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Egypt in the Old Kingdom (ca. 2649–2150 b.c.)

• 

  Recumbent lion, Old Kingdom, Dynasty 4–early Dynasty 5 (ca. 2575–2450 B.C.)
  Egyptian
  Granite; L. 79 1/8 in. (201 cm), H. 34 1/4 in. (87 cm), W. 28 3/4 in. (73 cm)
  Purchase, Anonymous Gift, in honor of Annette de la Renta; Annette de la Renta Gift; and Anne and John V. Hansen Egyptian Purchase Fund, 2000 (2000.485)

• 
  Archers (detail), Old Kingdom, Dynasty 4, reigns of Khufu to Khafre, ca. 2551–2494 B.C.
  Egyptian; Excavated at Lisht, reused in the pyramid of Amenemhat I, probably originally from Giza
  Painted limestone; H. 10 in. (25.4 cm), W. 14 3/4 in. (37.5 cm)
  Rogers Fund and Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1922 (22.1.23)
  
• 
  King Sahure and a nome god, Old Kingdom, Dynasty 5, reign of Sahure, ca. 2458–2446 B.C.
  Egyptian
  Gneiss; H. 25 1/4 in. (64 cm), W. 18 1/8 in. (46 cm), D. 16 3/8 in. (41.5 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1918 (18.2.4)
  
• 
  Sistrum, Old Kingdom, Dynasty 6, reign of Teti, ca. 2323–2291 B.C.
  Egyptian
  Egyptian alabaster; H. 10 1/2 in. (26.5 cm)
  Purchase, Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1926 (26.7.1450)
  
• 
  Two Vases in the Shape of a Mother Monkey with Her Young
  
  (a) Old Kingdom, Dynasty 6, reign of Merenre I, ca. 2255–2246 B.C.
  Egyptian
  Egyptian alabaster; H. 7 1/4 in. (18.5 cm)
  Theodore M. Davis Collection, Bequest of Theodore M. Davis, 1915 (30.8.134)
  
  (b) Old Kingdom, Dynasty 6, reign of Pepi I, ca. 2289–2255 B.C.
  Egyptian
  Egyptian alabaster; H. 5 3/8 in. (13.7 cm)
  Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, Fletcher Fund, and Lila Acheson Wallace, Russell and Judy Carson, William Kelly Simpson, and Vaughn Foundation Gifts, in honor of Henry George Fischer, 1992 (1992.338)
  
• 
  Statue of Memi and Sabu, Old Kingdom, Dynasty 4, ca. 2575–2465 B.C.
  Egyptian; Probably from Giza
  Painted limestone; H. 24 3/8 in. (62 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1948 (48.111)
  

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Egypt's Old Kingdom (Dynasties 3–6, ca. 2649–2150 B.C.) was one of the most dynamic periods in the development of Egyptian art. During this period, artists learned to express their culture's worldview, creating for the first time images and forms that endured for generations. Architects and masons mastered the techniques necessary to build monumental structures in stone. Sculptors created the earliest portraits of individuals and the first lifesize statues in wood, copper, and stone. They perfected the art of carving intricate relief decoration and, through keen observation of the natural world, produced detailed images of animals, plants, and even landscapes, recording the essential elements of their world for eternity in scenes painted and carved on the walls of temples and tombs.

Although much of their artistic effort was centered on preserving life after death, Egyptians also surrounded themselves with beautiful objects to enhance their lives in this world.

Related

Timelines (3)

• Egypt, 8000
• Sudan, 2000–1000 b.c.
• Sudan, 8000–2000 b.c.

Primary Thematic Essays (4)

• Egypt in the Late Period (ca. 712-332 B.C.)
• Egypt in the Middle Kingdom (ca.2030-1640 B.C.)
• Egypt in the New Kingdom (ca.1550-1070 B.C.)
• List of Rulers of Ancient Egypt and Nubia

Other Thematic Essays (6)

• Couples in Art
• Egyptian Red Gold
• Egyptian Revival
• List of Rulers of Ancient Sudan
• Minoan Crete
• Tutankhamun's Funeral

Maps (1)

• World, 8000-2000 B.C.

Index Terms (13)

Art Movement/Style

• Eleventh Dynasty of Egypt in the 1st Intermediate Period
• Fifth and Sixth Dynasties of Egypt in the Old Kingdom
• Fourth Dynasty of Egypt in the Old Kingdom

Geography/Place

• Egypt
• Sudan

Material and Technique

• Sculpture in the Round from Egypt and Western North America
• Relief Sculpture from Africa and Egypt

Object

• Figural Vessel from Africa and Egypt

Subject Matter/Theme

• Monkey
• Archaeology from Africa and Egypt
• Ruler from Egypt
• Motherhood
• Portrait Sculpture from Africa and Egypt

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These images and structures had two principal functions: to ensure an ordered existence and to defeat death by preserving life into the next world. To these ends, over a period of time, Egyptian artists adopted a limited repertoire of standard types and established a formal artistic canon that would define Egyptian art for more than 3,000 years, while remaining flexible enough to allow for subtle variation and innovation.




Although much of their artistic effort was centered on preserving life after death, Egyptians also surrounded themselves with beautiful objects to enhance their lives in this world, producing elegant jewelry, finely carved and inlaid furniture, and cosmetic vessels and implements in a wide variety of materials.



Catharine H. Roehrig Department of Egyptian Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Citation Roehrig, Catharine H. "Egypt in the Old Kingdom (ca. 2649–2150 B.C.)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/oking/hd_oking.htm (October 2000) Further Reading Egyptian Art in the Age of the Pyramids. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1999. Hayes, William C. The Scepter of Egypt: A Background for the Study of Egyptian Antiquities. 2 vols.. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1953-59. Schulz, Regine, and Matthias Seidel, eds. Egypt: The World of the Pharaohs. Cologne: Könemann, 1998. Related exhibitions and online features Special Exhibitions (including upcoming, current, and past exhibitions)

These related Museum Bulletin or Journal articles may or may not represent the most current scholarship. Arnold, Dorothea "An Egyptian Bestiary." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 52, no. 4 (Spring, 1995). JSTOR | PDF | Supplemental PDFs "Director’s Note" PDF "Introduction" PDF Arnold, Dorothea "Amenemhat I and the Early Twelfth Dynasty at Thebes." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 26 (1991). JSTOR | PDF Dorman, Peter, Edna R. Russmann, and Christine Lilyquist "Egyptian Art." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 41, no. 3 (Winter, 1983–84). JSTOR | PDF | Supplemental PDFs "Curator’s Forward" PDF "Director’s Note" PDF Fischer, Henry George "The Evolution of Composite Hieroglyphs in Ancient Egypt." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 12 (1977). JSTOR | PDF Ancient Egypt in the Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vols. 1–11.. JSTOR | PDF Fischer, Henry George "Some Early Monuments from Busiris, in the Egyptian Delta. Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 11 (1976). JSTOR | PDF Fischer, Henry G. "An Elusive Shape within the Fisted Hands of Egyptian Statues." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 10 (1975). JSTOR | PDF Fischer, Henry George "Redundant Determinatives in the Old Kingdom." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 8 (1973). JSTOR | PDF Fischer, Henry George "Old Kingdom Cylinder Seals for the Lower Classes." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 6 (1972). JSTOR | PDF Fischer, Henry George "Some Emblematic Uses of Hieroglyphs with Particular Reference to an Archaic Ritual Vessel." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 5 (1972). JSTOR | PDF Fischer, Henry George "Sunshades of the Marketplace." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 6 (1972). JSTOR | PDF Fischer, Henry George "The Gallatin Egyptian Collection." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 25, no. 7 (March, 1967). JSTOR | PDF Scott, Nora E. "Two Reliefs of the Early Old Kingdom." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New ser., v. 19, no. 7 (March, 1961). JSTOR | PDF Fischer, Henry George "A Foreman of Stoneworkers and His Family." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New ser., v. 17, no. 6 (February, 1959). JSTOR | PDF