echnologically advanced. It centered all it's power and aspirations around a single divine pharaoh who was the master of ceremonies and who made all decisions for Egypt. Egyptian culture was very similar to Greek culture throughout the Third and Fourth Dynasties (the Third Dynasty was also known as the Memphite Dynasty because while some areas of Egypt began to lose their importance, Memphis secured its position as the capital). They influenced and contributed to each others civilizations by means of architectural advancements, religious beliefs, and technological and scholastic advancements. The relationship between the two civilizations has been proven by the revealing of Egyptian artifacts in Greek palaces as well as Cretian objects discovered in Egyptian tombs and other structures. Not only were their cultures similar, their art was also very much the same. Stylistically, Greek and Egyptian sculptures were nearly identical; they had the blank expressions with the modest, rigid poses. However, the Egyptians were the first to break away from the usual style of sculpture. Up to that point, statues had always been in basically one position; with their arms rigid against their sides and their legs tight together. This was also a sure pose against damage, with the legs and arms as part of the large piece of rock, they could not be broken as easily as if they were separate from the body. However, Egyptians began to take a different approach to this pose. They didn't change it completely, they simply altered it. Instead of the legs being firmly pressed together, they made one leg stand out a bit as if the sculpture was taking a step forward. It seems as though no matter what position the sculptures were in, they were always naturalistic. The artists stylized, and simplified natural forms, but they never distorted them in any unnatural way. They seemed to have a real appreciation for true, natural beauty. Part of what all...
