Art and life in ancient Egypt: the Nebamun wall paintings
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Summary
Why did Nebamun, a grain accountant commission an elaborate set of wall-paintings in Egypt in 1350 BC? These tomb-chapel paintings are amongst the most remarkable and vivid to survive from ancient Egyptian culture. This stimulating course, produced in collaboration with the British Museum, explores the tomb-chapel paintings of Nebamun, allowing you to study the individual paintings in great detail and analyse them from an art historical perspective. The course explores what we can learn from these works of art about the social life of the period, and the problems they pose for modern viewers.
Course content
Around 1350 BC, the Egyptian grain accountant Nebamun commissioned the walls of his tomb-chapel to be painted with scenes depicting his afterlife, and the world in which he lived. Nebamun worked in the temple of Amun at Karnak during the reign of Amenhotep III (c. 1390 - 1352BC). Amenhotep was one of the most important kings of the Eighteenth Dynasty, one of the high points of Egyptian wealth, but his reign preceded a period of dramatic upheaval in Egyptian society. In 1820 eleven pieces were removed from the walls of the tomb-chapel, location now unknown, and were acquired by the British Museum, where they are now iconic masterpieces of the collection.
The paintings are vivid and artistically accomplished and have been the subject of recent intensive scholarly and scientific investigation. This work has resulted in the conservation of the paintings and their redisplay in a new permanent gallery in the British Museum. This online course draws on the Museum’s researches and gives you the opportunity to study closely the paintings and other contemporaneous ancient Egyptian artefacts from the collection of the British Museum.
The course will enable you to find out about the meanings of Egyptian art, why it took the form it did, and what it can tell us about the conditions of life in Ancient Egypt. It has four parts:
- When and Where? Discovering Egyptian Art
- What? The Paintings Themselves
- Who and why? Nebamun the man and reasons for his tomb-chapel
- How? Making the Paintings
This course will help you to acquire the skills of closely analysing visual representations and reading source criticism. The course uses graphic visual close-ups of the detail of the paintings, interviews with their curator Dr Richard Parkinson, video clips, and readings about what the paintings tell us and a huge array of interactive screens, discussion areas and activities for learners to explore and develop their understanding.
You will learn
- How the paintings represent Ancient Egyptian social structures and belief systems.
- Whether this is an idealised account, or life as it really was.
- How the paintings were actually made and the role artists had in contemporaneous society
- How Egyptian artistic conventions were so different from those employed in later European art.
The course will take 30-40 hours to study and includes Web text, interviews, self-assessment questions and activities. Register online today and start tomorrow – no need to wait!
The course features the distinctive strengths of The Open University (OU) from its years of expertise in distance learning:
- The convenience of accessing its clearly presented and sequenced materials, activities and support whenever suits you and wherever you have access to the protected course website – if you prefer, you can print key materials to work on them offline.
- The support of an expert learning adviser who can clarify course materials, answer questions and help you relate the course to your specific needs.
- A course activity helping you to focus your understanding of the themes of the course. This is built up from short activities during the course, and will be reviewed by the learning adviser, who provides personal feedback.
- Certification of completion from the OU and the British Museum for those who complete the course. (NB The course does not carry academic credit points.)
Entry
Although there are no formal academic requirements to study this course, you will need to be intrigued by the subject and enthusiastic about finding out more to get the most from the course.
For each course you can register and begin at any time during the life of the course. You can study at your own pace and submit your course activity at any date before the final submission date for the course. Information about the final submission date is available when you register for the course.
If you have a disability or additional requirement
The course is delivered wholly online and makes reference to a large number of images on screen. Learners with visual impairments may find this course difficult to study and those who use screen readers or who do not use a mouse or equivalent will not be able to access some course material or some course activities without additional support. Written transcripts of the audio interviews are available on the website. If you are a new learner with the OU, make sure that you have our booklet Meeting Your Needs. You can obtain a copy by contacting our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
Course materials
What's included
All learning materials, exercises, study support and work-based activity are delivered entirely online.
Computing requirements
This course has online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave.
You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new computer since 2002 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual.
Learner support
Expert, confidential learner support is available when you need it from a learning adviser, who will respond to you direct within 24 hours. Other support is available via the course forum, the Open University Library, StudentHome website and computing helpdesk.
Work-based activity
The course activity is a written report and has been designed as an integrated ongoing activity that you submit at the end of your study. It will allow you to reflect on your learning and explore your understanding of the course themes.
Professional recognition
Successful completion of the course enables us to recognise your achievement of the course learning by issuing a joint Open University/British Museum certificate.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
How to register
To register a place on this course return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button. For more information and advice about registration see OU Study Explained.
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An undergraduate course.
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