Egyptian Architecture Notes PDF

EGYPTIAN ARCHITECTURE General Influences: MEMPHIS TRIAD Ptah - The chief deity of Memphis & patron deity of craftsmen. 1. Geographical...

EGYPTIAN ARCHITECTURE General Influences: MEMPHIS TRIAD Ptah - The chief deity of Memphis & patron deity of craftsmen. 1. Geographical Sekhmet - The consort of Ptah & the giver of divine retribution, Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of eastern North vengeance, and conquest. Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Nefertem - the Protector of the two lands. what is now the modern country of Egypt. MENKAURE TRIAD “Nile, life of Egypt” King Menkaure - the last Great Pyramid builder Irrigation turned desert lands into fruitful fields. Hathor - the goddess of music and love, is shown to the right of Menkaure, holding his hand. Its gentle current was favorable for navigation. The 17th deified nome of Upper Egypt. Trade and commerce prospered along its banks. Early Egyptian civilization had its birth along the Nile. The outstanding feature of the religion of the Egyptians was their Important religious structures like tomb pyramids and strong belief in the afterlife. temples for the gods were built in strategic places Mummification was reserved for the richest and most powerful along the banks of the Nile. in Egyptian society. The process was long and expensive. There were three main people who took part in this process; the scribe, 2. Geological the cutter, and the embalmer. It takes 70 days to prepare the Mud brick was the principal building material for body for burial. domestic buildings. Stone (sandstone, limestone, granite and marble) was Their belief: favored for temples and tombs. An intact body is an integral part of a person's afterlife and The ancient Egyptians didn't use mortar, so the stones assuring themselves a successful rebirth into the afterlife. were carefully cut to fit together. Without a physical body there is no shadow, no name, no 3. Climatic spirit, no personality and no immortality. Due to the aridity of Egypt's climate, population centres are Mummies are contained in coffins called the sarcophagus. In the concentrated along the narrow Nile Valley and Delta. case of Tutankhamun, his mummy was contained in 3 coffins, Effects of Climate on Buildings: each one within the next. The outer coffin was made of gilded Simple design wood covered with gold. The middle coffin was made of wood Few windows due to sandstorms covered with gold, semiprecious stones, glass and obsidian. Flat roof, no drainage, no gutters due to absence rain The inner coffin was made of solid gold and weighs 110 k. His Massive walls due to heat death mask was made of solid gold and inlaid with semi- precious stones, it weighs 11 kilograms. 4. Religious Everlasting monuments for the preservation of the dead are The religious rites of the Egyptians were traditional and manifested in the: mysterious as manifested in tombs and temples. Temple of the gods Religious practices: Tomb pyramids of the kings 1. Monotheistic in theory 2. Polytheistic in practice (natural phenomena, heavenly bodies 5. Historical and Social and animals). The Kings of ancient Egypt are known as Pharaohs. ‘Pharaoh' is a Greek word that is based on an Egyptian word that meant There was no dividing line between gods and kings. They were 'great house'. frequently associated in triads. The pharaoh was the political and religious leader holding the THEBAN TRIAD titles: 'Lord of the Two Lands' and 'High Priest of Every Temple'. Amun - the King of the Gods As 'Lord of the Two Lands' the pharaoh was the ruler of Upper Mut - consort to Amun & queen of the gods. and Lower Egypt. He owned all of the land, made laws, collected Khons - the son of Amun and Mut; the god of the moon and time. taxes, and defended Egypt against invaders. As 'High Priest of Every Temple', the pharaoh represented the ABYDOS TRIAD gods on Earth. He performed rituals and built temples to honor Osiris - The god of the underworld. the gods. Isis - The mother of Horus. Horus - The child of Isis and Osiris. The rulers would have the members of their own families be married within the family itself so that the throne would remain with them. In spite of such occurrences, where men were UST Architecture | Copyright © 2024 by HOA1 Sub-cluster | No reproduction without written consent of HOA1 Sub-Cluster Page 1 1 marrying their own sister, daughters and granddaughters, there were loads of times when the rule changed hand, contributing to one of the most complex and interesting royal history ever. The pharaohs have been divided into 30 dynasties. 1. Ancient Kingdom (1-10) Archaic Period (1-2) Old Kingdom (3-6) First Intermediate Period (7-10) 2. Middle Kingdom (11-17) Middle Kingdom (11-13) Second Intermediate Period (14-17) 3. New Kingdom Third Intermediate Period (18-25) 4. Late Period (25-31) Eye of Horus symbolizes protection & royal power. 5. Macedonian Period (Alexander the Great and his successors) Cartouche is a rope enclosing a royal name thereby serving as 6. Ptolemaic Dynasty (Ptolemy I and ending with Cleopatra VII) the protector of that name. Was Scepter symbolizes power and dominion. Great Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt: This scepter has a stylized animal head on top and a forked end. It was a visual representation of the concept of "power" or 1. Hatshepsut ruled herself as the first woman pharaoh and "dominion.“ ruled for around 20 years. She organized military campaigns and sent out trade expeditions to bring exotic goods to Egypt. 2. Thutmose III was called the Napoleon of ancient Egypt because of his military genius and built many structures. He ruled for 54 years and created the largest empire ever in Egypt. 3. Rameses II was one of the longest ruling pharaohs of ancient Egypt for 67 years. He lived for over 80 years with over a dozen wives and more than 100 children. 4. Amenhotep III’s rule is remembered as one of artistic glory and prosperity having a large impact on the economy of Egypt. 5. Tutankhamun was the 12th king of the 18th dynasty. He was a boy king at age 9 and most famous Pharaoh of all time. He Sun Disk represents the sun god Ra and the divinity of the was not renowned as a ruler but famous for his riches inside his Pharaoh. intact tomb. Crook and Flail are symbols of royalty, kingship, majesty and 6. Amenhotep IV or Akhenaten ruled for less than 20 years dominion. The crook is a scepter symbolizing government. and introduced the concept of a single god, Aten which was later These are the 2 most prominent in the royal regalia or insignia. reversed by his son, Tutankhamun. 7. Djozer was known for the famous limestone Step Pyramid at Saqqara which is an example of great technological innovation. 8. Khufu built the oldest and largest pyramid in Giza remarkable for its construction techniques. 9. Cleopatra (Queen of the Nile) was the last pharaoh of ancient Egypt though she was not of Egyptian lineage, being the daughter of Ptolemy XII (Greek). Uraeus symbolizes royal protection. Falcon is for divine kingship. They also represent the unification ROYAL SYMBOLS: of Lower Egypt (cobra) and Upper Egypt (falcon). The Headdress Double Crown headdress (‘pschent’) represents the kingship of the 2 lands, Upper and Lower Egypt. The white crown ('hedjet') is for Upper Egypt and the red crown ('deshret') for Lower Egypt. Nemes Crown is a striped head cloth worn almost exclusively by the king in representations like a sphinx or falcon. UST Architecture | Copyright © 2024 by HOA1 Sub-cluster | No reproduction without written consent of HOA1 Sub-Cluster Page 2 2 Ankh is the key of life and associated with Anubis, the authority over life and death. 3 Types of Ornamentation: Scarab symbolizes life, death and resurrection. 1.Geometric Forms 2.Animals 3.Plants TOMB ARCHITECTURE The belief in existence beyond death resulted in sepulchral architecture of utmost impressiveness and permanence. ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER 1. Royal Mastaba is a broad pit below ground covered with a Ornaments: rectangular flat mound with sides sloping at 75 degrees. The word mastaba is an Arabic word meaning “bench of mud”. 1. Papyrus (Symbol for Lower Egypt and Fertility) Main axis lay north and south & has a false door on the southern 2. Lotus (Symbol for Upper Egypt and Fertility) side allowing the spirit of the dead to enter and leave at will. 3. Palm (Fertility) A mastaba has a shaft descending to the tomb chamber. Heavy stones (portcullises) are dropped through the slots to seal the chamber. Parts of a Mastaba: a. Serdab is a room for the statue of the deceased. b. Offering room with stele (name of the deceased inscribed Columns are indicative of plant stems gathered at the base with on it). capitals derived from the lotus bud, papyrus flower and the c. Tomb shaft (slot for portcullises) palm. d. Tomb chamber Ex.: Mastaba, Faraoun Mastaba, Tarkhan Mastaba, Saqqara Mastaba, Gizeh 2. Step Pyramid is a series of successively smaller mastabas one atop of another. Ex.: Step Pyramid of Djozer by Imhotep is the world’s first large scale monument in stone with no free-standing columns. It was originally clad in polished white limestone. 3. Bent Pyramid was originally planned as a true pyramid, but the corners were built on unstable ground and the walls of the burial chambers inside began to crack and shift inward. Of necessity, the building’s geometry was altered at a point just above half its height. The angle of incline was decreased from UST Architecture | Copyright © 2024 by HOA1 Sub-cluster | No reproduction without written consent of HOA1 Sub-Cluster Page 3 3 54º 31’ 13’’ to 43º 21’which gives it a unique and distinctive shape. Ex.: Bent Pyramid of Snefru, Dashur has the best preserved limestone outer sheath of any pyramid in Egypt. 4. True Pyramid Pyramid of Chephren (Khafre) is slightly smaller than the great Pyramid of Cheops & guarded by the Sphinx believed to bear the face of King Chephren. A sphinx is a mythical monster with the body of a lion and the head of a pharaoh, hawk or ram. The word sphinx literally means “living image of the creator god Atum”. The Pyramid of Mykerinos (Menkaura, son of Chephren) is the smallest and the last among the 3 pyramids to be built in the Giza Plateau. BUILDING THE PYRAMID Parts of a Pyramid: The logistics of construction at the Giza site are staggering when a. Offering chapel you think that the ancient Egyptians had no pulleys, no wheels, b. Mortuary temple (for the worship of the dead) and no iron tools. Yet, the dimensions of the pyramid are c. Causeway extremely accurate and the site was leveled within a fraction of d. Valley building (for interment & embalmment an inch over the entire 13.1-acre base. This is comparable to the accuracy possible with modern construction methods and Ex: The Pyramids, Giza: laser leveling. That's astounding. With their `rudimentary tools,' the pyramid builders of ancient Egypt were about as accurate The Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu) is the oldest and largest (13 as we are today with 20th century technology. acres) of the 3 pyramids in the Giza Necropolis. It is the oldest of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one to Planning Process: remain largely intact. 1. Choosing the site The granite blocks weigh 2.5 tons. The original outer casing of facing west as portal to the afterlife the pyramid was of white Tura stone, a beautiful white 2. Preparing the site limestone. orienting the sides facing the cardinal points The capstone was plated with gold, silver or electrum, (an alloy 3. Raising the blocks of gold and silver) that would also be highly reflective in the bright sun. Recruitment of the Skilled Labor Force The Grand Gallery’s was constructed of corbelled vaulting. The King's Chamber is a hollow space in the middle of a Pyramid construction was paid labor during slow agricultural massive structure of stone. The chamber is of hard granite seasons, not slave labor as is commonly supposed. It was surrounded by softer limestone. hugely labor-intensive. The ante-room in the King’s Chamber must have been blocked A worker’s city was constructed—barracks, administrative with porticullises to seal the tomb chamber. The stones must buildings, granaries, bakeries, breweries, work yards, smithies, have been lowered by pulleys fashioned from ropes. and foundries. There were permanent dwellings for those who brought their families to settle, and the king encouraged this heartily. Those craftsmen and artisans who were first to arrive had the most desirable jobs, the finest housing, the best in all things. The workforce was highly organized and managed. UST Architecture | Copyright © 2024 by HOA1 Sub-cluster | No reproduction without written consent of HOA1 Sub-Cluster Page 4 4 5. Rock-cut Tombs mysterious gods. Types of Rock-cut Tombs Parts of an Egyptian Temple: a. Hillside Tombs were elaborately decorated tombs carved 1. Pylon is the monumental gateway into the limestone cliffs. 2. Great Court is surrounded by columns 3. Hypostyle Hall is a forest of columns, portraying the illusion Ex.: Tombs, Beni Hasan has 39 ancient rock-cut tombs. of infinity and vastness of space. 4.Sanctuary is the holiest part & accessible only to the king & b. Corridor Tombs contain stairways, passageways, corridors high priests. and burial chambers located below the valley floor. 5. Enclosure wall 6. Colossal statues of the Pharaoh Ex.: The Valley of the Kings, Luxor was the royal necropolis 7. Obelisk is a tall 4-sided narrow tapering column of Ancient Egypt where the kings & powerful nobles were buried. terminating in a pyramidion, its most sacred part. The valley was listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 8. Avenue of sphinxes 1987. Temple Plan The tomb of Tutankhamun was one of the smaller tombs in the Valley of the Kings as Tutankhamun was a fairly minor king who had a very short reign. Over 3,500 items were recovered from the burial of Tutankhamun, and many are breathtaking in their beauty and a testament to the skill of Egyptian craftsmen. Ex.: The Valley of the Queens, Luxor is a place near the Valley of the Kings where wives of Pharaohs were buried in ancient Temple walls were designed with inward inclinations called times. battered walls. TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE Examples: Principle of construction was post and lintel. Temple of Isis, Philae was the last pagan temple to exist in the Light and shadow are important features in temples. Mediterranean. Light came through: It was dedicated to goddess Isis, wife of Osiris & mother of wall openings Horus. gaps between columns Great Temple of Amun, Karnak (ancient Thebes) is the clerestory windows achieved through two roof levels grandest of all Egyptian temples & built by many kings. It was most important sanctuary of the cult who worshipped the Column Construction: sun god, Amun-Ra. It has 6 pairs of pylons, approached by avenues of sphinxes & Column shafts and capitals were typically formed out of stacked a pair of obelisks flank the main entrance. stone drums or half drums. These could be centered atop each It a has a Great Court with 134 super-sized columns in 16 rows, course by the use of plumb lines, either aligning the drums using 21-24 m. high and 3.60 m. in diameter. markings at their centers or via vertical grooves along their Temple of Luxor was mostly built by Amenophis III, dedicated sides. to the Theban Triad of Amun, Mut & Khons. Decorative elements on shafts and capitals could be cut directly Great Temple, Abu Simbel is a rock-hewn temple with 4 rock- from the stacked blocks once in place. cut colossal statues of Rameses II, over 20 m. high. Small Temple, Abu Simbel is a rock-hewn temple dedicated to Rameses II’s deified queen, Nefertari & the goddess Hathor. Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Valley of the Queens, Deir el-Bahari was built by Senmut & dedicated to the sun god Amun-Ra. It is connected to a corridor tomb. Mortuary Temple of Mentuhetep, Der-el-Bahari is directly related to a corridor tomb. Temple of Khons, Karnak was a cult temple mostly done by Rameses III. Temple of Seti I, Abydos. The close-grained limestone wall Types of Temples: relief is the finest in Egypt. The Ramesseum, Thebes, by Rameses II, is a mortuary 1. Mortuary Temple is used for the ministrations to temple of the cult type. deified pharaohs. Temple of Horus, Edfu, built from sandstone blocks, is the 2. Cult Temple is for the worship of the ancient and most completely preserved of all temple remains. UST Architecture | Copyright © 2024 by HOA1 Sub-cluster | No reproduction without written consent of HOA1 Sub-Cluster Page 5 5 Mammisi Temple, Edfu was built to celebrate the divine birth of Horus. ***A mammisi temple is often referred to as a birth house of the gods located within the temple complex. Mammisi Temple at the Temple of Hathor, Dendera is dedicated to Ihy (the son of Hathor and Horus). DOMESTIC ARCHITECTURE Egyptian houses are made of crude bricks, 1-2 storeys high with flat and parapeted roof. Characteristics of Egyptian Architecture: Simplicity Solidity Grandeur Copyright © 2024 by Ar. Ma. Vicenta Sanchez (HOA1 Sub-cluster Head) This handout was produced by the History of Architecture 1 (HOA1) Sub-cluster in preparation for S.Y. 2024-25. These pages and any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used without the written consent of the University of Santo Tomas College of Architecture except for brief quotes or for review UST Architecture | Copyright © 2024 by HOA1 Sub-cluster | No reproduction without written consent of HOA1 Sub-Cluster Page 6 6