Ancient Egypt spanned nearly 3,000 years and saw many changes in religious and cultural practices over that vast expanse of time. However, some elements remained relatively constant, including the importance of colours and their symbolic associations. Colours were imbued with meaning related to the gods, the natural world, life, and death. Understanding the prominent colours of Ancient Egypt and what they represented provides insight into the beliefs and values of this fascinating civilization.
Blue
The colour blue (iry in Egyptian) was associated with the sky, the primeval waters, the river Nile, and creation. As the Nile’s flooding brought fertility and abundance to Egypt, the colour blue took on associations with fertility, birth, and rejuvenation. Blue was also linked to the gods, as the skin colour of important deities like Amun and Ra was sometimes depicted as blue. The Eye of Ra, a female deity protecting the sun god, was shown with a blue iris. Blue faience (a glazed ceramic) was used to represent water and the fertility of the Nile, and blue stone like lapis lazuli was prized. Blue was also the colour of the lotus flower, an important symbol of creation and rebirth in Egyptian iconography.
Some key points about the colour blue in Ancient Egypt:
– Associated with the sky, waters, river Nile, fertility, birth, rejuvenation
– Used to depict the skin of gods like Amun and Ra
– Represented by blue faience and stones like lapis lazuli
– Linked to the lotus flower, a symbol of creation and rebirth
So the prominence of blue in art and artefacts underscores its connections to fertility, life, and the gods for the Ancient Egyptians.
Green
The colour green (wadj in Egyptian) represented life, growth, renewal, youth and vegetation. Green malachite was a symbol of joy and protective amulets were often made from it. As the green fields and vegetation along the Nile depended on the annual flooding, green took on associations with fertility and the renewal of life that the river’s cyclical ebb and flow brought to the land.
Green was strongly linked to regeneration and rebirth. The god Osiris, ruler of the underworld and a key deity associated with resurrection, was depicted with green skin symbolizing vegetation and new growth. Green was also used in wall paintings to represent the foliage of the Garden of Paradise. Apart from Osiris, gods representing fertility and renewal like Min were drawn with green faces. The hieroglyph for “green” itself resembled a growing papyrus thicket.
In summary:
– Symbolized life, rejuvenation, youth, fertility
– Associated with vegetation, crops, fields along Nile
– Linked to cyclical flooding of Nile that brought renewal
– Used to depict skin of Osiris and other gods of rebirth
– In hieroglyphs, green represented growing papyrus
So green was a colour intimately tied to the Egyptian concepts of renewal, fresh life, and the vegetative rebirth the Nile’s flooding made possible.
White
White (hedj and shesep in Egyptian) represented purity, sacredness, clarity, and simplicity. White was the colour of Egyptian clothing and the purified garments worn by priests. It was the colour of milk, a key part of the Egyptian diet. White animals like cattle were sacred. White stones such as alabaster were prized. White was also the colour of linen, the material used to wrap mummies. As linen wrappings were part of the mummification process to preserve the body for the afterlife, white took on funerary associations.
Here are some key Symbolic meanings for the colour white:
– Purity, clarity, sacredness, simplicity
– Colour of priestly vestments and milk
– Linked to white cattle and alabaster
– Used for linen wrappings on mummies, funerary associations
So white had connotations of holy purity as well as death and the afterlife in Ancient Egyptian colour symbolism.
Red
Red (desher in Egyptian) represented life, vitality, fire, and victory. Red was linked to the fiery heat of the sun and the desert. The god Set, who had dominion over the barren desert lands and symbolized chaos, had red hair and eyes. Red-painted mud bricks were used in tombs, and red minerals like ochre were ground to create pigments.
The blood of the gods was sometimes shown as red, and red liquids offered to deities represented divine essence. Red gems were associated with vitality, and a mythical wanderer god was named “He Who Dances in Blood”. Red garments sometimes represented danger and evil. But red more often symbolized life and power.
In short, red stood for:
– Life force, vitality, fire, chaos
– Linked to the desert and the sun
– Used in tomb paintings and pigments
– Symbolized the blood of the gods
– Associated with vital gems and garments
– Represented danger but more often life and power
So red was mainly associated with active, fiery life force and power in Ancient Egyptian culture.
Yellow
Yellow (khenet and enenit in Egyptian) symbolized eternal life and resurrection. It was associated with gold, which was considered divine and indestructible. As gold did not tarnish, it represented permanence amid change. Yellow linked the immortal gods to “imperishable stars” thought to reside in the underworld.
Yellow was also associated with the skin and bones of the gods. Some animals that turned yellow, like the locust, were seen as divine harbingers of the annual Nile flooding that brought renewal and abundance. Yellow or golden crowns and clothing indicated divine status.
Key symbolic meanings of yellow:
– Eternal life, resurrection, permanence
– Associated with golden gods and stars
– Represented god’s skin, bones, and crowns
– Linked to immortal animals like the locust
– Symbolized the Nile’s renewal and rebirth
So yellow was the colour of eternal life force, divine kingship, and cyclical renewal in Ancient Egypt.
Black
Black (kem in Egyptian) represented death, darkness, decay, and the underworld. Black symbolized the fertile, black silt deposits left by the Nile’s annual flooding. But more often it had negative connotations. Black was the colour of desolated crops and fields after the Nile’s waters receded. It was associated with the decomposing bodies and rotting flesh buried in tombs. Gods with destructive powers like Set were depicted with black skin. It was the colour of the demon serpent Apophis who symbolized chaos and attacked the sun god Ra as he journeyed through the underworld each night.
To summarize:
– Symbolized death, darkness, decay, desolation
– Linked to black silt deposits from Nile
– Associated with rotting bodies and tombs
– Used to depict gods of destruction like Set
– Represented demon Apophis, embodiment of chaos
So black mostly represented ideas the Egyptians feared like death, evil, and chaos, unlike more positive colours symbolizing life and divinity.
Conclusion
The prominent colours used in Ancient Egyptian art and ritual reveal how the culture perceived its world and the forces shaping life and death. Blue and green represented the fertile waters and growth brought by the Nile, as well as concepts of renewal and rebirth key to Egyptian theology. White symbolized purity and the afterlife, while yellow stood for eternal permanence beyond physical death. Red embodied active life force and power. In contrast, black signified the feared forces of death, decay and chaos. The vivid pigments and stones underlying these colours gave visual expression to the Egyptians’ core beliefs about their gods, their environment, and the cosmic order sustaining life and recurring resurrection after death.
| Colour | Symbolism |
|---|---|
| Blue | Sky, water, river Nile, fertility, rejuvenation, creation |
| Green | Life, growth, youth, vegetation, renewal, rebirth |
| White | Purity, sacredness, simplicity, afterlife |
| Red | Vitality, fire, chaos, danger, power, life force |
| Yellow | Eternal life, resurrection, permanence, gods |
| Black | Death, darkness, decay, desolation, evil |
