Ancient Egypt is a subject cloaked in fantastic mystery. The most recognizable symbols of ancient Egypt -- the Great Pyramids, the Sphinx, mummified bodies and ornate sarcophogi -- seem to challenge the limits of human comprehension. The scale and extravagance of ancient Egyptian art coupled with its interminable link to Egyptian religion often overwhelm the human mind and inspire thoughts of the eternal. In light of this, it is easy to overlook the human aspect of these accomplishments.
Eternal Egypt is a traveling exhibit of 144 pieces on loan from the British Museum's Egyptian collection currently on display at the Walters Art Museum. The exhibit reminds us that at the root of the almost supernatural artistic achievements of the Egyptian lies human inspiration and ability. The exhibit portrays the ancient Egyptians' fascination with the divine, and the afterlife, but more importantly the constant effort of the Egyptian man to influence and even control the divine -- a concept fairly alien to traditional Judeo-Christian religion.
The Eternal Egypt exhibit includes sculptures, papyrus texts, jewelry and other ancient Egyptian art, almost all of which come from the tombs of the Pharaohs and lesser Egyptian officials. This intimate connection of the artwork with the Egyptian royalty accounts for the subject matter, and the supreme quality of the pieces. Accordingly, some of the most stunning pieces are the depictions of the pharaohs.
The Head of Amenhotep III, nearly four feet tall, is an imposing figure to behold (especially when considering that it came from a standing statue 26 ft. in height). The head, carved from quartzite -- a russet, somewhat marbled stone -- demonstrates the close association of the Pharaoh to the divine. The headdress and certain facial features identify the figure as Amenhotep III, but the smooth, relaxed lips, and the expressionless eyes give the figure a countenance of divine content.
It is important to remember that the entombed artifacts were more functional than decorative. The ancient Egyptians believed that by placating the gods with funerary offerings, and providing the soul of the deceased with the necessary objects they could ensure the successful passage of the deceased into the afterlife.
One such object was the funerary stela -- an elaborately carved and painted stone slab set up in the tomb. Several stelae are displayed in the exhibit. The Fragmentary Stela with Akhenaten portrays Akhenaten slouching under the rays of the sun deity Aten whom he worshiped exclusively. The Unfinished Stela of Userwer is a illuminating work-in-progress -- the unfinished lower portion is covered with a grid of lines on top of which the outlines of the pictures to be carved are drawn in ink. The stelae represented an important point of contact between the living and the dead -- it was a point of offering to the deceased who, if a pharaoh, also constituted a deity.
Hieroglyphics are present on nearly every artifact in the exhibit. These pictograms had a certain magical quality for the ancient Egyptian. It was believed that what was written in hieroglyphics, by the magical power inherent in the symbols, was assured to come about. This is most easily observed in the funerary papyri buried with the deceased known as The Book of the Dead, which was a guide for the journey of the deceased to the afterlife. Its hieroglyphics composed speeches and answers which the deceased would need to offer to various deities, and magical spells to protect the deceased on his journey.
Eternal Egypt contains six fragments of papyrus scrolls from the Book of the Dead made for the scribe Ani -- these are some of the rarest and most valuable pieces in the whole collection. The papyri are covered with ornate illustrations, depicting Ani in various stages of his journey and the gods whom he encounters. The most important papyrus is that which depicts the scene of Ani's judgment. In order to determine if his soul is pure enough to enter the afterlife, his heart is weighed against Maat (the personification of truth, symbolized by a feather). By illustrating this suspenseful moment of truth, Ani's fate is forever frozen in time.
The interplay of human and divine is present throughout the Eternal Egypt exhibit. In some places the human and the divine were consolidated into one -- the sculptures of pharaohs with the faces of deities. Elsewhere, we see direct encounters of humans with the divine -- the judgment of the scribe Ani by the god Anubis. Eternal Egypt shows the evolution of this relationship over the 3000 years of Egyptian culture. Constant throughout this span is the idea that while the gods control the universe, through art and offerings, man could in essence control the gods.
Eternal Egypt will remain at the Walters until Jan. 18, 2004. It is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 11:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Tickets are $8 for students with a college ID.
