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.
Did you know that women's roles in ancient Egyptian religion often included both music and dance?
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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.
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