This article focuses on pharaonic Egypt’s cultural impact in Western Asia through royal and divine iconography seen within various modes of art. From the first noted appearance in the Middle Bronze Age to just before the spread of Hellenism, four case studies will be put forth regarding when and how Egyptian iconography is best exemplified in ancient Near Eastern art. The first part of each case study will briefly examine the sociopolitical history of the time period to explain Egypt’s foreign relations. The second part will look at iconography and semiotics, in which foreign art examples will be compared to contemporary or pre-existing Egyptian examples to further analyze and solidify their semblances. The four case studies ultimately illustrate the mass impact and influence Egyptian culture had on the ancient Mediterranean world for over 1,500 years, as its iconography was continuously acculturated and readapted by foreign cultures to serve and express foreign beliefs.
iconography; semiotics; cultural diffusion; royal ideology; religion; Levant; Neo-Assyrian period; Achaemenid Persia
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