egyptian tomb architecture

8/9/2019 EGYPTIAN TOMB ARCHITECTURE

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Architecture is unbreakably connectedwith populations all over the world and in alltimes.

Each country, however, depending on cli-matic conditions,

cultural habits,technology that ithas developed, itsmanners and cus-toms, develops differ-ent forms of archi-tecture.

Also, all forms ofarchitecture are con-nected with the period

covered by eachpopulation, as wellas with the regimethat prevails in eachcountry.

Egyptian cultureis one of the oldestcultures with rich andimportant history forall the humans andaccording to the first written reports it isdated from 5000 B.C.Ancient Egypt wasdivided in the Upper and Lower Egypt,that constituted separate kingdoms whichwere governed by a Pharaoh.

From excavations, papyruses and signsthat have been rescued we have a lot of in-formation on the social and political role ofthe Pharaoh.

The population deified him and believedthat he represented god Ra (R) on earth.

Pharaohs are also the reason whyEgyptian subordinates built various build-

1719

Irina Sandu,Irina Sandu,Irina Sandu,Irina Sandu,Sergiu UgureanuSergiu UgureanuSergiu UgureanuSergiu Ugureanu

2nd Experimental LyceumAthens, Greece

[email protected]

MAP OF ANCIENT EGYPTX

EGYPTIAN TOMB

ARCHITECTURE


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ings to their glory, the more importantamong them being the pyramids, dedicatedto dead Pharaohs.

I. PyramidsNowadays when we refer to Egypt, the

bulky and imposing pyramids come to ourmind automatically, the first of which is esti-mated to have been built during theAncient

Kingdom (3200-2300 B.C.).These imposing tombs were built with

the perspective of protecting Pharaohsmummies and sarcophaguses in eternity.

It seems that pyramids are the work ofa population characterized by an exceptionalknow-how and a complicated social organi-sation according to the data of the time.

The tombs of the first monarchs werenot manufactured under the form of pyra-

mids. In the beginning, the kings had builtbig buildings that were mainly un-derground.

Sometimes, the graves werebuilt from plinths, while their inte-rior had wooden case and stoneflooring.

An example of such a pyra-mid is king Dens grave inAby-dos that has granite flooring andit is one among the first buildingsin which stone had been used.

These enormous buildings thataccommodate the graves of deadPharaohs also house characteris-tic objects from the life of these monarchs.

In these graves genuine works of artwere found, like golden boxes, embossedboxes from ivory, elaborate seats andcouches, ebony and clay figurines, aswell as plates with files (papyruses) that

testify the heroic action of king Pharaohin wartime.

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PAPYRUS FOUND INSARCOPHAGUS


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On the emaciated by the time hands ofqueens golden bracelets are found andare considered as the most representativesamples of their era.

All these prove that the sovereigns ofthe first dynasty were not uncivilized bar-barians but sensitive people with their ownopinions on life.

Lastly, the body of the dead should havebeen protected from every exterior damagingeffect, because only then the soul, roamingfreely, could find the body it belonged to.

Substantially, that is to say, each pyra-mid constitutes a well fortified fortress,which protects the hidden mummy ofPharaoh from all kinds of hostile scheming.

For this reason, each Pharaoh took carein building the pyramid, where his bodywould rest, a long time before his death,even ten or twenty years earlier.

Thus, Pharaoh himself could look afterthe proper safety system operation of thepyramid.

II. The construction of Pyramids

The most famous pyramids are the threepyramids of Giza: a) The Big Pyramid of



PYRAMID MODEL


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stituted the reception of the procession, itcould be connected with the Nile via a chan-nel and it had a pier for boats that werestored in small there also existed stone effi-gies next to the yard places in the interior ofthe pyramid, while or in the secret road.

The graves ofqueens, which were veryoften pyramids but with smaller dimen-sions, either were found near to the kings

complex or they constituted a separateroom in the pyramid of the Pharaoh.By available sources but also by pyra-

mids that have been rescued, like those ofGiza and Sakkara, it is proved that at leastfour different types of ramp were used in or-der for the enormous blocks ofstone to be transported in the in-terior of the pyramid and beplaced in their final position.

The most obvious method isthe so called linear ramp(pyramid of Sekhmet - 3rd dy-nasty), that was seldom used,however, because of its bigwidth.

The stair-like ramp was aflight of abrupt and narrow stairs that wentup on one of the sides of the pyramid(Sinqi, Giza).

The spiral ramp was not a frequent

choice for the builders because there didnot exist a way of supporting it and also it



GREAT PYRAMIDS OF GAZA

MEN WORKING FOR BUILDING APYRAMID


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Cheops (Soufis) (height of pyramid: 146metres) - one of the seven marvels of theancient world, b) The Pyramid of Phar-aoh Sefrin (Safis) and c) The Pyramid ofPharaoh Mykerin (Mancheres).

The bases of these three pyramids covera total extent bigger than 93.000 squaremetres. Also, the pyramids are distin-guished for their precise geometric design.

The Egyptian architects, topogra-phers and builders used two special tools,the merkhetand the bay, which helped thealignment of the three pyramids, but alsothe orientation of the sides and the cornersaccording to the alignment of stars.

There exist some theories on the waypyramids were constructed. One of thesetheories was stated by Herodotus and itreports to us that the ancient Egyptians

used machines (cranes) in order to movethe blocks of stone.However, the historians are not based on

the theories of Herodotus, as the ancientphilosopher and historian visited Egypt atleast 2000 years after the construction ofthe first pyramids.

The pyramid did not constitute an indi-vidual building.

It was the centre of amonumental architec-tural complex, which wasformed of two temples thatwere connected betweenthem with a secret road.

Temple was always builtin the Eastern side of thepyramid, since it was themain temple where the fu-nerary procession tookplace.

The lower temple ortemple of the valley con-



THE SARCOPHAGUS OFTUTANKHAMUN


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did not allow the controls and the correctivecalculations.

The inversed rampwas a zigzag floorthat was supported on one of the sides ofthe pyramid facilitating the construction of apyramid with stairs.

Finally, there are also traces of internalramps that, according to the French archi-tect Jean-Pierre Houdin, continue to exist.

III. The importance of the form ofPyramids

In general the pyramids symbolize theHoly Mountain and the continuous struggleofhumans to reach the sky.

They are the picture of the world andcontain the four directions of the space.

As a building, the pyramid is constructedin connection with two well determined axes:

the one, following the course of the sun,leads to the Pyramid, the other, going upthe current ofNile, brings us to the Begin-ning. As graves of the kings of Egypt, thePharaohs, they aimed to look after theirbody at their posthumous life.

The stair-like pyramid of PharaohZoner was the first stone grave and symbol-ized the staircase by which the dead Phar-aoh would reach the sky.

It was said that the pyramids of Gizahad been erected according to the stars ofthe Big Bear.

In this way, the pyramids were con-nected with the stars and the elevation ofPharaohs soul into the sky to stay withthe other gods.

However, later the sun acquired biggerimportance than the stars and therefore thepyramids that we know today were built sothat their sides symbolized the beams of the

sun.However, apart from their architectural



BUILDING A PYRAMID


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uniqueness and greatness, thepyramids encompass a total ofmysterious numbers and propor-tions that code the mysteries ofthe World causing not only the cu-riosity ofarchaeologists but alsoofmathematical brains.

The pyramids, these hugemonuments, continue to exert

enormous attraction even to con-temporary people.

Those ones, who had the oppor-tunity to visit these bulky and imposing build-ings that the great culture of AncientEgyptians left behind, remain ineffaceablyimpressed for all their lives.

A lot ofimportant questions regardingpyramids still exist and remain unan-swered.

Nevertheless, historians hope that withthe byway of time and especially with thedevelopment of technology, the querieswill be answered and finally the secrets of

Ancient Egyptians will become known.

Iconography www.wg3too.net/.../

Pyramids_of_Giza_Egypt.jpg karenswhimsy.com/map-of-ancient-

egypt.shtm www.khulsey.com/jewelry/

jewelry_history_egypt... www.earlham.edu/~seidti/iam/

tc_pap75.html library.thinkquest.org/C0121966/

pyramid.htm www.importance-of-education.net/

education_issues www.factsforprojects.com/detail.asp?

s=1&ss=1... egypttourinfo.com/ancient-egypt-

pyramids.html



CONNECTING THE SUN WITH THE PYRAMIDS

egyptian tomb architecture

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