Ancient Art: Egypt //
Get Started
This a subject guide for finding materials on the arts of ancient Egypt in the UArts Libraries. Reference materials are listed first, since that's a great way to start. The next tab is a list of subject headings you can use to search the library catalog, followed by a tab on finding articles and finally websites.
You may also be interested in the subject guide on mythology.
Reference Materials
Oxford Art OnlineGreat place to start any art-related research. Oxford Art Online includes subject guides (see Ancient Egypt) and timelines in addition to the articles.
For a topic as large as Ancient Egypt, try a fairly specific search such as Egypt, Ancient; Tutankhamun; Amarna; Akhenaten; etc. You can find Oxford Art Online under Reference Sources, or search it right here:
Cultural Atlas of Ancient Egypt.
By John Baines and Jaromir Malek. NY: Checkmark Books, 2000. Rev. ed.
Greenfield REF DT60 .B34 2000
The Dictionary of Ancient Egypt.
Ian Shaw and Paul Nicholson in association with the British Museum. NY: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1995.
Greenfield REF DT58 .S55 1995
Short articles, alphabetically arranged, with brief bibliographies for each article. Includes maps, chronology, and an index.
Historical Dictionary of Ancient Egypt.
By Morris L. Bierbrier. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 1999.
Greenfield REF DT83 .B56 1999
Brief definitions, alphabetically arranged. Extensive bibliographies at the end.
An Illustrated Dictionary of the Gods and Symbols of Ancient Egypt.
By Manfred Lurker.
Greenfield REF AM1 .M86 1905
The Complete Dictionary of Symbols.
Jack Tressider, general editor.
Greenfield REF GR931 .C65 2005
From Christmas tree to Chronos, from halo to hammer to hand, this wide-ranging dictionary provides basic information on symbols, gods, and saints.
Find Books
Use the University Libraries catalog to find books, videos, CDs, scores, etc. Use the following subject headings in the online catalog. These subject headings are standard and are used in most libraries.
- AKHENATON, KING OF EGYPT
- ARCHITECTURE, ANCIENT--EGYPT
- ARCHITECTURE, EGYPTIAN
- ART, EGYPTIAN
- ART, EGYPTIAN--THEMES, MOTIVES
- EGYPT--ANTIQUITIES
- EGYPT--CIVILIZATION
- EGYPT--CIVILIZATION--TO 332 B.C.
- EGYPT--HISTORY--TO 332 B.C.
- EGYPT--HISTORY--NEW KINGDOM
- EGYPT--HISTORY--OLD KINGDOM
- EGYPT--RELIGION
- EGYPTIAN LANGUAGE--WRITING
- EGYPTOLOGY--HISTORY
- FUNERAL RITES AND CEREMONIES--EGYPT
- MUSIC--EGYPT--TO 500
- MYTHOLOGY, EGYPTIAN
- NEFERTITI, QUEEN OF EGYPT
- MYTHOLOGY, EGYPTIAN
- PAINTING, EGYPTIAN
- RAMSES II, KING OF EGYPT
- SCULPTURE, EGYPTIAN
- TEMPLES--EGYPT
- TOMBS--EGYPT
- TUTANKHAMEN, KING OF EGYPT
Find Articles
On the library home page you can enter a search in OneSearch, which will find books, articles, videos, etc. You may also choose to go the library's Article Databases page for a list of the UArts Libraries' subscription databases. Check out the following for this topic:
EBSCOhost has full-text and scholarly articles covering a wide range of subjects.
JSTOR is all full-text, scholarly articles.
Web Sites
Art History Resources on the Web
A highly regarded long-standing website put together by Dr. Christopher L. C. E. Witcombe, a professor of art history.
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
From the Metropolitan Museum of Art, this chronology is chock-full of images and includes essays by Met curators. Scroll down to see Egypt and the time period you're looking for.
"The Penn Museum houses one of the largest collections of Egyptian and Nubian material in the United States, numbering in excess of 42,000 items. Assembled through nearly a century of archaeological research, this collection is unusual in that the vast majority of the objects were obtained through archaeological investigations in Egypt and entered the Museum through a division of finds with Egypt's Antiquities Service." You can view highlights of the collection. Worth a visit!