#predynastic egypt

[memories-of-ancients]

Animal combs, Predynastic Egypt, 3900-3500 BC

from The MET

[bronzeageecho]

beads from tomb m10 at zaouiyet el-mayetin | c. 3600 - 3000 BCE | predynastic egypt, naqada ii culture

in the louvre collection, top to bottom: 1 2 3 4 5 6

[yaellaharpe-blog]

She once danced on the Nile; today she dances at the Brooklyn Museum in New York. She comes straight from Predynastic Egypt, specifically from the Naqada II period, which dates from around 3500 to 3200 BC.

(English / Español / Italiano)

This delicate Neolithic figurine, made of painted terracotta and known as ‘the Goddess of the Nile’ or ‘the Dancer of the Nile’, depicts a sort of prehistoric dancer, faceless and with her arms raised gracefully above her head; her body is slender, stretching out into the void, and she has wide hips.

It has often been suggested that her limbs, raised gracefully high above her head, represent the horns of the goddess Hathor, an important Egyptian deity who was the personification of the joys of dance and music. During the Predynastic period, several statuettes of female figures—perhaps goddesses or priestesses—were found in the act of dancing with their arms raised above their heads, perhaps re-enacting a ritual unknown to us today.

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Bailaba a orillas del Nilo; hoy baila en el Museo de Brooklyn de Nueva York. Procede directamente del Egipto predinástico, concretamente del periodo Naqada II, que abarca aproximadamente desde el 3500 hasta el 3200 a. C.

Esta delicada estatuilla neolítica, realizada en terracota pintada y conocida como «la Diosa del Nilo» o «la Bailarina del Nilo», representa una especie de bailarina prehistórica, sin rostro y con los brazos levantados armoniosamente por encima de la cabeza; su cuerpo es esbelto, se eleva en el vacío y tiene las caderas anchas.

Se ha hipotetizado en varias ocasiones que sus extremidades, elevadas armoniosamente muy por encima de su cabeza, son una representación de los cuernos de la diosa Hathor, importante deidad egipcia, que era la personificación de las alegrías de la danza y la música. Durante el periodo predinástico se han encontrado varias estatuillas de figuras femeninas, tal vez diosas o sacerdotisas, en actitud de baile con los brazos levantados por encima de la cabeza, quizá reproduciendo un ritual que hoy nos es desconocido.

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Danzava sul Nilo, oggi balla al Brooklyn Museum di New York. Arriva direttamente dall’Egitto predinastico, e precisamente dal periodo Naqada II che va dal 3500 al 3200 a.C. circa.

Questa delicata statuina neolitica, realizzata in terracotta dipinta e conosciuta come “la Dea del Nilo” o “la Danzatrice del Nilo”, rappresenta una sorta di ballerina preistorica, senza volto e con le braccia armonicamente alzate sopra la testa; il suo corpo è snello, slanciato nel vuoto e con fianchi larghi.

Si è più volte ipotizzato che i suoi arti, elevati armonicamente ben sopra il suo capo sono una rappresentazione delle corna della dea Hathor, importante divinità egizia, la quale era la personificazione delle gioie della danza e della musica. Durante il periodo predinastico sono state trovate diverse statuine di figure femminili, forse dee o sacerdotesse, nell’atto di ballare con le braccia alzate sopra le loro teste, forse a riprendere un rituale a noi oggi sconosciuto.

Source: Amanti della storia antica

[dwellerinthelibrary]

A pottery bowl with human feet. I love this silly thing. The Met says it resembles the hieroglyph meaning “to bring”, though (amateur theory warning) I’ve always wondered if it was meant to spell wab, “to wash”.

When: Predynastic Egypt

Where: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

[tyrannoninja]

Lady Matet for Connlyn Sinclair

A piece of gift art for my Tumblr mutual and fellow writer Connlyn Sinclair, aka @bard-forged-girl-writingpage, showing her OC Lady Matet. Lady Matet is an exiled priestess from predynastic Egypt who serves the cat goddess Bastet and is married to a Proto-Indo-European bard with whom she makes a living fighting monsters. Definitely my kind of heroine!

[discocuttlefish]

Predynastic Egyptian bowl, Late Naqada I - Naqada II, c. 3700-3450 BC

From the Metropolitan Museum of Art:

'In the Predynastic Period, potters created a wide variety of ceramic vessels. One unusual type is a bowl with supports shaped like human feet. This simple, round bowl, tipped slightly forward as if to offer its contents, has two such feet solidly attached to its underside. Made from Nile clay, the bowl has a smoothed, slipped, and polished surface, giving it a light sheen. The bowl standing on feet is very similar in form to the Egyptian hieroglyph meaning "to bring." Since none of the known bowls of this type comes from a well-understood context, archaeologists cannot interpret their original use. Perhaps vessels like this were placed above a tomb to present offerings from the living to the deceased, a practice that was an established part of funerary ritual in pharaonic Egypt. Alternatively, they may have held offerings to a deity in his shrine.'

[homerstroystory]

Palette depicting a pair of mud turtles, Predynastic Egypt/Early Naqada II (c. 3650-3500 BCE), stone (greywacke)

currently in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City), accession no. 10.176.78

[blackrainbowblade]

Predynastic Egypt - bird headed man, pots showing boats in procession, and the world's oldest model of a cow (allegedly).