Egyptian Architecture Lecture Notes PDF

04-09-2018 AP 1002D HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I INTRODUCTION F A C U L T Y AR. AF I F A N U Z H AT DEPARTMENT OF ARCHI TECTURE AND...

04-09-2018 AP 1002D HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I INTRODUCTION F A C U L T Y AR. AF I F A N U Z H AT DEPARTMENT OF ARCHI TECTURE AND PLANNI NG NATI ONAL I NSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY CALI CUT Lecture-1 6th August 2018 1  04-09-2018 Prehistoric Architecture The term prehistory references the period before history was written down, prior to any kind of written explanation of culture and civilization. How did people live and build earlier? 2  04-09-2018 Prehistoric Architecture The origins of architecture, although lost in the mists of antiquity, must have been connected intimately with the endeavours of man to provide for his physical wants. It has been truly said that protection from the inclemency of the seasons was the mother of architecture. According to Vitruvius, man in his primitive savage state began to imitate the nests of birds and the lairs of beasts, commencing with arbours of twigs covered with mud, then huts formed of branches of trees and covered with turf. An architectural typology references a building type is usually an architectural form related to a function, such as train stations, airports, churches, schools, etc. There are three types of primitive dwellings the caves or rocks or those occupied in hunting or fishing, the hut for the agriculturist, and the tent for those such as shepherds leading a pastoral or nomadic life. Structures of the prehistoric period, although interesting for archaeological reasons, have little or no architectural value. 3  04-09-2018 The remains may be classified under : 1. Monoliths 2. Dolmen 3. Cromlech 4. Tumuli 5. Lake dwellings 1. Monoliths These are single upright stones, also known as menhirs. A well-known example 63 feet high, 14 feet in diameter, and weighing 260 tons, being at Carnac, Brittany. Another example is at Locmariaker, also in Brittany. 4  04-09-2018 2. Dolmens The word comes from ‘Daul’ meaning a table, and ‘maen’ which means a stone. It consists of one large flat stone supported by upright stones. Examples are to be found near Maidstone and other places in England, also in Ireland, Northern France, the Channel Islands, Italy and India. Dolmen in Ireland 5 04-09-2018 6  04-09-2018 3. Cromlechs, Circles of stone. It consists of a series of upright stones arranged in a circle and supporting horizontal slabs. The Stonehenge is an example of a Cromlech. 4. Tumuli, Also called burial mounds. They were probably prototypes of the Pyramids of Egypt and the beehive huts found in Wales, Cornwall, Ireland and elsewhere. 7  04-09-2018 5. Lake Dwellings, Discovered in the lakes of Switzerland, Italy and Ireland It consisted of wooden huts supported on piles, and were so placed for protection against hostile attacks of all kinds. These primitive or prehistoric remains have little constructive sequence, and are merely mentioned here to show from what simple beginnings the noble art of architecture was evolved. 8  04-09-2018 Lecture-2 8th August 2018 Egyptian Civilisation 9  04-09-2018 Location Located in the plains of Nile river in Africa. 10  04-09-2018 Geographical Condition Egypt consists of a sandy desert with a strip of fertile country on the banks of the Nile. The possession of the Nile was of immense advantage, not only on account of its value as a trade route, and as a means of communication, but also because its waters were the fertilizing agents that made desert sands into fruitful fields. Geological Conditions 11  04-09-2018 Brick Making Harvesting Papyrus 12  04-09-2018 Transportation of Stone slabs Excavations at Amheida 13  04-09-2018 Climate Religion 14  04-09-2018 Egypt’s most important god was Ra the sun which took the form of a bird. 15  04-09-2018 Social Condition Pharoah 16  04-09-2018 Hunting Birds Farming 17  04-09-2018 Fishing Historic Condition 18  04-09-2018 History of Egypt can be divided into the following periods : 1. Prehistoric Period, B.C. 23000 (?)-4777 2. The Ancient Empire (Dynasties I.-X.), B.C. 4777-2821. The capital being at Memphis, the tombs of this period are at Abydos, Nakadeh, Memphis, Sakkara, Gizeh and Abusir. 3. The Middle Empire (Dynasties XI.-XVI.), B.C. 2821-1738. A prosperous period in which much building was carried out. This period includes the dynasties of the " Hyskos“ or shepherd kings. 4. The New Empire (Dynasties XVII.-XX.), B.C. 1738-950. This period had Thebes as the capital, and many imposing buildings were erected at Karnac, Luxor, and elsewhere. 5. Period of Foreign Domination (Dynasties XXI.-XXV.), B.C. 950-663. 6. The Late Egyptian Period (Dynasties XXVL--XXX.), B.C. 663- 332. This period includes the Persian Domination. 7. The Grace-Roman Period, B.C. 332-A.D. 640: a) i. Alexander the Great and Ptolemaic Period, B.C. 332-30. b) ii. The Roman Period, B.C. 3O-A.D. 395. c) iii. The Byzantine Period, A.D. 395-640. 8. Medieval Egypt (Mahometan Period), A.D. 640-1517. 9. Modem Egypt (Turkish Domination), A^. 1517 to the present time. Typical Examples Tombs: Were the eternal homes to Egyptians. There were 3 types: Mastaba: During Ancient Empire Pyramid : During Middle Empire Rock-cut caves : During New Empire Temples Obelisks Dwellings 19  04-09-2018 The tombs Mastaba 20  04-09-2018 In the Ancient Empire the Mastabas, probably derived from rude heaps of stones piled up over earlier mummy holes, were rectangular structures, with sides sloping at an angle of 75 degrees, and having flat roofs. They were divided into three parts : i. The outer chamber, in which were placed the offerings to the " Ka “ or “ double," having its walls decorated with representations of festal and other scenes, which are valuable from an historical standpoint. ii. Inner secret chambers, known as the “ serdabs," containing statues of the deceased, and members of his family. iii. A well of great depth, leading to the chamber containing the sarcophagus with its mummy. 21  04-09-2018 Lecture-3 8th August 2018 Mastaba 22  04-09-2018 1St Dynasty The mastaba (41.8 x15.26 m) in Sakkara from the reign of king Aha. The burial chamber plus four rooms were cut down into the bed- rock and roofed with wooden planks. Centr room is for the dead body and remaining for his pride posessions. Two low brick walls enclosed the tomb. Mastaba of Aha, Sakkara ( I Dynasty) 23  04-09-2018 Mastaba of Thy, Sakkara, The Mastaba of Thy, Sakkara, is well preserved and has been restored. It dates from the fifth dynasty, and was erected to Thy, who in his day held the position of royal architect and manager of pyramids. It consists of a small vestibule, beyond which is a large court where offerings to the deceased took place, and from which a mummy shaft led through a passage to a tomb chamber. The masonry of this tomb is carefully jointed and covered with flat reliefs, which are generally considered the best specimens of their kind. The principal reliefs are in a second tomb chamber, 22 feet 9 inches by 23 feet 9 inches and 12 feet 6 inches high. 24  04-09-2018 The Mastaba of Ti was discovered by Mariette in 1865 25 04-09-2018 26 04-09-2018 27  04-09-2018 Stepped Pyramid of Djoser, Sakkara 28  04-09-2018 Stepped Pyramids A step pyramid or stepped pyramid is an architectural structure that uses flat platforms, or steps, receding from the ground up, to achieve a completed shape similar to a geometric pyramid. The earliest Egyptian pyramids were step pyramids. During the Third Dynasty of Egypt, the architect Imhotep designed Egypt's first step pyramid as a tomb for the pharaoh, Djoser. Pyramid of Djoser Pyramid Djoser ( Zoser ), or step pyramid, is significant to the Egyptians and also Earth as well. Because it is the first known Pyramid in Egypt. Djoser remain in the Saqqara necropolis, Egypt, northwest of the city of Memphis. It was built for the burial of Pharaoh Djoser by his vizier Imhotep, during the 27th century BC. It is the central feature of a vast mortuary complex in an enormous courtyard surrounded by ceremonial structures and decoration. This first Egyptian pyramid consisted of six mastabas (of decreasing size) built atop one another in what were clearly revisions and developments of the original plan. The pyramid originally stood 62 metres (203 ft) tall, with a base of 109 × 125 m (358 × 410 ft) and was clad in polished white limestone. The step pyramid (or proto-pyramid) is considered to be the earliest large-scale cut stone construction, although the nearby enclosure known as Gisr el-mudir would seem to predate the complex. The oldest known uncut stone pyramid structure dates to 3000 BC in the city of Caral, Peru. Djoser was the first or second king of the 3rd Dynasty (ca. 2667 to 2648 BC) of the Egyptian Old Kingdom (ca. 2686 to 2125 BC). 29  04-09-2018 These investigations have shown that its construction plan was changed several times, and that the pyramid's current form is the result of a long process of development that included both experimentation and improvised elements. This pyramid is considered to be the evolutionary basis of all later pyramids in Egypt. Initially, the structure took the form of a mastaba (stage M1), which was gradually enlarged, first equally on all four sides (stage M2), and then only on the east side (stage M3). During this latter stage, the mastaba already had a step shape. However, the step-shaped mastaba was finally rebuilt in two stages, first as a four-step pyramid (stage P1) and finally as a six-step pyramid (stage P2). 30 04-09-2018 31 04-09-2018 32  04-09-2018 Bent Pyramid Archaeologists believe that the Bent Pyramid represents a transitional form between step-sided and smooth-sided pyramids. It has been suggested that due to the steepness of the original angle of inclination the structure may have begun to show signs of instability during construction, forcing the builders to adopt a shallower angle to avert the structure's collapse. The Bent Pyramid has two entrances, one fairly low down on the north side, to which a substantial wooden stairway has been built for the convenience of tourists. The second entrance is high on the west face of the pyramid. Each entrance leads to a chamber with a high, corbelled roof; the northern entrance leads to a chamber that is below ground level, the western to a chamber built in the body of the pyramid itself. A hole in the roof of the northern chamber (accessed today by a high and rickety ladder 50 feet (15 m) long) leads via a rough connecting passage to the passage from the western entrance. The western entrance passage is blocked by two stone blocks which were not lowered vertically, as in other pyramids, but slid down 45° ramps to block the passage. On the east side of the temple there are the fragmentary remains of the pyramid temple. 33  04-09-2018 3-dimensional view on the Bent Pyramid, showing its complex internal structure. 34 04-09-2018 35  04-09-2018 Pyramid These were built by the kings as their future tombs, the governing idea being to secure immortality by the preservation of the mummy, till that time should have passed, when, according to their belief, the soul would once more return to the body. The Great Pyramid , by Cheops (Khufu) (B.C. 3733-B.c. 3700) ; the Second Pyramid by Cephron (Khafra) (B.C. 3666-6. c. 3633) ; the Third Pyramid by Mycerinos (Menkhara) (B.C. 3633-6. c. 3600), are the best known examples. 36  04-09-2018 The Pyramids of Giza Pyramid of Cheops The Great Pyramid of Cheops is square on plan, 760 feet (231 m) each way, its area being about 13 acres. The faces of the pyramid are equilateral triangles laid sloping and meeting in a point. The sides face directly north, south, east and west, as in all the pyramids, and they make an angle with the ground of 51 degrees 50 minutes. The original height was 482 feet (146m). The entrance , which is on the northern side, is 47 feet 6 inches above the base, and is now reached by means of an earthen embankment. The passage to which it gives access first slopes downwards, and afterwards re-ascends towards the heart of the pyramid, where the King's Chamber is situated. In this chamber, which is 34 feet 6 inches by 17 feet and 19 feet high, was placed the sarcophagus of the king containing his embalmed body. The upper part is elaborately constructed with stones one above the other, and the entrance is protected by a massive stone acting as a portcullis, fitting into a rebate or recess, and weighing from 50 to 60 tons. Two air channels, each about 8 inches by 6 inches, led to the outer face of the pyramid for ventilation. There were two other chambers in the Great Pyramid, one known as the Queen's Chamber, connected with a passage leading off that to the King's Chamber, and the other below the ground. The exterior of this pyramid was originally cased with a sloping face of limestone, but this has now disappeared, 'showing the original stepped surface in tiers of 4 feet, on which the casing was placed, and which still exists in the Pyramid of Mycerinos. 37 04-09-2018 38  04-09-2018 Lecture -4 13th August 2018 39  04-09-2018 Important Terms Construction Systems 40  04-09-2018 Clerestory Windows Hypostyle Hall 41  04-09-2018 Pylons The pylon was the large gate at the front of the temple. The walls of the pylon were decorated with carved and painted scenes of the pharaoh, gods and goddesses. In front of the pylon were obelisks and large statues of the pharaoh. It consists of two tapering towers, each surmounted by a cornice, joined by a less elevated section which enclosed the entrance between them. The entrance was generally about half the height of the towers. 42  04-09-2018 Rock cut tombs During the New Empire tombs were rock-cut and structural. A rock-cut tomb is a burial chamber that is cut into an existing, naturally occurring rock formation, so a type of rock-cut architecture. They are usually cut into a cliff or sloping rock face, but may go down from fairly flat ground. It was a common form of burial for the wealthy in ancient times in several parts of the world. Thebes, which for a time was the necropolis of the Egyptian kings, has a large number of tombs dating mostly from the New Empire, and forming a contrast to the pyramids which formed the graves of the earlier kings. These tombs consist of a series of chambers connected with passages hewn in the rock, and were intended only for the reception of the sarcophagi. Amongst the most important of these are those of Rameses III., IV., and IX., and that of Sethos L, usually known as Belzoni's tomb from its discoverer in 1817. The structure of all is very similar, consisting of three corridors cut in the rock leading into an ante- room, beyond which is the sepulchral chamber, where the granite sarcophagus was placed in a hollow in the floor. The walls, from the entrance to the sarcophagus chamber, were sculptured with hieroglyphics of pictures and texts necessary to the deceased in the future life, and mostly representing him sailing through the under-world accompanied by the sun god. The texts were mostly taken from various books relating to the ceremonies which were essential for insuring the immortality of the departed Valley of Kings It is a valley in Egypt where, for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th century BC, rock cut tombs were excavated for the Pharaohs and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom. The valley stands on the west bank of the Nile, opposite Thebes within the heart of the Theban Necropolis. The valley is known to contain 63 tombs and chambers ,ranging in size from KV54, a simple pit, to KV5, a complex tomb with over 120 chambers. The modern abbreviation "KV" stands for "Kings' Valley", and the tombs are numbered according to their order of 'discovery‘. 43 04-09-2018 44  04-09-2018 KV11, Tomb of Rameses III The plan of the tomb begins with an open entryway (A) followed by two corridors (B and C), one with two side chambers (Ba-b), the other with eight chambers (Ca-Ch). Beyond the second corridor the cutting of a third corridor (D1a) on the axis of the tomb broke through the ceiling of KV 10. The right wall was cut further to the west, transforming the corridor into a chamber (D1). A continuation of the corridor D2 with its axis shifted to the west and not parallel to the previous axis, has a floor inclined upwards to avoid collision with KV 10. This corridor is succeeded by well chamber E, which is only partially cleared, a pillared chamber (F) with a side chamber (Fa) and central descent, another corridor (G), two square chambers (H, I), a large burial chamber (J) with four side chambers (Ja-d), and three more small chambers beyond (K1, K2, L). 45 04-09-2018 46  04-09-2018 Tombs at Beni-Hasan The Tombs at Beni-Hasan,in Upper Egypt, form a remarkable group of these rock-cut examples. There are 39 in all, arranged in a row in the rocks. They were made during the twelfth dynasty (B.C. 2778-2565), a period which was particularly remarkable for the progress of the arts of peace. The entrance to the Tomb of Khnemhotep, known as Tomb No. 3, has two sixteen-sided columns, sometimes considered to be a prototype of the Greek Doric order. These are slightly fluted and have an entasis, and the deeply projecting cornice has stone beams carved out of the solid rock, indicating a derivation from a wooden origin. 47  04-09-2018 Beni Hasan tomb of Amenemhet (XII Dynasty) interior columns, carved off the sandstone bedrock. The columns exhibit a very strong structural and morphological resemblance in their shaft and capital to the Doric order. 48  04-09-2018 Temples There are two types: Mortuary temple: for ministration of Pharoahs and the others. Cult temple : for worship of Gods Based on rectangular plan. They were sanctuaries where only the king and priests penetrated, and in which mysteries and processions formed a great part of the religious services. They differ, therefore, from the Greek temple, the Christian church, for they were not places for the meeting of the faithful or the recital of common prayers, and no public ritual was celebrated within them. The priests and king only were admitted beyond the hypostyle hall, and the temple, therefore, was a kind of royal oratory reared by the king in token of his own piety and in order to purchase the favour of the gods. 49  04-09-2018 Temple of Khons It is a cult temple dedicated to Khons- the Moon God. The entrance to the temple was between "pylons," or massive sloping towers, on each side of the central gateway. In front of the entrance were placed obelisks, and in front of these an avenue of sphinxes, forming a splendid approach to the temple. This entrance gave access to the large outer courtyard which was open to the sky in the centre, and therefore called "hypaethral" (from two Greek words, meaning "under the air "). This courtyard was surrounded by a double colonnade on three sides, and led up to the hypostyle hall, in which light was admitted by means of a clerestory above, formed by the different height of the columns. Beyond this is the sanctuary, surrounded by a passage, and at the rear is a smaller hall ; both the last chambers must have been dark or only imperfectly lighted. The whole collection of buildings forming the temple was surrounded by a great wall as high as the buildings themselves. 50 04-09-2018 51 04-09-2018 52  04-09-2018 Great Temple of Ammon, Karnak The Great Temple of Ammon, Karnac, is the grandest, extending over an area of 366m long and 110m wide, and originally was connected with the Temple of Luxor by an avenue of sphinxes. It was not built on an original plan, but owes its size, disposition and magnificence to the additions of many later kings, from the first monarchs of the twelfth dynasty down to the Ptolemaic period. It has six pylons added in successive generations, a great court measuring 103m by 84m, the great hypostyle hall, and other halls, courts and a sanctuary. The Hypostyle hall measures 103m by 52m. The roof is supported by 134 columns in sixteen rows, they are 21m high and 3.58m in diameter with papyrus flower or bell type capital. They receive the light from the clerestory. The side avenues are about have columns 13m high and 2.7m in diameter, the Capitals being of the lotus. The impression produced on the spectator by the forest of columns is most awe inspiring, and the eye is led from the smaller columns of the side avenues, which gradually vanish into semi-darkness, giving an idea of unlimited size, to the larger columns of the central avenues lighted by the clerestory, which is formed in the difference of height between the central and side avenues, a form of lighting more fully developed in the Gothic period. The walls of the hall, the column shafts, and the architraves are covered with incised inscriptions, still retaining their original coloured decorations relating to the gods and personages concerned in the erection of the structure. 53  04-09-2018 View of sphinxes, the first pylon, and the central east-west aisle of Temple of Amun-Re, Karnak in Luxor, Egypt 54  04-09-2018 This temple has two axes; East-West toward the Nile and North-South toward Mut’s temple. 55 04-09-2018 56  04-09-2018 Digital Karnak - Terms and Definitions, UCLA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3KucfdZ0tQ#action=share 57  04-09-2018 Lecture -5 20th August 2018 The Temple of Abu- Simbel 58  04-09-2018 The Temple of Abu- Simbel The Great Temple of Abu-Simbel, built by Rameses II. (B.C. 1333-1300), and was entirely excavated out of the solid rock. One temple is dedicated to King Ramses II, and the second temple is dedicated to his beloved wife Queen Nefertari. It has a fore-court, at the back of which is the imposing facade, 119 feet wide and over 100 feet high, formed as a pylon, and having four seated colossi of Rameses II., each over 65 feet in height. Each of these large figures is a depiction of Ramses II, seated on his thrown, wearing his double crown. Around the figure’s knees there are small carvings of some of his wives and children. The entrance leads to a vestibule, the ceiling of which is supported by eight pillars, the walls having vividly coloured reliefs. Eight smaller chambers, probably used to store the temple utensils and furniture, adjoin this vestibule, and in the rear is a small hypostyle hall, 36 feet by 25 feet, having four pillars. Behind this is a long narrow chamber out of which are three apartments, the centre and largest one being the sanctuary, with an altar and four seated figures of the deities worshipped. The Great Temple was constructed keeping in mind the position of the sun on February 22 and October 22. On these days, sunlight penetrates 55 meters (180 feet) into the inner sanctuary to illuminate the statues along the back wall. Only Ptah, the god of the Underworld, remains in darkness all year round. Why those specific dates were chosen remains a mystery and some believe they might represent Ramses II’s birthday or his coronation. 59 04-09-2018 60  04-09-2018 Illuminated back wall of the inner sanctuary 61  04-09-2018 The small temple The Small Temple, built for Queen Nefertari, marks the second time a ruler dedicated a temple to his wife (the first was built by Akhenaten for Nefertiti). It was also the first time that the statue of the wife, Nefertari in this case, was carved the same size as the image of the Pharaoh himself, which is significant in revealing how Ramses II felt about his beloved queen. Usually, the wives statues never measured higher than the Pharaoh’s knees, but Nefertari’s statues was a full 10 meters (32 feet) high. Nefertari’s temple is also aligned to the east. It is about 28 meters (92 feet) long by 12 meters (40 feet) high. The entrance is marked by six colossal figures. There are four figures of Ramses himself and two of Queen Nefertari. Along with the six colossi stand smaller statues that present Ramses’ and Nefertari’s children. Just inside the entrance sits a large hall, supported by six pillars, each carved with the head of Hathor, as well as scenes showing the King and Queen making offerings to various other Egyptian gods. On the inner room’s back wall, reliefs show Nefertari being crowned by Isis and Hathor. The interior of the Small Temple is not as complex as the Great Temple. At the end of the large hall there is a doorway, leading to another room decorated with scenes of Ramses II and Nefertari with various gods. Further rooms illustrate similar Egyptian scenes. 62  04-09-2018 Relief in the Small Temple at Abu Simbel, depicting Nefertari (left) and Ramses II killing an enemy Aswan Dam Modern Egypt built the Aswan Dam in an attempt to try to contain and minimize the impacts of the annual rising and falling of the water levels of the Nile that for centuries has caused fluctuations in the productivity of agriculture on the flood lands along the river. Due to the construction of the dam, many archaeological sites we threaten by the flooding that would result from the construction of the dam. One of the most famous sites that were threatened was the Abu Simbel temples located in Nubia. The temples were discovered in 1813 and were explored in 1817 by Giovanni Battista Belzoni. The temples themselves were actually carved into a face of a cliff. When the proposal of the construction of the Aswan Dam begun and discussions about the area at which would most likely flood started, it became imperative to move the Abel Simbel temples to a location that they would be safe from the rising water levels of Lake Nassar. So in 1959, an international donations campaign to save the monument began. On Nov. 16,1963, the disassembling of the temples began. With the help of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Egyptian government, the temples were successfully moved and reconstructed on top of a cliff another 200 feet above the original site. 63 04-09-2018 64 04-09-2018 65  04-09-2018 Obelisks Obelisks are monumental pillars, originally employed in pairs before the principal entrances of temples. They are monoliths, i.e., single upright stones, square on plan with slightly rounded faces, and tapering sides, with a pyramidal summit. The height is usually about nine to ten times as great as the diameter, and the four faces were cut with hieroglyphics. The capping was of metal, for the groove into which it was fitted is in some cases still visible. The quarrying and transport of such a mass of stone without the power of a steam-engine was" an engineering feat of considerable skill. Many obelisks were removed from Egypt by the Roman emperors, and at least twelve are in Rome itself. That in the centre of the Piazza of S. John Lateran is the largest in existence. It is of red granite from Syene, and is 104 feet high, or with the pedestal 153 feet, 9 feet square at the base, 6 feet 2 inches at the top, and altogether weighs about 600 tons. Cleopatra's Needle on the Thames Embankment, another example, brought to London from Alexandria, although originally erected at Heliopolis (B.C. 1500), is 68 feet 6 inches high, 8 feet square at the base, and weighs 180 tons. Obelisk at Temple of Luxor 66  04-09-2018 Obelisk in the centre of the Piazza of S. John Lateran is the largest in existence. 67  04-09-2018 Cleopatra’s Needle, New York. 68  04-09-2018 The Central Park obelisk as it stood in Alexandria, 1884 Lecture -6 24th August 2018 69  04-09-2018 Dwellings Houses are shown on paintings and sculptures which have come down to us, from which they appear to have had one, two, or three stories. In the absence of any authentic remains, an illustration of the Egyptian House is given conjecturally restored, and erected at the Paris Exhibition, 1889, by M. Charles Garnier. The design was founded on an ancient painting, and had a garden in front, laid out in a formal style, with fish-ponds. The house was divided by a corridor in the centre, giving access to the rooms. The staircase at the back led to a verandah, and also to a flat roof, extending over the whole length of the structure. The whole building was treated with colour, the upper part of the house being painted a bright yellow, and the long external wooden columns blue. 70  04-09-2018 What were the ancient Egyptian houses made of? 71  04-09-2018 Garden villa with pond 72 04-09-2018 73 04-09-2018 74  04-09-2018 City Villa 75  04-09-2018 Estates Recreation of a mud-brick house 76  04-09-2018 Remains of interior chambers Mud Brick Town Remains at El-Qasr 77  04-09-2018 The Sphinx The date of construction is unknown. It is situated near the great pyramids, in the centre of an ancient stone quarry, and is a natural rock cut to resemble a Sphinx, with rough masonry added in parts. An Egyptian Sphinx had the head of a king, a hawk, a ram, or more rarely a woman, on the body of a lion. The dimensions of the Great Sphinx, which represents a recumbent lion with the head of a man, are as follows : it is 65 feet high by 188 feet long, the face is 13 feet 6 inches wide, and the mouth 8 feet 6 inches long. Greatly mutilated, it is still a marvel, as it has been throughout the ages. The symbol for an insoluble problem, it is, and probably ever will be, a mystery. It was excavated in 1816 by Captain Caviglia, who found a temple between the paws, 78 04-09-2018 79  04-09-2018 Great Sphinx, 1882 photograph by Granger. Different types of Columns 80  04-09-2018 Hathor-headed Column Capitals formed of heads of the goddess supporting the model of a temple front Hathor is commonly depicted as a cow goddess with head horns in which is set a sun disk with Uraeus. Hathor is at times the mother, daughter and wife of Ra and, like Isis, is at times described as the mother of Horus. Depicted as "Mistress of the West" welcoming the dead into the next life. The Ancient Greeks identified Hathor with the goddess Aphrodite and the Romans as Venus. Columns with Lotus Capitals 81  04-09-2018 Lotus column: lotus and volute capital A volute is a spiral, scroll-like ornament. Columns with Palm Capitals 82  04-09-2018 Palmette Capital Columns Papyrus column: bundled shaft, closed bud capital 83  04-09-2018 Papyrus column: smooth shaft, open capital Papyrus column: smooth shaft, open bell capital 84  04-09-2018 Papyrus column: smooth shaft, closed single bud capital Papyrus column: open capital 85  04-09-2018 Papyrus column: Composite capital 2 papyrus species: eight plants of the common Cyperus papyrus alternate with eight of Cyperus alopecuroides Papyrus column: Bundled papyrus stalks with lotus blossoms 86  04-09-2018 Papyrus column: bundled papyrus stalks , palmettes, and closed buds 87