Religion and Architecture of Ancient Egypt - Essay Example

Ancient Egypt: It’s Dynasties, Religion and Architecture Ancient Egyptians believed that in the very beginning everything has been established and that the pharaoh’s most important responsibility is to rule Egypt according to Maat, the deity of truth and order, in order for the universe to function properly and the gods be satisfied which in turn brought comfort and happiness to man. DYNASTIES Egypt is ruled by thirty-one dynasties the first two of which are prior to the Old Kingdom. The 3rd Dynasty, considered as one of the landmarks of human history, was the start of the Old Kingdom. Ancient Egyptians during the Old Kingdom believed that the rulers of Egypt were incarnations of the god Horus, thus, the pharaoh ruled a bureaucratic hierarchy headed by himself and the vizier, usually the pharaoh’s son, with unquestioned authority. The first two dynasties of the Old Kingdom has long periods of peace and no threats of invasion, thus, they had accomplished ambitious feats in cultivating art via the great pyramids they constructed. The 5th Dynasty, on the other hand, had smaller and less grand pyramids but accounting and record keeping was well-developed. The downfall of the Old Kingdom happened during the reign of Pepy II at the end of the 6th Dynasty. Egypt had then suffered a succession of political failure, civil disorder and environmental disasters causing famine and rise in the death rate, and not until the reign of Mentuhotep I of the 11th Dynasty that Egypt was again unified and had a centralized government. This period was considered the beginning of the Middle Kingdom. The Middle Kingdom showed a new leaf for Sesostris III of the 12th Dynasty had reorganized Egypt into four regions the northern and southern halves of the Nile Valley and the eastern and western Delta. But the succeeding dynasties were a mere shadow of the 12th Dynasty for the pharaohs of these times rule for short periods only and relied heavily on their viziers’ power, thus, it’s no wonder that the desert people called the Hyksos conquered the Delta and ruled over Lower Egypt forming the 15th Dynasty. Their rule has modernized Egypt via the new technologies they introduced in the fields of bronze-working, pottery, music and even weaponry. Not until the 18th Dynasty that the Hyksos were expelled from Egypt through Ahmose, thus, the start of the New Kingdom. Egypt has become strong during the New Kingdom as showcased in the succession of extraordinary and able pharaohs and their queens like Thutmose I who conquered the Near East and Africa by Thutmose I; Queen Hatshepsut and Thutmose III who made Egypt into an ancient superpower; Amenhotep III who began an artistic revolution; and Akhenaton and Nefertiti who introduced the concept of one god. The grandeur of the New Kingdom was further established in modern times when British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered Tutankhamen’s tomb, “the only tomb in the Valley of the Kings to have been preserved almost intact” (Strange 127). Ramses III has also given Egypt a final moment of glory by defeating other civilizations during the 20th Dynasty, but the Ramseses who reigned on the succeeding dynasties has never revived the previous grand dynasties of Egypt. The last dynasty ended when Alexander the Great died. RELIGION The ancient Egyptians practiced part polytheism, part totem worship and part ancestor worship. Their chief deities were Amon and Amon-Ra, the kings of the gods; Horus, the king of the gods on earth and the god of the living; Isis, the goddess of motherhood and fertility; and, Osiris, the king of the underworld and the god of the dead. Temples of their deities were everywhere for they believe that the temples are a cosmic center by which the people can communicate with their gods. Since ancient Egyptians believed in the afterlife and that their lives will only reach its full potential after death, they devoted their time and wealth in the preparation of their burial tombs, like the pyramids. The pyramids houses not just the pharaoh’s mummified bodies but also much wealth like grand furniture, gold statues, jewelries, games, food, and other items that are believed to be needed in the afterlife. Aside from these valuable items, texts or hieroglyphs were inscribed in the chamber walls of the pyramids for they believe that such inscriptions “insures the resurrection of the dead king and his safe passage into the after life” (Sabbahy 4). They also worship the sun and Ra, the sun god. Not until the reign of Akhenaton and Nefertiti that the ancient Egyptians beliefs were introduced to the concept of one god, thus, replacing polytheism, totem and ancestor worships. ARCHITECTURE The burial grounds of ancient Egyptians prior to the Old Kingdom are marked only by a simple mound called mastaba, the Arabic term for bench. But due to the beliefs of the ancient Egyptians, these mastabas were transformed into Step Pyramids during the 3rd Dynasty as shown in the Step Pyramid of Sakkara built under the reign of King Zoser. Step Pyramids were developed by adding six more steps on top of a central mastaba base. The staircase-look achieved by the Step Pyramid symbolizes the pharaoh’s ascension to the stars. The look of the pyramid was further improved through time and the crude workmanship of the Step Pyramid turned into the smooth sides of the ‘true’ Pyramid. This development from Step Pyramid to ‘true’ Pyramid reflects not only architectural development but religious development as well. From star worship to solar worship for the ‘true’ pyramid symbolizes a ramp for the pharaoh’s ascension to the sun. The grand pyramids built by the four pharaohs Snofru, Cheops, Chephren, and Mycerinus became the icons of the richest and most creative period of Egyptian culture. One “proud testimony to the extraordinary vision and engineering skills of the ancient Egyptians” is the Great Pyramid of Cheops at Giza, the only remaining Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (Strange 272). Hooker stated that these pyramids represent “the institution of the monarchy” and that as a living god the king has the sole right to join the gods in the afterlife. He further stated in detail that as monuments, the pyramids represent “the inherent power of the king;” their shape and form represent “the order, balance, and rationality of the universe and its incarnation in the king himself;” and, as burial tombs, the pyramids represent “the life after death available to the king as living god.” Roehrig also stated that these pyramids serve two primary functions: 1) to ensure an ordered existence; and, 2) to defeat death by preserving life into the next world. Mortuary and burial temples were also built. One magnificent example of a burial temple is the one by Queen Hapshepsut at the foot of the rocky range of Deir el-Bahri. Inspiration for this temple is Mentuhotep’s mortuary complex which is a grand showcase of the perfect union between architecture and natural landscape which was unique for its time. Another example is Ramesseum, the mortuary temple of Ramses II. Aside from pyramids and temples, ancient Egyptians also built colossi like the one by Ramses II at Abu Simbel, and the Memnon Colossi, two statues of Amenhotep III in which the tallest has a height of 63 feet. In the latter dynasties of the New Kingdom, a number of architectures created for the use by the common people were also built. Example of this is the Deir el-Medina, a site wherein a wealth of information about a community of artisans and craftsmen has been depicted. In a way Roehrig’s statement that these monuments functions as the preservation of life into the next world is correct for the ostentatious display of wealth exhibited in the burial tombs, temples and other colossal architecture of the time has made them achieve immortality by keeping the rulers’ name alive through words of mouth and in books for thousands of years. Works Cited Alexander, Dominic. Spellbound: From Ancient Gods to Modern Times A Time Tour of Myth and Magic. London: The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc., 2002. Print. “Ancient Egyptian Religion.” St. Petersburg Times. 1999. 08 May 2009. Disney’s Wonderful World of Knowledge: Caves to Skyscrapers. USA: The Danbury Press, 1973. Print. Fletcher, Banister and James C. Palmes. Sir Banister Fletcher’s A History of Architecture. 18th ed. London: Athlone Press, 1975. Print. “Gods and Mythology of Ancient Egypt.” InterCity Oz, Inc. 1996. 08 May 2009. Hooker, Richard. “Egypt: A Learning Module.” World Civilizations: An Internet Classroom and Anthology. Washington State University. 1996. 08 May 2009. Millmore, Mark. “Discovering Ancient Egypt.” Eyelid Productions. 1997. 08 May 2009. Roehrig, Catherine H. “Egypt in the Old Kingdom” Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2000. 08 May 2009. Sabbahy, Lisa K. Ramses II: The Pharaoh and His Time Exhibition Catalog. UT: Brigham Young University, 1985. Print. Strange Worlds Amazing Places: A Tour of Earth’s Marvels and Mysteries. Australia: Reader’s Digest Pty Limited. 2007. Print. Read More