Egyptian Social History: Art in Context

The course deals with Ancient Egyptian art. The participants learn to do in-depth analysis of different objects of art and their function from around 3500 BC until the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. The development of different kinds of statues from portable to colossal made of different materials such as metal, wood, stone and clay forms part of this course as well as the development of paintings and reliefs. The function of different materials and colours and their symbolic meaning also form an essential part. In addition, the analysis and study of technical aspects provides for a better understanding of the materiality of objects of art. The study of objects of ancient Egyptian art is embedded in an in-depth analysis of social processes behind art production, economic considerations and the organisation of work.