We journey up the storied Nile; The timeless water seems to smile: Why Nilotic landscapes inspired Minoan Art* more

In Egyptian artistic terminology, a Nilotic landscape is a riverine scene with abundant plant and animal life, much of which is native to Egypt. Painted depictions of the Nile have been attested to Egypt since the Predynastic Period. However, the wild beauty of Nilotic iconography has always exceeded the borders of this country and its culture. So far, numerous scholars have approached various artistic aspects of Egyptian Nilotic representations in the Second Millennium BC, and how these have influenced the iconography and thematology of Minoan frescoes on Crete and Thera. This study will not only refer to painting influences in frescoes; it will expand on other finds, providing examples of Minoan decorative elements, pendants, seals, etc., in which the impact of the Nilotic flora and fauna is explicit. Most importantly; throughout the discussion of the evidence, the research seeks to explore the reasons why the Minoans were so keen on receiving artistic inspiration from the landscape of the river Nile.

*The rhyme in the title is taken from the poem 'Along the Nile' by Henry Abbey (1842-1911)