. The style is called frontalism. In reliefs or paintings, frontailsm means that the head of the character is always drawn in profile, while the body is seen from the front. Although the face is to the side, the eye is drawn in full. The legs are turned to the same side as the head, with one foot placed in front of the other. The head is at right angles to the body. Every figure, in paintings or sculptures, stands or sits with a formal, stiff, and rigid posture. The stance of the body is severe, but the faces are calm and serene, and almost always tilted slightly towards the sky, as if the figures were basking in the warm sun.

Another artistic "rule" is that nothing should be drawn infront of the face or body of the pharoah. The Old and Middle Kingdom periods arts are not naturalistic, using only frontal and profile view points. On the other hand, the new Kingdom period BC. Egyptian Arts became more lifelike, natural and realistic. We can see the backgrounds and other settings for the major figure. This movements of the minor figures was in the Egyptian arts. (This tendency spread to the major figure).

These pictures in this period tell us a great deal about ancient Egyptian life, custom and society.

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