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Amenhotep III

Questions

Watch the video, answer the questions on a piece of paper, then check your answers.

  1. What is Ed Bleiberg’s job?
    Curator of Egyptian art
  2. When did Amenhotep III live?
    In the 14th century BC
  3. How long was he king?
    36 years
  4. What is the statue made of?
    Wood and gold
  5. What is the problem with palm trees and acacia?
    They are not good for carving/art
  6. What were conditions mostly like in the Eastern Mediterranean at that time?
    At peace
  7. Where did the wood and gold come from?
    Lebanon (north of Egypt) and Sudan (south of Egypt)
  8. How is this statue different from earlier works of art?
    It is more truthful
  9. How is Amenhotep shown in his statue?
    As an older man with a little bit of a belly (and a little jowly)
  10. How do you think the film stars Brad Pitt and Yul Brynner differ from the Egyptian kings?
    The kings were not as good-looking

Gap fill

Watch the video, complete the gaps on a piece of paper, then check your answers.

Hey, this is Off the Wall and I’m Michelle Maryk. We are at the
gorgeous
Brooklyn Museum. Brooklyn in the house, people! Let’s go.
Hey there! We are here today with Ed Bleiberg, the curator of Egyptian art here at the
beautiful
Brooklyn Museum. Now this piece in particular today is one of your
favourites
that we are going to be talking about. And this is Amenhotep the Third, right?
That’s right. Amenhotep the Third lived in the fourteenth century BC. He
ruled
for thirty-six years.
That’s a long time. What’s
interesting
about this, this is made of wood and gold as well. But I think we wouldn’t normally think of wood being a
luxurious
item, but it was, is that right?
It was definitely. This wood was
brought
from Lebanon to Egypt. The Egyptians don’t have great trees for carving. They have palm trees and acacia but nothing really that works well for art.
And he really reigned in a very peaceful and
prosperous
time.
That’s right. The
entire
Eastern Mediterranean was pretty much at peace. And the statue really
illustrates
that, because of the fact that it’s made from wood that came from north of Egypt and the gold of course came from the Sudan, which is south of Egypt.
Now I don’t want to sound
vain
or like that’s all I think about, but let’s face it, he doesn’t look super-athletic.
No, that’s right. And that’s one of the things that
separates
this statue from other periods of Egyptian history. This is really just the beginning of the period when truth became
important
to Egyptian artists. And so they show him as an older man and he’s got a little bit of a belly.
He does.
He has a little, he’s a little jowly. But I think one of the things I like about it is, it’s so
human
.
For me it’s
reassuring
to know that not all ancient Egyptian kings looked like Brad Pitt.
Or Yul Brynner.
Or Yul Brynner. Yes, also a good example.

Transcript

Hey, this is Off the Wall and I’m Michelle Maryk. We are at the gorgeous Brooklyn Museum. Brooklyn in the house, people! Let’s go.

Hey there! We are here today with Ed Bleiberg, the curator of Egyptian art here at the beautiful Brooklyn Museum. Now this piece in particular today is one of your favourites that we are going to be talking about. And this is Amenhotep the Third, right?

That’s right. Amenhotep the Third lived in the fourteenth century BC. He ruled for thirty-six years.

That’s a long time. What’s interesting about this, this is made of wood and gold as well. But I think we wouldn’t normally think of wood being a luxurious item, but it was, is that right?

It was definitely. This wood was brought from Lebanon to Egypt. The Egyptians don’t have great trees for carving. They have palm trees and acacia but nothing really that works well for art.

And he really reigned in a very peaceful and prosperous time.

That’s right. The entire Eastern Mediterranean was pretty much at peace. And the statue really illustrates that, because of the fact that it’s made from wood that came from north of Egypt and the gold of course came from the Sudan, which is south of Egypt.

Now I don’t want to sound vain or like that’s all I think about, but let’s face it, he doesn’t look super-athletic.

No, that’s right. And that’s one of the things that separates this statue from other periods of Egyptian history. This is really just the beginning of the period when truth became important to Egyptian artists. And so they show him as an older man and he’s got a little bit of a belly.

He does.

He has a little, he’s a little jowly. But I think one of the things I like about it is, it’s so human.

For me it’s reassuring to know that not all ancient Egyptian kings looked like Brad Pitt.

Or Yul Brynner.

Or Yul Brynner. Yes, also a good example.