Exploration of Artistic and Cultural Links between Ancient Egypt and Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Despite being geographically located in Africa and the fact that the Egyptians themselves referred to their country as 'Kemet', meaning 'black land', as evident in inscriptions and documentation found by ancient archaeologists in Egypt (World Encyclopedia, 2005), Egypt has often been excluded by European art historians in discussions on the history, culture, and art of the African continent. Furthermore, Egypt is often erroneously identified as the root of European art history. However, as Jefferson (1973) rightly observed, the question of Egyptian influence on Africa or Africa on Egypt cannot be easily dismissed, as they must have shared or borrowed certain cultural elements. This paper provides a cursory examination of ancient Egyptian art forms and the underlying cultural philosophies to highlight the artistic and cultural exchange between Egypt and other African countries. Ancient Egyptian arts refer to the art created and utilised in Egypt from 3000 BC to the 3rd century AD, during which there was relatively little strong outside influence despite Egypt's early exposure to external influences. This paper uses secondary sources to establish the cultural and artistic similarities between Egypt and other African nations. It concludes that Egyptian art forms are not European in style and form, as they bear similarities with many African arts in form, content, symbolism, and philosophy.

Keywords: Affinity, Ancient Egypt, Art Forms, Culture, Philosophy, Sub-Saharan Africa

DOI: 10.7176/JCSD/73-10

Publication date: August 30^th 2024