Pictures and Words – Ancient Egyptian Iconography

Pre-requisites: Good knowledge of the English language and to have passed the course Ancient Egyptian Religion.

Course objectives: The developing perception, knowledge and skills needed for the analysis and interpretation of Egyptian visual culture in a wider social and cultural context; learning the basic skills necessary for spoken and written presentation of Egyptian visual culture.

Course description: Visual art was an important medium for transmitting and disseminating ideas also a large part of Ancient Egyptian material culture was partially or totally covered with artistic imagery. Students will be introduced to the necessary theoretical basis and methods used in interpreting Egyptian monuments. Using particular examples (relief and painting, sculpture, architectural plastics, furniture etc.) the students will research: function and the importance of visual imagery for Egyptians; the meaning and relationship of different kind of motifs; themes; tradition and innovation; the relation between art and craftsmanship; principles of presentation; the effect of an image and magic; the image and accompanying text relation. A special overview will also cover the formal characteristics of the hieroglyphic writing. Extra attention will be given to the importance of visual communication in Egypt; Visual art as a source of information about the society and the role of written records and archaeological material in the interpretation of Ancient Egyptian monuments.

Learning Outcomes: Essay and oral examination.

Pictures and Words – Ancient Egyptian Iconography

Pre-requisites: Good knowledge of the English language and to have passed the course Ancient Egyptian Religion.

Course objectives: The developing perception, knowledge and skills needed for the analysis and interpretation of Egyptian visual culture in a wider social and cultural context; learning the basic skills necessary for spoken and written presentation of Egyptian visual culture.

Course description: Visual art was an important medium for transmitting and disseminating ideas also a large part of Ancient Egyptian material culture was partially or totally covered with artistic imagery. Students will be introduced to the necessary theoretical basis and methods used in interpreting Egyptian monuments. Using particular examples (relief and painting, sculpture, architectural plastics, furniture etc.) the students will research: function and the importance of visual imagery for Egyptians; the meaning and relationship of different kind of motifs; themes; tradition and innovation; the relation between art and craftsmanship; principles of presentation; the effect of an image and magic; the image and accompanying text relation. A special overview will also cover the formal characteristics of the hieroglyphic writing. Extra attention will be given to the importance of visual communication in Egypt; Visual art as a source of information about the society and the role of written records and archaeological material in the interpretation of Ancient Egyptian monuments.

Learning Outcomes: Essay and oral examination.

Literature/Reading:

• BIANCHI, R.S. 2000. Ancient Egyptian Reliefs, Statuary, and Monumental Paintings. In Civilizations of the Ancient Near East, vols. III&IV, ed. by J.M. Sasson, 2533-2554. New York: Scribner.
• BRYAN, B. 2009. Memory and Knowledge in Egyptian Tomb Painting. In Dialogues in Art History, from Mesopotamian to Modern: Readings for a New Century, ed. by E. Cropper, 19-39. New Haven - London: Yale University Press.
• EATON-CRAUSS, M. 2001. Artists and Artisans. In The Oxford Encylopedia of Ancient Egypt 1, ed. by D. Redford, 136-140. Oxford: OUP.
• FREED, R. 2001. Art. In The Oxford Encylopedia of Ancient Egypt 1, ed. by D. Redford, 127-136.Oxford: OUP.
• LABOURY, D. 2010. Portrait versus Ideal Image. In UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology, ed. by Willeke Wendrich. Los Angeles. http://escholarship.org/uc/item/9370v0rz
• LABOURY, D. 2011. Amarna Art. In UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology, ed. by Kathlyn M. Cooney, Willeke Wendrich. Los Angeles. http://escholarship.org/uc/item/0n21d4bm
• SHIRAI, Y. 2006. Ideal and reality in Old Kingdom private funerary cults.In The Old Kingdom Art and Archaeology. Proceedings of the Conference held in Prague, May 31–June 4, 2004, ed. by M. Bárta, 325–333.. Prague: Czech Institute of Egyptology.
• VASILJEVIĆ, V. 1995. Untersuchungen zum Gefolge des Grabherrn in den Gräbern des Alten Reiches, Zentrum für Archäologische Untersuchungen, Band 15. Beograd: Centar za arheološka istraživanja. (str. 123-132).
• VASILJEVIĆ, V. 2008. Embracing his double: Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep. Studien zur altägyptischen Kultur 37: 363-372.
• FISCHER, H.G. 1980. L’écriture et l’art de l’Égypte ancienne. Paris : Presses Universitaires de France.
• IVERSEN, E. 1975.Canon and Proportions in Egyptian Art. Warminster: Aris and Phillips.
• LABOURY, D. 1998. Fonction et signification de l’image égyptienne, Bulletin de la Classe des Beaux-Arts de l’Académie Royale de Belgique Series 6 (9): pp. 131 – 148.
• SCHÄFER, H. 1974. Principles of Egyptian Art. Oxford: OUP.
• WILSON, P. 2010. Temple Architecture and Decorative Systems. In A Companion to Ancient Egypt, ed. by A. B. Lloyd, 781-803. Oxford: Willey-Blackwell.
• WILKINSON, R.H. 1994. Symbol and Magic in Egyptian Art. London: Thames and Hudson.
• WILKINSON, R.H. 1998. Reading Egyptian Art. A Hieroglyphic Guide to Ancient Egyptian Painting and Sculpture. London: Thames and Hudson.
• VASILJEVIĆ, V., Über die relative Größe der Darstellungen des Grabherrn im Alten Reich, Studien zur Altägyptischen Kultur 25 (1998) 341-351.
• The Giza Archives: http://www.gizapyramids.org/code/emuseum.asp , Giza Digital Library: http://www.gizapyramids.org/code/emuseum.asp?newpage=library
• Meketre Scene Project: http://www.meketre.org/index.php Theban Mapping Project: http://www.thebanmappingproject.com/ Oxford Expedition to Egypt - Scene Details Database http://www.oxfordexpeditiontoegypt.com/Database.php
• ALDRED, C. 1988. Egyptian Art. London: Thames & Hudson.
• BAINES, J. 1985. Theories and Universals of Representation: Heinrich Schäfer and Egyptian Art. Art History 8 (1): 1-25.
• DAVIS, W. 1982. The Canonical Theory of Composition in Egyptian Art. Göttinger Miszellen 56: 9-26.