Question

Prompt: Attribute the work shown to the specific culture from the Ancient Mediterranean (3500 B.C.E–300 C.E.) that created it. Using at least two examples of specific visual evidence, justify your attribution by describing relevant similarities between the work shown and other work of the same type by the same specific culture. Using at least two examples of specific visualand/or contextual evidence, explain how the work reflects the cultural context in which works of this type were created. The book of the death of Hunefer,r, found in the tomb of Pharaoh Seti I’s courtiers, was created in the style of the Old Kingdom in Egypt. It was produced using papyrus, and there were many different scenes illustrated and predicted across the pages. The scene illustrates a visual of what Egyptians saw as their last judgement after their deaths

Answer 1

The Book of the Dead of Hunefer is attributed to the Ancient Egyptian culture due to stylistic consistencies, like the use of hierarchical proportions and symbolic imagery, and culturally significant themes like the importance of afterlife. Egyptian art forms were remarkably stable over 3000 years, reflecting the conservative nature of Egyptian society, politics, and religious beliefs.

Step-by-step explanation:

Attribution and Cultural Context of Ancient Egyptian Art

The Book of the Dead of Hunefer, created during Ancient Egypt, is an exemplary artifact of the culture's funerary art. It is attributed to the civilization of the Nile Valley due to its stylistic and iconographic consistencies seen across Egyptian art history, which dates from 5000 BCE to 300 CE. Specifically, the Book of the Dead is associated with the Old Kingdom aesthetic, despite its creation during the 19th Dynasty in the New Kingdom, due to the conservative nature of Egyptian art.

Two examples of visual evidence supporting this attribution include the representation of a judgment scene, reflective of the cultural emphasis on afterlife, and the use of papyrus as a medium, which was common in Egyptian manuscripts. The consistent elements of Egyptian art, like the use of hierarchical proportions and symbolic imagery, provide telling similarities.

Moreover, Egyptian culture's distinct focus on life after death, ritualized religious beliefs, and the conservation of historical knowledge are contextual evidences mirrored in this work.

Throughout the 3000-year period of Ancient Egyptian civilization, art forms saw relatively limited outside influence and maintained a remarkable stable aesthetic. Whether it was large pyramids or intricate sculptures, the importance placed on the afterlife remained unchanged, and the cultural practices were embedded in the artwork produced, as seen by Hunefer's Book of the Dead.

Additionally, the continuity in rulership and the political structure factored into the congruous progression of Egyptian art styles over millennia.