Color Red In Ancient Egypt

The color red (desher) in Ancient Egypt represented the desert known as the Red Lands. It was considered a life-threatening place and because of the distinctive color of the sand Egyptian’s adapted this name. People were often sent to work in desert mines where they often died or were exiled to the desert. Regarded as the entrance to the underworld Egyptian tombs are located on the west side. An example of this is the grouped together mastabas that can be found in the city of the dead. Male Egyptians were traditionally depicted in art with a reddish-brown skin tone representing the life of the working class man. The skin was depicted this tint to signify the men’s darkened skin tone from the Sun and being outside of the home. The color was associated with blood and considered a very powerful color. Invoking the protective power of the blood of Isis.
The red crown of was the symbol of Lower Egypt and was called the Deshret. Scribes often used red ink to differentiate important words and phrases. An example of this can be seen in the Book of the Dead. Red ink is used to denote the beginning of spells. Unlucky days have also been written in this tone. During the mummification process it was common for Egyptians to paint the body of the deceased with red pigment during the rituals because the body turned black. Angry gods …show more content…
An example could be fire represented as red and the associated feeling westerners think of is warmth. Symbolism that can be associated with this color is love. Valentine’s Day is a holiday filled with red heart shaped boxes and women wearing red dresses who consciously embrace this holiday because they believe in love. Red is a very emotional color that can raise your blood pressure and increase your respiration rate. An example of this is when a woman sees a man holding a dozen roses upon opening meeting him for a night out and her face becomes