Ancient Egyptian Civilization Analysis

The civilization of Ancient Egypt dominated the northeastern corner of the African continent for over 3000 years. They were located in an area that would have been a total desert were it not for the river Nile, which stills runs north from central Africa for thousands of miles before emptying into the Mediterranean Sea . The particular geographic location of the Egyptian empire meant that they were protected from invasion and in some sense from a strong foreign influence. In figure 1, the map shows how the empire established itself along the Nile. Moreover, it depicts how the inhabitants were guarded by the Mediterranean and Red Seas, the great deserts, and lakes.
The Nile gave water to a region where there was too little rainfall to support agriculture or life. In June, rain in Central Africa caused the river to rise, gradually covering the low banks and countryside. In September, the Nile receded, leaving behind a layer of fertile black …show more content…
Starting with the materials, most of the main materials used to create art came either from the Nile or from its surroundings. One of those materials were stones. The majority of soft stones available were limestone, calcite, sandstone, schist, and greywacke. In addition, harder stones such as quartzite, diorite, granodiorite, granite, and basalt were common. Stone was a major building material for temples, bowls, statues and sculptures. In many cases, Egyptians chose to cover the art pieces made of stone in a layer of paint, which was made from pigments. Those pigments consisted of minerals like calcium carbonate and azurite found in the Nile and the surrounding desert. A range of colors from white to yellow to black were available to the artists. However, the colors scheme of the river, blue and green, were the predominant shades in some of the statues, paintings, and sunk reliefs. They symbolized the fertility and prosperity of the Nile