HISTORY OF

ARCHITECTURE 1
Prehistoric to Byzantine Architecture
Prelim Topics - Prehistoric Architecture to Ancient Near East
EGYPTIAN
A
ARRC
CHH II T
TEEC
CTTU
URRE
E
 THE HISTORICAL TIMELINE OF ARCHITECTURE

Egyptian Byzantine

Pre-Historic Greek Roman Early Christian Romanesque Gothic Renaissance 18th-19th 20th Century:
Century: Modern
Revival

Near East Islamic

Indian Chinese &

Japanese
INFLUENCES:
“Nile River, the Life of
Egypt”
Irrigation turned desert lands into fruitful fields.
Its gentle current was favorable for navigation.
Trade and commerce prospered along its banks.
Early Egyptian civilization had its birth along the Nile.
Important religious structures like tomb pyramids and
temples for the gods were built in strategic places
along the banks of the Nile
INFLUENCES:
Architectural
Materials
Principle of construction was post and lintel.
Mud brick was the principal building material for
domestic buildings.
Stone (sandstone, limestone, granite & marble)
was favoured for temples and tombs.
The ancient Egyptians didn't use mortar, so the
stones were carefully cut to fit together.
INFLUENCES:
Climate
Structures have no downspout, drainage,
gutters due to absence of rain. No windows to
cut heat penetration and sand storm
Roof was not an important consideration and
flat roofs stone slabs sufficed to cover the
buildings & excluded the heat
INFLUENCES:
Religion
The religious rites of the Egyptians were traditional &
mysterious as manifested in tombs & temples.
Monotheistic in theory
Polytheistic in practice (natural phenomena,
heavenly bodies & animals).

There was no dividing line between gods & kings. They

were frequently associated in triads.
INFLUENCES: Religion
ABYDOS TRIAD

Osiris - The god of the underworld.

Isis - The mother of Horus.
Horus - The child of Isis and Osiris.
INFLUENCES: Religion
MEMPHIS TRIAD

Ptah - The chief deity of Memphis & patron deity of

craftsmen.
Sekhmet - The consort of Ptah & the giver of divine
retribution, vengeance, and conquest.
Nefertem - the Protector of the two lands.
INFLUENCES:
Religion
MENKAURE TRIAD

King Menkaure - the last Great Pyramid builder

Hathor - the goddess of music and love, is shown
to the right of Menkaure, holding his hand.

To the left of Menkaure is the 17th deified nome of

Upper Egypt.
INFLUENCES: Religion
THEBAN TRIAD
Amun - the King of the Gods
Mut - consort to Amun & queen of the gods
Khons - the son of Amun and Mut. The god of the moon and
time.
DIFFERENT EGYPTIAN GODS
 Evolution of Egyptian Architecture
through its Notable Pharaoh's
Source: History Channel, Engineering: An Empire: Egypt

MENES DJOSER SNEFERU HATSHEPSUT

3000-2938 BC
First Egyptian Pharaoh of
Unified Egypt.
Has a Passion of Ancient
Engineering, a Warrior.
Provided Solutions on Flooding
in Egypt
2667 - 2648 BC
Begun Architectural Conquest to
create a Tomb to record as a
largest Stone Super Structure
2nd Ruler of Egypts Old
Kingdom Period. Model of
Succeeding Pharaohs
Discovered IMHOTEP
2613 - 2589 BC 1473 - 1458 BC
Son of Khuni, Married her Step Temporary Ruler before
Sister to have Pure Royal Blood Thutmose III
Friendly to his Rulers, Envisions Discovered Senemut
to improve and perfect Egyptian
Engineering Changed her physique to
maintain Masculine Figure as a
Pharaoh
 Evolution of Egyptian Architecture
through its Notable Pharaoh's
Source: History Channel, Engineering: An Empire: Egypt

AMENHOTEP IV TUTANKHAMEN SETTI RAMESES II

AKHENATEN
1352-1336 BC
Son of Amenhotep III
Rebel Pharaoh, built a new city called
Akhetaten
His impatience led to challenge his
builders to build a new way of
constructing Tombs
1341 – 1323 BC 1294 - 1279 BC 1294 - 1212 BC
Son of Akhenaten Restrenghtened and Recreate Pure Royal Blood, Ruler, Attacker
Egyptian Empire, a battle-tested to Expand Egypt.
Was a young pharaoh at the Ruler. Disciplinarian.
age of 9 so his uncle Ay, who
was the highest minister, ruled Conquest and Construction. Time- Temple of Abu Simbel, dedicated
for him while he was a boy. to Nefertari
Tested Strategies of recovering
ruleship.
CLEOPATRA
(QUEEN OF THE NILE)
Cleopatra VII ruled ancient Egypt as co-
regent (first with her father, then with her
two younger brothers and finally with her
son) for almost three decades. She was
part of a dynasty of Macedonian rulers
founded by Ptolemy, who served as
general under Alexander the Great during
his conquest of Egypt in 332 B.C. Well-
educated and clever, Cleopatra could
speak various languages and served as
the dominant ruler in all three of her co-
regencies.
 EGYPTIAN MOULDINGS/ DETAILS
DOUBLE CROWN
The 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.
 ANKH
symbolizes life, health & strength

FEATHER OF MA‟AT
represents justice, truth, morality and balance.
 EYE OF HORUS
symbolizes protection & royal power

CARTOUCHE
is a rope enclosing a royal name thereby serving as the
protector of that name
 SCEPTER
symbolizes power, dominion & control.

SUN DISK
represents light, warmth & growth.
 SCARAB
symbolizes resurrection & rebirth.

BOAT OF RA.
Earn a place in Ra’s boat by having a light heart.
 URAEUS/COBRA
symbolizes royal protection & the Falcon is for divine
kingship. They also represent the unification of Lower
Egypt (cobra) & Upper Egypt (falcon).

IBIS
symbolizes reincarnation.
INFLUENCES:
Religion
The outstanding feature of the religion of the
Egyptians was their strong belief in the afterlife.

A. Mummification
An intact body is an integral part of a person's
afterlife & assuring themselves a successful
rebirth into the afterlife.
Without a physical body there is no shadow, no
name, no spirit, no personality & no immortality.
INFLUENCES:
Religion
B. Everlasting monuments for the preservation of
the dead:
Temple of the gods
Tomb pyramids of the kings
 TUTANKHAMUN'S
MUMMY
King Tutankhamun ruled Egypt from 1333-1324 BC,
ascending the throne at age nine.

TUTANKHAMU'S OUTER
COFFIN
Made of gilded wood covered with gold
 TUTANKHAMUN'S
MIDDLE COFFIN
Made of wood covered with gold, semiprecious stones,
glass and obsidian

TUTANKHAMU'S INNER
COFFIN
Made of solid gold and weighs 110 k. (which at 2004
prices is worth over 1.5 million US dollars).
 TUTANKHAMUN’S 4TH
SHRINE/SARCOPHAGUS
made of granite

TUTANKHAMUN‟S
DEATH MASK
Made of solid gold and inlaid with semi-precious stones,
it weighs 11 kilograms.
INFLUENCES: Religion
The Kings of ancient Egypt are known as Pharaohs. The
pharaoh was the political and religious leader holding the
titles: 'Lord of the Two Lands' and 'High Priest of Every
Temple'. The pharaohs have been divided into 30
dynasties.
MASTABA
Rectangular superstructure of ancient Egyptian
tombs, built of mud brick or, later, stone, with
sloping walls and a flat roof.

A deep shaft descended to the underground burial

chamber
 EGYPTIAN
MUMMIFICATION
PROCESS
Ancient Egyptians believed in an afterlife when
someone died. Mummification helped someone
reach the afterlife as they believed that an afterlife
could only exist if there was a form the ka (soul)
could repossess after death. Egyptians believed
that the only way to do this was if the body was
recognisable.

This is why they spent so long on the process of

mummification and why Pharaohs began the
building of their tombs during their lifetimes.
 EGYPTIAN
MUMMIFICATION
PROCESS
The earliest ancient Egyptians buried their dead in
small pits in the desert. The heat and dryness of
the sand dehydrated the bodies quickly, creating
lifelike and natural 'mummies'. Later, the ancient
Egyptians began burying their dead in coffins to
protect them from wild animals in the desert.

They did this by covering the body with natron, a

type of salt which has great drying properties, and
by placing additional natron packets inside the
body. When the body had dried out completely,
embalmers removed the internal packets and
lightly washed the natron off the body.
This is the step-by-step process of how mummification
took place:
Insert
Insert aa hook
hook through
through aa hole
hole near
near the
the nose
nose andand pull
pull out
out part
part of
of
the
the brain
brain
Make
Make aa cut
cut on on the
the left
left side
side of
of the
the body
body near
near the
the tummy
tummy
Remove
Remove all all internal
internal organs
organs The chief embalmer was a priest wearing a mask of Anubis. Anubis was
Let
Let the
the internal
internal organs
organs dry
dry the jackal headed god of the dead. He was closely associated with
mummification and embalming, hence priests wore a mask of Anubis.
Place
Place the
the lungs,
lungs, intestines,
intestines, stomach
stomach and and liver
liver inside
inside canopic
canopic
jars
jars
Place
Place the
the heart
heart back
back inside
inside the
the body
body
Rinse
Rinse inside
inside of of body
body with
with wine
wine and
and spices
spices
Cover
Cover the
the corpse
corpse with
with natron
natron (salt)
(salt) for
for
After
After 40
40 days
days stuff
stuff the
the body
body with
with linen
linen oror sand
sand to to give
give it
it aa
more
more human
human shape
shape
After
After the
the 7070 days
days wrap
wrap the
the body
body from
from head
head to to toe
toe in
in bandages
bandages
Place
Place in
in aa sarcophagus
sarcophagus (a (a type
type of
of box
box like
like aa coffin)
coffin)
If the person had been a Pharaoh, he would be placed inside a special
burial chamber with lots of treasure.
PYRAMID
A structure whose outer surfaces are triangular
and converge to a single step at the top, making
the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric
sense

Deep inside the pyramids lays the Pharaoh's burial

chamber which would be filled with treasure and
items for the Pharaoh to use in the afterlife.
ROCK CUT TOMBS
a burial chamber that is cut into an existing, naturally
occurring rock formation, so a type of rock-cut
architecture.

They are usually cut into a cliff or sloping rock face, but
may go downward in fairly flat ground.
TEMPLE
Types of Temples
MORTUARY TEMPLE is used for the
ministrations to deified pharaohs.
CULT TEMPLE is for the worship of the ancient
& mysterious gods.

Light & shadow are important features in temples.

Light came through:
Wall openings
Gaps between columns
Clerestory windows
ARCHITECTURAL EXAMPLE

MASTABA, FARAOUN
A broad pit below ground covered with a rectangular flat mound with sides sloping at
75 °
has a shaft descending to the tomb chamber
PARTS OF MASTABA
SERDAB is an enclosed
room containing the statue
of the deceased.
SACROPHAGUS is a
chamber containing the
''coffin'' reached by an
underground shaft.
STELE in the offering chapel
has the name of the
deceased inscribed on it.
ARCHITECTURAL STRUCTURE

STEP PYRAMID OF DJOZER

was by Imhotep and is the world’s first large scale monument in stone with no free-
standing columns
a series of 6 successively smaller mastabas one atop of another & originally clad in
polished white limestone.
IMHOTEP
Imhotep has the merit of being
not only the designer of the first
pyramid in Egypt, which makes
him also the first recorded
architect in history, but also
that of being the first non-royal
person whose existence is
documented.
ARCHITECTURAL STRUCTURE

BENT PYRAMID OF SNEFERU

A unique example of early pyramid development.
The lower part rises at a 55-degree inclination & the top section is shallower at 43
degrees.
ARCHITECTURAL STRUCTURE

PYRAMIDS
OF GIZA
PYRAMIDS OF GIZA'S MAP
BUILDING CONSTRUCTION OF PYRAMID
Pyramid construction was hugely labor intensive. Stones were dragged on a prepared
slipway that was lubricated with oil
Pyramid construction was paid labor during slow agricultural seasons, not slave labor as
is commonly supposed.
PARTS OF PYRAMID

Offering chapel
Mortuary temple (for the
worship of the dead)
Causeway
Valley building (for
interment & embalmment)
PYRAMID OF GIZA

PYRAMID OF CHEOPS (KHUFU)

The oldest and largest (13 acres) of the Three (3) Pyramids of Giza.
The oldest of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one to remain largely
intact.
Built by Pharoah Khuuf
481 ft (147 m)
PYRAMID OF GIZA

PYRAMID OF CHEFREN (KHAFRE)

Slightly smaller than the great Pyramid of Cheops
Guarded by the Sphinx believed to bear the face of King Chephren.
SPHINX- mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion with the
wings of a falcon
Built by Pharoah Khafrre
471 ft (144 m)
PYRAMID OF GIZA

PYRAMID OF MYKERINOS (MENKAURE)

The smallest & the last among the 3 pyramids to be built in the Giza.
Built by Pharoah Mankaure
213 ft (65 m)
ARCHITECTURAL STRUCTURE

BENI HASAN TOMB

Example of a Hillside Tomb with 39 ancient elaborately decorated tombs carved into
the limestone cliffs
ARCHITECTURAL STRUCTURE

VALLEY OF THE KINGS

An example of a Corridor Tomb.
It was the royal necropolis of Ancient Egypt where the kings & powerful nobles were
buried.
The valley was listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
ARCHITECTURAL STRUCTURE

TUTANKHAMUN'S TOMB
One of the smaller tombs in the Valley of the Kings as Tutankhamun was a fairly minor
king who had a very short reign.
ARCHITECTURAL STRUCTURE

EGYPTIAN TEMPLE
IMPORTANT
PARTS OF TEMPLE
1. PYLON is the monumental gateway
2. GREAT COURT is surrounded by
columns
3. HYPOSTYLE HALL is a forest of
columns, portraying the illusion of
infinity & vastness of space.
4. SANCTUARY is the holiest part &
accessible only to the kings & high
priests.
5. ENCLOSURE WALL
6. COLOSSAL STATUES OF THE
PHAROAH
7. OBELISK is a tall 4-sided narrow
tapering column terminating in a
pyramidion, its most sacred part.
8. AVENUE OF SPHINXES
 ENCLOSURE SANCTUARY
WALL
HYPOSTYLE
HALL

GREAT COURT

COLOSSAL PYLON
STATUES
OF PHARAOH

AVENUE OF ENCLOSURE
SPHINXES WALL
ARCHITECTURAL STRUCTURE

TEMPLE OF ISIS, PHILAE

Dedicated to goddess Isis, wife of Osiris & mother of Horus
Temple walls were designed with inward inclinations called batter walls
The last pagan temple to exist in the Mediterranean
ARCHITECTURAL STRUCTURE

GREAT TEMPLE OF AMUN, KARNAK

The grandest of all Egyptian temples & built by many kings
was the most important sanctuary of the cult who worshipped the sun god, Amun-Ra
Has a Great Court with 134 super-sized columns in 16 rows, 21-24 m. high and 3.60 m.
in diameter
ARCHITECTURAL STRUCTURE

TEMPLE OF LUXOR
Mostly built by menophis III, dedicated to the Theban Triad of Amun, Mut & Khons.
ARCHITECTURAL STRUCTURE

GREAT TEMPLE OF ABU SIMBEL

A rock-hewn temple with 4 rock-cut colossal statues of Rameses II, over 20 m. high
ARCHITECTURAL STRUCTURE
MORTUARY TEMPLE OF QUEEN
HATSHEPSUT
Is dedicated to the sun God “Amon-Ra"
Located at Deir El-Bahari
SENEMUT
Senenmut claims to be the chief
architect of Hatshepsut's works at
Deir el-Bahri.
Senenmut's masterpiece building
project was the Mortuary Temple of
Hatshepsut.
ARCHITECTURAL STRUCTURE

MORTUARY TEMPLE OF
MENTUHETEP II
The pyramid is a cenotaph with a dummy burial chamber below it
At the rear is a long
ARCHITECTURAL STRUCTURE

TEMPLE OF KHONS, KARNAK

A cult temple mostly done by Rameses III.
ARCHITECTURAL STRUCTURE

TEMPLE OF HERUS, EDFU

Built from sandstone blocks, is the most completely preserved of all temple remains.
ARCHITECTURAL STRUCTURE

MAMMISI TEMPLE
Often referred to as a birth house of the gods located within the temple precinct.
ARCHITECTURAL
CHARACTER
A. DESCRIPTION B. CONSTRUCTION
METHOD
Monumental Columnar and
Concept of Immortality Trabeated (in
Symmetrical Tombs and
Grandeur Temples)
Permanence
Sustenance and Eternal
Enjoymeny of the Deceased
C. MATERIALS

SOFTSTONES: LIMESTONE,
SANDSTONE, ALABASETER.
HARDSTONE: GRANITE,
QUARTITE, TALETAT STONE,
BASALT.
MUDBRICKS AND TIMBERS
ON HOUSES AND PALACES
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
COLUMNS:
1. SQUARE PILLAR
2. POLYGONAL PILLAR
3. PALM-TYPE COLUMN
4. BUD AND BELL
COLUMN
5. FOLIATED CAPITAL
COLUMN
6. HATHOR HEADED
COLUMN
7. OSIRIS PILLARS
CAPITALS
1. LOTUS
2. PAPYRUS
3. PALM
4. SHAFT - BUNDLE OF
STEMS
ORNAMENTS
1. QUADRUPLE SPIRAL
2. CONTINOUS COIL
SPIRAL
3. LOTUS AND PAPYRUS
4. ROPE AND PATERAE
5. GRAPE ORNAMENT
6. ROPE AND FEATHER