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Late in the Second Intermediate Period, the
Theban rulers of the 17th Dynasty began to drive
the Hyksos kings of the 15th Dynasty from the
Delta. This expulsion was completed by the
reign of Pharaoh Ahmose I, who reunited Egypt,
ushering in a period that would be known as the
New Kingdom, the third great era of Egyptian
culture. Ahmose's successors in the 18th
Dynasty conducted military campaigns that
extended Egypt's influence in the Near East and
established Egyptian control of Nubia to the
fourth cataract. As a result, the New Kingdom
pharaohs commanded unimaginable wealth,
much of which they lavished on their gods,
especially Amun-Re of Thebes, whose cult
temple at Karnak was augmented by succeeding
generations of rulers and filled with votive
statues commissioned by kings and courtiers
alike. Although the rulers of the 19th Dynasty
established an administrative capital near their
home in the Delta, Thebes remained a cultural
and religious center. The pharaohs built their
mortuary temples here and were buried in huge
rock-cut tombs decorated with finely executed
paintings or painted relief sculptures illustrating
religious texts concerned with the afterlife. A
town was established in western Thebes for the
artists who created these tombs. At this site
(Deir el-Medina), they left a wealth of
information about life in an ancient Egyptian
community of artisans and craftsmen. Known
especially for monumental architecture and
statuary honoring the gods and pharaohs, the
New Kingdom, a period of nearly five hundred
years of political stability and economic
prosperity, also produced an abundance of
artistic masterpieces created for use by nonroyal
individuals.
This diminutive stone head of a man is a
masterpiece of Ancient Egyptian art, revealing
the intricate detail and stylized idealization that
Egyptian art is famed for. Fractured at the
bottom of the chin, this head would have surely
once been attached to a larger, full-bodied
sculpture. However, even in its fragmented
state, it seems complete. We are able to
appreciate the idealized youth of the man and
the beauty of the carving. Strong cosmetic lines
mark the eyes and brow. He has a full, fleshy
face with a mouth that arches slightly towards
the corners in a sweet smile. The texture of his
thick head of hair has been indicated by a brick
pattern radiating outwards from the top center.
This pattern is typical of Egyptian art and may
represent layers of short, tightly braided locks.
- (X.0431)
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