Egyptian Payrus

Paper is used for paintings and writing. It was invented in around 3000 B.C and the word 'paper' comes from the Egyptian word "Papyrus".

Plant

blank papyrus

Papyrus plant 

Grows wild in muddy area around the Nile
grown on farms

The papyrus was durable in the warm and dry climate of Egypt, but when it's stored in a humid space the material is destroyed.

Papyrus Process 

• Harvest  - the branch of the plant is collected
• Striping - firstly, strip off the skin and the sticky rubbery from inside, is cut into small strips.
• Pressing - then strips were laid in two sections (horizontal and vertical), and dried under pressure to form smooth thin layers.
• Rolls - at the end, sheets were combined together with the fibers running in the same way, creating long rolls which extended up to 10 meters in length.

The same manufacturing techniques were used for 4,000 years. 

Old Egyptian Papyrus

There are around 400,000 papyri reserved around the world and the vast majority of them are incomplete and disconnected.

The task of papyrologists is to translate, copy and reconstruct what us lost between fragments.

Ayman Fadl. 2014. Egyptian Papyrus. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.aldokkan.com/art/papyrus.htm . [Accessed 21 May 14].

Ancient Egyptian Ceramics

Clay in ancient Egypt was made from mud -gathered from the Nile), straw and sand. Pinching and coiling were the first methods used. As the kick wheel was introduced in the first millennium B.C according to Andre Dollinger, a potter's wheel is noted in the origin of Ancient Egypt, and hand rotated potter's wheel were used in old Kingdom Egypt.

Ancient Egyptian pottery, displayed in museums around the world, is the object of much touristic interest, as wide research and studies.

Egyptian Pottery was set at temperatures of between 600-800 degrees Celsius. In Egypt, wood was uncommon, but they still burned it. 

The exterior of pottery were paintings of people, animals, birds and boats. Pottery was also glazed or painted, This resulted as remarkably ideal material as the 'faience of the blue hippopotamus'. Broken pottery bowls could be repaired using gypsum.

This piece originated from Egypt during the prehistoric era. This era is actually one of the most important prehistoric cultures in Egyptian history. The jar was made around 3650-3300 B.C. Throughout that time, artists had developed new styles and techniques, which included more detailed carving. These new versions could have come from neighbouring countries or trading partners. Drawing or carving animals on the pottery also seemed to be very popular. The jar has a height and width of thirty centimeters.

This piece is an Egyptian pottery with symbols carved on the surface. One can read the symbols of this vase from center line, then left, then right and top bottom: center.

N.S Gill. 2003. Pottery in Egypt. [ONLINE] at: http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/egyptsociety/ss/021211-Pottery-In-Egypt.html . [Accessed 21 May 14]

Louman. 2011. Egyptian Pottery. [Online] at: http://mcwilliamswheel1c1230.blogspot.com/2011/02/egyptian-pottery.html . [Accessed 21 May 14]

Ancient Egyptian Clothing

The clothing of Egyptian pharaohs changed largely from that of the common Egyptian man. The only similarities in clothing were the robe and materials. The pharaoh was meant to show a particular example of cleanliness and wealth through his outfit. In addition to main clothing items, pharaohs wore decorated sandals and large amounts of jewelry.

Fabric - Linen fabric is mostly worn by Egyptians - Pharaohs. The linen worn by pharaohs was mostly transparent; this was a visible image of wealth. Linen was made from flax, a plant found only in the area. 

False beard - was worn by several pharaohs. These were attached by using thin leather wraps around their beard. 

Nemes - Pharaohs wore a head piece known as a nemes. The nemes was originally made of a single colored piece of linen and evolved over time.

Shendyt - was the focal piece of the outfit in a pharaohs collective. It was placed at the right hip and wrapped around the body, back front, with detailed pleating.

Robe - worn by Egyptian men over their outfits. The outfit, in the pharaohs wardrobe, was to be the most transparent. 

Khol - A dark dye, called Khol, was applied around the pharaoh's eyes to protect infections and reduce sun glare in the desert climate.

Drawing of Egyptian Queen Cleopatra

During the ancient Egypt, the first civilization was known to use cosmetics, allowing available to us today. This allows the rich and the poor, men and women, using kohl onto the eyes. The reason by using cosmetics is not only for appearance but also to protect their eyes against the sun, flies, improve eyesight and ward off evil spirits.

In ancient Egypt, kohl was made up of lead, copper, soot and other ingredients.

Fashion Today

A British designer Alice Temperley shows off her stunning Autumn Winter 2013 collection, Byrd at  London Fashion week. The designer was inspired by Hitchcock's heroine Tippi Hedren from 'The Birds'. The colours various from black, gold and white. I think the gold colour is the highlight section from this collection. The upper section of the collar brings out the theme clearly from the Egyptian style. 

This photo shows an Egyptian inspired piece made by Oscar De La Renta for the Spring of 2008 season. It is a long elegant gold sequin gown with jewels around the neck. I really like this eye-catching dress. 

Textures are similar to bead-net dresses, wide coloured bands and patterns are similar to wide jeweled necklaces. The upper section is similar to a triangular apron. This outfit reminds me of carnival.

This is an Egyptian, gold plate and gemstone statement collar necklace with embroided beads. Nowadays, is commonly fashionable with types of clothing to match.

This is the modern equivalent of the Egyptian shendyt. A more common term for skirts made for men is a wrap. I don't like this look because skirts aren't meant to be worn by men.

eHow. 2014. what did Ancient Egypt Pharaohs wear?. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.ehow.com/facts_5744988_did-ancient-egypt-pharaohs-wear_.html. [Accessed 20 May 14].

Diverse Philosophies. 2014. In the eye of the beholder. [ONLINE] Available at: http://diversephilosophies.wordpress.com/tag/egypt/ . [Accessed 20 May 2014].

Pharaoh

The Pharaoh was the most powerful person in ancient Egypt. He was the political and religious leader of the Egyptian people, holding the names: 'Lord of the Two Lands' and 'High Priest of Every Temple'

The Pharaoh's holds court

As 'Lord of the Two Lands' the pharaoh ruled over Upper and Lower Egypt. He owned all of the land, made laws, collected taxes and defended Egypt against foreigners.

As 'High Priest of Every Temple', the pharaoh performed rituals and built temples to honour the gods

King Tut (Tutankhamun) - was the youngest known Pharaoh

Many pharaohs went to war when their land were threatened or when they wanted to control foreign lands. If he won the battle, the captured people had to recognize the Egyptian pharaoh as their ruler and offer him the finest and most valuable goods from their land. 

Pharaoh. 2014. Lord of the two Lands. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/pharaoh/home.html . [Accessed 20 May 14]

Ancient Egyptian Art

The attraction towards ancient Egypt is, a product of the large amount of material information available. We know alot about the daily lives of the ancient Egyptian. We can read their words, meet their families, feel their clothes, taste their food and drink, enter their tombs and even touch their bodies. So to us, it seems that we almost know them. And knowing them, maybe even loving them, we feel that we can understand the very human hopes and fears that filled their lives.

The Curse of King Tut's Tomb

By using their writing and artwork Egyptians asked and answered the questions that all of us ask. What happens after death? how was the world created? Where does the sun go at night? They answered these questions using myths and legends, some of which were unexplainable, this due to a lack of scientific understanding.

Egyptian Tomb Painting

Some of these myths passed from Egypt to Rome, effecting the development of modern religious belief. The ancient stories allow us to abandon our modern fixed ideas, step outside our own cultural experiences and enter a very different world.

A view of 4,400 year old tomb from ancient Egypt that held a nun and her husband, a singer in the pharaoh's palace.

Mummies in Manchester Museum

BBC History. 2014. Rich Legacy. [ONLINE] Avaiable at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/egypt_importance_01.shtml [Accessed 20 May 14]

Uncovering

The Egyptians were famous throughout the Mediterranean for their medical skills, which were eventually passed on the Greek and the Roman doctors that followed them. The Egyptians were experienced in dividing bodies because, believing that their souls needed an earthly body. They preserved their dead as mummies.

They removed their internal organs, dried and bandaged bodies were once observed as useless curiosities to be unwrapped, uncovered their jewellery, then discarded, and the history is full of horrific stories of unwanted mummies being burnt as torches, ground into stain, processed into brown paper or even used as stomach medicine for the rich and innocent.

British Museum 

Nowadays, the long-deceased have changes and it is no longer considered appropriate to destroy a mummy out of curiosity. However, the countless mummies, already unwrapped, stored in the world's museums and colleges an outstanding source of ancient human tissue. The Manchester Mummy Project, led by Professor Rosalie David, has worked closely with Manchester University's medical teams to develop a multi-disciplinary procedure for the examination of ancient human remains.   

BBC History. 2014. Beneath The Bandages. [ONLINE] Avaiable at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/egypt_importance_01.shtml [Accessed 20 May 14]

Egyptian Pyramids

Egypt's outstanding stone buildings, the pyramids and temples, have inspired many artists, writers, poets and architects from the  Roman period to the present day. The pyramid from, still pays an important role in modern architecture, it can be seen rising above cemeteries, shopping centers around the world and at the new entrance to the Louvre Museum, Paris.

The Great Pyramid

Inside 'The Great Pyramid'

The original pyramids show the mathematical and engineering skills of the Egyptians, to perfect their work. The Great Pyramid, built by Khufu in 2550 B.C. An impressive 46m high, with a slope of 51 degrees. Its sides, with an average length of 230m, vary by less than 5cm. 

The pyramids were built a workforce of around 5,000 permanent workers and up to an excess of 20,000 temporary workers who would work for months at a time before returning home. Unlike what is showed in movies and TV show. This holds the key to understanding the Egyptian society.


BBC History. 2014. Pyramids and mathematics. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/egypt_importance_01.shtml [Accessed 20 May 14]