JAGANNATH UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE

IV- Semester
EGYPTION ARCHITECTURE

Submitted to- Submitted by-

Ar. Neeti Khanna Anurag , Archit
Lakshay , Sahil , Soumik
 Hierogly
phics
The earliest form of writing in
Egypt were pictographs. Each
picture stood for an idea. For
example a picture of a bird would
mean bird.
As time past, the scribes needed to
find an easier way of writing. As a
result, a newer form of
hieroglyphics was formed.

Another innovation
came overtime.
Papyrus, a paper-
like material was
developed. Now
scribes could write
on a more compact
surface, instead of
The Sphinx

Dimensions of the
Sphinx
Paws: 50 long
(15m)
Head: 30 long
(10m)
14 wide (4m)
 THE SPHINX
Located in Giza is the great
Sphinx with the body of a lion and
head of Chefren
It was produced from leftover
material
It may also have been carved to
stand guard over the temple and
tomb of Chefren
The Sphinx
Originally commissioned by Chefren (a
son of Cheops)

Constructed from a single piece of stone

<bedrock>- weighing hundreds of tons

Age of the Sphinx: ~5,000 years old

Dates from 4th Dynasty.

 MATERIALS $ CONSTRUCTION

Three common materials of construction in

Egypt were;-
Plant materials-Plants consist of readily available
material like reeds, papyrus and palm ribs and
shaft
Timber was available in limited quantity; used
for roofing

Clay -Clay was used for construction either as

for frame construction or as sun dried brick

Stone-Stone was not much used during the early

period of ancient Egyptian civilization. It became
popular after the 3rd dynasty of the Early
Kingdom and was used for tombs and temples
 MATERIALS $ CONSTRUCTION

Construction system in ancient Egypt

reflected the availability of materials.

Two construction systems were

predominant:
Adobe construction Adobe construction took
the form of clay on vegetable material or sun dried
brick construction .
This construction was reserved for houses and other
buildings of daily life.
These buildings are supposed to last for only a
generation
 MATERIALS $ CONSTRUCTION

post and beam construction

Egyptian monumental construction is mainly of

a post and beam style
This is expressed mainly in pyramids, tombs
and temples
Columns are designed to look like plant material
Their shaft resemble bundles of plant stems
tied together
Their capitals are derived from the lotus bud or
the papyrus flower or the palm leave
Great importance was attached to relief carving
and it was an integral part of the architecture
 MATERIALS $
CONSTRUCTION
The true arch was not extensively
used in ancient Egypt
Construction in Egypt took place
during the period of floods
It took 30 years to build a pyramid
with a team of 100,000 men working
three to four months during the
floods
 PRINCIPLES OF ARCHITECTURAL ORGANIZATION
INFLUENCE ON BUILDING MASSES

Ancient Egyptian architecture shows

more concern with massing and limited
attention to space or function
The Mastaba , Pyramids , Mortuary
and Cult temples all display a focus on
massing and form
Consideration of function in design
limited to provision of spaces for ritual
activities --such as chapels dedicated
to Gods in Pyramid funeral complexes,
Mortuary and Cult temples
 PRINCIPLES OF ARCHITECTURAL ORGANIZATION
LINEAR & GEOMETRICAL ORGINISATION

The Most important compositional

principle in ancient Egypt is;

linearity

axial organization
 Linearity means organization along
a line, while axial organization
means that there is a defined axis
running through the whole
composition
Almost all the predominant
monuments have a linear & axial
organization
These include the pyramid
funerary complexes, the mortuary
 PRINCIPLES OF ARCHITECTURAL
ORGANIZATION
LINEAR & GEOMETRICAL ORGINISATION

Egyptian architecture also displays an

understanding and application of
geometry in design
This is noticeable in the pyramids at Giza
All the three main pyramids are
Geometrical pyramids
A geometric pyramid has a square base
and 52 inclination of its sides
All the pyramids are also aligned in a
straight line along their axes
This could only have been achieved with
the understanding of geometry
 PRINCIPLES OF ARCHITECTURAL ORGANIZATION
APPLICATION OF HARMONY & CONTRAST

Architecture in ancient Egypt also

displays understanding of the
principle of Harmony and contrast
Example of this reflected in pyramids
at Giza
The color and material of the
pyramid create a harmony between
the pyramids and the desert
The form and shape of the pyramids
however contrast sharply with the
smooth desert
 PRINCIPLES OF ARCHITECTURAL ORGANIZATION
APPLICATION OF HARMONY & CONSTRAST

This understanding is also displayed in

the temples of Mentuhotep and
Hatshepsut
A double row of columns used to front the
lower and upper terraces create a
harmony with the rugged background of
the mountain cliffs
The terraces of the temples are however
in sharp contrast with the mountainous
nature of the environment
The temples appear like an island of
peace in a rugged and violent
COLUMNS
 INTRODUCTION
Column shafts were often decorated with colorful
depictions in painted, carved relief, and remain some of
the most interesting architectural elements in Egyptian
structures.
. Most of the time, the column shafts were copied in
stone of supports made from plants, resembling either a
trunk or a bundle of stems of smaller diameter.
Also, the shape of the capital, the top of the column,
had a plant theme as well, and at the transition of the
capital to the shaft, five bands might be found
representing the lashing which held together the bundle
of stems of which the earliest columns were made.
 TYPES
FLUTED COLUMNS
PALMIFORM COLUMNS
LOTIFORM COLUMNS
PAPRIFORM COLUMNS
CONIFORM COLUMNS
TENT POLE COLUMNS
CAMPANIFORM COLUMNS
COMPOSITE COLUMNS
HATHORIC COLUMNS
FLUTED COLUMNS

These columns resembled

and represented bundled
reeds or plant stems, but
during later periods,
sometimes took the form of
a polygonal column shaft.
 PALMIFORM COLUMNS
These columns obviously had a palm tree motif,
but did not actually represent the tree itself, but
rather eight palm fronds lashed to a pole.
 LOTIFORM COLUMNS
. This column usually has ribbed shafts
representing the the stems of the Lotus,
and capitals in the form of a closed (bud)
or open lotus flower.
These columns were used in non-secular
buildings and then in temples.
 PAPRIFORM COLUMNS
Some have circular
shafts representing a
single plant, while
others have ribbed
shafts that represent
a plant with multiple
stems.
The capitals could
closed or wide open.
CONIFORM COLUMNS

. The style is
characterized by a
fluted shaft
surmounted by a
capital representing
the branches of a
conifer tree.
 TENT POLE COLUMNS
The column is basically a representation in
stone of the wooden "poles" used to support
light structures such as tents, and sometimes
shrines, kiosks or ships cabins.
 CAMPANIFORM COLUMNS
They sometimes took the shape of a floral column or
pillar. Some had circular, ribbed, or square shafts
(pillars).
They all had some form of flower shaped capital.
They are positioned symbolically on the northern and
southern sides of the hall.
 COMPOSITE COLUMNS

Composite Columns were

probably an evolutionary
extension of the campaniform
columns with capitals
decorations including floral
designs of any number of real,
or even imagined plants.
Their variation could be endless,
and they became so utterly
stylized that the original floral
motifs could hardly be
recognized.
 HATHORIC COLUMNS
They are usually
instantly recognizable by
their capital in the shape
of the cow-headed
goddess, Hathor.
They often had a
simple, round shaft.
Examples may be found
in the Temple of
Nefertari at Abu Simbel
and within the hypostyle
hall of the Ptolemaic
(Greek) temple at
Dendera.