Artisans of ancient Egypt
remarkable talent and extraordinary ability
Ancient Egyptians were truly master craftsmen and artisans who were fully aware of their remarkable talent and extraordinary ability. Some of the most alluring works of art that have immortalised the brightness and appeal of the ancient Egyptian civilisation were produced by the artisans of ancient Egypt. Due to their extraordinary talents, these artists were seen as socially superior to normal workers.
These artists, who were paid by the pharaoh, comprised stone masons, plasterers, draughtsman, sculptors, carvers, carpenters, painters, and scribes. They resided in artists' villages or "workshops" with their families.
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The Daily Life and Work of Artisans
The middle class in Egyptian civilization was the artisans. They resided in modest dwellings with their families. Usually rectangular in shape, their homes were just around 10 yards long. The front to rear of three rooms. The first room served as a workspace or a place to keep animals. Next was the living room. Kitchen and bedroom were separated in the last space. Sometimes people would work or sleep on the roof.
In big workshops, artisans generally collaborated with one another. Typically, they would work for ten days straight before taking a break. For nourishment, the employees had no other source but their bosses. During difficult times when food was scarce, craftsmen frequently went without meals.
For any project requiring hundreds of artisans, a pharaoh would hire them. The exquisite artwork that frequently adorned temples, royal tombs, and different monuments Working in sizable groups, they Hieroglyphics, full engravings, and paintings.
Despite the knowledge and imagination of craftspeople, the upper classes frequently perceived them as little more ordinary workers even the most accomplished creatives were seldom ever permitted to sign their creations. But some artists were given credit. Employers occasionally hosted a dinner for their preferred musician. On rare occasions, they allowed an artist to work. portraying oneself in an engraving or painting.
Types of Artisans
Various trades were the areas of specialisation for artisans.
Carpenters, jewellers, leatherworkers, metalworkers, painters, potters, sculptors, and weavers were among the workers in this class. Many lovely things were created by artisans, including exquisite furniture and magnificent jewellery.
Scenes from everyday life in Egypt were painted by artists. The majority of craftsmen were males, although some women manufactured perfume, beaded clothes, and woven fabric. The stone carvers were the craftspeople with the greatest talent. The sculptures, carvings, and reliefs seen in Egyptian temples, tombs, and monuments were made by them.
The construction of tombs involved a lot of stone carving.
Rich Egyptians were encouraged to buy beautiful tombs for themselves by their belief in an afterlife. To respect and protect the deceased, stone carvers assisted in decorating the graves. They produced stone coffins, intricate wall carvings, and sculptures of the departed.
Stone carving required a lot of effort and time. The carvers frequently used granite, a rock that is extremely hard. Dolerite, a hard rock, was used to pound out the original form of the sculpture. They then used stone tools and copper chisels to polish the form and add features. The item was then polished and buffed using quartz sand. Color was frequently applied by painters to the final piece.
Artists’ Materials
Stones, clay, wood, textiles, ivory, animal skins, bones, and feathers were the primary materials employed by ancient Egyptian artisans throughout this time period. Later in the history of Ancient Egypt, metal was employed in the manufacturing process. In addition to using ore that had been smelted into metal, they also used copper, tin, and iron. Gold was used since it was discovered in its metallic condition. Silver was used as an adjunct to gold.
Artists’ Tools
Axes, saws, adzes, chisels, moulds, mallets, levels with plumb lines, set squares with plumb lines, kilns, reed-made brushes and pens, pottery wheels, and palettes with wells for red and black ink were among the available tools. The government provided the equipment and materials used by tomb painters since they worked for the king. Scribes maintained track of the supplies of materials and tools as well as ongoing records of tool wear and tear in order to avoid theft. In order to guarantee that their priceless metals weren’t being stolen, they even weighed the equipment after usage. Sculptors’ workshops contained models for apprentices to practise on. These were usually made from limestone, which is easy to work with.
Artists’ notepads
Ostrakon, a Greek word, translates as “clay shard.” Sketchbooks and notepads were made from fragments of shattered pottery or flat limestone sherds in ancient Egypt. On ostraca, wall art was frequently developed and practised. These “notepads,” especially those discovered in artist communities like Athribis and Deir el-Medina, provide us with a window into life and art outside of the official catalogue.
Artists’ villages
A particularly specific group of labourers were paid to reside in a handful of tiny, specially constructed communities in ancient Egypt. These were the top-tier tomb builders and decorators hired to construct and embellish the tombs of pharaohs and other dignitaries. They comprised stone masons, plasterers, draughtsmen, sculptors, carvers, carpenters, painters, and scribes, and they were paid by the governing pharaoh. They resided in artists’ villages or “workshops” with their families.
Teams like this produced the complex wall paintings that adorned the affluent people’s graves, with each member specialising in a different media. The chambers of the tomb were first removed by the stone masons. The plasterers next applied a coat of gypsum and whitewash to the uneven walls. The walls were polished and smoothed before being sent to the draughtsmen, who outlined potential designs in red ink. The master draughtsman would next check these drawings for correctness using his black ink. The sculptors who meticulously chiselled out the pattern representing “eternity” were next in line. Then the painters would enter and begin to add colour. This formula was followed for thousands of years, with each trade being passed from father to son.
Dier el-Medina and the first industrial strike
In the artists’ community of Deir el-Medina, around November 1153 BCE, the first industrial strike was documented. The villagers’ men spent days demanding payment when the wheat and barley used to make beer that were owed to the workers as payment for their labor did not arrive on time. When no one looked, the construction workers held a sit-down protest in front of the tombs of Thutmose III, Ramesses II, and maybe Seti I. To the head of the temple precinct’s police force, the scribe Amennakhte said:
‘It is because of hunger and because of thirst that we came here. There is no clothing, no ointment, no fish, no vegetables. Send to Pharaoh our good Lord about it and send to the vizier our superior that sustenance may be made for us.’
The workmen received their supplies as a result of the central government being warned.
F.A.Q
The highly developed craftsmen of ancient Egypt included scribes, carpenters, stonemasons, sculptors, builders, weavers, blacksmiths, spinners, dressmakers, glass-blowers, potters, and weavers.
Craftsmen were significant because they created the burial gifts that kings and pharaohs needed for the afterlife. What products did artisans make? Paintings, sculptures, amulets, ceramics, and other items were created by artisans.
Middle class
There were three primary socioeconomic classes in ancient Egypt: upper, medium, and lower. The royal family, wealthy landowners, public servants, prominent clergymen, senior army officers, and physicians made comprised the upper class. Most members of the middle class were manufacturers, craftspeople, and merchants.
Artisans created the fine artwork that often covered temples, royal tombs, and other monuments.
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