Ancient Egyptian Art

  • Period: 6000 BCE to 3150 BCE

    Pre-Dynastic Period

    Art first developed in Ancient Egypt in this time frame. Although the Pre-dynastic period stretches from 6000-3150 BCE, we don't really start to see the development of art until the early 3000s BCE.
  • 3700 BCE

    Wooden Statue

    Wooden Statue
    This is a 5,000 year old Egyptian wooden statue of a man. It was found in gold wrapping paper and his eyes are made from blue lapis lazuli stones. It is estimated to have been created between 3700-3200 BCE.
  • 3650 BCE

    Elephant Head Statue

    Elephant Head Statue
    This is one of the oldest statues still preserved from Ancient Egypt, somewhere between 3650-3300 BCE. It is the statue of an elephant head, carved from Ivory. Elephants lived in Egypt during this time period, which is why we see many depictions of them in their ancient art.
  • 3500 BCE

    Religious Art

    Religious Art
    This is one of the earliest depictions of Bat, who was the celestial goddess whom the Egyptians worshipped. This was created sometime between 3500-3100 BCE.
  • 3200 BCE

    Hair Comb

    Hair Comb
    This is an example of what art looked like in Egypt's pre-Dynastic period. This is said to be an decorated hair comb, which you can see the teeth of the comb at the bottom of the engraved stone.
  • 3200 BCE

    Woman and Child (pt. 1)

    Woman and Child (pt. 1)
    Here is a carving made from terra-cotta of an Egyptian woman with her child. This is estimated to have been created around 3200 BCE.
  • 3150 BCE

    Narmer Palette

    Narmer Palette
    This piece of art is extremely important to Egyptian art history. It features some of the earliest hieroglyphics, and portrays a victorious Egyptian king unifying the land under his rule, with the gods' approval. This art piece changed the dynamics of Egyptian art immensely. It is carved of both sides to show that it's a ceremonial piece, rather than only on one side, which were much more casual.
  • Period: 3150 BCE to 2613 BCE

    Early Dynastic Period

    This time period is where Egyptian art became more sophisticated and intricate.
  • 3000 BCE

    Woman and Child (pt. 2)

    Woman and Child (pt. 2)
    This is an ivory sculpture of an Egyptian woman with her child. You can see the advancements the Egyptians made in their artwork within a couple hundred years if you were to compare it to the sculpture of a woman and child which was created a couple hundred years prior. This was created around 3000 BCE.
  • 2650 BCE

    Imhotep

    Imhotep
    This is a sculpture of Imhotep, who was a chief official of Pharaoh Djoser, and is also said to be one of the first architects, engineers, and physicians of Ancient Egypt. He is said to have designed the pyramid of Pharaoh Djoser.