ANCIENT EGYPT

Stepped Pyramid

The Pyramid of Djoser (Zoser), or step pyramid (kbhw-ntrw in Egyptian) is an archeological remain in the Saqqara necropolis, Egypt, northwest of the city of Memphis. It was built for the burial of Pharaoh Djoser by his vizier Imhotep, during the 27th century BC. It is the central feature of a vast mortuary complex in an enormous courtyard surrounded by ceremonial structures a
nd decoration.

This first Egyptian pyramid consisted of six mastabas (of decreasing size) built atop one another in what were clearly revisions and developments of the original plan. The pyramid originally stood 62 meters tall, and having a base of 109 x 125 m and was clad in polished white limestone.^[1] The step pyramid (or proto-pyramid) is considered to be the earliest large-scale stone construction, although the nearby enclosure known as Gisr el-mudir would seem to predate the complex.

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Giza

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Menkaure (king) and Khamerernebty (queen)

Ancient Egyptian sculptors were very busy creating sculptures of wealthy kings and their families. Sculptors created images of the dead to guarantee the permanence of the person’s identity by providing substitute homes for the ka in case the mummy didn’t survive the test of time. The ka is the life-force of a human, kind of like their soul. Upon death, the Egyptians believed the ka lived on in a person’s body. For the ka to live on, the dead body had to remain as intact as possible. To insure that it did, the Egyptians developed the technique of mummification.

One of the best examples of Egyptian sculpture of this kind is the joined portrait statues of Menkaure and Khamerernebty, a king and his queen. The sculpture is 4 feet 6.5 inches high, making it nearly life size. It stood by Menkaure’s pyramid, the smallest of the Great Pyramids. It is made a slate, a very hard stone common to Egypt.

In true godlike fashion, Menkaure and Khamerernebty are shown with perfect bodies and faces. The Egyptians considered ideal proportions appropriate for representing their royalty and did not all concern themselves with what the kings and queens looked like in real life. King Menkaure could have been wrinkly and chubby when he died but his status as a king guaranteed that he would be remembered as a youthful and well toned man—the way he would want to be for eternity in the afterlife.

You might also notice that Menkaure and his wife are standing very stiffly. Their arms are pressed right up against their sides, their legs are very close together and looking straight forward with perfect posture. The sculptor did this on purpose: to make sure the sculpture lasted for eternity. By making the figures very compact and solid without any arms or legs projecting out, the sculpture has very few breakable parts. The king’s headdress and the queen’s long hair also act to support the neck which is one of the most fragile parts of sculpture. Because of the way it was made, this sculpture has lasted for nearly 5000 years and with it the image and memory of Menkaure and Khamerernebty.

Although Menkaure and Khamerernebty were husband and wife, you may never know it by the way they are depicted. At least not by our standards. But Khamerernebty’s position, with her arm around her husband’s waist and her hand resting on his left arm, was the typical gesture of marriage in Ancient Egypt. During the time it was made, anyone looking at this statue would immediately know they are married and will be for the rest of time.
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