Egyptian art and architecture, the ancient architectural monuments, sculptures, paintings, and applied crafts produced mainly during the dynastic periods of the first three millenniabce in the Nile valley regions ofEgypt andNubia. The course of art in Egypt paralleled to a large extent the country’s political history, but it depended as well on the entrenched belief in the permanence of the natural, divinely ordainedorder. Artistic achievement in botharchitecture and representational art aimed at the preservation of forms and conventions that were held to reflect the perfection of the world at theprimordial moment of creation and to embody the correct relationship between humankind, the king, and the pantheon of the gods. For this reason, Egyptian art appears outwardly resistant to development and the exercise of individual artistic judgment, but Egyptian artisans of every historical period found different solutions for theconceptual challenges posed to them.

For the purposes of definition, “ancient Egyptian” is essentiallyconcurrent with pharaonic Egypt, the dynastic structure of Egyptian history, artificial though it may partly be, providing a convenient chronological framework. The distinctive periods are: Predynastic (c. 6th millenniumbce–c. 2925bce); Early Dynastic (1st–3rddynasties, c. 2925–c. 2575bce); Old Kingdom (4th–8th dynasties, c. 2575–c. 2130bce); First Intermediate (9th–11th dynasties, c. 2130–1939bce); Middle Kingdom (12th–14th dynasties, 1938–c. 1630bce); Second Intermediate (15th–17th dynasties, c. 1630–1540bce); New Kingdom (18th–20th dynasties, 1539–1075bce); Third Intermediate (21st–25th dynasties, c. 1075–656bce); and Late (26th–31st dynasties, 664–332bce).

Geographical factors were predominant in forming the particular character of Egyptian art. By providing Egypt with the most predictable agricultural system in the ancient world, theNile afforded a stable life in which arts and crafts readily flourished. Equally, the deserts and the sea, which protected Egypt on all sides, contributed to this stability by discouraging serious invasion for almost 2,000 years. The desert hills were rich in minerals and fine stones, ready to be exploited by artists and craftspeople. Only good wood was lacking, and the need for it led the Egyptians to undertake foreign expeditions to Lebanon, to Somalia, and, through intermediaries, to tropical Africa. In general, the search for useful andprecious materials determined the direction offoreign policy and the establishment of trade routes and led ultimately to the enrichment of Egyptianmaterial culture. For further treatment,seeEgypt;Middle Eastern religions, ancient.