Through the Eras

Visual Artstery was made during the Badarian period (4400–3800B.C.E.), named after the village of Badari where archaeologistsfirst found it. The English archaeologist W. M. F.Petrie discovered a nearly complete sequence of objectsfor the subsequent period at the village of Nagada insouthern (upper) Egypt. Thus Egyptologists refer to thedifferent chronological stages of this art as Nagada I(3800–3500 B.C.E.), Nagada II (3500–3300 B.C.E.), andNagada III (3300–3100 B.C.E.). Nagada III overlapswith Dynasty 0 (3200–3100 B.C.E.), a newly identifiedperiod when Egyptian kingship first appears. One verycommon object of Nagada I is a ceramic jar or cup madefrom a red polished clay with a black rim. Egyptologistscall it black-topped red ware. The black color often extendsto the middle of the jar. Potters built these jars byhand with a coil of clay. The potter smoothed the coilsonce the pot was built. The potter then fired the potupside-down, producing the black rim. These pots firstappear in Nagada I and continue into Nagada II. Theemphasis on abstract decoration, though often beautiful,is not typical of Egyptian art in the historical period after3100 B.C.E. This distinction, however, cannot be usedto argue convincingly that a different group of peopleinhabited Egypt after the historical artistic style emerged.ANIMAL PALETTES. Artists made some of the mostinteresting early figures during Nagada II and III. Somefigures were animal-shaped palettes resembling fish, turtles,and birds. These were often made from schist, a verycommonly used stone in this period. Egyptians usedthese palettes to grind galena, a naturally occurring mineral,into eye-liner called kohl. Kohl both emphasizedthe eyes and possibly protected them from the glare ofthe sun. The Egyptians also believed it protected the eyesfrom disease. Some of the shapes of these palettes, suchas the fish, represent symbols of fertility and rebirth. Thetilapia-fish, for example, carries its fertilized eggs in itsmouth. It thus appears that the offspring are born alivefrom the mouth rather than hatched from eggs. TheEgyptians thus included the tilapia among their fertilitysymbols.HUMAN FIGURES. Sculptors in Nagada II and IIIalso concerned themselves with human figures. Amongthe first human figures were the female figurines that thearchaeologist Henri de Morgan discovered in the villageof Ma’mariya in 1907. Found in graves, her face appearsbeak-like. She wears only a long white skirt that coversher legs completely. Her bare arms extend upward in agraceful curving motion. Though these figurines areamong the most famous pre-historic sculptures from ancientEgypt, it is impossible to determine with certaintywhether the figure represents a priestess, a mourner, orBlack top vase. BROOKLYN MUSEUM OF ART, 09.889.557, CHARLESEDWIN WILBOUR FUND. REPRODUCED BY PERMISSION.a dancer. Furthermore, it is completely unknowablewhether she is a goddess or a human. The generally abstractstyle used in this sculpture, with each part of thebody reduced to a simple organic outline, does not continueinto the historical period. Yet very similar femalefigures occur painted on pottery contemporary with thefigurines. The female figures painted on pots are prominentin river scenes that include a boat with two cabins,two male figures, and palm fronds on the shore. Someexamples depict mountains beyond the riverbank abstractedto triangles. The female figure is the largest elementin the composition, suggesting, as was true inhistoric times, that she was the most important figure.The figures, boat, palms, and mountains are in red painton a light buff clay, typical of the Nagada II period.Though the abstract style is not typical of the later period,subject matter such as river scenes were popularthroughout ancient Egyptian history. If this is indeed areligious scene, it would be an early example of a commonEgyptian subject for art.ANIMAL RELIEF CARVING. Animal relief carving onivory began at the end of the pre-dynastic period. Onefine example of a knife handle, carved from elephantivory, includes 227 individual animals. Not only aremost of the species identifiable, but also the sculptorarranged the animals so that they are facing in the sameArts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt (2675 B.C.E.–332 B.C.E.) 273