Ancient Egypt in the Western imagination

The culture of ancient Egypt has fascinated people for a very long time, even long after it was part of other cultures like Greco-Roman, Christian, and Muslim worlds. The idea of the "Western world" started with Christian writers in early medieval Europe and Asia Minor, but they often thought of themselves as linked to a bigger culture that began with classical antiquity and included the Biblical history of the Jews.

Over many years, from late antiquity through the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, and into the modern era, people in the West have imagined "ancient Egypt" in many different ways. They saw it as a symbol of deep old times, hidden knowledge, evil, strange and faraway places, or great beauty that never changes.

One big reason ancient Egypt stayed mysterious was that people stopped learning how to read Egyptian hieroglyphs. This made the writing completely hard to understand from about the 5th century CE until it was finally understood again in the early 19th century. Because of this mystery, ancient Egypt has had a big effect on Western art, literature, buildings, philosophy, and popular culture. This shows what those societies were thinking at the time, their desires to control other places, and their religious and spiritual beliefs, as well as their real knowledge of history.

Classical antiquity

Classical Greece

To the Greeks, ancient Egypt already seemed old and full of secrets. The writer Herodotus wrote about Egypt in his book Histories. He talked about the people, their traditions, and the many animals that lived there, like the famous phoenix and a winged snake. He also described some animals, such as the hippopotamus and a special kind of snake, though not always correctly.

Hellenistic period

When Alexander the Great took over Egypt, Greeks began to rule there. This brought Greeks closer to Egyptian culture. They started to see Egypt as a place of great wisdom and amazing sights, even though they still kept their own Greek ways.

Roman Empire

The Romans also found Egypt fascinating. They saw it as a land full of wonders, like the animals along the Nile River. They created stories and pictures that mixed Roman and Egyptian ideas, especially about gods like Isis, Harpocrates, and Serapis.

Jewish views of Egypt in antiquity

For Jewish people, Egypt was remembered as the place where their ancestors were slaves. But as Jewish communities grew in places like Alexandria, their views became more complex, mixing memories of the past with life in a new place.

Early Christianity and the Desert Fathers of Egypt

Many early Christian hermits and holy people lived in the deserts of Egypt, especially around a place called Wadi El Natrun. They began this way of life around the third century.

Late antiquity

The Later Roman Empire (284—642) saw Christianity grow from a small group to the state religion. Thinkers later saw this time as linking the old Greco-Roman world and the monotheistic Hebrews to what they called the "Western world".

Between 285 CE and 380 CE, the Roman Empire changed greatly. Emperor Diocletian split the empire into two parts in 285 CE. Constantine the Great built a new capital called Constantinople in 330 CE, making the eastern part more important.

Egypt was in the eastern part and stayed under Constantinople’s control after the western empire split. It was important for its grain and money.

Christianity kept spreading during these changes. In 313 CE, Emperors Constantine and Licinius allowed people to practice Christianity widely. In 380 CE, Emperor Theodosius I made Nicene Christianity the official state religion of the Roman Empire.

As Christianity became the official religion, it often opposed old pagan practices. Egyptian Christians particularly disliked the ancient Egyptian religion and culture. They seen temples to gods like Isis, Horus, and Thoth as wrong and sometimes harmful. Many old Egyptian monuments and temples were changed or destroyed. Still, some Egyptian traditions influenced Christian practices, even if the religion itself was rejected.

Medieval era

The period of European history from around 500 to 1400–1500 CE is called the "Middle Ages." This name was created by scholars in the 1400s to describe the time between their own era and the end of the Western Roman Empire.

During the early Middle Ages, the Western Roman Empire ended in 476. This caused big changes between the Greek-speaking eastern parts and the Latin, Germanic, and Romance-speaking western parts. The eastern part, known as the Byzantine Empire, lost Egypt to Arab conquests in 646 CE.

In the High Middle Ages (about 1000 to 1300 CE), people in medieval Europe often thought about Egypt through stories from the Bible. They created artwork and stories based on these tales, even though they knew little about real ancient Egyptian life. Pictures of events like the Finding of Moses, the Plagues of Egypt, the Parting of the Red Sea, and the story of Joseph often appeared in special books called illuminated manuscripts. People also used a substance called "Mummia," made from old mummified bodies, in shops that sold medicines.

Main article: Muslim conquest of Egypt

Renaissance and Enlightenment

See also: Mysteries of Osiris § European Egyptosophy

During the Renaissance, many European scholars were fascinated by ancient Egypt. They believed that Egypt held special secrets about magic and deep wisdom. A famous German scholar named Athanasius Kircher thought he could read Egypt's ancient writings called hieroglyphs and showed that Egypt was a place of mysterious knowledge. Some other scholars, like Isaac Casaubon, were not sure and thought some of these ideas came from Greece instead.

Modern period

18th century

Early in the 1700s, a writer named Jean Terrasson wrote a story called Life of Sethos, which started people thinking about secret Egyptian knowledge. This idea spread through groups like European Freemasonry, which used Egyptian symbols such as the eye on a pyramid. Even important symbols like the Great Seal of the United States, which appears on the one-dollar bill, show this influence. Famous musicians like Mozart also used Egyptian ideas in their work.

Interest in ancient worlds led to the sharing of old Greek writings collected long ago, known as the works of Hermes Trismegistus. Paintings of certain Bible stories often showed Roman-style ruins instead.

19th century

See also: Egyptomania in the United States and Orientalism

People in the West were very interested in ancient Egypt because they thought it was mysterious and eternal. This idea grew during a time called Romanticism, which loved exotic places. Napoleon’s failed invasion of Egypt and the start of modern Egyptology also sparked curiosity. Artists and writers began to create stories and art inspired by Egypt.

When hieroglyphs were finally understood in 1824, it showed they were mostly about kings, gods, and important events, not magic as once thought. Still, the idea of Egypt as a magical place continued.

Artists began to paint scenes that mixed real Egyptian ideas with creative styles. One famous poem from this time is Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “Ozymandias.”

Buildings in Europe sometimes used Egyptian designs. A famous cemetery in London had an “Egyptian Avenue.” In 1842, Joseph Smith claimed he translated ancient Egyptian writings into a book called The Book of Abraham. Famous composers like Giuseppe Verdi wrote operas set in Egypt.

A special type of Freemasonry called the Rite of Memphis-Misraïm used many Egyptian symbols. A novel called Pharaoh, written by Bolesław Prus, described the end of ancient Egypt’s great kingdom.

20th century

In 1912, the discovery of a beautifully painted statue of Nefertiti made her very famous. Her strong features influenced beauty ideas for much of the 1900s.

In 1922, the tomb of Tutankhamun was found, causing huge excitement. Treasures from his tomb inspired fashion and design styles, especially Art Deco. Some people claimed a “curse” came with the tomb, but these ideas were not true.

Famous writer Agatha Christie wrote stories about mysterious events in Egypt. Movies like The Mummy made ancient Egypt famous in cinema. Las Vegas even built a hotel shaped like a pyramid with a replica of Tutankhamun’s tomb.

Music also used Egyptian themes, like Steve Martin’s song “King Tut” and The Bangles’ hit “Walk Like an Egyptian.”

Egypt in popular culture

Hollywood has played a big role in shaping how people imagine ancient Egypt. Movies like Cleopatra and The Ten Commandments showed grand stories of the past. The idea of mummies coming back to life became popular in films.

A TV series called Rome showed stories set in Egypt. Animated films and modern music continue to use Egyptian ideas in fun and creative ways.

21st century

HBO’s miniseries Rome included stories set in Egypt. Modern animated films and music videos still use Egyptian themes to create exciting and imaginative stories.