On December 9th, 2016, I visited the Egyptian Section of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. There, I discovered many ancient Egyptian artworks and artifacts, ranging in date from the Paleolithic era all the way to 4th century A.D- with special focus on the Middle and New Kingdoms. Two of the biggest and most memorable artworks were the Tomb of Perneb, and the Temple of Dendur.
The Egyptian collection depicted what life was like in Ancient Egypt- what the people chose to engrave onto stone, what they placed importance in, and their daily lives. For example, it was clear they had extreme respect for the dead, for there were many funeral tombs, graves, and cemeteries, for example, the “Reconstructed Grave from the Beginning of Late Naqada II” showed a typical tomb from the Naquada II period- a man wrapped in hides and a young woman with bracelets, pins, and palettes. Another tomb is “The Tomb of Queens Neferu, Wife of Mentuhotep II”, where the queen is depicted having her hair dressed by her servants.
Another aspect of Egyptian life was the relationship …show more content…
The Kings, Queens, and Pharaohs were extensively decorated: for example, the “Wall Decoration from the Funerary Apartments of King Djoser”, from Dynasty 3, depicted striking blue-green tiles adorning limestone walls of King Djoser’s step pyramid. The servants would be portrayed in a way that assists the elite- for example, in “The Queen Has Her Hair Done” from “The Tomb of Queen Neferu”, there are two servants that dresses the hair of a royal queen. Also, in “shawabti of Seti I”, of Dynasty 19, the shawabtis were placed in Seti I’s tomb, for they were servant figures who were supposed to assist Seti I in the afterlife. From these artworks, I can decipher that the commoners and servants of the time were extensively used for the benefits of the elites: the prime example being the making of these monumental pyramids that housed the royal
The Egyptian collection depicted what life was like in Ancient Egypt- what the people chose to engrave onto stone, what they placed importance in, and their daily lives. For example, it was clear they had extreme respect for the dead, for there were many funeral tombs, graves, and cemeteries, for example, the “Reconstructed Grave from the Beginning of Late Naqada II” showed a typical tomb from the Naquada II period- a man wrapped in hides and a young woman with bracelets, pins, and palettes. Another tomb is “The Tomb of Queens Neferu, Wife of Mentuhotep II”, where the queen is depicted having her hair dressed by her servants.
Another aspect of Egyptian life was the relationship …show more content…
The Kings, Queens, and Pharaohs were extensively decorated: for example, the “Wall Decoration from the Funerary Apartments of King Djoser”, from Dynasty 3, depicted striking blue-green tiles adorning limestone walls of King Djoser’s step pyramid. The servants would be portrayed in a way that assists the elite- for example, in “The Queen Has Her Hair Done” from “The Tomb of Queen Neferu”, there are two servants that dresses the hair of a royal queen. Also, in “shawabti of Seti I”, of Dynasty 19, the shawabtis were placed in Seti I’s tomb, for they were servant figures who were supposed to assist Seti I in the afterlife. From these artworks, I can decipher that the commoners and servants of the time were extensively used for the benefits of the elites: the prime example being the making of these monumental pyramids that housed the royal