egyptian architecture - Avant-Garde Engineering LLC Consulting

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Department of Construction
UW Stout
Jason Charalambides
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
Concurrently to the advances in urban development and Architecture in the
Mesopotamian area, Egypt was developing its own forms of Art,
Architecture and religion.

The first hieroglyphics are dating back to 3,100 BC, and were only read by
Champollion during Napoleon’s expedition in Egypt.

The Rosetta stone, that is today in the British Museum, incorporates the
same text in Greek, Coptic and Hieroglyphic. Found by the army of
Francois
Antoine-Isaac
Napoleon, allowed Champollion
who
was a connoisseur of the Coptic, to
Silvestre deSacy, later in his
decipher through extrapolation
the hieroglyphic characters.
career, Champollion correctly

Cleopatra and Alexandrus and
The proportions and forms that
were developed in all the types of Art of
verified Ptolemeus which had
the Egyptians were based on previously
“axiality”
theby form of the human body,
beenand
identified
Young.
i.e. “anthropomorphic proportions”.
identified the names of

The difference in the character of the art form has a lot to do with the
topography and the environment in general. Compare the rapids of Tigris and
Euphrates with the calm waters of the Nile, the weather conditions and the hilly
landscapes of the Near East with the flatlands of Egypt where the four cardinal
points give the best sense of direction and orientation.
Mykerinos and two deities - Soris sitting content on his throne
1
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
Old Kingdom

Upper and Lower Egypt were united
by king Menes at the beginning of
recorded history. The Old Kingdom
(about 2755-2255 BC) spanned five
centuries of rule by the 3rd through the
6th dynasties. The capital was in the
north, at Memphis, and the ruling
monarchs held absolute power over a
strongly unified government.

The Old Kingdom’s impressive
monuments celebrated the divine
character of the pharaohs. That until
challenges surfaced during the Middle
Kingdom period when power was
shared with some provincial monarchs
and priesthood, establishing yet the
pharaohs as intermediaries to Re (Sun
God) Osiris, Isis and Horus.
The Great Sphinx, an integral part of the
Chefren funerary complex, is thought to have
been constructed during Chefren's reign. Its
face
believed
to be Chefren's
Whiteiscrown
of Upper
Egypt - face. For most
The principal monument of the first king
of
itscrown
4500-year
existence
Red
of Lower
Egyptthe Sphinx was
Narmer (Menes) is the large slate palette. This
buried up to its head in sand but was
shows his capture of the "chief of the lake" (uo
periodically uncovered and repaired.
she), and the falcon holding 6,000 prisoners.
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
In the Egyptian religion, life was
continued after death.

Not a spiritual situation but a more physical
condition was anticipated, where the dead would
need their earthly possessions, thus,Earthly
values were applied in the afterlife.

Large scale tombs, built with the use of timber
roof covered with a heap of sand, and
eventually with the use of lasting stones, were
erected to house the mummified royalties,
some of which acquired divine characteristics,
or even were associated with deities.

By the time Upper and Lower Egypt were
unified, Pharaohs were given double burials.
They were symbolically buried in Abydos, a
site dedicated to Osiris, and the body was laid
in Saqqara.
2
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
The Mastaba was the typical form of Egyptian tomb for the great and
famous. It consisted of a building of rectangular shape with sloping walls
and was constructed of brick or stone. Richly decorated rooms were
arranged in the upper parts, in particular a chapel (with a false door for the
tomb's occupant and a table for offerings), and a room in which statues of
the dead person were placed. A shaft, filled in after the funeral service, led
to a subterranean vault, which contained the grave goods and the mummy
in its sarcophagus.
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
Abydos – 1st Dynasty.


The royal cenotaphs of Abydos were
subterranean with timber roofs topped
with a heap of sand.

They carried the stelai for the
offerings in the front.

Beyond the low precinct wall there
were the mastabas with casement of
brick.
Abydos (Upper Egypt), royal tumulus of Queen
Merneith, 1st dynasty (circa 3,100-2,890 BC.);
reconstruction drawing.
Saqqara – 1st Dynasty.

The Royal tombs were formed into native
rock and comprised a number of
subsidiary rooms holding the owners
valuable possessions.
Saqqara (Lower Egypt), mortuary complex of Queen
Merneith, 1st dynasty (circa 3,100-2,890 BC.);
reconstruction drawing.
3
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
Zoser’s Pyramid and Mortuary Precinct – 2680
B.C.

Built in Saqqara, on a more elaborate and
ponderous scheme than any of the previous
tombs, Zoser’s pyramid was symbolizing the utter
supremacy of the Pharaoh as the sole ruler of
Upper and Lower Egypt.

The architect of this impressive project was
Imhotep, and this constitutes the first case of a
project to which the architect is recognized.

This practice was not exercised in Mesopotamia
where public works were always credited to kings
for conceiving and supervising them.

The buildings were all made of stone and the
structure constitutes a major technological
advancement, introducing small stone building
with masonry course technique applied rather
than the simple stacking up of drums.

We see the first cases of emulation of nature,
where Egyptian Art gives an abstract
interpretation of nature through the means of
stone.
Detail of Zoser’s pyramid and detail of the
entrance corridor.
General view of the complex
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
Zoser’s massive endeavor.

The first attempt with the stepped pyramid of Zoser

lead original
to the further
advancement
a. The
mastaba
8.6 m. and aggrandizement

b. Theaddition
6 m. on
sides
Zoser’sof
pyramid
wasall
notfour
just a
mastaba but an
entirefacing
complexofdedicated
to the pharaoh, with a
and a second
limestone.

mastaba.
c. A further
addition of 9.3 m on east side.
of the mortuary complexes and tombs.
series of enlargements taking place on the initial


After the third enlargement, the mastaba became a
four
stepped pyramid that reached approximately
d. A further
200addition
ft. high. of 3.5 m on the east
side and the conversion of the mastaba

Ziggurat’s
of Mesopotamia, Zoser’s
intoUnlike
a fourthe
step
pyramid.
pyramid had no steps leading to some shrine on the

top.
The structure’s
purpose
was
e. A
further
extension sole
of the
building
to the exaltation
of the king, lifting him toward the heavens, like a
thestairway
north and
west
and
its
conversion
into
of divine ascend, reaching the
sun-god Re.
a six step pyramid.
Axonometric view of Zoser’s pyramid.
The Pharaoh’s relation to Re was like that of son and
father.
The most
sacred Tura
relic of
Re was a pyramidal
f. The
addition
of dressed
limestone
shape stone symbolizing the primeval mound on
encasing.
which the sun god first revealed himself.


4
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Mykerinos, Chefren and Cheops pyramids
built in the valley of Giza -IIIrd Dynasty,
2,570 – 2,500 BC.


The attempt of all three of the above
pharaohs was to etherialize and give the
tomb a more precise form that shall
symbolize the sunlight brought to the earth
by Re.

The objective set was laborious and costly
but it was achieved in Giza, where the
architectural design symbolism was achieved
by these pyramid complexes.

Smallest is that of Mykerinos and largest
the one of Cheops, although the best
preserved one is that of Chephren in the
middle with the statue of the Sphinx at the
very front of the causeway and the
surviving dressed stone on the top of the
pyramid
There are no existing records describing the
techniques and construction methods applied
by the Egyptians; nor is there consensus
among historians.

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
Construction stages for the Pyramid of
Cheops.


The terms laborious and expensive may
be justified by the chronological
development of these structures as
seen in the diagram.
Inside the Pyramid.

The entry descends through the core of
the pyramid into a chamber where the
body would have been laid.

The plans changed and a grand gallery
was build, leading to the final resting
place for the king.

A smaller chamber was built for the
Queen underneath the kings chamber.
5
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
After the term of three kings who built Pyramids in Gisa, their successors
decided to diminish the size of the tombs and aggrandize the mortuary
temple.

The focus was shifted from the visual exaltation of the ruler to the pious rites
of burial cult of Amon, the sun-god who surpassed and absorbed the clout of
Re.

A conscious departure from the grandeur of the III Dynasty distinguishes
the New kingdom where the pyramid is no longer a royal prerogative but
in different scale it populated cemeteries for generations to come.

Instead of the form of North
a pyramid,
funerary
becomes a more
wall of the first the
chamber
in the temple complex
of
Ptah, with offerings of cosmetics to Ptah
prominent arrangement
for the royals.
Hathor and Imhotep.

The practice of Architects is awarded to powerful individuals who do not
only possess the knowledge and the abilities but also power.

Shrines were dedicated to Imhotep.
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
Most times, Art tendencies
shift according to the medium
used.

The representation of a floral
form through the use of stone
as a medium imposes certain
limitations to the artisan who
opts for an abstract form that
represents the original idea.

Yet there is a sense of
representation of the forces
acting on the structural
members as the opening floral
forms of column capitals are
formed to receive the stresses
of the supported structure and
transfer them to the main shaft
of the column.
Columns of vegetal forms in the temple of Ptah (Karnak).
6
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A vision of the supernatural is
encountered in Egyptian art.


Beginning with the period of the Giza
pyramids, the giant statue of the
sphynx is an early example.

The avemue of the rams in Karnak
reverses a scenario where the head
was that of human.

This trend continues with the
representation of the divine having
the form of humans but the face of
animals or birds.

Often we see depictions of the
royalties associated with the
divine.
It is the earliest condition that was
transferred to other civilizations, like
the Assyrian or the Greek.

Assyrian Winged Bull "Lamassu“, Bull Guardian from the
Palace of Ashurnasirpal II at Nimrud, 883-859 B.C
Anubis (jackal or hunting dog), Patron god of embalmers and
Naxian
Sphinx,
Delphi,
c. 560life
BC.
Ionic powerful
column of
Statue
of Goddess
Sekhmet,
one
of pharaoh.
the most
Horus
(falcon)
giving
eternal
to (2.32m;
the
The
sphinx
(Giza)
andtemple
the Museum
Avenue
of in
rams
(Karnak).
~10m)
Delphifound
Archaeological
the gods,
in the
of Ptah
Karnak
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
Tomb design shifts from the imposing scale of the Giza pyramids to that of
the hypostyle hall tombs.


Scale makes clear reference to anthropomorphic design, allowing spaces for
humans to reach and processions and rituals to take place.
Dome forms are merely symbolic (if existing) comparatively to those of Giza.
M= Temple of Mentuhotep,
T III= Temple of Tuthmosis III,
H= Temple of Hatshepsut
7
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Mortuary Complex of Mentuhotep in Deir El Bahri (circa 2,050 B.C.)


This temple is a transition between the Old Kingdom temple of the pyramid, and the
New Kingdom House of Millions of Years.

The tomb of the king is united with its mortuary temple. The New Kingdom will later
separate the tomb (in the Valley of the Kings) from the House of Millions of Years.

The multileveled construction and the plan were entirely new, with no equivalent
dating from the Old Kingdom.

The complex had a valley temple with a 1,2 km causeway leading to the it and a
pillared lower hall at the lower level with two rows of decorated octagonal, columns.

The upper level had a covered central core dedicated to Mentu-Re, a primeval god of
Thebes and the roof may have been flat, or topped by an earth mound. The
enclosure contained chapels and shaft tombs for the king's wives and family.
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
Mortuary Complex of Queen Hatshepsut in Deir-El-Bahri (circa 1,479 B.C.)

The mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut is one of the most dramatically situated
in the world. The queen's architect, Senmut, designed it and set it at the head of a
valley overshadowed by the Peak of the Thebes, the "Lover of Silence," where lived
the goddess who presided over the necropolis.

A tree lined avenue of sphinxes led up to the temple, and ramps led from terrace to
terrace. The porticoes on the lowest terrace are out of proportion and coloring with
the rest of the building. They were restored in 1906 to protect the celebrated reliefs
depicting the transport of obelisks by barge to Karnak and the miraculous birth of
Queen Hatshepsut.

Reliefs on the south side of the middle terrace show the queen's expedition by way
of the Red Sea to Punt, the land of incense. Along the front of the upper terrace, a
line of large, gently smiling Osirid statues of the queen looked out over the valley. In
the shade of the colonnade behind, brightly painted reliefs decorated the walls.
Statue of Hatshepsut, a surviving obelisk from Tuthmosis’ mutilation of shrines, and the Shrine of Het-Hert at the Temple of Deir el-Bahri.

Hatshepsut disappeared in 1458 B.C. when Thutmosis III, wishing to reclaim the
throne, led a revolt. Although Thutmosis had her shrines, statues and reliefs
mutilated Hatshepsut has left a legacy of architectural and statuary elegance.
Frontal and birds-eye view of the mortuary complex of
Queen Hasthepsut in Deir-El-Bahri
8
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
Der-El-Bahri cont.

The mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut is one of
the most dramatically situated in the world. The
queen's architect, Senmut, designed it and set it at
the head of a valley overshadowed by the Peak of
the Thebes, the "Lover of Silence," where lived the
goddess who presided over the necropolis. A tree
lined avenue of sphinxes led up to the temple, and
ramps led from terrace to terrace. The porticoes on
the lowest terrace are out of proportion and coloring
with the rest of the building. They were restored in
1906 to protect the celebrated reliefs depicting the
transport of obelisks by barge to Karnak and the
miraculous birth of Queen Hatshepsut. Reliefs on
the south side of the middle terrace show the
queen's expedition by way of the Red Sea to Punt,
the land of incense. Along the front of the upper
terrace, a line of large, gently smiling Osirid statues
of the queen looked out over the valley. In the
shade of the colonnade behind, brightly painted
reliefs decorated the walls. Hatshepsut disappeared
in 1458 B.C. when Thutmose III, wishing to reclaim
the throne, led a revolt. Thutmose had her shrines,
statues and reliefs mutilated.
The second terrace north wing. The end of
the colonnade .
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
A kingdom as large as that of Egypt could thrive simultaneously with those kingdoms of
Mesopotamia, yet share little in terms of Architecture and techniques of construction.

Contrary to what was happening in the Mesopotamian states where the landscape
contours would determine formations and designs, the Architects of Egypt developed
their own architectural vocabulary.




Right angles, influenced by the four cardinal points
Plain geometries
Use of stone for the erection of long lasting preponderant monumental buildings
A mélange of abstraction and realistic representations

Egyptian architecture straightforwardly reflects the values of society by incorporating only a
moderate level of abstraction to deify and exalt the king.

Although there is afterlife for all beings, the tombs of the pharaohs and the monuments
dedicated to them, were the only majestic monuments dedicated to the earthly that were built
to stay for thousands of years. The nuance between the divine and the royal was negligible
for the most part.

With the introduction of the pyramid form as a tomb for the Pharaoh’s the connection
between the royalties and the Gods became unique and definite. Although there are no
records of construction methods nor any scholarly agreement on them either, the grandeur of
these Herculean size buildings renders a heroic endeavor and a historic achievement of
parallel proportions.
9