Egyptian Art and Architecture

This course surveys ancient Egyptian art from around 3000 BC to Graeco-Roman times, with examples and detailed material being drawn mainly from the second half of the period. The approach ranges from discussion of the postion of art in Egyptian society to detailed study of individual artifacts and types. The Egyptian collections in the Ashmolean Museum are used for part of the course. The lectures move from architecture – notably temples and tombs – within which works belonging to other genres were sited, to relief, painting, statuary, decorative and ephemeral arts, genres such as the stela and the sarcophagus, and the legacy of Egyptian art in the West. Issues raised by the material include the nature of artistic traditions, art and agency, representational forms, text and image, and approaches to iconography. Some of these are explored in lectures and in classes and tutorials.

Teaching is by compulsory lectures in Michaelmas and Hilary terms of the second year, in addition to tutorials and classes normally in Trinity Term. There will be a collection on the content of the lectures before students are permitted to participate in tutorials and classes. (Convenor: Prof. J. Baines, Oriental Institute).