History of Ancient & Medieval Architecture: Egyptian Architecture
(Ohio State University)
Course Name: History of ancient and medieval architecture
University: Ohio State University
- Egyptian art and architecture has a unique quality in the sense that it developped a lasting style: it
has followed the same sytlistic principles for over a period of 3000 years; The complete opposite of
modern art and architecture, which is so unstable and fast changing (every new style gets quickly
absorbed by another one).
-The egyptian civilisation is a linear civilisation that clusters along the fertile edges of the Nile river.
-In the prehistory of Egypt, two great kingdoms emerged: lower Egypt in the delta of the Nile where
it spells into the mediteranean, and upper Egypt up towards the source of the Nile and Nubia.
-The North/South orthagonality of the Nile is met by another strong linear system, which is the
East/West path of the sun; this makes orientation easy in Egypt for either you're walking along the
path of the Nile or along the path of the sun.
-This gave a strong preference for orthagonal form in Egypt.
-Orthagonal: organized by right angles and 90° degree angles.
-The orthagonal and linear organization of Egyptian art and architecture is based on the two cardinal
axes: North/South (influenced by path of the nile, as Egyptian civilization was a linear civilization)+
East/West (path of the sun)
-Surveying and geometry originated actually in the egyptian civilization as a result of the unstability
of the Nile river and its seasonal floodings that swolled up pieces of farming lands everytime. A desire
to tax people fairly on what's left of their lands is what gave birth to suveying and geometry in egypt
according to Heroditus long before it passed to Greece.
-Geometry: geo+ metry = earth measure
-Remember: The desire for precistion, the orthagonal and the geometrically clear has originated
from the actual environmental conditions of the Egyptian civilisation and lands.
-Geometrical tools ancient egyptian used: the 12 section rope and 3-4-5 triangle.
-The egyptian would use a rope that has been knotted into equal 12 sections; they would then
stretch it out to create a 3-4-5 right angle triangle. (3 sections, 4 sections, 5 sections).
-It is similar to the pythagorean triangle. And it's a simple technique that they used to create
monumental buildings.
The Egyptian Canon: Egyptian Style Characteristics & Qualities:
Stereometric: not naturalistic and having to do with three dimensional solid forms
(Ohio State University)
Course Name: History of ancient and medieval architecture
University: Ohio State University
- Egyptian art and architecture has a unique quality in the sense that it developped a lasting style: it
has followed the same sytlistic principles for over a period of 3000 years; The complete opposite of
modern art and architecture, which is so unstable and fast changing (every new style gets quickly
absorbed by another one).
-The egyptian civilisation is a linear civilisation that clusters along the fertile edges of the Nile river.
-In the prehistory of Egypt, two great kingdoms emerged: lower Egypt in the delta of the Nile where
it spells into the mediteranean, and upper Egypt up towards the source of the Nile and Nubia.
-The North/South orthagonality of the Nile is met by another strong linear system, which is the
East/West path of the sun; this makes orientation easy in Egypt for either you're walking along the
path of the Nile or along the path of the sun.
-This gave a strong preference for orthagonal form in Egypt.
-Orthagonal: organized by right angles and 90° degree angles.
-The orthagonal and linear organization of Egyptian art and architecture is based on the two cardinal
axes: North/South (influenced by path of the nile, as Egyptian civilization was a linear civilization)+
East/West (path of the sun)
-Surveying and geometry originated actually in the egyptian civilization as a result of the unstability
of the Nile river and its seasonal floodings that swolled up pieces of farming lands everytime. A desire
to tax people fairly on what's left of their lands is what gave birth to suveying and geometry in egypt
according to Heroditus long before it passed to Greece.
-Geometry: geo+ metry = earth measure
-Remember: The desire for precistion, the orthagonal and the geometrically clear has originated
from the actual environmental conditions of the Egyptian civilisation and lands.
-Geometrical tools ancient egyptian used: the 12 section rope and 3-4-5 triangle.
-The egyptian would use a rope that has been knotted into equal 12 sections; they would then
stretch it out to create a 3-4-5 right angle triangle. (3 sections, 4 sections, 5 sections).
-It is similar to the pythagorean triangle. And it's a simple technique that they used to create
monumental buildings.
The Egyptian Canon: Egyptian Style Characteristics & Qualities:
Stereometric: not naturalistic and having to do with three dimensional solid forms
