Egyptian art produced from from about 5000 BC to the conquest of Egypt by Rome in 30 BC. For the Egyptians, the objects now regarded as art were made to serve a particular purpose, usually a religious one. They wore jewelry and amulets not only as decoration, but because they believed these items protected them against harm. Only kings and members of the ruling elite were allowed to enter temples, tombs, and palaces.  Artists in ancient Egypt joined workshops and worked in teams to produce what their king needed. Artists endlessly repeated the same themes and subjects, changing them only when beliefs changed. The style of depicting these themes and subjects, by contrast, changed from one generation of artists and patrons to the next.