ANCIENT EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION:(3200 BC)

Summary by John Kenneth S. Billones, Jerard Adrian Catalan, and Christian Padilla.
Note: Red marks/fonts are just additional information (You don’t need to review as we hadn’t discussed them from the report.)

Society:
Ancient Egyptian Civilization has the oldest immense well-preserved culture, inspiring the later greek and roman culture
(greco-roman period), and all the western traditions. Despite the warm climate of the barren-desert sands, and with only two
seasons (spring and summer), the possession of the Nile River brought abundant natural resources for civilizations to thrive
sustainably. This climate and geography is essential for its architectural identity, from monumental works to large pyramids;
however, it required intensive enforced labours of captives, workmen and even foreigners (Under Rameses II, with a
Centralized Despotic Government), in exchange for food.

Egyptian Phases: Architectural Character

● THE PREHISTORIC PERIOD: Pre Dynasty: (2300-4777 BC)

Egypt was recorded way back in the Paleolithic period, along the southern border near Wadi Halfa. They were
already capable of mobile buildings (dis/re)assembled; this led to Halfan migration (of fertile crescent) from the
Faiyum Oasis to the Nile, in a sedentary Agriculture-based lifestyle. Several Cultures formed (known for): Merimde
Culture (first clay head sculpture), El Omari Culture (Unknown Metal), Maadi Culture (Copper), Tasian Culture
(black-top ware pottery), Badarian Culture, Amratian Culture (Black + white crossed-line pottery design), and
Gerzean Culture (Mass production of mud bricks).

1. Material Techniques:
a. Reed Houses: A primitive structure of Puddled Mud/Clay (from Nile), and reed bundles.

● THE ANCIENT EMPIRE: Dynasty I - X: (4777-2821 BC)

This period revolved around the unification of upper and lower Egypt (“Two Lands”) by Narmer (pharaoh), who
established a national Administration. This unification moved the first dynasty from Abidos (holy land of the south) to
Memphis. These hallmarks of the time paved the way for Art and Architecture, with a theme of PERMANENCE,
endeavoured to preserve Structures, writing and imagery of the afterlife as clearly as possible.
○ Notable Material/s: Copper (sun-dried mud bricks), Wood, Sandstones, Limestones, Tamarix (for Abydos
boats).
○ Writing: Hieroglyph (Pictographs) with over 1000 symbols.
○ Colours Symbolism: Red (Vigorous, tanned youths), yellow (women or men working indoors), blue or gold
(divinity), black (Nile fertility from which egypt was born).

1. Architectural Techniques & Artifacts:

a. The Mastabas of Thy, Saqqara (Dynasty I: 2686 BCE): This tomb, also called the “House of
Eternity,” is one of the most famous tombs of the Old Kingdom, for Thy (who in his day held
the position of royal architect). It consists of a small vestibule, beyond which is a large court
where the offerings to the deceased took place and from which a mummy shaft led through a
passage to a tomb chamber. These reliefs represent harvest operations, and shipbuilding
scenes representing the arts. The physical features are carved into the bedrock, and covered
with mud bricks. Above these monuments are copper bricks, with flat tops and slanted walls
(75°). This is divided into three parts:
i. The Outer Chamber: Placed for offerings to ‘KA’ or ‘DOUBLE’ The “ka” being stated
here is the statue of the dead where the Egyptians believed where the soul will remain
for the people visiting the tomb to not look down on the chamber but look at the “ka”
instead in memory of their dead loved one.
ii. A well of great depths: passageways
iii. The inner secret chamber (‘serdabs’): It’s a chamber where the “ka” is placed; inside
were the Sarcophagus and statues of the deceased, can be seen.

b. King Zoser/Djoser’s Step Pyramid Complex (Dynasty III): A 549m x 274m x 9m enclosure
with a 6 series of Solid Mastaba steps, placed on top of another.

c. Dashur: Bent Pyramid of Sneferu (Pharaoh), Cairo (Dynasty IV: 2600 BCE): A-105m (tall),
with 45° (Bottom arc) + 43° (upper arc) polished limestone.

d. The Great Pyramid of Giza/Gizeh, Memphis (Dynasty IV: 3998-3721 BCE): A 51°52’, oriented at 4 cardinal points
of the compass. This type of pyramid was designed by Imhotep under King Djoser, but the great Giza itself was
constructed by Pharaoh Khufu (Djoser.) It is 760ft each way, 13 acres in area, and original height was 482ft.
Together with the other pyramids, they form one which are Abu-Roash, Zwiyet-el-Aryan, Abusir, Sakkara, and
Dashur. The pyramids were built by the kings as their future tombs as they believe that their soul would once more
return to their body.
 e. The Pyramids: These are equilateral shaped pyramids, laid sloping and melting in a point.
i. The great pyramid of Cheops (Khufu) (3733-2600 BCE): Square plan 760ft x
482ft(h);
ii. The second pyramid by Cephron (Khafra) (3666-3633 BCE);
iii. and The third pyramid by Mycerinos (Menkhara) (3633-3600 BCE.)

iv. Composition:
1. The entrance on the northern side is now reached by means of an earthen
embankment. This passage heads toward the heart of the pyramid or the
King’s Chamber; the sarcophagus of the king containing his embalmed
body,
2. Two other chambers include the Queen’s chamber, a passageway connected
to the king’s chamber.
f. The Sphinx (Dynasty IV: 2520 BCE): The Sphinx was built located near the great pyramids
which is at the center of an ancient stone quarry where masonry was also present. It had
combinations of different creatures such as the head of a king, a ram, a hawk, or rarely a
woman, and the body of a lion. Captain Caviglia, an Italian explorer, excavated the Sphinx.
Dimensions: 65ft high, 188ft long, face is 13ft 6in wide, while the mouth is 8ft 6in long.
g. Ceramic Plate: (3900 BCE) Plate depicting a boat with Hippopotamus (God Seth’s Chaos &
Destruction) and Crocodile (God Sobek’s protectiveness.)
h. El-Amra clay model of a cattle: (3500 BCE) An 8.2 cm high-modeled 4 cattles, found in a
tomb depicting a source of sustenance in the afterlife.

2. Material Techniques:
a. Battered Walls/Copper: Muds, collected from the Nile River, are placed in molds to dry in the
hot sun. According to Viollet-Le-Duc (French Architect), this technique provides more
resistance against natural calamities.

b. Cavetto Cornice: Pressurized-concave clay moulding (curved) to support and transition

primitive roofs. While reeds were used for the wall coating:

c. Granite Columns & Capitals: (Internal Architectural Features) Shows distinct reminiscence of
the primitive reeds tied together at intervals, and crowned with lotus bud.

d. Woodworks: Mortise (Hole) and Tenon Joints, is a union between two planks (xed tenons),
shaped to fit a cavity (mortise) into a second timber. These were used for stools, and ship
hulls (watertight body of a ship).
● THE MIDDLE KINGDOM: Dynasties XI-XVI: 2821-1738 BC
A prosperous period under the dynasties of the “Hyksos” or shepherd king; which was divided into two rulers.
Mentuhotep II (2041 BCE), is a period of weak pharaonic power and civil war, called the First Intermediate. After
launching an attack with little resistance, Mentuhotep II restored stability, considering him divine to receive offerings.
Senusret III (1878 - 1839 BCE), fifth monarch at dynasty XII, on the other hand, gave rise to an era of peace and
prosperity, making him the most powerful egyptian ruler.
○ Notable Material/s: Fine Sandstones, Granite, and stones (reserved for temples and tombs.)
○ Pictorial Carvings are in brilliant colours.

1. Architectural Techniques & Artifacts:

a. Worker Forts of Kahun (1844-1837BC): A rectangular mud-bricked town with one wall collapsed by
annual inundation. It is divided, wherein ⅓, consists of back-to-back, side-by-side single room houses
for workers, while ⅔ are elevated by a slope, consisting of large, multi-room villas for higher
hierarchies.

b. Worker Forts of Buhen: Built under King Senusret III himself, A 1300 square meter distanced line of
forts and a small town in grid systems. The fortification (wall) features three meter deep, draw bridges,
bastions, buttresses, ramparts, battlements, loopholes, and catapults.

c. The (Tomb-2) Black Pyramid of Amenemhat III(1860-1840BCE): “Amenemhet is Almighty,” A dark,

decaying appearance as a rubble mound, encased in limestone, made in mud brick and clay. It is
composed of an entrance to courtyard and mortuary temple, and ten shaft tombs (from graves built into
natural rocks). It is one of the five remaining pyramids of the original eleven pyramids at Dahshur in
Egypt.

d. The tombs at Beni-Hasan (Dynasty XII: 2778-2565 BC): A remarkable group of rock-cut examples;
with over 39 of them arranged in a row. They’re carved into some ‎limestone hills on the East Bank of
the Nile.
e. Tomb of Khnumhotep II (Dynasty XII): Knumhotep was an ancient Egyptian Great Chief of the Oryx
nome (the 16th nome of Upper Egypt). The tomb is notable for its depiction of caravans of semitic
traders.
f. Tomb of Knumhotep IV (Dynasty XII): An old nomarch or a government responsible for nome (42
province divisions).
 2. Material Techniques:
a. Stelae (mid to third millennium BCE): Stone slabs with multiple purpose:
i. Funerary Stelae: Built in honor of the deceased, with their names and titles. An example is the
Funerary Stelae of a bow named Semin (2120-2051 BCE), carved in a vertical stelae.
ii. OBELISKS: A tall, four sided, pyramid topped, Territorial Markers on entrances and temples;
symbolic for the existence of the (God Ra). Examples were the Red Granite Obelisk of
Senusret I, Modern Heliopolis (Dynasty XII).

iii. Publishing Decrees: Record of laws, decrees, honours, mortgaged properties, and military
commemoration. An example is the Annals of Amenemhat II.

● THE NEW KINGDOM: Dynasties XVII-XX: 1738-950 BCE

This golden period was Egypt’s most stable and prosperous time, as empires expanded their diplomacy, trade
and war; additionally, money poured down to Egypt when Nubia became the richest gold mine in ancient time.
Pharaohs like Hatshepsut (Female Pharaoh known for her prolific statues) and Ramesses II, were also thankful to the
Gods for this wealth, and shared them to their own people; rewriting failures into glorious purpose; making Thebes
(known today as city of luxor) as its capital.

1. Architectural Techniques & Artifacts:

There were 6 great temples built during this time: Four on the left bank known as Goornah, Deir-el-Bahri, the
ramesseum and Medinet Habu; and two on the right bank, known as Karnak and Luxor.
a. Karnak Temples: A complex of temples, pylons, chapels, and other buildings, built for Amun-Re (Chief of
Gods) in Thebes, under Ramesses II. He added 134 massive columns shaped like papyrus trees, weighing
more than 100 tons each. Today, This is considered as the largest ancient religious site in the world. The
complex is consists of four main parts:

i. The Precinct of Amun Re ("temple of amun"), has columns of the great hypostyle hall imitating lotus
plants and elaborate sunken relief.

ii. The Precinct of Mut by hatshepsut: had twin obelisks at the entrance, (wherein) one stands as the
tallest living obelisk in the world; it had small temples, and six hundred granite statues at the
courtyard.
 iii. The smaller Precinct of Montu, built for Montu (Theban Triad War-God), at the north of Amun-Re
Complex.
iv. The temple of Amenhotep IV, located at the east main complex, was immediately destroyed after the
death of its builder.

b. Luxor Temple (1400 BCE): The largest and most significant religious temple complex in ancient egypt. It’s
dedicated to the “Rejuvenation of kingship“ as many Egyptian kings and queens were crowned there; and
“The Place Of The First Occasion” where god Amon experienced rebirth during the pharaoh’s annually
reenacted coronation ceremony.

2. Material Techniques:
● PERIOD OF FOREIGN DOMINATION: Dynasties XXI-XXV: 950-663 BCE
● THE LATE EGYPTIAN PERIOD: Dynasties XXVI-XXX: 663-332 BCE
● THE GRAECO-ROMAN PERIOD: 332 BC - 640 AD
● MEDIEVAL EGYPT: Dynasties XVII-XX: 640-1517 AD
● MODERN EGYPT: Dynasties XVII-XX: 1517 BC - present

References:
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-worldhistory/chapter/introduction-to-ancient-egypt/
https://www.slideshare.net/KIRTHI_88/ancient-egyptian-architecture-203653351
https://www.slideshare.net/abhishekmewada54/egyptian-architecture-56589843
https://www.slideshare.net/ender14/ancient-egyptian-art
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pyramids-of-Giza
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-arthistory/chapter/the-middle-kingdom/
http://kolibri.teacherinabox.org.au/modules/en-boundless/www.boundless.com/art-history/textbooks/boundle
ss-art-history-textbook/ancient-egyptian-art-4/the-middle-kingdom-56/architecture-of-the-middle-kingdom-306-5713/i
ndex.html
https://www.pbs.org/empires/egypt/newkingdom/architecture.html
https://www.worldhistory.org/timeline/New_Kingdom_of_Egypt/