EGYPT 



2822 



Egypt. Agriculture as depicted on ancient monuments. Left, four men hoaing, from Beni-Hasan ; right, a ploughing 



scene, from the necropolis at Memphis 



By courtesy of Chapman & Hall, Ltd. 



generally less able work ; hard 

 rocks were mostly used, and many 

 colossal statues were carved, rang- 

 ing to 900 and even 1,200 tons 

 weight. Though work declined in 

 the XlXth dynasty and onward, 

 there was a revival in the XXVth 

 and a modification by Greek in- 

 fluence after that ; but there is no 

 sculpture of merit after Alexander. 



Metal work mostly in copper 

 was skilfully wrought. Large 

 vessels were made by hammer 

 work, often figured in the tomb 

 sculptures ; a narrow-necked flask 

 of copper is only l-40th in. thick. 

 The casting, a thin form of copper 

 in place of a wax model, was 

 carried on from the Ilnd dynasty ; 

 for figures a core was made of ash 

 and clay, a thin coat of wax was 

 put over it and finely tooled, an 

 outer mould was placed around 

 that, the wax melted out, and 

 copper or bronze run in. The metal 

 is often not more than l-50th in. 

 thick. A ring handle playing loose 

 in its ring attachment were cast 

 all in one. Spinning thin metal 

 bowls in a lathe was perfectly done 

 in the XlXth dynasty. 



Jewelry was delicately made 

 as early as the prehistoric, when 

 minute beads of gold, and thin 

 gold worked over a core of lime- 

 stone, are found. In the 1st 

 dynasty gold was perfectly sol- 

 dered, and in the Xllth dynasty 

 there was the most delicate work 

 of soldering cloisons of gold on an 

 open-work basis, and inlaying with 

 hundreds of minutely cut pieces of 

 coloured stones turquoise, lazuli, 

 and cornelian. No later jewelry 



exceeded this in beauty and deli- 

 cacy, though the same style was 

 maintained till Greek times. Granu- 

 lated work was finely made in the 

 Xllth dynasty ; minute globules 

 of gold in close rows were soldered 

 on curved surfaces in regular pat- 



historic age, 1st and Xllth dynas' 

 ties, from some unknown source. 

 The great output of it in Egypt 

 was after the Syrian craftsmen 

 were brought in during the 

 XVIIIth dynasty. Then there 

 was an immense output of coloured 



terns with perfect precision. In the glass vases, beads, and other work. 

 XVIIIth dynasty there was less ' 

 delicacy, and the favourite process 

 was the inlaying of one metal in 

 another to form figures and scenes. 



Egypt. Harvest scene, as shown on a tomb at Gizeh 

 In the XXVth-XXXth dynasties Arab invas: 



This was revived in the Ptolemaic 

 and Roman times as minute in- 

 lay or mosaic work of the greatest 

 delicacy. Blown glass vessels were 



_ not known till 



late in the Greek 

 or Roman 

 period. Alex- 

 andria was the 

 main home of 

 fine glass work 

 in classical 

 times, until 

 superseded by 



this inlaying of gold thread in 

 bronze was carried out so as to 

 clothe statues completely with 

 designs copied from embroidery. 



Glazing was known from the 

 beginning of the prehistoric civiliz- 

 ation, and used to cover both 

 faience and stone. Vases with two- 

 colour glazing were made in the 

 1st dynasty, and tiles of many 

 colours in the Illrd dynasty. The 

 great development of glazing in 

 many colours was in the XVIIIth, 

 for tiles, inlay of walls, vases, dress 

 ornaments, and cheap jewelry. 

 Innumerable statuettes were made 

 of glazed ware, often with minute 

 detail of features, especially in the 

 XXVIth dynasty. Glass was 

 brought in rarely in the second pre- 



Venice after the 

 Painted glass 



lamps were the form of this craft 

 which was maintained by the 

 Arabs. The fine work of furni- 

 ture, gilding, stucco, weaving, and 

 other kinds cannot be well de- 

 scribed here ; but the Egyptian 

 was for thousands of years the 

 most skilful craftsman of the 

 world. 



W. M. Flinders Petrie 



Bibliography. The Manners and 

 Customs of the Ancient Egyptians, 

 J. G. Wilkinson, rev. ed. S. Birch, 

 1878 ; History of Egypt, vols. i-iii, 

 W. M. Flinders Petrie.. 1894, etc. ; 

 Primitive Art in Egypt, Jean Capart, 

 Eng. trans. A. S. Griffith, 1905; 

 Ancient Records of Egypt : historical 

 documents from the earliest times to 

 the Persian Conquest, collected and 

 edited with Eng. trans, by J. H. 



Egypt. Everyday scenes depicted in inscriptions. 1. Milking, from a tomb at Sakkarah. 2. Corn-grinding, figure 

 from Boulak. 3. Scribe registering the weighing of merchandise from Sakkarah 



By courlesy of Chapman & Hall, Ltd. 



