The civilization that arose on the banks of the Nile is so early that at the time when the architecture of Ancient Egypt had already declared itself loudly, the neighboring peoples were still at the stage of prehistoric development. Since science is unable to accurately determine the time of construction of a particular structure, it is customary to classify monuments in accordance with the dynasties that ruled at that time.
Features of ancient Egyptian architecture
In this regard, the architecture of Ancient Egypt is conventionally divided into 6 periods corresponding to the Early, Ancient, Middle, New and Late Kingdoms, as well as the period of imperial power. Despite many similarities, each stage in the history of Egyptian architecture was characterized by a certain originality.
All the architectural monuments of Ancient Egypt that have survived to our time - temples, palaces, fortresses and tombs - were built from raw brick or limestone mined in the Nile Valley, sandstone and granite. This is due to the fact that there was no forest there, but palm trees,that grew in oases produced poor quality wood.
Methods of constructing residential and religious buildings
As for the houses in which the bulk of the population settled, they were built from the mud left on the banks after the Nile floods. It was dried in the sun, cut into briquettes and then residential buildings were erected. However, almost no such structures survived due to the fact that this material was short-lived, and besides, the level of the Nile rose every millennium, and the water again turned the houses into the very mud from which they were built.
Fate turned out to be more favorable to religious buildings, and it was they who allowed modern scientists to get an idea of the technical features and artistic styles of the architecture of Ancient Egypt. In particular, it was found that throughout the history of this unique civilization, builders adhered to a single technology when building walls.
The stones were laid without mortar and often without any binding elements. Moreover, they were pre-processed only from the inside, which ensured the reliability of the connection, while the front surface was hewn already during the finishing work, when the walls were fully erected.
The decorations of buildings, characteristic of the architecture of Ancient Egypt, have not undergone significant changes along the entire path of its development. They were always filled with symbolism and were images of a sun beetle, personifying the god Ra - a scarab, lotus flowers, palm branches, etc. Widelyinscriptions were also used, which were supposed to perpetuate the main events in the life of the pharaohs, as well as to praise the gods, the worship of which was an integral part of life.
Architecture during the Early Kingdom
The features of the architecture of Ancient Egypt, belonging to the Early Kingdom, can be judged by the images preserved on the stelae of the pharaohs of the 1st dynasty, and by some religious buildings of that period that have come down to us. It has been established that the characteristic element of their decoration was the concave cornices of buildings, as well as friezes - decorative stripes framing the building and decorated with paintings or sculptural compositions. This period of the history of ancient Egyptian art is poorly understood, since almost no original structures have remained over the years.
Old Kingdom
The architecture of the Old Kingdom is somewhat more open to study. Egypt during this period was united into a single kingdom with the capital in Memphis, and the idea of the divinity of the pharaohs, which found its direct reflection in architecture, became the basis of its ideology. Its heyday refers to the reign of the III and IV dynasties (XXX century BC), when the largest pyramid tombs were erected on the banks of the Nile.
Tombs have always played a special role in the architecture of Ancient Egypt, being not only a manifestation of religious ideas, but also an indicator of the brilliant development of exact sciences and crafts, without which their construction would have been impossible. The early objects of this era include an ensemble of funerarybuildings erected for the pharaoh of the III dynasty Djoser and made in a new style for that time.
Here, for the first time, a pyramid was erected, which had a rectangular base and consisted of several steps. Subsequently, tombs of this form became widespread. Among the most famous buildings of the Old Kingdom period today are the pyramids erected in Giza for the pharaohs of the IV dynasty - Cheops, Khafre and Mykerin. They are rightfully considered one of the wonders of the world.
During the reign of the pharaohs of the 5th dynasty, the architecture of Ancient Egypt was enriched by the creation of a new type of buildings - solar temples. These were religious buildings erected on hilltops and surrounded by walls. In their central premises - prayer halls - giant sculptures of gods trimmed with gold and ritual altars were placed.
Middle Kingdom
With coming to power in 2050 B. C. e. Pharaoh Mentuhotep Egypt entered the era of the Middle Kingdom. In the spiritual life of the people, the deification of the pharaoh was gradually replaced by the philosophy of individualism, which made it possible to claim eternal life not only for the powerful of this world, but also for the ordinary inhabitants of the country. The construction of giant pyramids has become a thing of the past, replaced by funerary stelae, accessible due to their cheapness, to many Egyptians.
However, the pharaohs continued to build their own tombs, although much smaller than in past centuries. The way theythe buildings. Raw bricks were used instead of stone blocks, and the outside was lined with limestone slabs. Such technology could not provide the former durability, and the pyramids of this period have survived to this day in the form of ruins. The most significant building of this era is the burial complex of Pharaoh Amenemhat III, consisting of a pyramid and a mortuary temple, covering an area of almost 72 thousand m².
Above-ground temples of the New Kingdom
During the period of the New Kingdom, which lasted from 1550 to 1969 BC. e., when the capital of the state moved to the city of Thebes, the construction of magnificent palaces of the nobility and magnificent temples acquired a dominant role in the architecture of Ancient Egypt. The latter were built in three versions, which were ground, rocky and semi-rocky complexes.
The layout of ground-based places of worship was an elongated rectangle, usually surrounded by a wall. From its entrance, decorated with a pylon, an alley led to the gate, decorated on both sides with sphinxes or figures of other mythical creatures. Necessarily belonging to such temples was an altar, installed in the center of the courtyard, and a prayer hall, located in the back of the room. The entire complex was richly decorated with sculptures and frescoes depicting religious subjects.
Rock and semi-rock temples
Rock temple complexes were cut down in solid stony rocks in such a way that only the main facade was placed outside, and the rest of the structure went deep into the mountain. brightan example of buildings of this type is the temple of Ramses II, built in Abu Simbel. It includes two independent places of worship, one of which is dedicated to Amun, Ptah and Ra, and the second to the goddess Hathor.
The period of the New Kingdom saw a very significant innovation that appeared in the architecture of Ancient Egypt - for the first time the tombs began to be separated from the mortuary temples, which was not practiced in previous centuries. The first to break the tradition was Pharaoh Thutmose I, who during his lifetime ordered that his mummy be placed not in the mortuary temple, but in a separate, far away tomb, which laid the foundation for a vast complex known as the “Valley of the Kings.”
Semi-rocky temples were built only partially submerged in the thickness of the earth's rocks and consisted of several cubes placed one on top of the other. Their facades descended in terraces and were decorated with rows of columns. An example of such a structure can be the temple of Queen Hatshepsut.
Persian period
During the Late Kingdom, the architecture and sculpture of Ancient Egypt again underwent a series of changes. This was due to the weakening of local kings, a significant increase in the priesthood and the coming to power of representatives of foreign dynasties, which gave rise to call this period in the history of the state "Persian". It lasted until the troops of Alexander the Great entered Egypt.
Foreign rulers refused to erect monumental temples, striking the eye with their scale. The religious buildings of the Persian period were built muchsmaller, although still richly decorated with sculpture and wall paintings. The construction of the famous temple complex in Karnak, which is today one of the most visited attractions of the country, dates back to the Late Kingdom.
Egyptian architecture during the period of imperial power (briefly)
The most important thing in the architecture of Ancient Egypt, which turned out to be in 332 BC. e. as part of the power of Alexander the Great, is a synthesis of its artistic traditions with ancient culture. The temples of Horus in Edfu, Ptolemy in Karnak, as well as the complex of Isis built on the island of Philae and rightly called by Herodotus the “Pearl of Egypt” can serve as striking examples of architecture of this period.
