Art and technology in Ancient Egypt.
There was more to Egypt than just the pyramids!

When most people think of the art and technology of ancient Egypt, images of mummies, pyramids, and pharaohs probably come to mind. While those things are all very well-known and certainly played important roles in Egyptian society at the time, there was a lot more to their culture than just those few things. In fact, the ancient Egyptians were one of the most advanced cultures in terms of art and technology at that time period. The art and technology of ancient Egypt also heavily influenced many other cultures around the world afterwards. This is especially true with regards to their use of hieroglyphic writing as well as their construction techniques that are still used today when building large structures like dams or stadiums.

Let’s take a closer look at how these elements came together to create one of the most important ancient civilizations in history.

Writing and Language

The ancient Egyptians were famous for their hieroglyphic writing system, which was used both for daily life and for religious texts as well. Hieroglyphs are a unique form of writing that uses images and symbols to represent words, sounds, and ideas. This makes them very visual and artistic in nature. Whilest hieroglyphs are unique in and of themselves, they may also have influenced the development of other writing systems like cuneiform and Chinese writing, which both used symbols that could be carved into stone tablets. This provided early civilizations with a way to keep records and communicate that was much more efficient than an oral tradition.

By using a combination of these symbols, they were able to write down anything they wanted. This included things like religious texts and poems, as well as things that were purely functional, like tax records and building plans.

The Egyptians used these forms of writing to record their history and keep track of their culture. They also carved these writings into the stone walls of their temples and pyramids, creating lasting monuments to their culture that are still visible today.

Art

While the Egyptians were known for their written language, the art and technology of ancient Egypt was also extremely important to the culture. Egyptian artists were among the most skilled in the world at the time, and their works still stand today as some of the most impressive and beautiful ever created. This is especially true of their sculptures, which are still considered some of the most remarkable examples of art in the ancient world.

Many of the sculptures created by the Egyptians depicted their gods and pharaohs, using their skill in art to immortalize their most important figures.

Many of the sculptures and wall paintings from this period depicted religious stories, ceremonies, and gods. Given that these pieces of art were created to last for eternity, they also often featured very intricate designs and symbols. A famous example of Egyptian wall painting that has survived to the modern day is the Great Temple Wall Painting at Luxor. This painting is a full-wall depiction of the temple complex and the daily rituals that took place there.

The Pyramids

One of the most famous examples of the art and technology of ancient Egypt are their pyramids. These were huge, mostly pyramid-shaped structures that were built to house the remains of pharaohs. These large, man-made constructions were very impressive in their day, with some being more than 130 meters tall and built from millions of blocks of stone. For example, the Great Pyramid of Giza took more than 20 years to build, employed 10,000 workers at its peak, and used around 2 million tons of stone.

They also had many hidden passageways, ramps, and rooms that were used in both their construction and in their function as tombs. Because of their size and the technology required to build them, the pyramids are still considered one of the wonders of the ancient world today.

Technology

The Egyptians were one of the most advanced cultures in terms of technology at the time, and this played a big role in the art and technology of ancient Egypt. One example of this is the Egyptians’ use of the sail when sailing the Nile River. This helped them to travel much faster than they would have been able to without it. The Egyptians also had advanced irrigation and agricultural technology. They built large systems of dams, canals, and dikes to help control the flow of the Nile River and make sure that their fields were always receiving plenty of water during the dry seasons. This allowed them to grow crops at various times of the year, which helped feed the large numbers of people living in Egypt at the time.

They also had advanced food storage techniques. The Egyptians built large underground silos that were lined with bricks and sealed with mortar to keep their grains, seeds, and other food items from spoiling.

Ancient Egyptian technology also extended to their farming methods. They used a type of irrigation known as basin irrigation, which allowed for water to be more efficiently distributed among crops. This method became a standard practice in agriculture that is still used today. The ancient Egyptians also used a type of fertilizer called night soil, which is basically just a fancy way of saying that they used human faeces as fertilizer. This fertilizer was collected from towns and cities and used to fertilize crops such as barley and wheat.

Conclusion

The art and technology of ancient Egypt was among the most impressive in the ancient world. This was especially true in the fields of writing and art, where the Egyptians created many awe-inspiring works that still stand today. Their technology was also very advanced, particularly in the areas of agriculture and food storage. All of these elements combined to make up one of the most interesting and advanced civilizations of the ancient world.