Prehistoric to Egyptian Architecture Evolution

Prehistoric to Egyptian Architecture
Arch. Josephine Sandy R. Lu

UM CAFAE
INTRODUCTION
History of Architecture
It is a record of man's effort to build beautifully. It traces

the origin, growth and decline of architectural styles
which have prevailed lands and ages.
AR. JSRLU (UM CAFAE)
INTRODUCTION
Historic Styles of Architecture
The particular method, the characteristics, manner of

design which prevails at a certain place and time.
INTRODUCTION
Building
A basic need
A social act
Arki-tekton (Greek)
master builder
WHAT IS THE
PRIMARY AIM
OF ARCHITECTURE?
SHELTER
INTRODUCTION
ARCHITECTURE had a simple origin in the primitive
efforts of mankind to provide protection against

inclement weather, wild beasts, and human enemies
INTRODUCTION
Influences of the Development of Architecture
a) Geographical: the study of the Earth and its lands, features,

inhabitants, and phenomena
b) Geological: the science and study of physical matter that constitutes

the earth
c) Climatic: encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity,
atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and

other meteorological elements in a given region over long periods of
time
d) Religious
e) Socio-political
f) Historical
HISTORICAL TIMELINE OF ARCHITECTURE

Egyptian
Pre-Historic
Near East
Byzantine
Greek
Roman
Early Christian
Romanesque
Islamic
Gothic
Renaissance
18th-19th C:
Revival
20th C:
Modern
Pre-Historic
PREHISTORIC
Megalithic Sites in Europe
(describes structures made of large

stones, utilizing an interlocking
system without the use of mortar or
cement)
PREHISTORIC
Before 9000 BC, nomadic
life of hunting & food
gathering
The success of the human
race was largely due to the
development of tools
made of stone, wood, bone
By 9000 BC, farming and
agriculture was practiced fertile soil and plentiful
food
Homo habilis, Homo erectus, Homo

sapiens, Homo sapiens sapiens
PREHISTORIC
Homo habilis, Homo erectus, Homo

sapiens, Homo sapiens sapiens
No organized religion
Respect for the Dead:
burial rites & monuments
PREHISTORIC
3 CULTURAL STAGES
I.
STONE AGE
a.) Paleolithic (Old Stone Age )
b.) Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age)
c.) Neolithic (New Stone Age )
II. BRONZE AGE

III. IRON AGE
PREHISTORIC
STONE AGE
a.) Paleolithic (Old Stone Age )
concerned with the origins and development of early human
culture between the first appearance of man as a tool-using
mammal
man was a food gatherer, depending for his subsistence on
hunting wild animals and birds, fishing, and collecting wild
fruits, nuts, and berries
PREHISTORIC
STONE AGE
b.) Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age)
gradual domestication of plants and animals and the formation
of settled communities at various times and places
c.) Neolithic (New Stone Age )

domestication of plants and animals
development of pottery, polished stone tools and more
complex, larger settlements such as atal Hyk and Jericho
PREHISTORIC
3 CULTURAL STAGES
II.
BRONZE AGE
- Innovation of the technique of smelting ore
III. IRON AGE
- prevalent use of iron

- introduction of alphabetic characters, and the consequent
development of written language which enabled literature and
historic record
PREHISTORIC: ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER

MATERIALS
Animal skins & bones, trees & plants,
stones & rocks
CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM
Existing or excavated caves
Megalithic, most evident in France,
England and Ireland
PREHISTORIC: ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER

DECORATION
Caves paintings
Sculpture
Lascaux Cave, France
PREHISTORIC
3 CLASSIFICATIONS OF EARLY KNOWN TYPES OF
ARCHITECTURE
1. Primitive Dwellings
2. Religious Monuments
3. Burial Grounds
PREHISTORIC: PRIMITIVE DWELLINGS

Hunters and fishermen - rock caves, (manifestly the
earliest form of human dwellings)

Tillers of the soil - arbours of trees, and from them
fashioned huts of wattle and daub
WIGWAM - Domed structure

Shepherds - coverings of skins
which only had to be raised on

posts to form tents.
TEEPEE - Conical tent

traditionally made of
animal skins or birch barks
PREHISTORIC: RELIGIOUS MONUMENTS

MENHIR
single, large upright monolith
arranged in parallel rows,

sometimes reaching several
miles and consisting of
thousands of stones
memorial of victory over

one tribe

DOLMEN
tomb of standing stone

usually consisting of three or
more upright stones capped
with a large flat horizontal
capstone

CROMLECH
enclosure formed by huge

stones planted on the ground
in circular form

CROMLECH
Stonehenge, England

RECONSTRUCTED PLAN OF
STONEHENGE, ENGLAND
made up of concentric rings with
the following:
a) Outer ring 106 ft. in diameter
b) Isolated blue stone
c) Innermost circle
d) Smaller blue stone
Known in the 12th century as

Dance of the Giants
Known today as the Sarcen

Circle
Druids celebrating summer

solstice
PREHISTORIC: BURIAL MONUMENTS

TUMULUS (PASSAGE GRAVE)
mound of earth & stones raised

over a grave or graves of ordinary
persons
dominant tomb type
has corridor lined with large stone

slabs leading to a circular
chamber with corbelled vault
prototype of Egyptian pyramids

TUMULUS

TUMULUS
Treasury of Atreus, Greece
Pre-Historic
Near East
NEAR EAST
4000 BC to 4th century
NEAR EAST: GEOGRAPHICAL INFLUENCE

Near East/ West Asiatic
Architecture flourished &

developed in the Twin Rivers
Tigris & Euphrates
also known as Mesopotamia
(refers to Persia, Assyria &
Babylon)
GREEK: mesos = middle;

potamos = river
NEAR EAST: GEOGRAPHICAL INFLUENCE

One of the earliest seats of civilization,
great fertility
cradle and tomb of nations and empires
The plain of Mesopotamia, once the seat of a high
civilization, was irrigated by numerous canals

between the above-mentioned rivers, and was highly
cultivated, supporting an immense population round
Nineveh and Babylon.
NEAR EAST: GEOLOGICAL INFLUENCE

Chaldea or Lower Mesopotamia
alluvial - thick mud or clay
usual building material - soil made
into bricks
ordinary sundried bricks - general
body of the walls
"kiln-burnt" and sometimes glazed or
vitrified bricks of different colors used as a facing

Assyria
followed Babylonians in the use
of brick
faced the walls internally and
externally with alabaster or

limestone slabs carved with low
bas-reliefs and inscriptions

Persia
Hard, colored limestones (building of Susa and
Persepolis)
Roof-timbers (obtained from Elam)

Persian tiles - world-famous for their beauty of texture
and colors

Due to floods & heavy rains,
it resulted in the conversion

of its earthen into clay to
produce bricks in Assyria
and Babylon
Due to rare experience of
rain in Persia , they used

timber and coloured
limestone
NEAR EAST: CLIMATIC INFLUENCE

Chaldea and Assyria
floods and heavy rains = Ziggurats
Persia
dry & hot climate = open columned type temples
country of sunshine, gardens and deserts
NEAR EAST: RELIGIOUS INFLUENCE

Babylonia and Assyria
polytheism - worship of heavenly bodies, divisions
of the universe, and local deities
chief gods:
a) Anu - sky god
b) Baal - earth god
c) Ea water god
NEAR EAST: RELIGIOUS INFLUENCE

Persia
Monotheism
system of ethical forces, believers of good and evil
NEAR EAST: SOCIAL-POLITICAL INFLUENCE

Assyrians
sturdy, warlike, but cruel people
conquering monarchs took thousands of prisoners
NEAR EAST: SOCIAL-POLITICAL INFLUENCE

Babylonian
among the three were considered extraordinary
because achieved highest degree of civilization

(e.g. irrigation, trade, cuneiform, Law of
Hammurabi)
Assyrian and Persian

believed in military superiority thus manifested
in their buildings
NEAR EAST: HISTORICAL INFLUENCE

Chaldean Period (4000 to 1250 B.C.)
Assyrian Period (1250 to 606 B.C.)

Babylonian Period (606 to 538 B.C.)
Persian Period

Eannadu - earliest Babylonian king mentioned in the
cuneiform inscriptions who reigned B.C. 4500
Sargon (B.C. 722-705) - the most celebrated Assyrian
king; erected the great palace at Khorsabad
Reigns of Darius (B.C. 521-485); and Xerxes (B.C. 485-
465) - most interesting palaces were erected at Susa

and Persepolis.

The country remained under the rule of the Persians
until the time of Alexander the Great, B.C. 333, when

it became a possession of the Greeks. The conquest
of Egypt by Cambyses, B.C. 525, and the dazzling
impression left by the marvelous buildings of
Memphis and Thebes, caused the development of the
use of the column amongst the Persians.

In the seventh century A. D., the Arabs overran the
country and settled there Bagdad becoming a new

capital of great magnificence. Towards the close of
the tenth century, the Turks, a barbarous people
pouring in from the east, settled in the country, which
is at the present moment in a desolate state owing to
Turkish misrule.
NEAR EAST: ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER

Massiveness
Monumentality
Grandeur
NEAR EAST: ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES

ASSYRIAN &
BABYLONIAN
Arcuated type of
construction; Arch,
vault and flat strips,
buttresses with
glazed tile adornment

ASSYRIAN & BABYLONIAN
colossal winged bulls, carved alabaster
slabs, sculptured bas-reliefs

PERSIAN
Columnar and
trabeated with flat

timber roof
sometimes domed
NEAR EAST: EXAMPLES

BABYLON
ZIGGURATS or Holy
Mountains
chief building structure,
square or rectangle in plan
w/ steeply battered sides

an open platform on top
containing the Fire Altar
NEAR EAST: EXAMPLES

BABYLON
ZIGGURATS or Holy
Mountains
The angles of these
temples were made to

face the cardinal points
surmounted by a richly
decorated temple
chamber, which served as
a shrine and observatory
from which astrological
studies could be made
NEAR EAST: EXAMPLES

BABYLON
ZIGGURATS or Holy
Mountains
Development
Archaic ziggurat
Two or Three-staged
ziggurat
Seven-staged ziggurat
during the Assyrian
period
NEAR EAST: EXAMPLES

BABYLON
ZIGGURATS or Holy
Mountains
The White Temple, Warka
Development
Archaic ziggurat - usually
have one flat top
rectangular mound carrying
the upper temple
NEAR EAST: EXAMPLES

BABYLON
ZIGGURATS or Holy
Mountains
The Ziggurat, Nimrod

Development
Two or Three-staged
ziggurat - rectangular in
plan, design w/ several
tiers or stages
NEAR EAST: EXAMPLES

BABYLON
ZIGGURATS or Holy
Mountains
The Ziggurat, Ur
Development
Two or Three-staged
ziggurat - rectangular in
plan, design w/ several
tiers or stages
NEAR EAST: EXAMPLES

BABYLON
ZIGGURATS or Holy
Mountains
Development
Seven stages square base
ziggurat
Palace of Nebuchadnezzar
NEAR EAST: EXAMPLES

ASSYRIA
Palace
Palace of Sargon,
Khorsabad
entrance portals flanked with
statues of headed winged

bulls & lions
contains 700 rooms
with its various courts,
chambers, and corridors is
supposed to have occupied an
area of 25 acres
NEAR EAST: EXAMPLES
Palace of Sargon, Khorsabad

NEAR EAST: EXAMPLES

ASSYRIA
Palace Parts
a) SERAGLIO palace proper which includes the kings residence,
mens apartment & reception courts for visitors
b) HAREM - private apartments of the prince and his family, womens
apartment
c) KHAN - service chambers, a Moslem inn for travelers
NEAR EAST: EXAMPLES

PERSIA
Palace
PALACE PLATFORM,
PERSEPOLIS
occupies 1500 & 1000 ft. &
is elevated 40 ft.
one of the important capitals
of Persia
NEAR EAST: EXAMPLES

PERSIA
PALACE PLATFORM,
PERSEPOLIS
contains the following:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Palace of Darius
Palace of Xerxes
Hypostyle Hall of Xerxes
Hall of Hundred columns by
Darius
Propylaea entrance to hall
designed by Xerxes
NEAR EAST: EXAMPLES

PERSIA
Hall of Hundred Columns
225 feet square
probably used as an audience
and throne-hall
NEAR EAST: EXAMPLES

PERSIA
Hypostyle Hall of
Xerxes
probably used as a
throne room
originally had
seventy-two black
marble columns, 67
feet in height,
arranged in a
somewhat novel
manner supporting a
flat roof.
NEAR EAST: EXAMPLES

PERSIA
PALACE PLATFORM,
PERSEPOLIS
Steps leading to the
eastern portico of the

Apadana (Audience Hall)
of Persepolis
NEAR EAST: EXAMPLES

PERSIA
PALACE PLATFORM, PERSEPOLIS
Winged bulls with

AR. JSRLU (UM
CAFAE)
human
faces
Bas Relief
NEAR EAST: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

PLAN
A special character
was given to the

temples of the early,
and the palaces of the
later period, by raising
them on terraces or
platforms some 30 feet
to 50 feet in height

PLAN
Angles of the
Assyrian ziggurats
face the cardinal
points of the compass
Assyrian palaces
were designed so as
to be effective
internally and
externally, being
raised on the
platforms

WALL
Assyrians - used
stone only as a
facing to their brick
walls
- the massive walls,

which were of cased
brickwork, only
remain, the columns
being of wood having
perished.

WALL
In Persia - the walls which were thin have disappeared, leaving
the massive stone or marble blocks forming the door and

window openings, immense columns, and broad stairways
which alone have survived the ravages of time.

WALL
The slabs of
alabaster with
which the walls of
the palaces were
faced reveal
much of the
social history of
the people.

OPENINGS
Lighting to the temples is
conjectural, but it appears

to have been effected by
means of a clerestory
Use of the arch, both
circular and pointed

OPENINGS
Doorways - of great size, give
buildings a sufficient supply

of light and air, and openings
may also have been formed in
the upper parts of the walls

ROOFS
The roofing appears
to have been effected

by means of timber
beams reaching from
one column to the
next, and resting on
the backs of the
"double-bull" capitals

ROOFS
Halls of the palaces were covered with
brick tunnel vaults, but in many cases

the roof of considerable thickness was
flat, formed of very tough but plastic
clay and debris, and kept in condition
by being occasionally rolled

COLUMNS
Primarily of wood, but in the later
period at Persepolis, built them of

the natural stone
Capitals were double-bull, double-
unicorn, double-horse, doublegriffin type and the Ionic scroll

occurs in some examples.

MOULDINGS
Assyrian palaces - sculptured slabs and colored surfaces
Persepolis - bead, hollow and ogee mouldings in the bases,
while the volutes of the capital were treated with plain sinkings.

ORNAMENT
Assyrian sculptures in
alabaster exhibit
considerable technical
skill and refinement
Notable repousse
pattern work on
bronze bowls, shields,
and gate fittings

Egyptian
Pre-Historic
Near East
EGYPTIAN
From 5000 BC to 1st
century AD
EGYPTIAN: GEOGRAPHICAL INFLUENCE

Egypt known as The Land of Pharaohs
Nile River: means of communication, trade route &
lifeline
Egypts greatest wealth was its fertile soil
EGYPTIAN: GEOLOGICAL INFLUENCE

STONE: abundant building material
SAND DRIED BRICKS: made up of clay & chopped stone
for pyramids & temples
DATE PALM: for roofing

PALM LEAVES: for roofing materials
ACACIA: boats
SYCAMORE: mummy cases
EGYPTIAN: CLIMATIC INFLUENCE

Flat roofs without
drainage (no downspout

or gutters) due to
absence of rain
No windows to cut heat
penetration and
sandstorm
Unbroken massive walls
protected the interior
from the fierce heat of
the sun
EGYPTIAN: RELIGIOUS INFLUENCE

Pyramids were built because
they believed in Life after

Death & for the preservation
of the dead body
Pharaoh is not only king but
also god both political &
religious ruler, when he dies
he becomes Osiris, god of
dead
monotheistic in theory &
polytheistic in practice
EGYPTIAN: RELIGIOUS INFLUENCE

DIFFERENT EGYPTIAN GODS
AMUN-RA: chief god
RAH: symbol of the sun , hope for eternal life
ATUM: world creator
OSIRIS: god of the dead
ISIS: wife of Osiris
HORUS: sky god, son of Osiris, also reincarnation of Ra
himself
SET : dead god of evil, brother of pleasure

THOT: ibis headed god of wisdom
ANUBIS: jackal headed god of death

PTAH: god of craftsmen
SERAPIS: bull god
EGYPTIAN: SOCIAL & POLITICAL INFLUENCE

MONARCHY form of government
PHARAOH King of Egypt, ruler, highest priest in Egypt
VIZIER Kings most powerful official
CHANCELOR- controls the royal treasuries, granaries & supervises the census
CHIEF STEWARD - in charge of the Kings personal estate & household
SOCIAL RANKS
a)
NOBLE FAMILIES
b)
SOLDIERS, VIZIERS, CHANCELLORS, CHIEF STEWARDS
c)
FISHERMEN, FARMERS, CRAFTMENS, MERCHANTS - ordinary Egyptians
d)
SLAVES - lowest form
EGYPTIAN: HISTORICAL INFLUENCE

30 DYNASTIES (started from 3rd Millennium BC to
Roman Period. Egypt was part of Persian)
Empire for 2 Centuries, before the invasion of
ALEXANDER the Great

I. ANCIENT KINGDOM (1ST 10TH Dynasty)
Development of two types of tombs
a) Mastaba
b) Pyramid
II. MIDDLE KINGDOM (11th 17th Dynasty)

Important Personalities
a) MENTUHETEP II developed the 3rd type of tomb: Rockcut Tomb
b) SENUSRET erected the earliest known Obelisk, Heliopolis.
c) AMENEMHAT I founded Great Temple of Ammon Kharnak
(grandest of all temples)

III. NEW EMPIRE ( 18th 30th Dynasty )
a) THOTMES 1- began the additions to the Temple of Ammon, Karnak
b) HATSHEPSUT queen of Egypt, famous for her funerary temple at Mt.
Deir el Bahari
c) AMENOPHIS III erected the Colossi of Memnon, one of the wonders of
the ancient world
d) RAMESES I began the construction of the Great Hypostyle Hall, Karnak
e) RAMESES II finished the construction of the Hypostyle Hall &
erection of the Rock Temple, Abu Simbel

IV. THE PTOLEMAIC PERIOD
a) PTOLEMY II built the Pharaohs or the Light House
b) PTOLEMY III founded the Greatest Serapeum at Alexandria
V. The Roman Period (BC 30 - AD 395)

VI. Later Periods (AD 395 to the present day)
EGYPTIAN: ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER

Simplicity
Monumentality
Solidity or massiveness
EGYPTIAN: ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES

BATTERED WALL - inclination from base to top
of the facade.
HIEROGLYPHICS - used as ornaments, pictures
& writings from the walls
DECORATIONS - mouldings such as "gorge" or
"hollow and roll" was inspired by reeds; Torus

moulding
SYSTEM OF CONSTRUCTION
a) POST & LINTEL
b) COLUMNAR OR TRABEATED
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
The Tombs were of three main types:
a) Mastabas
b) Royal pyramids
c) Rock-hewn tombs
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
1.) TOMB: MASTABA
first type of Egyptian tomb
Tomb-houses that were made to
take the body at full length
rectangular flat-topped funerary
mound, with battered side

(angled at 75 degrees), covering
a burial chamber below ground
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
1.) TOMB: MASTABA
Parts:
a) outer chamber
b) SERDAB: inner chamber with
STELAE (stone with name of
deceased inscribed);
contains statue of deceased
and offering table
c) chamber containing the
sarcophagus, reached by
an under ground shaft
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
1.) TOMB: MASTABA
Mastaba at Saqqara
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
2.) TOMB: PYRAMID
massive funerary structure of stone or brick
square plan and four sloping triangular sides meeting at the
apex
evolved from MASTABA

with four sides facing the cardinal points
made by 100,000 men for 100 years
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
2.) TOMB: PYRAMID
- STEPPED PYRAMID
PYRAMID OF KING
ZOSER or ISER built by
IMHOTEP, oldest surviving
masonry building structure
in the world
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
2.) TOMB: PYRAMID
- BENT OR BLUNT
PYRAMID
PYRAMID OF
SENEFERU
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
2.) TOMB: PYRAMID SLOPE OR TRUE PYRAMID
PYRAMIDS OF GIZA
The four sides, which, as in all
the pyramids, face the cardinal

points, are nearly equilateral
triangles
The Great Sphinx shows King
Chepren as a man-lion
AR. JSRLU
(UM CAFAE)
protecting
his country
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
2.) TOMBS: PYRAMID SLOPE OR TRUE
PYRAMID
PARTS OF A PYRAMID
COMPLEX
Elevated Causeway
Offering Chapel
Mortuary
JSRLU (UM CAFAE)
AR.Valley
Building
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
2.) TOMBS: PYRAMID - SLOPE OR TRUE PYRAMID
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
2.) TOMBS: PYRAMID - SLOPE OR TRUE PYRAMID
Pyramid of Cheops
Grand Gallery
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
3.) TOMBS: ROCK-HEWN
OR ROCK-CUT
cut deep into the mountain
rock or hillsides
For nobility, not royalty
Tombs at Beni-Hassan
Four out of the 39 tombs are accessible to the
public: Amenemhet, Khnumhotep II, Baqet

III, Khety
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
OR ROCK-CUT
Tomb of Amenemhet, Beni-Hassan
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
OR ROCK-CUT
Tomb of Amenemhet, Beni-Hassan
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
OR ROCK-CUT
Tomb of Baqet, Beni-Hassan
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
OR ROCK-CUT
Tomb of Kheti, Beni-Hassan
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
4.) OBELISK
upright stone square in plan,

with an electrum-capped
pyramidion on top
sacred symbol of sun-god

Heliopolis
usually came in pairs fronting

temple entrances
height of nine or ten times the

diameter at the base
four sides feature hieroglyphics
Great Temple of
Ammon Karnak, Luxor
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
4.) OBELISK
Piazza of S. Giovanni, Rome

Originally from the Temple of
Ammon, Karnak
oldest of its kind in Rome

brought to Rome by command of
emperor Constantine II
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
4.) OBELISK
Obelisk of Thutmoses I, Temple of

Amun-Ra
21.2 m high and weighs nearly
150 tons
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
5.) PYLON
monumental gateway to
the temple consisting of
slanting walls flanking the
entrance portal
often decorated with

scenes emphasizing a
king's authority since it
was the public face of a
cult building
Pylon of Rameses II, Luxor Temple
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
5.) PYLON
Temple of Isis, Philae

150 ft. broad
6o ft. high
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
6.) TEMPLES
sanctuaries that only Kings and Priests can penetrate
only a high priest can enter in both types of temple
for mysterious rites and priestly processions which took place
within guarded precincts
a) CULT: built for the worship of the gods
b) MORTUARY: built in honour of the Pharaohs
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
6.) TEMPLES
PARTS OF AN EGYPTIAN TEMPLE

a) Entrance Pylon - massive sloping towers fronted by an
obelisks known as gateways in Egypt
b) Hypaethral Court - large outer court open to the sky

c) Hypostyle Hall - a pillared hall in which the roofs rest on
column.
d) Sanctuary - usually surrounded by passages & chambers
used in connection with the temple service
e)
Avenue of Sphinx - where mystical monster were placed
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
6.) TEMPLES
PARTS OF AN
EGYPTIAN TEMPLE
a) Entrance Pylon
b) Hypaethral Court
c) Hypostyle Hall
d) Sanctuary
e) Avenue of Sphinx
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
6.) TEMPLES
PARTS OF AN
EGYPTIAN TEMPLE
a) Entrance Pylon
b) Hypaethral Court
c) Hypostyle Hall
d) Sanctuary
e) Avenue of Sphinx
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
6.) TEMPLES
Great Temple of Ammon, Karnak

grandest temple & work of many kings
Originally commenced by Amenemhat
about B.C. 2466
occupying an area of 1,200 ft. x 360 ft

EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
6.) TEMPLES
Great Temple of Ammon, Karnak
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
6.) TEMPLES
Great Temple of Abu Simbel
Example of rock-cut temple
Constructed by Rameses II
Entrance forecourt leads to
imposing pylon with 4 rockcut colossal statues of

Rameses sitting over 20 m
high
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
6.) TEMPLES
Great Temple of Abu Simbel,
Inner sanctum
The Abu Simbel Temple is
aligned so that the sun's rays

penetrate an inner sanctuary
twice each year. They then
illuminate the figures of Ptah,
Amun, the deified Ramesses
II and Re.
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
6.) TEMPLES
Temple of Hatshepsut, Deir El-Bahari

quite different from all others in
Egypt, and consists of three terraced

courts stepped out of the rock and
connected by inclined planes
Hatshepsut was the first female
pharaoh of Egypt. She reigned

between 1473 and 1458 B.C. Her name
means foremost of noblewomen.
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
6.) TEMPLES
Temple of Hatshepsut, Deir El-Bahari
Hatshepsut's chancellor, royal architect Senunmut oversaw construction
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
7.) SPHINX
a) Androsphinx - a mystical monster with a body of a lion and head of a man
b) Hieracosphinx - body of a lion & head of a hawk
c) Criosphinx - body lion & head of a ram
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
7.) SPHINX
Great Sphinx, Giza
The greatest
monumental sculpture
in the ancient world, it
is carved out of a
single ridge of
limestone 240 feet (73
meters) long and 66
feet (20 meters) high
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
8.) CAPITALS & COLUMNS
a) Bud & Bell Capital
b) Volute Capital
c) Hathor Headed Capital
d) Polygonal Columns
e) Palm type Capital
Osiris Pillars
g) Papyrus Capital
h) Square Pillars
f)
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
8.) CAPITALS & COLUMNS
Lotus Bud
Capital
Palm Capital
Bell Capital
Hathor Capital
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
9.) MOULDINGS
Gorge and Hollow

Moulding
Torus Moulding
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
9.) ORNAMENTS
a) Lotus Papyrus & Palm
for fertility
b) Solar Discs & Vultures
w/ wings for
protection
c) Spiral & feather
ornament for
eternity
d) Scarab or sacred beetle
for resurrection
EGYPTIAN: EXAMPLES
9.) ORNAMENTS
EGYPTIAN: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

PLAN
Externally the massive pylons ornamented with
incised decorations formed the chief facade, a contrast

being obtained by the /slender obelisks which usually
stood in front of them, while the approach was through
an impressive avenue of innumerable sphinxes.
The walls, the pylons, and other features are placed on
different axes, free from any pretence of regularity.

WALLS
Immensely thick, and in important buildings were of
granite, while in the less important they were of brick
faced with granite.
The faces of the temple walls slope inwards or batter
towards the top, giving them a massive appearance
For the purposes of decoration, the walls, even when of
granite, were generally covered with a fine plaster, in
which were executed low reliefs, treated with bright color.
Simplicity, solidity, and grandeur, qualities obtained by
broad masses of unbroken walling, are the chief
characteristics of the style.

OPENINGS
These were all square-headed and covered with
massive lintels, for the style being essentially

trabeated.
Window openings are seldom found in temples, light
being admitted by the clerestories.

ROOFS
These were composed of massive blocks of stone
supported by the enclosing walls and the closely spaced
columns.
Being flat, they could be used in dwelling-houses as a
pleasant rendezvous for the family in the evening for the
enjoyment of the view and the fresh breezes which spring
up at sunset, and at certain seasons may have been used
for repose. They may also have been used in the daytime,
if protected from the sun by temporary awnings.
The flat roofs of the temples seem to have been used in the
priestly processions.

COLUMNS
The columns, seldom over 6 diameters in height, were
made to represent the stalks, and at intervals appear

to be tied by bands.
The capitals were mostly derived from the lotus plant.

MOULDINGS
hollow and bead
ORNAMENTS
This was symbolical, and was an important element in the
style, including such features as the solar disc or globe
and the vulture with outspread wings, as a symbol of
protection, while diaper patterns, spirals and the feather
ornament were largely used. The scarab, or sacred beetle,
was considered by the Egyptians as the sign of their
religion,

Prehistoric to Egyptian Architecture Evolution

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Prehistoric to Egyptian Architecture Evolution

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Prehistoric to Egyptian Architecture

Arch. Josephine Sandy R. Lu

It is a record of man's effort to build beautifully. It traces

AR. JSRLU (UM CAFAE)

The particular method, the characteristics, manner of

AR. JSRLU (UM CAFAE)

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efforts of mankind to provide protection against

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a) Geographical: the study of the Earth and its lands, features,

b) Geological: the science and study of physical matter that constitutes

c) Climatic: encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity,

atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and

HISTORICAL TIMELINE OF ARCHITECTURE

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HISTORICAL TIMELINE OF ARCHITECTURE

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(describes structures made of large

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Homo habilis, Homo erectus, Homo

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Homo habilis, Homo erectus, Homo

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II. BRONZE AGE

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c.) Neolithic (New Stone Age )

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III. IRON AGE

- prevalent use of iron

PREHISTORIC: ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER

stones & rocks

Megalithic, most evident in France,

England and Ireland

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PREHISTORIC: ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER

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Lascaux Cave, France

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PREHISTORIC: PRIMITIVE DWELLINGS

earliest form of human dwellings)

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PREHISTORIC: PRIMITIVE DWELLINGS

fashioned huts of wattle and daub

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WIGWAM - Domed structure

PREHISTORIC: PRIMITIVE DWELLINGS

which only had to be raised on

TEEPEE - Conical tent

PREHISTORIC: RELIGIOUS MONUMENTS

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single, large upright monolith

arranged in parallel rows,

memorial of victory over

PREHISTORIC: RELIGIOUS MONUMENTS

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tomb of standing stone

PREHISTORIC: RELIGIOUS MONUMENTS

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enclosure formed by huge

PREHISTORIC: RELIGIOUS MONUMENTS

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