COURSE CODE : AR 1109

COURSE TITLE: HISTORY THEORY & CRITICISM - I

Presentation Prepared by Redesigned and Voice-over by
Kumar Vyomkesh Kailash Maliah
Assistant Professor- Senior Scale Assistant Professor- Senior Scale
B.Arch, MCP B.Arch, M.Arch (Advanced Design)
 Pyramids at Giza – 3100BC
• Valley Temples – Situated along
Giza – Necropolis or ‘city of the dead’ – Area with elaborate tomb monuments
the Nile River

• Pharaoh’s body would be

brought there on a ship and
then sledded up to the
Mortuary Temple

• Mortuary Temple had the

statue of Ka

• 3 pyramids- 3 generations

• Great Pyramid of Khufu was

built in the North, where there
was solid rock
 Giza Pyramids

Reference: history.com
The great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) – 2600BC
• Square in Plan, 146 m high
• Faces make an angle of 51.5° with the ground
• The pyramid was built using approximately
23,00,000 stones
• Core – yellow limestone;
Casing – White limestone
• Sides were smooth
• The proportions between the height, the sides
and the base were according to the Golden
ratio (1.618)
• Entrance from the northern side – first
descends and then ascends upwards to the
King’s Chamber
• King’s chamber has a granite sarcophagus
• Air shafts to the outer face for ventilation
The great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) – 2600BC

• Granite beams to absorb the

enormous pressure on the King’s
chamber and redirect it to
surrounding stones

• A massive stone acts as a portcullis

in the antechamber
The great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) – 2600BC

The King’s Chamber The Ventilation Shaft

The Grand Gallery

The Queen’s Chamber

O ve r v i ew o f A n c i e n t E g y p t i a n C i v i l i zat i o n
TIME PERIOD: 3150 – 653 BC.

LOCATION: Along the river Nile up to the Mediterranean Sea

and spread over Sahara dessert.

POLITICS:
• The areas were unified into one territory by the first
Pharaoh around 3000 BCE.
• Pharaoh was considered part God himself.
• The Pharaoh had absolute power over all political and
religious decisions in the country, including complete
control over the army.
• They favoured the execution of monumental works more
than anything else.
• The period of unification in Egypt can be split into three
different kingdoms; the Old, Middle, and New.
• Memphis was the capital of the Old Kingdom, while
Thebes was the capital of the Middle and New Kingdoms.
T h e N e w K i n gd o m

• Period of stability

• Egyptians started dominating the region –

Mesopotamia declined (Babylonian period)

• Religion – Comprised larger sections of

society

• Large Temples came up

• God Amen – Re – God of Sun and the

heaven

• Valley of Kings where many Pharaohs were

buried
Te m p l e at L u xo r a n d K a r n a k

• Thebes occupied a large area on the East and West banks of Nile
• The Eastern bank had
1. Temple at Luxor
2. Group of Temples at Karnak – including Temple of Amun- Re and Temple of Khons
N ew K i n gd o m ( 1 5 4 9 - 1 0 6 9 B C )
 N ew K i n gd o m ( 1 5 4 9 - 1 0 6 9 B C )

TEMPLE AT LUXOR:
• Located in old Thebes.
• Founded in 1400 BCE.
• Built in Nubian Sandstone from Gebel el-Silsila region.
• Thebes consists of six great temples, the four on the left bank are Goornah, Entrance of Luxor Temple
Deir-el-Bahri, the Ramesseum, and Medinet Habu; and the two temples
on the right bank are known as the Karnak and Luxor. Statue and
Obelisk near
• Common technique used was symbolism, or illusionism.
entrance
• The two obelisks flanking the entrance were not the same height, but they
created the illusion that they were.
• Six shrine stations were set up on the avenue between the Karnak and
Luxor Temple, lined with human-headed sphinxes on the way.
Te m p l e o f A m e n - Re

Precinct of Amen-Re:

• 10.5 meters tall colossal statues.

• Hypostyle hall.

• The sandstone for this temple, including all the columns, was transported
from Gebel Silsila 100 miles (161 km) south on the Nile river.

• It has one of the largest obelisks, weighing 328 tonnes and standing 29
meters tall.
Te m p l e o f K a r n a k

Hypostyle hall

A panorama of a frieze in the Precinct of Amun Re

Te m p l e o f K a r n a k
Te m p l e o f K a r n a k
Precinct of Mut:
• Located to the south of the newer Amen-Re complex.
• Dedicated to Mother goddess Mut, wife of god Amen Re.
• Has its own sacred lake, constructed in a crescent shape.
• Six hundred black granite statues.

Precinct of Montu:
• This portion of the site is dedicated to the son of Mut and Amen-Re, Montu,
the war-god of the Theban Triad.
• Located to the north of the Amen-Re complex and is much smaller in size.
• It is not open to the public.

Temple of Amenhotep IV (deliberately dismantled)

• Located east of the main complex, outside the walls of the Amen-Re precinct.
• Destroyed immediately after the death of its builder, who had attempted to
overcome the powerful priesthood who had gained control over Egypt before
his reign.
Temple of Khons

• Entrance between Pylons – Massive

sloping towers
• Access to large courtyard – open to sky;
This courtyard was surrounded by
double colonnade on 3 sides
• This led to the Hypostyle Hall
- central 4 columns were higher than
the others. This difference in height allowed
light inside
• This led to the sanctuary surrounded by
a passage
• At the rear was a smaller hall
Temple of Khons

Entrance Pylons Courtyard

Temple of Abu – Simbel
• Built by Rameses II. (B.C. 1333-1300)
• Entirely excavated out of the solid rock.
• It has a fore-court
• 119 feet wide and 100 feet high pylon having four
seated colossi of Rameses II., each over 65 feet in
height.
• The walls have vividly colored reliefs.
• Eight smaller chambers, probably used to store the
temple utensils and furniture
• A small hypostyle hall in the rear, measuring 36 feet
by 25 feet, having four pillars.
• A long narrow chamber behind it having the
sanctuary, with an altar and four seated figures of
the deities worshipped.
Temple of Abu – Simbel
Temple of Abu – Simbel
ASSIGNMENT- 2

• Prepare poster – geographic, social and religious influence on Egyptian

Architecture (along with relevant sketches with labelling).

• Mode Of presentation:
• A3 sheet/s
• Bold sketches with labelling. Use skills of Architecture representation –
Rendering.
• Use bullet points for write-up.
Thank You.
P r e s e n t a t i o n P r e p a r e d b y :
P r o f . K u m a r V y o m k e s h

R e p r o d u c e d b y :
P r o f . K a i l a s M