What is the Importance of Animals and Symbolism in Ancient Egyptian Art?

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The ancient Egyptians are known for many of the incredible aspects of their culture and everything they have produced. Some of the well known ancient Egyptian relics are the ones like the ancient pyramids, the Great Sphinx of Giza, mummies, and their many forms of art. Ancient Egyptian art is one of the most recognized styles of art. The most commonly known types of ancient Egyptian art are types like paintings, ceramics, and sculptures. Not only is Egyptian art beautiful, but it carries a huge deal of value and significance with it. A great portion of the time, the art has some kind of religious meaning to it. Consequently it is very difficult to discuss the art itself without delving into the various gods and goddesses presented in it. Something that particularly struck me about ancient Egyptian art was their proneness to use animals in their art. Not only do they use the animal’s full figure, but they also put individual parts on human bodies. This intrigued me because not many cultures have art that embrace animals to this extent. I will be exploring why the ancient Egyptians depict animals in their art repeatedly, and considering what they meant to them.
Something I noticed after viewing several pieces of ancient Egyptian art is that a great deal of it is religious. It only takes a basic knowledge and understanding of the ancient Egyptians’ religion to know that they have numerous gods and goddesses. They are not exclusive in this way, as there are many other cultures and faiths which have multiple deities. However, the manner in which they portray their many gods through their art is very distinguishable and well-known. This could also be because of the style they use. The use of animals is one of the features that make a...

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...eum.net.au/The-Painter-in-ancient-Egypt/>.
"The Role of Cats in Ancient Egypt." The Role of Cats in Ancient Egypt. N.p., 22 Mar. 1998. Web. 3 Aug. 2013. .
Seawright, Caroline. "Avatars of the Gods: The Animals of Ancient Egypt." Avatars of the Gods: The Animals of Ancient Egypt. Thekeep.org, 26 Nov. 2012. Web.

Images Cited
Title page: http://www.animhut.com/articles/design-history-egyptian-art-episode-4/
1. http://www.animhut.com/articles/design-history-egyptian-art-episode-4/
2. http://travelingwanderlust.wordpress.com/tag/egyptian-religion/
3. King Mankaure and his queen http://travel-photos.curiouscatblog.net/tag/statue/ 4. Egyptian Cat Bastet - Saqqara, Egypt. 1200 BC http://www.museumstorecompany.com/Egyptian-Cat-Bastet-Saqqara-Egypt-1200-BC-p5492.html 5. http://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/AnimalMummification.html
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