While in Paris I was on a secret mission for my art history class back home. I was to find an ancient civilization and do a project relating to their art. There was never any question about which Ancient Culture I would choose to do this project on. For as long as I can remember I have been fascinated with Ancient Egypt. But I wanted to find an uncommon approach to this culture, and so I wanted to stay away from any funerary art and not focus on the extensive mortuary culture. Luckily, the Louvre offered great inspiration. Walking through the ancient Egyptian section of the museum, I was surprised to find preserved furniture, baskets and fabrics. It’s a miracle that fragments of these have still survived today. It sparked my interest and I wanted to learn more about the regular everyday life of these people. I saw many beautiful objects that gave a glimpse of what ancient Egyptian life was like. So in this presentation I would like to show pictures of some of these items and share a few of my own thoughts. (By the way I took all the pictures myself so some are a bit blurry and there were a few reflections too.)

Life on the River Nile

The Nile was of great importance to the Egyptians. It flooded the fields, leaving behind fertile silt, making agriculture flourish. But it was also the main transportation and communication route. This wonderfully preserved model boat was quite impressive to see,  the delicate ties and trellis survived over two millennia.

Another aspect of the Nile river was the wealth of fish it offered. In the left picture, we see a bas-releif of an Egyptian casting the nets. We can also see an ancient net. It is not a reconstructed piece, but an actual 3,000 net and hooks found in a tomb. The fact that something so fragile survived truly impressed me.

Here, on the right, is a splendid painted bas-releif. It’s a little tricky to see, especially with the reflection of the glass. But here is a scene with a plethora of fish and aquatic animals in the process of being fished. The colors made this piece quite interesting, despite the damage.