Ancient Egyptian Dance and Music

Did you know that women's roles in ancient Egyptian religion often included both music and dance? Hello and welcome to World History Encyclopedia. My name is Kelly and today's video is all about music and dance in ancient Egypt in honor of International Dance Day. Don't forget, the easiest way to support us is by giving this video a thumbs up, subscribing to our channel, and hitting that bell icon for notifications so you don't miss out on any new uploads. World History Encyclopedia is a non-profit organization and you can find us on Patreon, a brilliant site where you can support our work and receive exclusive benefits in return. Your support helps us create videos twice a week so make sure to check it out via the pop-up in the top corner of the screen or via the Patreon link down below. Both music and dance were highly valued in ancient Egypt. Both 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 Maret who sometimes featured in the Egyptian creation story and helped establish order through music. Both of these goddesses inspired dance and the dances of Hathor are well attested to in both surviving inscriptions and images. Women's roles in Egyptian religion often included providing both music and the dance in ceremonies. While dancing they could be shaking the heavily beaded neck piece known as the Maret necklace or a sistrum which is a handheld percussive instrument closely associated with Hathor although it was also used by dancers and musicians in ceremonies for other gods as well. Dancing wasn't confined to temples or strictly religious rites but was a source of entertainment and expression of joy throughout all of Egypt. The ancient Egyptians had many musical instruments that we would recognize today including percussive instruments like the sistrum, drums and tambourines, string instruments like the lyre and harp and wind instruments like the and just like today musical performances could be put on by a solo performer or an ensemble. Unlike today though there was no notation of music with tunes being passed down through the generations so we really don't know what ancient Egyptian music sounded like. The hieroglyph for music is Hesbet and means song, singer, musician, conductor and to play music with the meaning in a particular instance being informed by the context. It also seems as though the role of conductor was a pretty important position in musical performance. We also know of a female duo Hekenu and Iti who were both musicians and dancers and women were often depicted playing music whilst dancing while male dancers were far less common. By the time of the new kingdom between 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. Dance was an aspect of Egyptian life for all classes of people although those in the higher echelons of society were less inclined to dance in public alongside those of lower social standing who had no qualms regarding dancing in marketplaces and for laborers but there are even instances where the king is known to have engaged in dance. The gods and goddesses of ancient Egypt were invoked through dance and a practice of impersonating a deity developed where the dancer would take on the attributes of the divine and interpret the higher realms for an audience. The most popular deity associated with this is Hathor. Dancers would also interpret the goddess's spirit through dance. There were many types of dance in ancient Egypt including gymnastic dance, dancing in pairs either two men or two women, war dance, religious dance and funeral dance among others. Whatever the type of dance being performed it was believed to elevate the spirit of the dancer and of the audience and spectators. Religious festivals honoring a deity always included song and dance as central components. Can you think of any ways we use music or dance in similar ways to the ancient Egyptians? Let us know what you think in the comments below. If you enjoyed this video make sure to give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our channel so you don't miss out on our new videos every Tuesday and Friday. This video was brought to you by World History Encyclopedia. For more great articles and interactive content head to our website via the link below. If you like my sweater you can find this design and a bunch more in our shop at worldhistory.store or you can find a link for it under the merch tab down below. Thank you so much for watching and we will see you soon with another video.