The Wall Fragment from the Tomb of Thenti - Essay Example

The Wall Fragment from the Tomb of Thenti The architecture/tombs of Prehistoric Egypt echoed two important features of Egyptian culture. First, the conviction that the life cycle on earth was just a short-lived interlude equated with the everlasting afterlife to come. Additionally, because Egypt was a theocracy, whose Pharaoh or King was adored as a God, with absolute powers. According to Ignatov, (1), he possessed a large portion of Egypt’s land and much of its capitals. Due to these two issues, a wide percentage of Egyptian architectural designs, labor force, and building materials were dedicated to the building of large Pharaonic tomb facilities referred to as pyramids. These pyramids were planned to preserve the body of Pharaoh and guard his possessions after death, so as to simplify his passage into life after death. All forms of architecture in ancient Egypt were controlled by a highly conventional set of traditional agreements and rules, which preferred form and order over creative expression. Egyptian architecture/tombs represent the power, belief, and culture of a kingdom during that era, and that is why it is important worldwide. As soon as the Greeks reigned Egypt inaugurates with a variety of remarkable works established in the 3000 years before the coming of Alexander the Great. They were centered on belief in a tactile and real afterlife that reflected life on earth, glassmakers, scribes, architects, goldsmiths, painters, and sculptor’s formed attractive obituary goods to work for the poor and rich in eternity. Spiritual beliefs that had altered slightly over three millenniums meant artwork was surprisingly reliable and stood by time-honored ethnicities that carried forward the distinct visual culture of historical generations. Also, it carried forward the iconic Egyptian treaty of signifying the human body. Wall Fragment from the Tomb of Thenti is simply an illustration that concurrently shows the side and front views of the body, the shoulders and eyes are front while the mouth, nose, and head are displayed in profile. A lot has been inscribed, spoken, discussed, and debated about the affluent culture of Egypt. However, the Egyptian culture has persisted as enigmatic and intriguing as it was many years ago, assuring an ever-increasing arrival of visitors and tourists to the country. Maybe it has to do with the scientific advancement, treasures, richness, the magical and the huge architecture, whatsoever the motivation, the Egyptian culture and Egypt as a country grasps the attention of the globe at large. The wall fragment is a significant universal object that depicts evidence of Egyptian architecture. The significance of these symbols in Egyptian art is that they play an important role in the Egyptian iconography and ornamentation. The way the Egyptians view the 3D world on a 2D surface, like in wall painting and relief carving, is immensely connected to how the 3D objects are represented in the Egyptian symbols, both symbolically and stylistically. They are connected stylistically in the figures on a 2D surface and shape of objects, and symbolically in the meaning that a figure, object, or several types of the symbol has. The significance of the object and its meaning as it narrates to the rest of the arrangement and frequently the associated engraving. Egyptian tombs are eternal homes that guard the body in the life after death. One’s tomb was prepared in early adulthood, and it was elegant according to how someone could afford. This wall fragment from the tomb of Thenti, who was a scribe and a judge, who is seen in the fragment seating with his spouse at an offering table that is piled with loaves of bread. According to Maspero, (22), in the tomb of thenti, we see loaves of bread on the offering table and if you look beneath the slices, they are flat and resting perfectly on top of the table and they meet nicely together to create good loaves. So we have symbols incorporated into the decorativeness of the wall and his wife. The way the bread is arranged is exactly the same manner in which the scribes of the Egyptians could be represented by the symbols. Thenti is wearing a classic kilt reaching the knee; the belt was circled at his waist, and he is clean shaven and his wig or hair was closely cropped. His spouse whose name is at the moment illegible is wearing a skintight sheath dress that halts just beneath her breasts. Also, she is decorated with bracelets, choker and beaded necklace, and a hefty wig that consists of a sequence of braids (Teeter, 26). As well in the portrait is their son, called Thenti who is standing at the right beside her mother. Also, a small girl is in the portrait that is referred to as Thenti’s granddaughter by the hieroglyphic text; she stands fixed on her individual small baseline. Additionally, she sucks her finger, a sign that is usually linked with little children in Egyptian art. What is being depicted in the Wall Fragment from the Tomb of Thenti is the structure of the human body and the classic obituary feast that is common in individual obituary scenes extending back as far as the ancient kingdom. A donation table that was filled with numerous loaves of bread stood in between Thenti, and his wife symbolized that there was adequate food to keep his spirit well-nourished in the life after death. This kind of obituary offering and feast serves as the ritualized culmination of the obituary procession and ornamental relief work of an individual mortuary shrine. The whole decorative scheme of his wife and the surrounding walls points up to this opinion, where the departed celebrates his lifetime with his whole family, and he loves the nourishment of his soul and has a donation offered to the gods on his behalf. This scene shows numerous features of the definitive Egyptian artistic treaties for human representation. The small toes of the close foot, for instance, are unseen, the feet being rendered alike. When both feet are observable as with the younger Thenti, the arch of each foot is noticeable as if both were seen from the inside. Only a single breast of the woman is shown, for her torso is displayed in combined frontal and profile views so as to express at the same time its contour and width. The figures in the fragment show pictographic conventions usual in the Egyptian art where the whole body is exposed at the same time by portraying the shoulders and eyes frontally and the mouth, nose, and head in profile. The pictograph text lists that labels that Thenti held and appeals the gods to contribute a thousand of obituary offerings to him in the life after death. The writing running along the border is mainly a common prayer that is stumbled upon along with representations of the obituary feast the middle and old kingdom and lasting well beyond even after Egyptian secretive obituary practice takes on a rather dissimilar appearance (Shaw, 1). Conferring to Maspero, (34), the main purpose of tombs like Thenti in Egypt is that they are good ways of keeping the nation's culture so as to enable the studying of their society and culture much easier to the generations to come. This tomb of Thenti depicts how the ancient Egyptians were individuals who were strongly religious, extremely divided by masculinity roles, and a robust hierarchy, and quite developed for their era in terms of their economic and technological innovations. Additionally, the religious beliefs of the ancient Egyptians are seen as a difficult system of polytheistic rituals and beliefs that were an essential part of the society of the ancient Egyptians. It focused on Egyptians interaction with numerous gods who were thought to be present and in control of the features and forces of nature. The doings of the Egyptian religion were exertions to offer for the gods so as to gain their favors. Belief in the godly derivation of royalty was a primary factor in keeping together social order in the pre-historic Egypt (Smith, 1). Another significant aspect was the belief in the funerary practices and life after death. The Egyptians made unlimited efforts to enable the survival of their souls after their demise, providing offerings, grave goods, and tombs to preserve the spirits and bodies of the deceased. They understood that the soul’s successful path through life after death depended more on the protection of the likeliness of the individual. This was a significant part of the obituary and magic rituals as well. The Kings or Pharaohs were buried in tombs that were highly embellished. Paintings of slaves, family members and gods to assist in the life after death were quite domineering. Also, the ancient Egyptians possessed a robust social hierarchy, where a small collection of persons, mainly the male elders, created an elite class that firmly governed the rest of the people. Men were the leaders while the women were the ones with the responsibility of taking care of their families. This showed that the ancient Egyptians possessed strong class and gender differences that made them a divided community. Ancient Egyptian mythology and religion left behind numerous monuments and writings, together with important influences on modern and ancient cultures. Work cited Ignatov, Sergei. "Word and Image in Ancient Egypt." The Journal of Egyptological Studies 1 (2004). Maspero, Gaston. Manual of Egyptian Archaeology: A Guide to the Studies of Antiquities in Egypt. Bremen: Salzwasser-Verlag in Europäischer Hochschulverlag, 2009. Print. Maspero, G, and Amelia B. Edwards. Manual of Egyptian Archaeology and Guide to the Study of Antiquities in Egypt: For the Use of Students and Travellers. New York: cambridge University Press, 2011. Print. Shaw, Ian, ed. The Oxford history of ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press, 2000. Smith, William Stevenson. The art and architecture of ancient Egypt. Vol. 14. Yale University Press, 1998. Teeter, Emily. "Egyptian Art." Art Institute of Chicago Museum Studies (1994): 15-31. Read More