The Colour and The Egyptians

The Colour And The Egyptians

In ancient Egypt the colour had an important symbolic load and now you can see this in the pictures like frescoes and murals, also in books, jewelry, clothing and the architecture.

There were six great colours in Egypt:

The first colour is red (desher), the basis for

this color (red meat and red ocher) was given to the oxidation of iron. This was consider like a powerful colour, it represented the barren land and the desert. In addition it was used to express the victory, however it was a symbol of fury and fire. The red could be used in celebrations to symbolize devotion and dedication to achieve goals but also could have meaning anger, destruction and death.

The second is green (wadj), the tone was obtained from copper ore powder. It was considered like a positive colour, also it is associated with the fertility, growth and regeneration, besides this is the colour or the life and joy.

Eye of Horus

The third colour is blue (khesbedj), the colour was 

obtained by combining copper oxide, iron and 

calcium. The blue of lapislázuli symbolize hair of 

Egyptian deities, however the aqua is the sea 

colour, the promise of a new existence and the

purifying water. This colour could represent the 

sky, the primeval flood and the renaissance,

fertility and life.         

Emperor

Another colour is yellow (kenit), it was obtained

from natural ochre and oxid. This colour represent

the sun and it was perceived as eternal also symbolize

the gold (used to make statues and paintings of gods).

Osiris

The next colour is black (khem), was mined charcoal, burnt bones of animals or soot, The black symbolizethe underworld, death, the night, however some times it was used to represent the resurrection and fertility.

Osiris was a god, he was recognized like "the black" because he was the King of beyond. In addition Egypt was considered the black earth by the dark colour of the Nile Valley.

To finish, an important colour is white (shesep), was obtained from the gypsum, this wonderful colour represent the purity and a higher power, it was used 

in rituals and sacred ceremonies. It symbolize cleaning, ritual purity and sacredness. The Egyptians wore white clothes and some sacred animals representing

 this colour.

With the combination of this colours others were obtained as gray, pink, brown and orange.