Historians are astonished by the changelessness of ancient Egypt. “The Egyptian ‘canon,’ an archetype for the sculptured human figure, may be the most durable pattern in the history of art,” writes Daniel Boorstin in “The Creators: A History of Heroes of the Imagination.”
Then again, it may not be. Boorstin cites a continuity of 2,200 years, “longer than the whole Christian era, from the Third Dynasty (2980-2900 B.C.) to the 26th Dynasty (663-525 B.C.).” Sculptures and paintings from the beginning of that span so closely resemble those at the end of it that only the expert can tell them apart. To the lay eye they are identical.
Some civilizations breed change, others changelessness. What culture surpasses Egypt’s in static endurance? Japan’s Jomon.
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