EGYPT CIVILIZATION

Course no: Arch 271

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO1tzmi1V5g
 Physical characteristics
Favorable for early settlement due to
Nile
It had two distinct zone with different political
identity
The upper Egypt (Southern Egypt)
The lower Egypt (Northern Egypt)

Deserts were rich in natural building stone

and minerals and shielded from external
influences

Red Sea and Eastern delta was

the only route

Nile was an efficient means of internal

communication

Stable Hot dry climate with fertile

land of Nile
IRRIGATION

The Nile River flows from the south to the north;

therefore, downstream would be the lower area,
although it is on the upper part of a map. One of
the greatest accomplishments of the Egyptians
was the development of an irrigation system.
Irrigation is the watering of dry land by means
of manmade streams, canals, or pipes.

Basin irrigation
Egyptians developed and utilized a form of water
management known as basin irrigation. This practice
allowed them to control the rise and fall of the river to
best suit their agricultural needs. A crisscross
network of earthen walls was formed in a field of
crops that would be flooded by the river. When the
floods came, the water would be trapped in the
basins formed by the walls. This grid would hold
water longer than it would have naturally stayed,
allowing the earth to become fully saturated for later
planting. Once the soil was fully watered, the
floodwater that remained in the basin would simply
be drained to another basin that was in need of more
water.[
Egyptian society

The Egyptian
social structure
could be
compared to a
pyramid. Look at
the
Chart to see the
different levels of
social groups in Social Structure
ancient Egypt.
 Religious Belief Architecture and religion was in close connection
Priesthood was powerful
Religion was mysterious with Sun God as royal cult Osiris, God of death
became more popular

After life became more important

Body was preserved

(Mastaba, Pyramid and Rock

Tomb as the permanent abode

hewn Tombs)
In Thebes: Amun (Sun God), Mut (His wife and mother of all things) & Khons (Moon-God)
In Memphis: Ptah (Creator), Sekhmet (Goddess of war) & Nefertum (Their son)

Amun Ptah
Egyptian Society: Unskilled Laborers

Unskilled laborers, the largest class by far, made up 70% of the population.
Most of them were very poor that worked on farms or as various laborers.
Enjoyed few privileges and lived and died for one purpose- to work and
support
the kingdom.
Egyptian Society: Slaves

Slaves made up 20% of the

population.
Many slaves were Jewish
who were enslaved by the
Egyptians during the Exodus.
Prisoners captured in foreign
wars became slaves and
formed a separate class.
These slaves did have some
rights.
There were documented
cases in which children were
sold into slavery by poor
families to pay off debts.
BasicPlanning Course no: Arch 271
BasicPlanning Course no: Arch 271
BasicPlanning Course no: Arch 271
BasicPlanning Course no: Arch 271
BasicPlanning Course no: Arch 271
 Tomb Architecture Pre Dynastic Period Before 3000 BC
Early Dynastic Period (1 & 2) 3000-2663 BC

Mastabas
Old Kingdom Period (3 to 6) 2663-2195 BC

1st Intermediate Period (7 to 11) 2195-2040 BC

Royal

Pyramids Middle Kingdom Period (12 to 13) 2160-1650 BC

2nd Intermediate Period (14 to 17) 1650-1550 BC

Rock
New Kingdom Period (18 to 20) 1550-1069 BC
Hewn

Tomb
Great 3rd Intermediate Period (21 to 25) 1064-656 BC
Temples
 After life became more important
Late Period (26 to 31) 664-332 BC
 Body must be preserved
 Tomb as the permanent abode
(Mastaba, Pyramid and Rock hewn
Tombs)
 Rituals became prominent (Temples)
BasicPlanning

Development of Mastaba
A mastaba is a type of Ancient Egyptian tomb in the form of
a flat-roofed, rectangular structure with outward sloping
sides that marked the burial site of many eminent Egyptians
of Egypt's ancient period.

Mastabas were constructed out of mud-bricks or stone.

In Earlier periods (Dyn-I-II) The kings & leading
personages had two tombs in upper & lower Egypt
One was tomb & other was cenotaph

Development was in both direction (deeper in earth

as well as elevated on the ground)

“Egyptians believed that the soul could live only if the body was
preserved from corruption and depredation.”
Mastaba of Dyn-I Mastaba of Dyn-II-III Mastaba of Dyn-IV-V
Development of “Mastabas” Mastaba of Dyn-I

 Following the house plan with several small rooms

 Constructed on a broad pit below
 Central one for sarcophagus
 Surroundings are for offerings
 Wooden roof supported on wooden / brick pillars
 Entire area is covered by rectangular, flat topped mound of
spoils from excavation
 Top mound retained by thick brick wall

wall buttressed or plain at an angle

 Outer

of 75 degree
 Facades painted in bright colour
 Example: Mastaba at Sakkara
Development of Mastaba of Dyn-II-III
 Going deeper into rock by abandoning
“Mastabas elaborate layout of rooms
”  These are stairway mastabas
 Main axis was north-south with steps
and ramps from north
 Shaft to connect the main chamber was
closed with heavy stone portcullises
 South side had false doors for the soul
 In front was a offering table of fresh
foods
 Example: Mastaba at Beit
Khallaf
Development of “Mastabas” Mastaba of Dyn-IV-V

A small offering chapel

developed tacked on to the
mastaba or constructed
inside
With time it was elaborated with
group of rooms
 Offering tables was there
Tomb chamber was sunk more
deeply
 Connected by vertical shaft
 Constructed with limestone

 Example : Mastaba at
 Gizeh and Thi, Sakkara
Royal Pyramids
What is Pyramid ?
A pyramid is a shape with typically three or four
triangular sides.
polyhedron formed by connecting a polygonal base and a point,
called the apex

Each base edge and apex form a triangle. It is a conic solid

with polygonal base.

Tetrahedron Square pyramid Pentagonal

pyramid Star pyramids
Mexico Pyramids of Güímar, Tenerife (Spain)

Ancient monuments

Mesopotamia
Egypt
Sudan
Nigeria
Greece
Spain Pyramid of the Moon, Teotihuacan
China
Mesoamerica
North America
Roman Empire
The main gopura of the
Medieval Thanjavur Temple pyramid.
The reconstructed facade of the Neo- Sumeria Europe India
n Great Ziggurat of Ur, near Nasiriyah, Iraq Indonesia

Prasat Thom temple at Koh Ker, Cambodia.

Nubian Pyramids at Meroe

The Egyptian pyramids of the Giza Necropolis, as Borobudur, Central Java, Indonesia
seen from above Ancient Korean tomb in Ji'an,
Northeastern China
Ancient
Egypt

The ancient pyramids of Egypt

 Development of Pyramids

Step Pyramid of Dyn-III Bent Pyramid of Dyn-IV True Pyramid of Dyn-IV-V

Development of Pyramids

Macrocosm and microcosm is an ancient Greek

Neo- Platonic scheme .

from the largest scale (macrocosm or universe-level)

all the way down to the smallest scale (microcosm or
sub-sub-atomic or even metaphysical-level). In the
system the mid-point is Man, who summarizes the
cosmos.

Many ancient people other than the Greeks (Incas, Aborigines,

Vikings and Celts, amongst others), observed the golden ratio
 Example study: Step Pyramid of Zoser, Sakkâra

Architect: Imhotep

It was built for King Zoser, one of the greatest Kings of the
third dynasty.

Rectangular or square base, battered sides, flat top. Passage

Step Pyramid of Dyn-III to underground burial chamber.
 Example study: Step Pyramid of Zoser, Sakkâra

worlds first large-scale monument in ‘stone’.

Step Pyramid of Dyn-III

Zoser & His Architect Imhotep.
Zoser (active ca. 2686 B.C.) was the first king of the
Third Dynasty .
He was born in 2667 BC and died in 2648 BC.
King Zoser lived in the Third Dynasty which lasted from
2686 BC to 2613 BC. This was the beginning of the
Old Kingdom.
Zoser's main claim to fame is his Step Pyramid at
Sakkara

Imhotep became a legendary figure to later generations of

Egyptians
.
Imhotep later became a popular god of healing
Introduced the use of limestone in architecture
Plan and Section of Step Pyramid of Zoser
Five major alterations from initial mastaba
Rectangular base, more than a million tons of
limestone rise to a height of 204 feet.
Pharaoh’s stairway to heaven
Imhotep was royal architect, may have
engineered irrigation, was deified after death as
a healing god and temples were built in his
honor.
Plan and Section of Step Pyramid of Zoser

ENCLOSURE
ENTRANCE
TEMPLE
PILLARS HALL
COURT
MAIN PYRAMID
B SHAPED
PEDESTAL
GRATE COURT
HAB-SED COURT
Extension of Pyramid
Five changes of Plan in course of building

1st: square mastaba of 207 ft side & 26 ft height

2nd: regular addition of 14 ft to each side
3rd: Eastward extension of 28 ft
4th: 4 step pyramid of 272 ft x 240 ft rectangle
5th: 410 ft x 358 ft rectangle & Addition : N+W : 200 ft
height 6 step pyramid

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMkoX1kfyDs
Extension of Tomb chamber
The tomb chamber had also phases : enlarge in two stages

Initially it was 28 ft deep & approached by horizontal tunnel

Later pit was deepened to 92 ft and approached by ramp 70 ft height
Additional pits on east side for royal families

A vast enclosure of 1790 ft x 912 ft & 35 ft height surrounding the pyramid

Wall had mastaba type bastions and false entrance
Only entrance was on southern end of east façade
It had offering chappel and a well developed mortuary temple
The temple had 2 courts, a maze of corridors and many
rooms Tomb chamber : ‘Aswan granite’ .
four corridor at cardinal directions
Physical Description

Step: Six
Height: 200’
Materials:
Limestone
Shape: At
first it was
square
shaped, at
last it
become
Rectangular

Materials
Limestone
Today it is considered as one
of the oldest stone
structures built by man, and
the first time
the Ancient Egyptians would
attempt to use limestone.
Zoser’s Pyramid is entirely
built of limestone,
small bricks of limestone, and
Example study: Bent or South Pyramid of Seneferu, Dahshûr
King Seneferu
1st king of 4th dynasty
Reigning period: 2520 – 2470 BC
Example study: Bent or South Pyramid of Seneferu, Dahshûr
Type Bent Pyramid
Height 101.1 metres (332 ft)
Base 188.6 metres (619 ft)
Slope 54°27'(lower)
43°22'(upper)
Example study: Bent or South Pyramid of Seneferu, Dahshûr
two entirely distinct tomb chambers

•1 Interior passages
•2 Pyramid temple
•3 Queen's Pyramid
•4 Causeway and Valley Temple
•5 Gallery
Started with 60° : but ……… 54°15’ > 43°
Material : local stone + Tura lime stone
Experiment of Vault : corbelled roof chamber
Pyramid complex :
double wall rectangular
enclosure offering chapel
Developed gradually from step to true pyramid
Example study: True pyramid
Built as a part of complex of buildings
Tomb was either cut in the rock below or at the core
Built in a concentric sloping slices around the core

Finally the slope was done by packing blocks

Super structure constructed from bottom to top
Cladding was done from top to down with gilded
apex
Principal technique used was lever instead of pulley
Overland transport was done by sledge with/ without rollers

Ramp was used for uplifting stones

Rock Hewn Tombs
Initially served for the Nobility rather royalty.
In the new kingdom they were developed for kings
Tomb of the Kings, Thebes Located in the arid mountain on the west side of the Nile
Corridor type with stair, passages chambers
The chamber extended as much as 690 ft. into the mountain side and
315 ft. below the valley floor.
The tomb chamber was a rock columned hall with walls painted with
ceremonial and religious texts.
The tombs were only for sarcophagus and funerary deposits
Temples were detached from the tomb chamber
GREAT SPHINX
 The Great Sphinx is a large human-headed lion that was carved from a mound
of
 natural rock.

 It is located in Giza where it guards the front of Khafra's pyramid(c. 2575

c. 2465 BCE).

 The missing nose; It was first believe that the Sphinx lost its nose to Napoleons
men, but 18th century drawings reveal that the nose of the Sphinx was missing
before Napoleon’s arrival, it is believed that the nose of the Sphinx was shot off
by the Turks.

 It is 241 feet long, 20 feet wide, and 66 feet high.

 It features a lion’s body and a human head adorned with a royal headdress.

 The statue was carved from a single piece of limestone, and pigment residue
suggests that the entire Great Sphinx was painted.

 According to some estimates, it would have taken about three years for 100
workers, using stone hammers and copper chisels, to finish the statue.
Temples Mainly two classes:
The Mortuary temples
The Cult temples
In the middle kingdom the temples became
architecturally more important when king were buried
into rock hewn tombs.
The difference between these two types began to loss
andthe spatial character tended
to merge into that of cult temples
Architectural characteristics: Initial development
Basically developed with a strong axial character

Initially it was a rectangular walled court

Entrance from narrow side

Columns on sides
Centrally an emblem of the deity
Further end was a pavilion comprising
vestibule and sanctuary
It further elaborated in new kingdom but keeping the axial development in
focus
Architectural characteristics: Later development

A long axial approach from the desert sometimes

pronounced with series of sphinx
Entrance through pylon
Walled open court with colonnades around leading to the
covered structure
The vestibule or hypostyle hall in a transverse
direction
Architectural characteristics: Later development

The sanctuary beyond attended by chapels and other

rooms

Procession was a feature so a free circulation was

needed through or around the sanctuary

The whole temple stood inside a great enclosure about it

were house of priests, official buildings, stores, granaries and
sacred pool or lake
The Great Temple of Amun, Karnak
Grandest of all Egyptian temples is a contributions of many kings
Initially it was of a modest shrine
The Great Temple of Amun, Karnak
The Great Temple of Amun, Karnak
Thothmes I first contributed with enlargement
Site became 1200 ft x 360 ft
Placed in an immense enclosure of 20-30 ft
thick
There were other temples and sacred lake
within the enclosure
The temple was connected with the Temple at Luxor by an avenue of
sphinx
Six pair of pylons contributed by different rulers
Various courts and halls lead to the sanctuary and large ceremonial hall
by Thothmes III
The Great Temple of Amun, Karnak
A great court leads towards the hypostyle hall of 338 ft x
275 ft by Set I and Rameses II
It had 134 column with central one 78 ft ht & 11 ft 9 in dia and
side columns of 42 ft 6 in ht & 8ft 9in dia
Clearstory light to illuminate interior
A mystic character of infinite volume through progression in
light to darkness
Interior decoration and scripture give idea of rituals and the
name of the kings contributed
The Great Temple of Amun, Karnak
The Egyptians - Housing

There are no forests in Egypt so wood is scarce and is not used for house building. The
earliest inhabitants of Egypt lived in huts made from papyrus reeds. However, it was soon
discovered that the mud left behind after the annual flooding of the Nile (inundation) could be
made into bricks which could be used for building. Bricks were made by mixing mud and
straw and leaving them to dry in the sun.
The houses of the poorest people used
one row of bricks while those that were
not so poor used two or three rows.
Although mud brick houses were
relatively cheap to make, they were not
very strong and began to crumble after a
few years.

The houses of the richest people were

stronger because they could afford to
build their home from stone.

Most houses had at least three rooms

and all houses had flat roofs which
formed part of the living area.

The farmhouse (right) has two floors. The

upper floor is used for living space while
the lower floor is used to store crops. A
reed canopy has been made on the roof
to provide shade.

Small windows can be seen at the top of

the upper rooms. Windows and doors
were covered with reed mats to keep out
dust, flies and heat.
The houses of the rich were often built around a central courtyard where flowers, fruit and
vegetables were grown.

Some rich people's houses had bathrooms and indoor toilets. Sewerage from rich and poor was
disposed of by digging cess pits, throwing it in the river or in the streets.

From the time of the New Kingdom onwards, the rich generally had their own private well for fresh
drinking water. Poorer people could use public wells that were constructed in various areas,
however, many used water from the Nile or canals.
Egyptian Contributions: Mummification
Egyptians preserved dead bodies by embalming them.
Preparing an Egyptian mummy sometimes took up to 70 days. When unwrapped, the bandages of
an Egyptian mummy could stretch to 1.6 km or 1.5 miles.

1.Washing the Body

First, his body is taken to the tent or the 'place of purification'. There the embalmers wash
his body with good-smelling palm wine and rinse it with water from the Nile.

2. Embalming the Body

One of the embalmer's men makes a cut in the left side of the body and removes many of
the internal organs. It is important to remove these because they are the first part of the
body to decompose. The liver, lungs, stomach and intestines are washed and packed in
natron (salt) which will dry them out. The heart is not taken out of the body because it is
the centre of intelligence and feeling and the man will need it in the afterlife. A long hook is
used to smash the brain and pull it out through the nose.

3. Preparing the Body for Aging

The body is now covered and stuffed with natron (salt) which will dry it out.
Then, the insides are stuffed with linen, more natron, sawdust, sweet-smelling
spices, and will be saved and buried along with the body.
4. Preparing the Body for Mummification
After forty days the body is washed again with water from the Nile. Then it is covered with
oils to help the skin stay elastic.

5. Preparing the Body for Mummification

The dehydrated internal organs are wrapped in linen and returned to the
body. The body is stuffed with dry materials such as sawdust, leaves and linen
so that it looks lifelike. Finally the body is covered again with good-smelling
oils.

6. Storing the Internal Organs

In the past, when the internal organs were removed from a body they were
placed
in hollow canopic jars. Over many years the embalming practices changed and
embalmers began returning internal organs to bodies after the organs had been
dried in natron. However, solid wood or stone canopic jars were still buried with
the mummy to symbolically protect the internal organs.
7.Wrapping the Mummy
Finally, a large cloth is wrapped around the entire mummy. It is
attached with
strips of linen that run from the top to the bottom of the mummy, and
around its
middle. Next, a board of painted wood is placed on top of the mummy
before the
mummy is lowered into its coffin. The first coffin is then put inside a
second coffin.
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