For my secondary findings I decided to do some research on Hieroglyphics. Although this a writing form, the egyptians used art as a way of expression. Whats interesting is that the ancient Greeks first used the term hieroglyph (meaning “sacred carving”) to describe ornamental characters carved on Egyptian monuments. The term is now used to describe the system of writing used by the ancient Egyptians. Many believe hieroglyphs are the most ancient forms of writing.
In the beginning only a small portion of the Egyptian population used this form of writing because it was so difficult to understand and to make. It was written in long lines, left to right and top to bottom. They did not use punctuation or spaces. Hieroglyphs were used for religion, to record historical events, and to decorate jewelry. Priests used hieroglyphics to write down prayers and texts related to afterlife. Civil officials used it to write down records, royal documents, and calculations such as the depth of the nile river.
It was also used to decorate jewelry or luxury items. They were carved into wood or stone and dipped in gold, silver, and other metals. Prior to doing research on Egyptian art, I was already intrigued. Egypt is a place I have always wanted to visit ever since i saw the movie “The Mummy. ” To me, art is an important cultural aspect of Egypt. It shapes their life. I actually got so interested in this Travel Update that I found my self side tracked for a couple hours trying to see if I could read hieroglyphics. Egypt and America are so very different.
I mean obviously we share the same mediums of art such as painting and sculpture. Our writing is similar in a way. Egyptians use symbols and in our modern day culture most of our writing is words. Though, in our everyday life we see symbols and can quickly interpret what the meaning is. For example, a yellow sign with two stick figures on it means watch for pedestrians. In our culture, art is taken as a self expression and in Egypt it is very religious. The Egyptians took art very seriously and followed very strict rules.
They believed that imperfect art upset their gods whereas in our modern day art isn’t perfect, it can be interpreted many different ways and people either hate it or love it. Section D: Conclusion Art was very important to the Egyptian culture. Art symbolized ancient Egyptians and their beliefs. There are many rules to follow when producing these Egyptian works of art and they are detailed impeccably. The art has many repetitive patterns and images though each of them are very uniquely different.
