ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF ANCIENT EGYPT
Art History 223/623
Spring 1996
Tuesday and Thursday 1:30 to 3 pm
Room 113 Jaffe Building
Professor Holly Pittman
Office Hours Thursday 3:30-5:00 pm by appointment
Office Telephone 898-3251
Office location: 204 Jaffe Building 3405 Woodland Walk
This is a survey course that will present the basic outline of ancient
Egyptian culture from the perspective of the visual arts and
architecture. The format of the course is lecture presentation of
material illustrated by slides. The goals of the course are:
1. mastery of the basic monuments of ancient Egypt in their
form, content and cultural context.
2. development of the critical thinking skills required for
reconstruction through inference.
3. development of visual skills. How to look, how to remember
what you see. How to evaluate difference.
4. development of verbal skills required to express accurately
and effectively what you perceive through looking.
5. development of research skills that allow you to define a
question and develop strategies for investigation.
Requirements:
Attendence of the lectures is required. Material will be covered in
lectures that will not be found in the readings. In addition, the
required readings are essential because in them is material not covered
in the lectures.
Map, Term and Date Quiz. Will be a pop quiz testing your knowledge of
the geography of Egypt sometime in the third week of class.
Mid-term Exam: March 5th 1996
Final Exam: date to be announced
Two papers:
1) Formal analysis: Due: February 22, 1996; 5 pages:
Choose an object on display in the Egyptian galleries of the University
Museum. The purpose of this paper is a formal analysis of a work of
art. This involves a description and a discussion of the formal visual
princples that determine its form. Discuss principles of composition, of
the use of color or material, principles of the canons of representation,
etc.
2) Research paper: Due April 25, 1996
7-10 page paper:
This paper can grow out of your first paper or it can address another
problem. You will be expected to have a paper topic no later than March
19th. Unlike the first paper, this paper will require research on
social, historical and cultural and art historical issues.
Required Reading:
Aldred, C. Egyptian Art, 1980.
Baines, John, Atlas of Ancient Egypt
Groenewegen-Frankfort, Arrest and Movement (introduction and Part I: Egypt)
Knapp, A. Bernard, The History and Culture of Ancient Western Asia and
Egypt (sections on Egypt)
Lange, K. and M. Hirmer, Egypt, Architecture, Sculpture, Painting. 1968.
(pictures)
Schafer, B., Silverman, D. and J. Baines, Religion of Ancient Egypt.
Smith, W.S., The Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt, revised edition,
1981. This is the main textbook of the class
Trigger, B. et al., Ancient Egypt: A Social History. 1983
All of these books will be on reserve in the University Museum Library.
Aldred, Baines, Groenewegen-Frankfort, Smith, and Trigger et alia are
available at the Penn Book Center.
The more extensive reading list provided at the end of this syllabus is
of books on reserve in the University Museum Library. These works are
meant to augment the required readings and to provide necessary
background and references for the paper.
Class Schedule:
Jan. 16, 18, 23: Introduction
Geography, Climate,
Historical Outline; Social and Religious Context
Smith, Ch. 1
Aldred, Introduction, Ch. 1, 2
Trigger,
Baines and Malek, Part One.
Groenewegen-Frankfort: Introduction
Jan. 25, 30, Feb. 1: Predynastic and Archaic Periods
Smith, Ch. 2,3
Aldred, Ch. 3
Trigger, Ch. 1
Groenewegen-Frankfort Book One chapt. 1
Feb. 6, 8, 13, 15, 20: Old Kingdom
Smith, Ch. 4,5,6,7
Aldred, Ch. 4,5,6,7
Trigger, Ch. 2, pp. 71-112
Groenewegen-Frankfort Book One, chapt. 2
Baines and Malek, Part Two
Feb. 22, 27: First Intermediate period
Smith, Ch. 8
Aldred, Ch. 8
Trigger, Ch. 2 pp. 112-116
Feb. 29: University Museum Visit
Mar. 5: Mid-Term Examination
Mar. 7, 19, 26: Middle Kingdom
Smith, Ch. 9, 10, 11
Aldred, Ch. 9
Trigger, Ch. 116-182
Groenewegen-Frankfort Book One chapt. 3
Mar. 28, Apr. 2, 4, 9, 11, 16, 18, 23: New Kingdom
Smith, Ch. 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19
Aldred, Ch. 10, 11, 12
Trigger, Ch. 3
Groenewegen-Frankfort, Book One, Chapt 4
Baines and Malek, Part Three
Apr. 25: Late Periods
Smith, Ch. 20, 21
Aldred, Ch. 14, 15, 16, 17
Trigger, Ch. 4
Reverse list
On Reserve for your papers in University Museum Library
Aldred, C. Akhenton
Aldred, C. Akhenaton and Nefertiti
Aldred, C. Egypt to the End of the Old Kingdom
Aldred, C. Middle Kingdom Art in Ancient Egypt
Aldred, C. New Kingdom Art in Ancient Egypt
Baines, John, "Theories and Universals of Representation: Heinrich
Schäfer and Egyptian Art" Art History 8, March 1985, pp. 1-25.
Baines, John, "On the Status and Meaning of Egyptian Art,"
Boston, Museum of Fine Art, Ancient Egypt
Butzer, K. W., Early Hydraulic Civilization in Egypt: A Study in
Cultural Ecology.
Carter, H. and A.C. Wace. The Tomb of Tut-ankh-Amen
Desroches-Noblecourt, C. Tutankhamon
Davis, Whitney. Canonical Tradition in Ancient Egyptian Art
Cambridge. 1989.
Davies, N.M. Ancient Egyptian Painting 3 vols.
Edwards, I.E.S. The Pyramids of Egypt
Emery, W. Archaic Egypt
Fakhry, A. The Pyramids
Frankfort, H. Mural Paintings of El-Amarneh
Groenewegen-Frankfort, H. Arrest and Movement
Hayes, W.C. The Scepter of Egypt, 2 vols
Lange, K. and M. Hirmer, Egypt
Lucas, A. Ancient Egyptian Materials and Industries
Pendelbury, J.D.S. and H. Frankfort. The City of Akhenaton III
Schäfer, H. Principles of Egyptian Art
Smith, W.S. The Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt
Smith, W.S. History of Egyptian Sculpture and Painting in the
Old Kingdom
Smith, W.S. Interconnections in the Ancient Near East
History and Religion:
Breasted, J. H. A History of Egypt
Cambridge Ancient History vols I and II
Czerny, J. Ancient Egyptian Religion
Frankfort, H. Kingship and the Gods (Egyptian Section)
Frankfort et al., Before Philosophy
Gardiner, A.H. Egypt of the Pharaohs
Lichtheim, M. Ancient Egyptian Literature
Murray, M. The Splendour that was Egypt
Steindorf, W. and K. Seele, When Egypt Ruled the East
Wilson, J. The Culture of Ancient Egypt
HA 223/623
Prof. Pittman
Spring 1996
Graduate Student assignment
The classic book on Egyptian Art, and one that is a classic in art
history is Heinrich Schäfer, Principles of Egyptian Art. Recently (1986)
it has been reedited by Emma Brunner-Traut and translated and edited by
John Baines from German to English. E.H. Gombrich has written a
foreword.
This is a challenging and foundational work for the study of art that
raises issues that can be carried into other subject matter.
The Graduate Students in 223/623 Survey of Ancient Egyptian Art are to
read this work, together with John Baines "Theories and Universals of
Representation: Henirich Schäfer and Egyptian Art," Art History 8
1985:1-25. Each student will identify (in consultation with me) a theme
that will be the focus of a critical response paper that will bring in
other work on representation as appropriate. The resultant paper will be
no more than ten pages. It is due April 4th, 1996.