Ancient Egyptian Dance and Music

Video

Kelly Macquire
by
published on 01 May 2022

In Ancient Egyptian society, both dance and music were highly valued. They were integral to creation and communication with the gods and there was an intrinsic link between music and dance and the divine. The goddess Hathor was associated with music, but earlier there was the goddess of singing and dancing, Meret, who sometimes featured in the Egyptian creation story and helped establish order through music. Both of these goddesses inspired dance and the dancers of Hathor are well attested to in both surviving inscriptions and images. Dancing wasn’t confined to temples or strictly religious rites, but was a source of entertainment and expression of joy throughout all of Egypt.

By the time of the New Kingdom (between circa 1570 and 1069 BCE) music was a well-established part of Egyptian life. The love song that is closely associated with the New Kingdom may have been accompanied by interpretive dance, a type of dance that was a common aspect of religious rituals. Music and dance were used to elevate participants to a closer relationship with the deity and hymns to gods and goddesses were accompanied by interpretive dance and music.

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— CHAPTERS —
0:00​ Introduction
0:58 Dance and Music in Ancient Egypt
5:18 Outro

— WANT TO KNOW MORE? —
Music & Dance in Ancient Egypt https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1075/music–dance-in-ancient-egypt/
Hathor https://www.worldhistory.org/Hathor/
New Kingdom of Egypt worldhistory.org/New_Kingdom_of_Egypt/
Egyptian Gods the Complete List https://www.worldhistory.org/article/885/egyptian-gods—the-complete-list/
Ancient Egyptian Religion https://www.worldhistory.org/Egyptian_Religion/

— WATCH NEXT —
The Role of Dance in Ancient Greece https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0N3paTaY28
The Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvaR8itxlyQ
Set the Egyptian God of Chaos, Storms and War https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlS-oRQN_vU
The Role and Lives of Women in Ancient Egypt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7y7glgLbhU

— ATTRIBUTIONS —
You can find all attribution and credits for images, animations, graphics and music here - https://typehut.com/dashboard/sites/2160/posts/9359

The music used in this recording is the intellectual copyright of Michael Levy, a prolific composer for the recreated lyres of antiquity, and used with the creator's permission. Michael Levy's music is available to stream at all the major digital music platforms. Find out more on:
https://www.ancientlyre.com
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5v?si=emacIH9CRieFNGXRUyJ9
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ1X6F7lGMEadnNETSzTv8A

— THUMBNAIL IMAGE —
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Female_topless_egyption_dancer_on_ancient_ostrakon.jpg
User: Marcus Cyron
Public Domain US — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Musicians_and_dancers_on_fresco_at_Tomb_of_Nebamun.jpg
The British Museum — https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/image/226711001) / User: Eloquence
British Museum Terms of Use — https://www.britishmuseum.org/terms-use
CC BY NC SA 4.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en

World History Encyclopedia
www.worldhistory.org

#ancientegyptiandance #ancientegyptianmusic #ancientegypt

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About the Author

Kelly Macquire
Kelly is a graduate from Monash University who has completed her BA (Honours) in Ancient History and Archaeology, focussing on iconography and status in Pylos burials. She has a passion for mythology and the Aegean Bronze Age.

The video and its description text are provided by Youtube. This website claims no authorship of this content; we are republishing it for educational purposes.

Cite This Work

APA Style

Macquire, K. (2022, May 01). Ancient Egyptian Dance and Music. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/video/2770/ancient-egyptian-dance-and-music/

Chicago Style

Macquire, Kelly. "Ancient Egyptian Dance and Music." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified May 01, 2022. https://www.worldhistory.org/video/2770/ancient-egyptian-dance-and-music/.

MLA Style

Macquire, Kelly. "Ancient Egyptian Dance and Music." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 01 May 2022. Web. 19 Apr 2024.

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