Reply To: Egypt and Mesopotamia

[Valene]

The reference to gods is seen throughout Egyptian art. Much of the ancient Egyptian art pieces were only preserved because they were found in tombs/pyramids for afterlife usage. These pyramids were made to appease the gods and provide an afterlife resting ground for the divine rulers and their families. The gods were usually depicted as different animals or nature, i.e. the sun, and the pharaohs would be shown in the art with the gods. The men were often shown in a younger and fit age for the sculptures and the women were always in the young and fit depictions. Egyptian civilization was characterized by the strength of the pharaoh. The pharaoh was held to be descended from gods, with the power to assure prosperity and control the rituals that assured the flow of the Nile and the fertility derived from irrigation. In the piece, The Palette of King Narmer, the pharaoh is shown large in scale and towering over his enemy. The god is shown above the pharaoh symbolizing his greater power. In statues like, Menkaure and a Queen the pharaoh and his wife are both depicted in large scale and the male is slightly in front of the wife showing his greater power.