Ancient Egypt holds a somewhat unique position in cultural awareness. It is almost incomprehensibly ancient, with nearly 3,000 years of history before it finally, and permanently fell at the hands of the Roman Empire (for a little perspective, by the time of Cleopatra, the Pyramids were already over two and a half thousands years old, which means she's chronologically closer to the construction of the first McDonald's than them). However, though it’s long gone by modern standards, it left a number of massive, imposing (if crumbling) structures across the desert and Nile valley. These structures were virtually unrivaled in scale for most of history, with the Great Pyramid of Khufu holding the title of tallest manmade structure on Earth until the Lincoln’s Cathedral was constructed nearly 4,000 years later note . Unlike Rome or Greece, however, it didn’t have much lingering influence on Western tradition and society. Furthermore, after Rome converted to Christianity, temples and necropolises were abandoned, and allowed to fall into disrepair. Combined with how the native language faded away (in favor of Greek, Latin, and later Arabic), much of Ancient Egypt’s history and knowledge was lost. note
However, it would revived in a big way by the uncovering of the Rosetta Stone by Napoleon’s troops in Egypt, which helped spawn the science of Egyptology. In the ensuing 19th century, Egyptomania rocked much of the Western world, and brought Egypt back into the Western spotlight. Later, with the advent of film, stories about Egypt slowly became more common, until it became a household name again. Since then, Egypt’s depiction in popular culture has varied considerably, but there are three particular subject matters that have long dominated depictions of the country: the Bible (specifically the Exodus), Cleopatra, and mummies.
Bible
It’s not improbable that many youths’ first introduction to Egypt for a long time was The Bible. Though the Book of Exodus is probably the best well known, Egypt is referenced multiple times throughout the Old Testament, with at least one additional story taking place primarily in Egypt, that being the story of Joseph, and how he rose from being a slave to being the pharaoh’s vizier. However, the Exodus, possibly due to its resonance in modern culture for its perceived anti-slavery stance, is definitely the most prolific.noteThe depiction of Egypt in this context is generally consistent: brutal, slaving despots who worship false idols, and are humbled by the power of the one true god. Indeed, this story helped codify the Nefarious Pharaoh trope, as the pharaoh is depicted as unflinchingly stubborn, and/or cruel (though, in fairness, the Bible claims that God “hardened his heart”, make of that what you will). On that note, though the pharaoh is actually unnamed in the Bible, the one who is most frequently presented as the antagonist is Ramses II (in part due to Hollywood). That said, the actual possibility that he was the pharaoh of the Exodus is at best dubious, with some Egyptologists positing that the Exodus (as it’s understood today) may not have happened at all note . Indeed, what’s somewhat ironic about this approach, is that at the time of the Ramesside Dynasty, Canaan was part of the Egyptian Empire, meaning Moses would essentially have been escaping out of central Egypt, into provincial Egypt.
The story would be popularized on a broader scale after the release of The Ten Commandments (1956), which told the Exodus story on a massive, cinematic level that projected it into the public consciousness beyond church circles. Boosting this further was The Prince of Egypt which told the same broad story, albeit in the form of an animated musical. This adaptation shifted the conflict from the Biblical themes themselves, and put more emphasis on the brother dynamic between Moses and Ramses, with the events serving more as a backdrop than anything else.
Note that a lot of imagery associated with these sorts of stories (massive slave armies hauling huge blocks of stone while being whipped by overseers) is now considered Dated History. It’s now known that the vast majority, if not all the Egyptian monuments were built by skilled laborers, who were paid for work (admittedly, due to the nature of working conditions in that day and age, this distinction may be slightly academic). What slaves were in Egypt were believed to have served more menial roles, such as cooking, cleaning, and other household or agricultural chores.
Adaptations of Biblical works:
Cleopatra
Most are probably familiar with the story of Cleopatra VII: an exotic, foreign queen smuggled into the presence of Julius Caesar in a carpet, ascending the throne of Egypt, her affairs with Roman men of power, and ultimately dying to the fangs of an asp. While a fair amount of her story is likely dramatized, she still remains a prominent figure in popular culture, perhaps due to her status of as an iconic woman of power, and her tragic fall from grace.Cleopatra occupies an interesting place in history, with a lot of myth and popular imagery surrounding her life and story. Part of the reason for this was Roman historians dramatized the story, portraying her as a sly seductress who lured good Roman men into her schemes. She is widely considered the last true pharaoh of Egypt, as after her defeat, Ancient Egyptian civilization eventually ceased to exist, and the country would not truly be independent until the 20th century. At any rate, she made for an amusing, and cautionary tale for the Romans, as well as another account of Roman triumph over a foreign power.
A millennia and a half later, she managed to work her way back into the Western spotlight thanks to William Shakespeare, whose tragedy Antony and Cleopatra, which was based on the accounts of Roman historians, helped popularize many well known images of Cleopatra (to include being smuggled in in a carpet, and dying by an asp). Later on, the discovery of the Rosetta Stone helped uncover the actual historical account of the woman, and with that knowledge allowed for more in depth portrayals of her. Indeed, Cleopatra emerged in modern popular culture in a big way with the coming of the 1963 epic, which told her story on one of the most (in)famously large scales in film history note . She has since remained a lingering presence in pop culture, appearing in various capacities over the past few decades. As of 2023, the most recent work on her was the Netflix docu-drama African Queens, where she, along with most of the other Egyptian characters are portrayed by black actors. Suffice to say, this work has caused no small amount of controversy in Egypt.
Modern depictions of her vary, and will often heavily depend on the writer. She may be a well-intentioned, sincere queen who just wanted what was best for Egypt and her family, and suffered at the hands of a man, or a conniving, power-hungry temptress whose own schemes eventually caught up with her. Less frequently, she might be portrayed as a Warrior Queen sort of woman, even though there's absolutely no indication that she could fight, and was more likely a diplomat and politician by trade and talent. More often than not, she'll be portrayed as stunningly beautiful, though her actual appearance is unknown, as her body has not been found, and accounts of her description are inconsistent (some describe her as rather plain looking, with a large nose). Irregardless, many works often neglect the fact that she was not from a native Egyptian dynasty; her family, the Ptolomeys, were actually Macedonian Greeks, descended from the first Ptolomey, who was one of Alexander the Great’s generals. note
Works featuring Cleopatra:
- Antony and Cleopatra
- Cleopatra
- Rome
- Assassin's Creed Origins
- Im: Great Priest Imhotep
- Cleopatra in Space
- African Queens
Mummies
The practice of mummification was built around the idea that a person’s body needed to be preserved in order for them to move on in the afterlife. This was the ideal post mortem service for most Egyptians for that exact reason, with entire temples and orders being devoted to the process. The process of mummification was intricate, and took several days to complete, as the body had to not only be disemboweled, but also desiccated to ensure it wouldn’t eventually decay. To that end, part of what makes mummies so frightening for some is just the way they look: desiccated and gaunt, but with peaceful, almost serene expressions on many.Depictions of mummies in film are often of as ambling, zombie-like monsters, at least partially covered in bandages note , groaning, grunting, or more rarely, grumbling in Ancient Egyptian. Their motivations are often based around assailing the people who accidentally released it, often as part of a curse. On that note, this concept of “curses” can actually be traced back to Ancient Egypt itself, albeit in a very different way than most imagine. Their understanding of curses referred to the concept that anyone who dares disturb the rest of the pharaoh would suffer some misfortune as a punishment; they certainly did NOT believe that the person in question would literally rise out of their tomb, and attack the trespasser. Irregardless, they will often plague the protagonists (sometimes literally) until they are eventually defeated and/or returned in their tomb. Interestingly, often times the mummy in question won't be a Nefarious Pharaoh, but more likely a vizier or priest, who may or may not have murdered the actual pharaoh note .
Mummies only significantly entered popular culture with the advent of the original Mummy movie in 1932, with Boris Karloff in the lead role. After that, they became one of the quintessential monsters of the hammer horror genre, often being teamed up with other iconic movie monsters such as Dracula, Frankenstein, or the Wolfman, often in a supporting role. Mummies elbowed their way into a starring role with the advent of The Mummy (1999), which told a large scale adventure, albeit with an emphasis on a light hearted, adventure tone. Another stab was made at mummy movie 2017, with Tom Cruise, as an attempt to jumpstart the Dark Universe franchise, but it proved a complete financial failure, killing the franchise in its cradle.
