Egyptian Papyrus Art
You’ve probably seen Egyptian papyrus art recreated on greeting cards, wall hangings and posters. It’s one of the most fun souvenirs to buy and some of it really is beautifully crafted. I’ve put together a small collection of my favorite pieces that I’ve gathered over the years.
What I love the most about the first piece is the subtle similarity between ancient Egyptian women and some of the women I’ve encountered in the more rural areas of Egypt today, especially in Upper Egypt.
I don’t know if the artist did that on purpose or it some of the old features still live on till today.
Lades By the Tree
Do you see those large cones on top of their heads? Those are perfume cones, made from animal fat injected with the essence or oil of flowers. As they melted from the heat, they’d release the scent.
Cattle were very important for ancient Egyptians and people took great care of their herds. Cows were not only symbols of wealth and status, they were also deified. Many ancient Egyptian goddesses appeared in cow-form.
You can see the herders milking the cows and trying to help them cross the Nile with crocodiles underneath!
The Scarab Beetle is one of the most popular symbols you’ll see depicted in Egyptian Papyrus Art. Here, the winged scarab is carrying the sun.
Music and dancing were a big part of both banquets and religious celebration. In fact, many of the religious holidays were all about eating, drinking (a lot), having fun and dancing.
Tree of Life
This is a great example of greeting cards made with papyrus. Depicted in this one is the ancient Egyptian Tree of Life. The Tree of Life in general is a universal symbol throughout many mystical traditions.
In ancient Egyptian mythology, it can sometimes represent the Acacia tree which contained hallucinogenic properties that led to strange mystical experiences, or the Sycamore tree which was considered sacred as it related to many deities, as well as life and death.
Working the Field
A snapshot of daily life for farmers and other laborers. A similar image is used to depict the Field of Reeds, the ancient Egyptian heaven, where people continue doing what they did during their lives, forever…
Tough life for some! But they had interesting tricks to get around that fate, such as the Ushabti.
At the bottom, however, you get to see the men relaxing after their hard day’s work by playing games, playing music and socializing.
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