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.