The Art of Ancient Egypt

From the grandeur of the Great Pyramid to a face etched on an amulet, this book conducts the reader through the world of Egyptian art. It asks questions such as what did art and the architecture that housed it, mean to the ancient Egyptians and why did they invest so much wealth and effort into its production? To answer these questions, the book studies tomb and wall paintings, sculpture and stelae, coffins, funerary papyri and amulets from the early dynastic period to the time of the Ptolemies. Spanning 3000 years, historical, religious and social changes are related to changes in Egyptian art and the significance of the image in Egyptian belief and life is examined. The attention given to the later period, including Ptolemaic art, aims to show how Egyptian art is a continuous phenomenon, changing to meet the needs of different times.