Through the Eyes of the Beholder

Motifs (Re)Interpreted in the 27th Dynasty

Bibliographic Data

ID21974077
AuthorsMarissa Stevens (Pourdavoud Institute for the Study of the Iranian World, The University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume13
Issue3
Pages76
Publication date2024-04-23
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueArts (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2076-0752 • E-ISSN: 2076-0752
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/arts13030076
OpenAlexW4395034167
LanguageEN
References cited15

This paper aims to highlight examples of artistic motifs common throughout Egyptian history but augmented in novel ways during the 27th Dynasty, a time when Egypt was part of the Achaemenid empire and ruled by Persian kings. These kings represented themselves as traditional pharaohs within Egypt’s borders and utilized longstanding Egyptian artistic motifs in their monumental constructions. These motifs, however, were manipulated in subtle ways to send targeted messages to audience(s) of this art. Art historians tend to situate visual styles and motifs within the longue durée of artistic tradition and pick a singular, official, and centralized perspective to narrate the history and reception of that art. In the case of Egypt, this perspective is often that of the king, and there is an assumption that there was a monolithic message sent to his people. But we are not dealing with a homogenous people; a diverse population would have had varied reactions to and interpretations of this visual signaling. By highlighting both the augmentation of traditional motifs undertaken by the Achaemenid administration and the multiplicity of perspectives they held for their audience(s), we can better understand ancient art as being dynamic in function and interpretation, rather than as a static snapshot of carbon-copied royal authority

Aesthetics · Ancient history · Art · Empire · Genealogy · Literature · Visual arts · Ancient Egypt and Archaeology · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Computer Science · Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies · History · Philosophy

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