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Color Meanings of Ancient Egypt
The colors were not chosen randomly, each of the
colors had special meanings, symbolism and significance.
Artists were tutored by their master and this
continued from one generation to the next. The
colors and their meanings
remained the same for over three thousand years
and only some shades of colors were added during
the time period known as the
New Kingdom(1550
to 1070 B.C.) with the advent of new technology
in relation to fixing dyes and pigments.
Color Meanings of Ancient Egypt -
Skin Colors
One example of the consistency of
the colors and the color meanings used in ancient Egyptian
art are those that are used to
depict males and females.
Did you know that ancient Egyptian
men were traditionally painted with
a dark red-brown skin color that
represented the mainly outdoor life
and pursuits of the ancient Egyptian
man? The body of a woman was painted
in a
lighter, yellow-brown colors reflecting the
more secluded, indoor lifestyle of a
woman. These same color meanings and conventions of men and
women can be seen in numerous
examples ancient Egyptian art. A
small item of trivia, but useful
when looking at tomb and temple
paintings.
Color Meanings - Precious and Semi-Precious
Stones
The
different colors of precious and semi-precious
stones were used for statues, magical amulets,
talismans, jewelry and furniture inlays. The
precious and semi-precious stones were also used to convey color
meanings included emeralds, carnelians, amethysts,
feldspar or quartz, peridots, pearl, chalcedony, malachite, jasper, lapis lazuli,
tiger's eye, turquoise and faience glass stones.
Color Meanings of Ancient Egypt - Color Meanings
chart
The following color meanings chart provides a
fast overview of the color meanings of the
ancient Egyptians.
Color Meanings Chart
Colors
- Color Meanings & Symbolism
- Precious & Semi-Precious Stones
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Blue - Sky,
Water, the Heavens, Primeval Flood, Creation and Rebirth - Lapis lazuli, Blue glass (faience) and Turquoise. |
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Red - Life, Fire, Victory, Anger,
Hostility and Chaos - Red Jasper, Carnelian, Rose quartz
and Garnet |
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Yellow - Imperishable, Eternal and
Indestructible. - Citrine, Amber, Tiger's eye,
Heliodor
and Jasper |
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Green - Fertility, Vegetation, New life,
Joy,
Growth and Regeneration - Jade, Turquoise, Peridot,
Green feldspar, Serpentine, Beryl
and Green quartz |
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Black - Death, Night, Endurance, Stability - Onyx, Ebony, Obsidian, Hematite,
Basalt and Amethyst |
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White - Purity, Power, Cleanliness and
Simplicity. - Pearls, Mother-of-pearl, Chalcedony
and Milky Quartz. |
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Ancient Egyptian Blue Color Meanings
The
ancient Egyptian concept of blue color meanings covered all
shades of the color. The blue colors of Ancient
Egypt were Egyptian Blue, Azurite, Lapis Lazuli
and Indigo. Blue Meanings: To the ancient
Egyptians the color blue symbolized the Sky,
Water, the Heavens, Primeval Flood, Creation and
Rebirth. The color blue is also associated with
birth and rebirth because the annual inundation
(flooding) of
the River Nile brought fertility to the land.
River gods such as Hapi were depicted with blue
skin. Blue was often paired with gold in
Egyptian royal regalia and jewelry such as the crook and flail, the royal
symbols of authority.
Blue
Colors
of
Ancient
Egypt
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Egyptian Blue |
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Egyptian Blue 2 |
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Azurite |
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Lapis Lazuli |
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Indigo |
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Ancient Egyptian Red Color Meanings
The
ancient Egyptian concept of red covered all
shades of the color. The red colors of Ancient
Egypt were Red Lead, Red Ochre, Madder lake and
Kermes (Carmine) lake. Red Meanings: To the
ancient Egyptians the color red symbolized life,
fire and victory and was also used to convey
anger, hostility and chaos. The color red was
deemed to be a powerful color because of its
association with blood.
The jasper
stone symbolized the goddess Isis and was used to make the magic amulet or
talisman called the Knot of Isis. The color red invoked the protective power of the blood of
Isis. The symbolic scarab
Talisman and Amuletsoften featured red stones and was placed in the heart cavity of mummies as a
form of protection.
Red
Colors
of
Ancient
Egypt
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Red Lead |
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Red Ochre |
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Madder |
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Carmine |
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Ancient Egyptian Green Color Meanings
The
ancient Egyptian concept of green covered all
shades of the color. The Egyptian name for green
was 'wadj' which also meant "to flourish". The green colors of Ancient
Egypt were Malachite, Verdigris, Chryscolla and
Turquoise. Green Color Meanings: To the ancient
Egyptians the color green symbolized Fertlity,
Vegetation, New life, Joy, Growth and
Regeneration.
The papyrus plant symbolized fresh vegetation, vigor and regeneration to the
ancient Egyptians. In ancient Egyptian papyrus
lucky days were written in green ink. The green
Feldspar stone was a symbol of fertility and was
popular with the ancient Egyptians as it was
believed to bring good luck to the wearer.
Green
Colors
of
Ancient
Egypt
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Malachite |
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Verdigris |
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Chryscolla |
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Turquoise |
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Ancient Egyptian Yellow Color Meanings
The
ancient Egyptian concept of yellow covered all
shades of the color. The yellow colors of
Ancient Egypt were Orpiment, Lead Antimonite,
Yellow Ochre, Ochre, Realgar and Gold. Yellow
Color Meanings: To the ancient Egyptians the color
yellow symbolized items that were Imperishable,
eternal and indestructible. Any objects
portrayed as yellow in ancient Egyptian art
carried all of these meanings. Gold represented
the flesh of the gods. Amber symbolized the sun
and a protective amulet with the meanings of
power of strength and harmony.
Yellow
Colors
of
Ancient
Egypt
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Orpiment |
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Lead Antimonite |
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Yellow Ochre |
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Ochre |
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Realgar |
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Gold |
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Ancient Egyptian Black Color Meanings
The
ancient Egyptian concept of black covered
different shades of the color. The Black colors
of Ancient Egypt were ivory black and lamp
black. Black Color Meanings: To the ancient Egyptians
the color black symbolized death, the night and
the Afterlife, endurance and stability.
The jackal-headed Anubis the god of the dead, tombs and embalming was depicted
with a black head reflecting the meaning of death. Black
was also associated with fertility and
regeneration of the land.
Black
& White
Colors
of
Ancient
Egypt
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Chalk White |
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Lead White |
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Silver |
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Ivory Black |
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Lamp Black |
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Ancient Egyptian White Color Meanings
The
ancient Egyptian concept of white covered
different shades of the color including the
different shades of grey. The white colors of
Ancient Egypt were chalk white, lead white and
silver. White Color Meanings: To the ancient
Egyptians the color white symbolized Purity,
Power, Cleanliness and Simplicity. The clothing
of the priests was predominantly white
symbolizing purity, even their sandals were
white. Pearls were symbolic of purity and
innocence and were once believed to be the tears
of gods. The color
white was also a symbol of Upper Egypt.
The
Color Meanings of Ancient Egypt
Discover fast, interesting fun facts about Color Meanings for kids with some amazing, cool and quick
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Egyptian Color Meanings |
