LIB538
Deciphering Ancient Egyptian Art
Have you ever wondered what secrets, magic spells and stories are painted in ancient Egyptian tombs? Are you curious about why the pharaohs always “Walk Like an Egyptian”? The archaeological remains of ancient Egypt are full of imagery, history and even surprises that we can decipher when we understand how the art “works”. We’ll learn how the ancient Egyptians used artistic rules and long-lived stylistic traditions to turn stone, plaster and other materials into rich compositions that have preserved their stories through the millennia. We’ll even get familiar with reading a few hieroglyphs!
This course is offered in person.
A $50 discount is available during check-out for adults 55+.
Overview
Location: Vancouver
Duration: 6 weeks
Tuition: $180 plus GST
Can be applied to:
Liberal Arts for 55+ Certificate
Upcoming Offerings
- Thu, Jan 15, 11:30 a.m. - 1:20 p.m. Pacific Time (class/lecture)
- Thu, Jan 22, 11:30 a.m. - 1:20 p.m. Pacific Time (class/lecture)
- Thu, Jan 29, 11:30 a.m. - 1:20 p.m. Pacific Time (class/lecture)
- Thu, Feb 5, 11:30 a.m. - 1:20 p.m. Pacific Time (class/lecture)
- Thu, Feb 12, 11:30 a.m. - 1:20 p.m. Pacific Time (class/lecture)
- Thu, Feb 19, 11:30 a.m. - 1:20 p.m. Pacific Time (class/lecture)
Course outline
- Week 1: Ancient Egypt and artwork
“Ancient Egypt” existed from approximately 3000 BCE to 664 BCE, but the art of this culture still captures the modern imagination. We’ll discuss a basic overview of ancient Egyptian history, and start learning about the common motifs used in Egyptian artwork. - Week 2: Words and forms
Creating ancient Egypt’s distinctive artistic style required artists to follow certain rules dictating how images should look. We’ll break down how these artistic conventions “work” (including why figures “Walk Like an Egyptian”) and we’ll start exploring ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. - Week 3: Kings and gods
Just as some modern workers wear uniforms, the ancient Egyptians depicted their kings and gods wearing certain regalia (and sometimes with animal heads). In this session, we’ll learn the visual characteristics that can be used to identify pharaohs and deities. - Week 4: Temples and magic (and sometimes curses)
The impressive temples built by ancient Egyptians contain a wide variety of artwork to study. However, portable ritual objects also reveal clues about the power of symbols in religious rituals, prayer, and even curses. We’ll discuss these symbols and more. - Week 5: Death and the afterlife
Modern people are often curious about ancient Egyptian funerary traditions—but what did the decorations on tombs, sarcophagi and canopic jars mean to the ancient Egyptians? We’ll explore what and how these artworks can teach us about the ancient Egyptian afterlife. - Week 6: Foreigners and the future
Ancient Egypt wasn’t completely isolated from other cultures—people from the Mediterranean, southwest Asia and eastern Africa brought new goods to Egypt and new ideas to Egyptian artwork. We’ll also examine how ancient Egyptian art weaves its way through modern culture.
What you will learn
By the end of the course, you should be able to:
- Describe common symbols in ancient Egyptian artwork, and their meaning(s)
- Identify kings, deities and common scenes in ancient Egyptian artwork
- Compare our modern ideas about ancient Egyptian art with its original intended purpose(s)
How you will learn
- Lectures
- Viewing films
- Engaging in class activities and discussions
- Supplementary resources accessed through Canvas
- Reflective essay (applicable only to certificate students)
Learning Materials
No textbook is required. We will provide all course materials online.
Technical Requirements
Handouts and other course resources will be available on Canvas, SFU’s online learning system.
To access the resources, you should be comfortable with:
- Using everyday software such as browsers, email and social media
- Navigating a website by clicking on links and finding pages in a menu
- Downloading and opening PDF documents