Reconciling the art of ancient Egypt: a study of the development of mediums, compositional techniques and representational concepts from the Predynastic to the Dynastic period

The art of the Predynastic Period is often described as “chaotic” and “undeveloped”. This opinion has resulted from a comparison between early Egyptian art and that of the Dynastic Period. The art of the Dynastic Period is bound by conventions which are strictly adhered to in its production, all of which are seen to have emerged with state unification. Because of this the Predynastic and Dynastic Periods are typically studied as separate traditions, with few features linking them together. This has resulted in a misunderstanding within the discipline by implying that the art of the Predynastic Period is not Egyptian art in the “proper sense”. This project will take a fresh look at the art of the Predynastic Period to establish that many of the conventions and themes of Dynastic art originated in earlier artistic productions. This will show that the art from earlier periods in Egyptian history are not a separate tradition from that of later periods, as much of the current scholarship suggests, but are a continuous evolution which reflects the social and cultural developments of the ancient Egyptian civilisation.