HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE

Egypt - Ancient Architecture Travel pictures from Egypt by Günther Eichhorn

The architecture of ancient Egypt was fantastic. The pyramids are HUGE, and the temples are fantastic with their lavishly carved walls and columns. The walls everywhere are covered with hieroglyphic inscriptions. It seems that no flat surface is left without enscriptions or pictures. I don't know much about the meaning of the hieroglyphic inscriptions. The Egypt Art website by Richard Deurer has a lot of information on Egypt, including a page with information about Hieroglyphics and their meaning.

The royal tombs are as spectacular, maybe more so. One outstanding aspect of the tombs are the colors. Remember, some of these are 3000 or 4000 years old, or older. The reason that the colors are still so vivid is that they are mineral colors. The ancient Egyptians ground up semi-precious stones to make the colors. Organic colors would long since be gone, only purely mineral colors can last that long.

There are many different styles of carvings, you can see the different styles represented in the same temple, since many of the temples were built and added on over thousands of years.

One aspect is kind of amusing: Each Pharaoh wanted to be represented in the temple, so they all had their Cartouches with their names put everywhere. Moreover, they wanted to be the most prominent one, so more often than not, they removed the names of previous Pharaohs. This led them to carve their names VERY deeply, to make it difficult for the next Pharaoh to remove their name.

Before the Old Kingdom, burial was in simple graves. With time, they built so-called Mastabas over the burial place. Mastabas were simple platforms. With time, the Pharaohs felt that they needed to have more prominent burial places, so they added more platforms on top of the first one. This culminated in the Step Pyramid. For the remainder of the Old Kingdom they built the pyramids as we came to know them with flat sides. The Red Pyramid was the first such Pyramid. The pyramids then got bigger and culminated with the Great Pyramids of Giza, build by Cheops.

After that, they became smaller again, in order to better hide them from grave robbers. During the Middle kingdom the burial places were small pyramids.

With the New Kingdom the Pharaohs tried to hide their burial places even more. They used the Valley of the Kings to build underground tombs that could be hidden better. But that didn't work much. All tombs but one were robbed during ancient times. The only exception is the tomb of Tutankhamun, a minor Pharaoh that died very young. But even so, the treasures in his tomb were remarkable. Imagine what the treasures in the tomb of a Pharaoh like Ramesses II must have been!

The most remarkable part about the tombs of the New Kingdom were the paintings. They are really fantastic, with a vibrancy that is astounding, considering they are over 3000 years old. The tombs in the valley of the Queens are just as amazing.

There are four parts of this section, the temples, the tombs, and the pyramids, and miscellaneous architecture.

Temples

Karnak Temple in Luxor	Luxor Temple	Horus Temple in Edfu
The Temple in Kom Ombo	The Isis Temple on Philae	The Ramesseum near Luxor
The Temple of Hatshepsut	The Satet/Khnoum Temple on Elephantine Island near Aswan	Abu Simbel

The Royal Tombs

Valley of the Kings

Valley of the Queens

The Pyramids

The Red and the Bent Pyramid

The Step Pyramid

The Great Pyramids and the Sphinx of Giza

Miscellaneous Architecture

Other buildings of interest

Here are the links to the other pages on Egypt:

Today's Egypt		Ancient Egypt
People	Nature	Egypt	Mythology	Pharaohs

Ancient Egyptian architecture

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The well preserved Temple of Horus at Edfu is an example of Egyptian architecture and architectural sculpture.

Ancient Egyptian culture
Architecture Art Cuisine Dance Fashion Literature

Ancient Egyptian architecture is the architecture of ancient Egypt, one of the most influential civilizations throughout history, which developed a vast array of diverse structures and great architectural monuments along the Nile, among the largest and most famous of which are the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Great Sphinx of Giza.

Contents 1 Characteristics 2 The Giza pyramid complex 3 Karnak 4 Luxor Temple 5 See also 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External links

Characteristics

Due to the scarcity of wood,^[1] the two predominant building materials used in ancient Egypt were sun-baked mud brick and stone, mainly limestone, but also sandstone and granite in considerable quantities.^[2] From the Old Kingdom onward, stone was generally reserved for tombs and temples, while bricks were used even for royal palaces, fortresses, the walls of temple precincts and towns, and for subsidiary buildings in temple complexes. The core of the pyramids came from stone quarried in the area already while the limestone, now eroded away, that was used to face the pyramids came from the other side of the Nile River and had to be quarried, ferried across, and cut during the dry season before they could be pulled into place on the pyramid.^[3]

Drawings of the types of the architectural capitals specific for the Ancient Egyptian civilization.

Ancient Egyptian houses were made out of mud collected from the Nile river. It was placed in molds and left to dry in the hot sun to harden for use in construction.
Many Egyptian towns have disappeared because they were situated near the cultivated area of the Nile Valley and were flooded as the river bed slowly rose during the millennia, or the mud bricks of which they were built were used by peasants as fertilizer. Others are inaccessible, new buildings having been erected on ancient ones. Fortunately, the dry, hot climate of Egypt preserved some mud brick structures. Examples include the village Deir al-Madinah, the Middle Kingdom town at Kahun,^[4] and the fortresses at Buhen^[5] and Mirgissa. Also, many temples and tombs have survived because they were built on high ground unaffected by the Nile flood and were constructed of stone.
Thus, our understanding of ancient Egyptian architecture is based mainly on religious monuments,^[6] massive structures characterized by thick, sloping walls with few openings, possibly echoing a method of construction used to obtain stability in mud walls. In a similar manner, the incised and flatly modeled surface adornment of the stone buildings may have derived from mud wall ornamentation. Although the use of the arch was developed during the fourth dynasty, all monumental buildings are post and lintel constructions, with flat roofs constructed of huge stone blocks supported by the external walls and the closely spaced columns.
Exterior and interior walls, as well as the columns and piers, were covered with hieroglyphic and pictorial frescoes and carvings painted in brilliant colors.^[7] Many motifs of Egyptian ornamentation are symbolic, such as the scarab, or sacred beetle, the solar disk, and the vulture. Other common motifs include palm leaves, the papyrus plant, and the buds and flowers of the lotus.^[8] Hieroglyphs were inscribed for decorative purposes as well as to record historic events or spells. In addition, these pictorial frescoes and carvings allow us to understand how the Ancient Egyptians lived, statuses, wars that were fought and their beliefs. This was especially true when exploring the tombs of Ancient Egyptian officials in recent years.
Ancient Egyptian temples were aligned with astronomically significant events, such as solstices and equinoxes, requiring precise measurements at the moment of the particular event. Measurements at the most significant temples may have been ceremonially undertaken by the Pharaoh himself.^[9]

The Giza pyramid complex

Main article: Giza pyramid complex

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The Giza Necropolis stands on the Giza Plateau, on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. This complex of ancient monuments is located some 8 kilometres (5 mi) inland into the desert from the old town of Giza on the Nile, some 20 kilometers (12 mi) southwest of Cairo city center. This Ancient Egyptian necropolis consists of the Pyramid of Khufu (also known as the Great Pyramid and the Pyramid of Cheops), the somewhat smaller Pyramid of Khafre (or Kephren/Chefren), and the relatively modest-sized Pyramid of Menkaure (or Mykerinus/Mycerinus), along with a number of smaller satellite edifices, known as "queens" pyramids, and the Great Sphinx.^[10]

The Pyramids of Giza

The pyramids, which were built in the Fourth Dynasty, testify to the power of the pharaonic religion and state. They were built to serve both as grave sites and also as a way to make their names last forever.^[11] The size and simple design show the high skill level of Egyptian design and engineering on a large scale.^[12] The Great Pyramid of Giza, which was probably completed c. 2580 BC, is the oldest and largest of the pyramids, and is the only surviving monument of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.^[13] The pyramid of Khafre is believed to have been completed around 2532 BC, at the end of Khafre's reign.^[14] Khafre ambitiously placed his pyramid next to his fathers. It is not as tall as his father's pyramid but he was able to give it the impression of appearing taller by building it on a site with a foundation 33 feet higher than his father's.^[15] Along with building his pyramid, Chefren commissioned the building of the giant Sphinx as guardian over his tomb. The face of a human, possibly a depiction of the pharaoh, on a lion's body was seen as a symbol of divinity among the Greeks fifteen hundred years later.^[16] The Great Sphinx is carved out of huge blocks of sandstone and stands about sixty-five feet tall.^[17] Menkaure's pyramid dates to circa 2490 BC and stands 213 feet high making it the smallest of the Great Pyramids.^[18]
Popular culture leads people to believe that Pyramids are highly confusing, with many tunnels within the pyramid to create confusion for grave robbers. This is not true. The shafts of pyramids are quite simple, mostly leading directly to the tomb. The immense size of the pyramids attracted robbers to the wealth that lay inside which caused the tombs to be robbed relatively soon after the tomb was sealed in some cases.^[19] However, there are sometimes additional tunnels, but these were used for the builders to understand how far they could dig the tomb into the crust of the Earth. Also, it is popular thought that due to grave robbers, future Kings were buried in the Valley of the Kings to help keep them hidden. This is also false, as the Pyramid construction continued for many Dynasties, just on a smaller scale. Finally, the pyramid construction was stopped due to economic factors, not theft.
It is widely believed that the pyramids were able to be constructed due to slave labor. Some scholars believe that they were essentially built by farmers during the off season.^[20] Either way, the pyramids represent a lifestyle of the nobles that could not exist without the presence of slave labor.^[21]

Karnak

Main article: Karnak

The temple complex of Karnak is located on the banks of the River Nile some 2.5 kilometers (1.5 mi) north of Luxor. It consists of four main parts, the Precinct of Amon-Re, the Precinct of Montu, the Precinct of Mut and the Temple of Amenhotep IV (dismantled), as well as a few smaller temples and sanctuaries located outside the enclosing walls of the four main parts, and several avenues of ram-headed sphinxes connecting the Precinct of Mut, the Precinct of Amon-Re and Luxor Temple.

The hypostyle hall of Karnak Temple

The key difference between Karnak and most of the other temples and sites in Egypt is the length of time over which it was developed and used. Construction work began in the 16th century BC. Approximately 30 pharaohs contributed to the buildings, enabling it to reach a size, complexity and diversity not seen elsewhere. Few of the individual features of Karnak are unique, but the size and number of features is overwhelming.

Luxor Temple

Main article: Luxor Temple

The Luxor Temple is a huge ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the River Nile in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes). Construction work on the temple began during the reign of Amenhotep III in the 14th century BC. Horemheb and Tutankhamun added columns, statues, and friezes – and Akhenaten had earlier obliterated his father's cartouches and installed a shrine to the Aten – but the only major expansion effort took place under Ramesses II some 100 years after the first stones were put in place. Luxor is thus unique among the main Egyptian temple complexes in having only two pharaohs leave their mark on its architectural structure.

Luxor Temple, from the east bank of the Nile

The temple proper begins with the 24 metre (79 ft) high First Pylon, built by Ramesses II. The pylon was decorated with scenes of Ramesses's military triumphs (particularly the Battle of Qadesh); later pharaohs, particularly those of the Nubian and Ethiopian dynasties, also recorded their victories there. This main entrance to the temple complex was originally flanked by six colossal statues of Ramesses – four seated, and two standing – but only two (both seated) have survived. Modern visitors can also see a 25 metre (82 ft) tall pink granite obelisk: this one of a matching pair until 1835, when the other one was taken to Paris where it now stands in the centre of the Place de la Concorde.
Through the pylon gateway leads into a peristyle courtyard, also built by Ramesses II. This area, and the pylon, were built at an oblique angle to the rest of the temple, presumably to accommodate the three pre-existing barque shrines located in the northwest corner. After the peristyle courtyard comes the processional colonnade built by Amenhotep III – a 100 metre (328 ft) corridor lined by 14 papyrus-capital columns. Friezes on the wall describe the stages in the Opet Festival, from sacrifices at Karnak at the top left, through Amun's arrival at Luxor at the end of that wall, and concluding with his return on the opposite side. The decorations were put in place by Tutankhamun: the boy pharaoh is depicted, but his names have been replaced with those of Horemheb.
Beyond the colonnade is a peristyle courtyard, which also dates back to Amenhotep's original construction. The best preserved columns are on the eastern side, where some traces of original colour can be seen. The southern side of this courtyard is made up of a 36-column hypostyle court that leads into the inner sanctums of the temple, which begin with a dark chamber not achechamber.

See also

Architecture portal

• Center for Documentation of Cultural and Natural Heritage
• Edfu
• Egyptian pyramids
• Egyptian Revival architecture
• Egyptian revival decorative arts
• Imhotep
• List of ancient Egyptian sites
• Karnak
• Medinet Habu
• Urban planning in ancient Egypt

References

1. ^ R. G. Blakemore, History of Interior Design and Furniture: From Ancient Egypt to Nineteenth-Century Europe, John Wiley and Sons 1996, p.100
2. ^ Blakemore, 1996, p.107
3. ^ Reich, Lawrence S. Cunningham, John J. (2010). Culture and values : a survey of the humanities (7th ed. ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. ISBN 0-495-56877-5.
4. ^ W. M. Flinders Petrie, Kahun, Gurob, and Hawara, Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner, and Co., London 1890
5. ^ Charles Gates, Ancient Cities: The Archaeology of Urban Life in the Ancient Near East and Egypt, Greece and Rome, Routledge 2003, p.101
6. ^ Dieter Arnold, Byron Esely Shafer Temples of Ancient Egypt, I.B.Tauris, 2005
7. ^ Blakemore, 1996, pp.107ff.
8. ^ Arnold, 2005, pp.204ff
9. ^ "Temples aligned with the stars", New Scientist 2724 (5 Sep. 2009), p. 7; see also J. Belmonte & M. Shaltout, "Keeping Ma’at: an astronomical approach to the orientation of the temples in ancient Egypt", Advances in Space Research (August 2009) doi:10.1016/j.asr.2009.03.033
10. ^ Winston, Alan. "An overview of the Giza Plateau in Egypt". Retrieved 26 July 2011.
11. ^ Reich, Lawrence S. Cunningham, John J. (2010). Culture and values : a survey of the humanities (7th ed. ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. ISBN 0-495-56877-5.
12. ^ Reich, Lawrence S. Cunningham, John J. (2010). Culture and values : a survey of the humanities (7th ed. ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. ISBN 0-495-56877-5.
13. ^ "The 7 Wonders of the Ancient World". Retrieved 26 July 2011.
14. ^ Lehner, Mark. "The Pyramid of Khafre". The Complete Pyramids. Archived from the original on 28 July 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
15. ^ Lehner, Mark. "The Pyramid of Khafre". The Complete Pyramids. Archived from the original on 28 July 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
16. ^ Reich, Lawrence S. Cunningham, John J. (2010). Culture and values : a survey of the humanities (7th ed. ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. ISBN 0-495-56877-5.
17. ^ Reich, Lawrence S. Cunningham, John J. (2010). Culture and values : a survey of the humanities (7th ed. ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. ISBN 0-495-56877-5.
18. ^ "Pyramid of Mankaure". National Geographic: Egypt. National Geographic Society. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
19. ^ Reich, Lawrence S. Cunningham, John J. (2010). Culture and values : a survey of the humanities (7th ed. ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. ISBN 0-495-56877-5.
20. ^ Reich, Lawrence S. Cunningham, John J. (2010). Culture and values : a survey of the humanities (7th ed. ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. ISBN 0-495-56877-5.
21. ^ Reich, Lawrence S. Cunningham, John J. (2010). Culture and values : a survey of the humanities (7th ed. ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. ISBN 0-495-56877-5.

Egypt: Art and Architecture

Architecture

The great architectural achievements of the past are built of stone. Stone quarries supplied the large blocks of granite, limestone, and sandstone that were used for building temples and tombs. Architects planned carefully as building was done without mortar, so the stones had to fit precisely together. Only pillars were used to sustain short stone supports. At the temple of Karnak, a ramp of adobe brick can be seen leading to the top of the temple wall. Such ramps were used to allow workmen to carry stones to the top of structure and allow artists to decorate the tops of walls and pillars. Pillars were built in the same way. As height was added, the ground was raised. When the top of the pillar was completed, the artists would decorate from the top down, removing ramp sand as they went along.

As soon as a pharaoh was named, construction on his tomb was begun. Tomb building continued throughout his life and stopped only on the day on which he died. As a result, some tombs are very large and finely decorated, while other tombs, like that of King Tutankhamun, are small because he ruled as a pharaoh for such a short time.

The architecture was based upon perpendicular structures and inclined planes since there was no structural assistance except the strength and balance of the structure itself. For this reason, the square and the plumb-line were very important tools.

The Pyramids

One of the most notable and lasting achievements of the Ancient Egyptians are their pyramids. The size, design, and structure of the pyramids reveal the skill of these ancient builders. The pyramids were great monuments and tombs for the kings. The Egyptians believed that a king's soul continued to guide affairs of the kingdom even after his death. To ensure that they would continue to enjoy the blessings of the gods, they preserved the pharaoh's body through the mummification process. They built the pyramids to protect the pharaoh's body, the pyramid was a symbol of hope, because it would ensure the pharaoh's union with the gods.

The largest pyramid in existence is the Great Pyramid built by King Cheops (Khufu) at Giza. The Great Pyramid measures 481 feet high, by 775 feet long at each of its four bases. Other notable pyramids include the Step Pyramid built for King Zoser, and the pyramid built for King Huni, that was a transition between the step pyramid and the smooth sided pyramid we know today.

Art

The art of the Egyptians reflects every aspect of their lives. Depicted in tomb and temple drawings are scenes of everyday living, models of people and animals, glass figures and containers, and jewelry made from gold and semi-precious stones.

The wall and pillar drawings are perhaps the best known. In these drawings, it can be seen that people are going about the everyday business of baking, fishing, boating, marketing, and meeting together in family groups. Such drawings were also used to help the deceased to live forever by giving them all of the instructions they would need as they met the gods on their way to eternal life. The good deeds were recorded and the art that surrounded their mummified body was to help their spiritual self in solving the problems related to life after death. Pictures of food, clothing, servants, and slaves could be used by the deceased just as the real things were used by the person when living.

A variety of perspectives is often combined in Egyptian art; however, the side view is the most often seen. The artists used bright colors of blue and red, orange and white to develop pictures that tell of the life of the deceased individual. The artist would first sketch a design on a piece of pottery, and if the design was satisfactory, it would be sketched on the wall with charcoal. Colors could then be used to fill in the completed picture. Paints were made from naturally occurring minerals and artificially prepared mineral substances. Paint brushes were sticks with fibrous wood with frayed ends. Walls were covered with mud plaster, then with lime plaster. By the time of Ramses II, artists were able to shade colors to achieve a layered effect. Wall paintings were then protected by a thin layer of varnish (the composition of which is still not known).

Sculptors were important artists in Egypt. Statues were made of kings, queens, scribes, animals, and gods and goddesses. Frequently, human and godlike attributes and symbols were combined. The work of the artist was seen in other media as well. Alabaster, a white and translucent stone, was often used for making vessels and containers. Pottery was made of ceramics and clay. Pottery glazed with minerals was used to make beads, amulets, pendants, and other jewelry. A vivid blue glaze was very popular during the reign of Ramses II. Craftsmen made glass for inlayed designs and for some containers. Workers were able to make articles out of lead, gold, silver, and copper. Such metals were used to make pins, tweezers, razors, axes, knives, spears, sculptures, and jewelry. The stability of the government during the reign of Ramses II allowed the skills of the artist and architect to flourish.

Literature

Religion was often the subject of Egyptian literature. Prayers and hymns were written in praise of the gods. The most important book was "The Book of the Dead." This book contained over 200 prayers and magic formulas that taught the Egyptians how to reach a happy afterlife. The Egyptians also wrote adventure stories, fairy tales, myths, love stories, poems, proverbs and quotes.

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3,050 BC-900 BC: Ancient Egypt

Architecture History Photo Guide: Ancient Egypt

The pyramid form was a marvel of engineering that allowed ancient Egyptians to build enormous structures.

 

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The most famous pyramids in Egypt are the Pyramids of Giza, built more than 2,000 years B.C. to shelter and safeguard the souls of Egyptian pharaohs.

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Construction in Ancient Egypt
Wood was not widely available in the arid Egyptian landscape. Houses in ancient Egypt were made with blocks of sun-baked mud. Flooding of the Nile River and the ravages of time destroyed most of these ancient homes. Much of what we know about ancient Egypt is based on great temples and tombs, which were made with granite and limestone and decorated with hieroglyphics, carvings, and brightly colored frescoes. The ancient Egyptians didn't use mortar, so the stones were carefully cut to fit together.
Pyramids in Egypt
The development of the pyramid form allowed Egyptians to build enormous tombs for their kings. The sloping walls could reach great heights because their weight was supported by the wide pyramid base. An innovative Egyptian named Imhotep is said to have designed one of the earliest of the massive stone monuments, the Step Pyramid of Djoser (2,667 BC - 2,648 BC).
Columns in Egypt
Builders in ancient Egypt didn't use load-bearing arches. Instead, columns were placed close together to support the heavy stone entablature above. Brightly painted and elaborately carved, the columns often mimicked palms, papyrus plants, and other plant forms. Over the centuries, at least thirty distinct column styles evolved. Learn more: Egyptian Column Styles
Influences of Egyptian Architecture
Archaeological discoveries in Egypt reawakened an interest in the ancient temples and monuments. Egyptian Revival architecture became fashionable during the 1800s. In the early 1900s, the discovery of King Tut's tomb stirred a fascination for Egyptian artifacts and the rise of Art Deco architecture.

Wonders of Ancient Egypt

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