The Ancient Egyptian Conception of Images

Abstract

In Ancient Egypt images were very important not only for recording or transferring information, but also because of the magic power they contained. On the one hand they were powerful manifestations of the objects, animals and persons they represented, so that they could function, for example, as a channel for communication berween men and gods, and on the other hand they were said to have apotropaic power, which was supposed to guarantee especially that the salutary effect of rituals was permanent by representing the ideal cult action in pictures, or to protect humans from demons, aggressive animals, and all kinds of enemies and dangers. According to the "Bildakttheorie", images were even said to be able to create reality.

Because of this enormous power it was necessary to keep the usage of images strictly controlled and to separate in particular the statues of gods, keeping them inside the sanctuaries of the temples, away from people's view, so that the gods were able to inhabit their earthly bodies whenever they wanted to.