Many of the artworks of Ancient Egypt indicate that it was a culture whose people were .
highly religious and who believed strongly in an afterlife. The artworks that will be .
discussed in this essay (that range from paintings, to sculpture, to architecture) are related .
to the religious beliefs of the people, farming or to glorifying their gods and kings, as .
documentation from the remains suggest. .
I have used texts as outlined in the bibliography as reference to the subjects discussed. .
Most of the examples used are from paintings, hieroglyphics, sculptures and the buildings .
themselves that come from the remains of the tombs, pyramids and temples, where I .
believe most of the information about the ancient society that we know today comes .
from.
Egypt is known as a land of the pyramids. Pyramids are remote and mysterious .
mountains of stone that were built as burial chambers, believed to help the kings into the .
afterlife. They indicate a land that was so organized that it was possible to pile up the .
gigantic structures in the lifetime of a king. They also tell us of kings who were so .
powerful that they could force thousands of workers to toil for them for years so they.
could achieve their desired tomb.
The pyramids had a profound effect on many Egyptians, not only those who were to be .
buried there, but the many people who designed and executed the plan for them to be .
built. Many people died while building these pyramids, as the toll of the astronomical .
task of moving the giant building blocks to their place was too much burden. .
Inside these pyramids, there are elaborate and often quite beautiful burial chambers. In .
these chambers there were often spells and incantations written on the walls, along with .
pottery and sculptures of items that were thought that would be needed for the afterlife, .
such as vases for food and water and of workers that could serve the king (pharaoh) in .
the next life.