Eternal Egypt : Introduction to Egyptian Art

Art for Eternity

The Egyptians did not create art for art’s sake. From the greatest temples and pyramids to the smallest piece of jewelry, what we now view as art was, to the Egyptian, first of all functional and only secondarily beautiful.

Most pieces were made for the purpose of worshiping the gods, immortalizing an individual or event, or aiding the deceased in the Afterlife. And the Egyptians took “immortalizing” quite literally.

Infused by the force of Heka (magic), the statue or painting of a person kept his or her soul alive, not merely in memory but in reality. This image received the offerings needed to sustain the deceased’s soul in the Afterworld.

Continue to Art and Hieroglyphs

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