HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

HISTORY AND PREHISTORY IN ARCHITECTURE

The main difference between history and prehistory is the existence of records; history is the
recorded events of the past whereas Prehistory is the time before writing was introduced.
Thus, history is an area that deals with written records of the past. The term prehistory literally means
before history.

PALEOLITHIC AGE

• Settlements seems to have originated at the small clan or family level, with sufficient number of people
living together to provide mutual assistance in hunting and food gathering and joint protection against
enemies.

• Construction was with mammoth bones and pine poles with a lining of animal skins and a central hearth,
the largest dome shaped hut incorporated skeletal parts of nearly a hundred mammoths in its
framework.

• Poles supplied the framework; wattles, skins, or mud became the walls; thatching or stamped earth
turned into the roof.

• Only the simplest tools were needed for such elementary construction.

• There was ingenuity and patient labour in work of this kind; but there was no planning, no fitting
together into a complex organism of varied materials shaped with art and handled with science.

MAMMOTH BONE HOUSE - CASE:

The archaeological site of Mezhirich (located in central Ukraine) is a Paleolithic site located in the Middle
Dnepr Valley region of Ukraine. Mezhirich is a large open air site where several mammoth bone huts with
hearths and pit features were used between about 14,000-15,000 years ago.

STRUCTURE

The main structural elements of the walls of these buildings are stacked mammoth bone, including skulls,
long bones. About 149 individual mammoths are believed to be represented at the site, either as building
material (for the structures) or as food (from refuse found in nearby pits) or as fuel (as burned bone in
nearby hearths).

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

1
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

2
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

3
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

FEATURES

About 10 large pits, with diameters between 2-3 m and depths between 0.7-1.1 m were found surrounding
the mammoth-bone structures at Mezhirich, filled with bone and ash, and are believed to have been used as
either meat storage facilities, refuse pits, or both.

EARLIEST SEETLEMENT – CASE:

CATAL HUYUK (6500 – 5700 BCE)

• The earliest known urban trading communities. It is located in Anatolia, part of present day turkey.

• The town is unfortified, being a dense package of dwelling without streets.

• Residents gained access to the dwellings across roofs, while high openings in the walls were for
ventilation.

• Mud brick walls and post lintel timber framework enclosed rectangular spaces that abutted the
neighboring houses so that together they established a perimeter town wall.

• Inter spread with the houses were windowless shrines containing decorative motifs of bulls and cults
statuettes of deities.

• These seem to indicate that the themes of prehistoric cave art hunting and fecundity – had not been
discarded by this early society.

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

4
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

TOMBS/BURIALS

MENHIR

A prehistoric monument consisting of an upright megalith, usually standing

alone but sometimes aligned with others.

Example,

 Large menhir located between Millstreet and Ballinagree, Ireland.

 The Kerloas menhir isthe tallest standing menhir in Brittany.
 Menhir in Senapati District, Manipur, India

CAIRN

A heap of stones piled up as a monument, tombstone, or landmark.

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

5
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

DOLOMEN

A prehistoric monument consisting of two or more large upright stones supporting a horizontal stone slab, found
especially in Britain and France and usually regarded as a tomb.

Example

 The largest dolmen in Europe is the Brownshill Dolmen in County Carlow, Ireland.

 Crucuno dolmen in Plouharnel, Brittany, France
 A dolmen erected by Neolithic people in Marayur, India

Tumulus

The tumulus , or burial mounds, which form so large a part of the prehistoric remains, are interesting only as
revealing the prototypes of the pyramids of Egypt and the subterranean tombs of early Greek centers.

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

6
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

PASSAGE GRAVE

A passage grave or a passage tomb consists of a narrow passage made of large stones and one or multiple burial
chambers covered in earth or stone. It sometimes leads to a lateral chamber but mostly leads to a broad central
chamber, often roofed with in round mound. The building of passage tombs was normally carried out
with Megaliths and smaller stones; they usually date from the Neolithic Age.

Example - PASSAGE GRAVE AT NEWGRANGE

• It is a megalith tomb, so mainly it’s a tomb made of stones and boulders.

• Built about 3100 BCE on the crest of a hill overlooking the Boyne river. An earthen mound nearly 300
feet in diameter and 36 feet high covers the tomb, with the weight of the soil providing stability for the
megaliths below. Decorated boulders surround the perimeters of the mound.

• The south facing entry leads to a sixty two foot long, upward sloping passage covered by stone lintels
terminating in a crucified chamber covered by a beehive corbelled ceiling 20 feet high.

• Parts of the site work in the passage and the chamber are decorated with incised patterns, including
diamond shapes and spirals whose meanings are unknown.

• The whole construction is carefully oriented so that in the five days around the winter solstice, light
from the rising sun enters the doorway and a transom like light box creeps along the passage and
illuminates the chamber within for about 15 minutes.

• The technology then would have provided nothing harder than copper and bronze tools for shaping
stone, and there were no wheeled vehicles or draft animals to assist with transport.

• Nonetheless ancient builders made the necessary astronomical observations and organized a work force
sufficient to maneuver stones weighing up to five tons.

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

7
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

GALLERY GRAVE

A Gallery grave is a Megalithic Tomb similar to passage grave, except there is no size difference between the
entrance passage and burial chamber.

Example-

 Court cairn, found in western and northern Ireland and southwest Scotland

 Giants' grave in Sardinia
 Glantane East wedge-shaped tomb in Ireland

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

8
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

HENGE MONUMENTS

A henge is a roughly circular or oval-shaped flat area enclosed and delimited by a boundary earthwork
- usually a ditch with an external bank. The most distinctive components of any henge monuments are
its bank and ditch

Ancient henge monuments are scattered over England, Scotland and Ireland

EXAMPLE – AVEBURY and STONEHENGE, both at Wiltshire

STONEHENGE

Located in Salisbury plain in southwest England.

Stonehenge is perhaps the world’s most famous prehistoric monument. It was built in several stages: the first
monument was an early henge monument, built about 5,000 years ago, and the unique stone circle was erected
in the late Neolithic period about 2500 BC. In the early Bronze Age many burial mounds were built nearby.

 At least 3 distinct phases can be observed. The first phase began about 2900 BCE with excavation of two concentric
circular ditches. Inside the perimeter, fifty six evenly spaced holes called as Aubrey holes were dug and filled with
chalk, while a northeasterly line of sight was established to the center across a pointed upright (the heel stone)
outside the ditches.
 In About 2400 BCE 82 coffin size stones of grey blue dolerite weighing about 2 tons each, were transported from
quarries in the Pressely Mountains of Wales and erected in a double ring of 38 pairs with 6 extra stones defining a
north east approach axis. At some point before this second phase was complete, the blue stones were removed (their
sockets are called the Q and R holes).

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

9
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

 The third and final phase involved transporting 35 lintels and 40 sacren stones (like sandstones) weighing up to 20
tons each. These were erected in a circle of 30 upright including 5 trilithons. Arranged in a u shape to focus on
avenue, the axis leading northeast toward the heel stone. Knobs (tenon) left on tops of the upright fit into socket
holes (mortises) carved into the undersides of the lintels, so that the stones lock together in a mortise- and tenon joint
when correctly positioned.

Stonehenge represents the culmination of construction skill and scientific observation in the prehistoric era. Its builders met
the challenges of moving and shaping massive stones. Bluestones from whales were transported largely by water over 190
miles to the site being dragged over land for the last leg of the journey. The larger stones were dragged to the site. It would
have taken 130 people working together and lever with an inclined plane, a sledge, greased track, wooden scaffolds, stout
ropes to get a stone to be erected.

INTRODUCTION TO RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATION

THE FERTILE CRECENT - THE CRADLE OF CIVILIZATION

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

10
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

The Fertile Crescent includes Mesopotamia, the land in and around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers; and the
Levant, the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The modern-day countries with significant territory within
the Fertile Crescent are Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Cyprus, Jordan, Israel, The State of Palestine, Egypt, as well as the
southeastern fringe of Turkey and the western fringes of Iran.

Technological advances made in the region include the development of writing, Glass, The wheel, Agriculture
and the use of Irrigation

INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION

Mohenjo-daro 2500 BCE; became not only the largest city of the Indus Valley Civilization but one of the world’s
earliest major urban centers. Located west of the Indus River in the Larkana District, Mohenjo-daro was one of
the most sophisticated cities of the period, with advanced engineering and urban planning

UNIQUE FEATURES
• They exhibit unparalleled skill in construction and planning for their period and location
• Engineering achievements of these people included drainage systems for removing wastewater,
aqueducts to carry fresh water, showers, flush toilets, bridges and roads made of stone.
• They mass produced needed items like building bricks, used a standardized system of weights and
measures, devised a standard layout plan for their cities, and engaged extensively in trade with cities far
to the west in Sumer

LAYOUT DESCRIPTION

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

11
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

• The town was carefully planned, laid out in an irregular grid of streets oriented north/south and
east/west.
• Massive perimeter walls of mud brick, sometimes faced with fired brick or stone, surrounded the city.
These massive walls likely protected the Harappans from floods and may have deterred military
conflicts.
• Gateways provided controlled access into the settlements. The gateways into the city were only 2.5 m (8
ft) wide, to control traffic in and out.
• Major streets in Mohenjo-Daro varied between 4.5 and 9 meters (15- 30 feet) in width providing two-
way ox cart traffic
• Smaller streets were for one-way traffic, only 2-3 m (6.5-10 ft) wide.
• Fired brick-lined drains were located along the edges of the streets, some covered ones ran down the
center of the road.
• The streets weren't paved, but crushed pottery and other materials made up a hard compacted surface.
• The sheer size of the city, and its provision of public buildings and facilities, suggests a high level of social
organization.
• The city is divided into two parts, the so-called Citadel and the Lower City.

THE CITADEL
• A mud-brick mound around 12 metres (39 ft) high – is known to have supported public baths, a large
residential structure designed to house about 5,000 citizens, and two large assembly halls.
• The city had a central marketplace, with a large central well. Individual households or groups of
households obtained their water from smaller wells.
• Waste water was channeled to covered drains that lined the major streets.
• Some houses, presumably those of more prestigious inhabitants, include rooms that appear to have
been set aside for bathing, and one building had an underground furnace (known as a hypocaust),
possibly for heated bathing.
• Most houses had inner courtyards, with doors that opened onto side-lanes. Some buildings had two
stories.

LOWER TOWN
• Grid system with 4 avenues running from north to south and four running from east to west.
• The avenues are several meters wide and have drains running down the middle or side of the road.
• The avenues divide the Lower Town into many blocks. Alleyways and lanes further divided these blocks.
• It was probably where most of the people in the city lived and worked.
• Homes were built close together along narrow alleys. Most of the people of Mohenjo-Daro lived in the
lower city, an area to the east of the citadel and three times its size.
• Rows and rows of flat-roofed, two-story, mud-brick houses lined the streets. Windows were typically
located on the second floor and were narrow and covered with screens made of a hard clay called
terracotta or a translucent mineral called alabaster. 
• The outside walls of homes in Mohenjo-Daro faced narrow alleys and their inside walls faced an open
courtyard. Many of the houses had indoor bathrooms that drained into the main sewer system that ran
throughout the city streets

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

12
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

13
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

HOUSES
• Most of the homes are made of baked bricks in a standard size of 5.5”x5.5”x11”.
• The houses generally have several rooms built around a courtyard.
• The doorways to the outside usually open onto side alleys rather than onto the avenues. Archaeological
evidence, such as the remains of stairways, seems to suggest that many of the buildings had 2 storey.
• Roofs were probably made of wooden beams covered with reeds and packed clay.
• Many homes had specific rooms for bathing. These rooms had floors made from baked bricks or tiles
and drains which emptied into the drains in the street outside.
• People had access to clean water either from wells within their homes or from public wells in the
streets. Over 700 public and private wells have been found at the site

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

14
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

15
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

THE GREAT BATH

• This ruin contains a rectangular pool built from waterproofed brick. The pool measures 8 feet deep, 40
feet long, and 20 feet wide.
• The pool is surrounded by a series of small dressing rooms, one of which contains a well that supplied
water to the bath.
• Used water was removed from the pool by way of a 6 foot high drain that ran along the west side of the
Great Bath.
• The people of Mohenjo-Daro used the bath for hygienic purposes, and some archaeologists theorize
that the Great Bath might have also been used in religious rituals.
• To support this theory, archaeologists point to the baths of later Hindu temples and the bathing rituals
that remain an important part of modern Hinduism.
NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP
16
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

17
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

THE GRANARY
• Another large building in the city was the Great Granary which was made about 45 meters long and 15
meters wide.
• It was meant to store food grains. It had lines of circular brick platforms for pounding grain. There were
barrack like quarters for workmen. The granary also had smaller halls and corridors 
• The "granary" of Harappa is found Close to Great Bath.
• It is a brick structure that was built on a massive brick foundation over 45 meters north-south and 45
meters east-west.
• Two rows of six rooms that appear to be foundations are arranged along a central passageway that is
about 7 meters wide and partly paved with baked bricks.
• Each room measures 15.2 by 6.1 meters and has three sleeper walls with air space between them.

ASSEMBLY HALL

 An important feature of Mohen-jo-daro was its 24 square meters pillared hall.

 It had five rows of pillars, with four pillars in each row. Kiln baked bricks were used to construct these
pillars.
 Probably, it was the Assembly Hall or the ruler's court. It is said that it also housed the municipal office
which had the charge of town planning and sanitation.

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

18
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

THE SEWER SYSTEM

• The drainage system was one of the most remarkable features of the Mature Harappan city. All the
streets and lanes across neighbourhoods in Mohenjo-daro had drains. In addition there was also
provision for managing wastewater inside the houses with vertical pipes in the walls that led to chutes
opening on to the street, as well as drains from bathing floors that flowed towards the street drains. The
street drains were typically made of baked brick, with special shaped bricks to form corners. The bricks
were closely fitted and sealed with mud mortar.
• Clay pipes carried dirty, used water from buildings on the citadel and homes in the lower city to the
main sewer system that ran along the city streets.
• The water and other sewage was emptied into the Indus River. This sewer system made it possible for
both the rich and the poor to have bathrooms in their homes. 
• Located throughout the city, there are also deep wells where people of the Indus stored their water.

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

19
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

20
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

CULTURE

 From the sculptured figures it can be seen that the dress of men and women consisted of two pieces of
cloth-one resembling a dhoti, covering the lower part, and the other worn over the left shoulder and
under the right arm. Men had long hair designed differently.
 Women wore a fan shaped head dress covering their hair.
 The discovery of a large number of spindles showed that they knew weaving and spinning.
 Similarly it was concluded, by the discovery of needles and buttons, that the people of this age knew the
art of stitching

AGRICULTURE and DOMESTICATION

 Agriculture was the main occupation of the Indus Valley people.

 Crops such as wheat, barley, peas and bananas were raised. In the olden days, there was enough rain in
that region and occasional floods brought a great deal of fertile soil to the area.
 People used to plough the land with wooden ploughshares drawn by men and oxen. From the existence
of granaries it is concluded that there were surplus food-grains.
 FOOD – Besides Wheat, Rice and Barley, the diet of the people consisted of fruits, vegetables, fish, milk
and meat of animals i.e. beef, mutton and poultry.
 The people of Harappa domesticated animals like oxen, buffaloes, pigs, goats and sheep. Camels and
asses were used as means of transport. Dogs and cats were kept as pets. The humped bull was
considered a great asset in the farming community.

Also read - https://holisticthought.com/harappan-civilization-india/

THE DECLINE

• The Indus Valley Civilization declined around 1800 BCE, Several theories are formed, one such
suggesting an Invasion by Aryans.
• Many others believe that the collapse of the Indus Valley Civilization was caused by climate change (the
drying of the Saraswati River, which began around 1900 BCE, was the main cause for climate change)
while others conclude that a great flood struck the area.
• Many scholars argue that changes in river patterns caused the large civilization to break up into smaller
communities called late Harappan cultures.
• Another disastrous change might have been eastward-moving monsoons
• By 1800 BCE, the Indus Valley climate grew cooler and drier, and a tectonic event may have diverted or
disrupted river systems, which were the lifelines of the Indus Valley Civilization.
• The Harappans may have migrated toward the Ganges basin in the east.With the reduced production of
goods, there would have been a decline in trade with Egypt and Mesopotamia.
• By around 1700 BCE, most of the Indus Valley Civilization cities had been abandoned.

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

21
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

MESOPOTAMIAN CIVILIZATION
GEOGRAPHY

• The valley between the Tigris and the Euphrates River was known as the land "between the rivers" in
Greek
• Meaning Mesopotamia
• Geographically, ancient Mesopotamia consists of current day Assyria, Akkad, and Sumer
• Mesopotamia encompasses a total land area of 800 kms long and about 500kms wide. Its southern
boundary is Persian Gulf, the shore of which is about 200 Kms in length. The Tigris and the Euphrates
rivers flow separately into the gulf.

ECONOMY

• The Sumerian city-states was based on farming and trade

• Mesopotamians were known for their metalwork, woolen textiles, and pottery. Industry became an
important factor in civilization
• Copper, tin, and timber were imported goods exchanged for dried fish, wool, wheat, and metal goods
• Around 3000 B.C. the invention of the wheel was created making transportation of good easier and
quicker
• It was identified that the Mesopotamia culture had various occupations, there were merchants, artisans,
priests, architects and artists.

SOCIAL STRUCTURE

• The nobles, commoners, and the slaves comprised their Social Structure
• The Nobles included many of the royal and religious officials
• The Commoners worked for palace and temple domain, they also worked as farmers (90% of the lot),
merchants, and crafts people
• The slaves worked in building buildings and also belonged to the palace officials

LANGUAGE & LITERATURE

• Writing first developed as a means of documenting governmental transactions and was only later was
employed for literary purpose
• One of the greatest accomplishments of the Sumerian people was the invention of the earliest known
system of writing
• Enuma Elish and Gilgamesh are examples of great religious literature, while the Code of Hammurabi is
one of the greatest early examples of juridical literature
• People who lived north of the Sumerian city-states also known as Akkadians (Semitic) spoke a Semitic
language
•
THE SUMERIANS

• The first civilization that lasted till 2350 BCE is known as Sumeria and the typical form of the settlement
was a city-state, which was mostly a political and religious center devoted to serving god based on the
natural elements.

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

22
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

• The Sumerians worshipped multiple gods with a diverse rank of character and also represented them in
art.
• This was one of the civilizations which troubled with a host of insecurities, they often wondered about
issues like life after death and how they came into existence or even how to conquer nature.
• Urban communities were mostly developed around the shrine, which was mostly the dwelling places of
Gods and also a repository for surplus food storage.
• This lead to development of large monumental temple complexes in the heart of Sumerian cities

ERIDU

Eridu, the earliest city of Southern Mesopotamia and considered one of the oldest city in the world

• Eridu was the conglomeration of Sumerian cities that grew around temples, almost in sight of one
another.
• These buildings were made of mud brick and built on top of one another.
• With the temples growing upward and the village growing outward, a larger city was built
• In Sumerian mythology, Eridu was originally the home of  Enki, the founder of the city and his temple
was called E-Abzu
• The earliest level of Eridu, had a small shrine with a brick altar in front of a wall niche or recess, probably
constructed to contain a cult statue.
• The temple of Eridu was constructed over a period of time, where in 3800 BCE the temple stood on a
platform and the BUTTRESSED walls enclosed the rectangular shrine rooms flanked by smaller
chambers.

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

23
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

E- ABZU

• At a similar time period, Tepe Gwara, nearly 500 miles away featured a development with two temples
and shrine along with dwelling units. Its major buildings were U shaped open court and the facades
were articulated by buttressing pilasters.

TEPE GAWRA TEMPLE

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

24
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

WHITE TEMPLE - THE TEMPLE OF URUK

• The temple of Uruk or the White temple was built in the between 3500 – 3000 BCE.
• It was the origin of the ziggurat or temple tower in the prehistoric temple set on its platform. The
platform had sloping sides, 3 of which had a flat buttress; a subsidiary broad square in platform of
similar height overlapping the north corner, served by a long flight of easy steps from which a circuitous
ramp led off from an intermediate landing.
• The temple originally whitewashed had an end to end hall with a span of 4.5 m flanked on both sides by
a series of smaller rooms, three of which contained stairways leading to the roof.
• This temple is built on a 12m high base of rubble from earlier buildings and provided with a protective
coat of white wash over its sloping walls of earth covered with sun-dried bricks.
• The entrance to the temple was made through a chamber in one long side so that a “bent axis” led from
the outside into the hall and sanctuary.
• Shallow buttresses formed the principle decoration of the hall and external walls.
• Mosaic and Terracotta used for construction

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

25
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

THE SUMERIAN MATERIALS

• Most Sumerian buildings were laid on the sun baked bricks, a material that was easily obtained by
shaping mud in a molds and leaving them to dry for several weeks in the sun.
• Roofs were generally made of wood or reeds that was light weight but could span only shorter
distances, as a result there was no large interior space.
• In both the Sumerian and later Mesopotamian culture the most important buildings were given
additional durability by having weather resistant carvings on the brick wall and was often raised on a
platform to give it more dignity.
• Mosaic and Terracotta were also one among many building materials that the Sumerians used to build
the shrines and temples.

END OF SUMERIANS –

• In about 2350 BCE there was an emergence of newer and a stronger tribe that took over the city of
Sumerian civilization.
• They were governed by a warrior king, they were fierce in conquering the Sumerian capital and adopting
many of the aspects they had in terms of construction and city planning. They were called the
Akkadians, they basically hailed from cities of Sipar and Akkad.
• The Akkadians were in turn overthrown in about 2150 BCE by Guti, a group of tribes from the Mountains
of present Iran.
• The military influence of Guti weakened and they were finally perished and the states returned to an era
called the Neo- Sumerian Period which can be dated from (2150 – 2000 BCE).
• This period witnessed the further development of urban temple form, particularly the temples elevated
on a tiered artificial mound or ZIGGURAT.

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

26
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

THE ZIGGURATS

• Ziggurats were temples, mainly designed on an elevated platform to Gods so that they would descend
from heaven and ensure the prosperity of the community.
• Symbolically it represented the mountains. To make the gods feel at home in the lowlands of the river
valley the Sumerians and their successors in Mesopotamia may have aspired to re-create their highland
dwelling place.
• The raised structure would also be protected from the flood waters.
• Commonly constructed of sun dried (sun dried brick bonded together with bitumen, reed matting, or
rope,) ziggurats were finished with a weather resistant exterior layer of kiln fired brick.
• From a rectangular base, the ziggurat rose with battered or inward sloping walls in a series of stepped
platforms, culminating with a temple on top. A flight of stairs set in the center of one side afforded
access to the temple.
• Elements so placed in the center of a symmetrical form and aligned toward a terminus are said to be
axial.

THE ZIGGURAT AT UR

• The ziggurat of UR is in a complex with the multiple courts.

• It is made of a solid core of mud bricks , covered with a skin of burnt brickwork 2.4 m thick, laid with
bitumen with layers of matting at intervals to improve collision.
• Can be distinguished by three long stairways that converged on a tower gate at the level of the first
platform.
• Shorter flights led to the second and third terraces to which only the priests were allowed to ascend.
• These upper levels, together with the crowning temple have been reduced to crumbled heaps.
• The height of the temple is said to be 21m, with a base of about 62 m X 43 m.

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

27
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

ZIGGURAT OF TCHOGA ZANBIL

• 13 century BC built by Untash gal.

• 5 tiered, the lowest shallower than the rest, each mounted on a plinth.
• Chogha in  means "hill/Mound". Choga Zanbil means 'basket mound’.
• It was built about 1250 BC by the king mainly to honour the great god Inshushinak.
• The complex is protected by three concentric walls which define the main areas of the 'town'.
• The inner area is wholly taken up with a great ziggurat dedicated to the main god, which was built over
an earlier square temple with storage rooms
•  The middle area holds eleven temples for lesser gods. It is believed that twenty-two temples were
originally planned, but the king died before they could be finished, and his successors discontinued the
building work. In the outer area are royal palaces, a funerary palace containing five subterranean royal
tombs.
• The base is 107m square and the total height was about 53 m.
• Flights of stairs, recessed in the mass, led to the top of the first tier on the centre of each front, but only
that on the south-west led to the second tier, while the rest of the height had to be scaled on the south
east .
• The main building materials in Chogha Zanbil were mud bricks and occasionally baked bricks. The
monuments were decorated with glazed baked bricks, gypsum and ornaments of faïence and glass.
• Ornamenting the most important buildings were thousands of baked bricks bearing inscriptions with
Elamite cuneiform characters were all inscribed by hand
•

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

28
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

HOUSING
• In contrast to the grand temple complexes, the houses were set in densely packed neighborhoods.
• Plans were roughly orthogonal, and houses were constructed around open courtyards that provided
light and fresh air to all the rooms.
• To the street the houses presented a blank wall, thereby ensuring privacy.

BABYLONIAN AND ASSYRIAN

• After the fall of the Akkadian Empire, the Amorites were the next people to dominate Mesopotamia.
King Hammurabi, the most famous of the Amorite rulers. 
• Hammurabi founded an empire known as the Babylonian Empire, which was named after his capital city,
Babylon
• Southern Mesopotamia started to be called as Babylonia by 18th Century BCE.
• Hammurabi was the king of Babylon (1792-1750BCE)
• In !830s, the vigorous Indo European Hittites overran Babylon and took over northern Mesopotamia.
(Their earlier capital , Hatusa)Then on, Assyria.
• Strong fortified citadels reflect the Assyrian relentless warnings as well as the ruthless character of their
kings.

CHARACTERISTIC

1. Assyria was located north of Babylonia, its highland location giving it better climate than Babylonia.

2. Assyrians formed a military dynasty whereas Babylonians became merchants and agriculturalists.

3. The supreme ruler in Assyria was an autocratic king while in Babylonia, priesthood was the highest authority.

4. Assyrians’ nature of worship was animistic and that of idolatry while for Babylonians it was in a Supreme God

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

29
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

The Assyrians were amazing engineers, building stone palaces, changing the course of rivers, and creating
wonderful gardens. After Assyria, Babylon had one more time of greatness, but it was short-lived.

THE CITY OF KHORSABAD

• Built by Sargon II
• Between the period of 722 – 705 BCE
• Square plan and defensive perimeter and nearly 650 acres.
• Enclosed by double wall with city gates.
• Two gateways each in a tower serrated wall, except north-west wall which was taken by the prime
buildings.
• Palace Complex was located at the north west of the town and was populated by the other
administrative buildings.

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

30
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

31
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

THE PALACE OF SARGON

• The temple of Sargon II was built in 720 BCE.
• It shows the main characteristics of Assyrian architecture and planning.
• The 23 acre palace occupied a plateau fifty feet above the level of the town. Square geometry governed
buildings in the palace area, which was organized by means of a series of courts.
• The palaces courts were surrounded by rectangular rooms, including the throne room that was reached
by a circuitous route, perhaps intended to confuse or frighten visitors and to heighten the sense of
power and grandeur.

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

32
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

• The main entrance to the palace grand court was flanked by great towers and guarded by man headed
winged bulls of 3.8 high, supporting a bold , semi-circular arch decorated with brilliantly coloured glazed
bricks.
• Each of the buildings was raised on a terrace, approached by broad ramps.
• Left – 3 large and small temples
• Right – service quarters , admin offices, private and residential apartments
• The state chambers have their own court.
• Rising on an axis with the ramparts was a seven stage ziggurat 143 feet square at the base, representing
the cosmic order of the 7 planets.
• The throne room was about 49x 10.7 m planned around an internal court. One of the few rooms which
had a flat timber roof .

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

33
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

• Dado slabs over 2.1m bearing reliefs of the king and courtiers.
• The plastered walls had a triple band of frieze, framed in a running ornament, about 5.5m high overall.
• Walls were thick -6m on average.
• Mud platforms –terracotta drains.

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

34
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

• Larger drains of burnt brick covered with vaults which were slightly pointed and in which brick courses
are laid obliquely to avoid using wood centring.
• Winged bulls with human heads carved in high relief from the 13 foot tall stone blocks guarded the
entrances to the palace.
• Bone and muscle were realistically represented, while feathers, hair and beard were stylized, forcefully
conveying the strength of the monarch: as man, the lord of creation, as eagle king of the sky, and as bull,
fecundator of the herd.
• Other relief carvings within the palace depicted marching armies burning, killing and pillaging to
emphasize the folly of resisting Assyrian power.

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

35
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

BUILDING TECHNIQUES - KHORSABAD

• One peculiarity in the Palace was the bricks were not left to dry in sun but laid half baked, indicating a
certain urgency in finishing the building.
• Kiln dried brick were later on used liberally for the exterior paving and wall facing the outside.
• Stone blocks up to 23 tons in weight and 2.7m long were used for the palace platform.
• The perimeter wall of the city was over 20m thick with a dressing stone footing of 1.1 m and a mud brick
super structure.

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

36
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

THE NEO - BABYLON

• The city of Babylon was again re-built but in burnt bricks, by a very prominent ruler Nebuchadnezzar II.
(605 BC – 563 BC)
• The city was built upon the Euphrates river and divided in equal parts along its left and right banks, with
steep embankments to contain the river's seasonal floods.
• Inner town was a square plan of about 1300m each side containing all the principle buildings.
• The street patterns were mostly grid iron and they had tower framed entrances at the citadel.
• The principle sites were lined along the river and Main Street was mostly to accommodate all the tiered
dwelling units, business houses, temple and chapels

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

37
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

ISHTAR GATE
• The city was mainly accessible from the northern side entrance, which created a vista, in the city leading
to all the main buildings.
• One of the most impressive sites was the street that led into the city. This street was called Procession
Avenue. Huge pacing brick animals were positioned along both sides of the Avenue as decoration. The
Avenue passed under elaborate gates dedicated to the Babylonian goddess of love, Ishtar.
• Nebuchadnezzar ordered the complete reconstruction of the imperial grounds and the construction of
the Ishtar Gate - the most prominent of eight gates around Babylon.
• The gate was decorated with glowing, colored glazed tiles with patterns of yellow and white bulls and
dragons as a part of the decoration

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

38
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

HANGING GARDEN OF BABYLON

• Nebuchadnezzar is also credited with the construction of the Hanging Gardens - one of the seven
wonders of the ancient world - said to have been built for his homesick wife.
• Whether the gardens actually existed is a matter of dispute. Few historians speculated to have
discovered its foundations, but many disagree about the location.
• The hanging gardens was located next to the water side in the great palace of Nebuchadnezzar.
• This was an ancient marvel of the world, measuring a total area of 275 x 183m overall and had a vast
throne room measuring 52 x 17 m with its long façade decorated with polychrome glazed bricks.

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

39
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

NILE RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATION

The ancient Egyptian civilization is considered to be one of the most influential civilizations that developed
many sciences and arts, including architecture.  Many of the most prominent structures, built over 4,000 years
ago, still stand and conserve the detailed hieroglyphs that tell vividly the history of this empire

GEOGRAPHICAL

• Alluvial soil on the banks of river Nile flowing through the desert, which made agriculture possible that
resulted in the development of towns & settlements on the eastern bank of the river.
• Egyptians built their pyramids & tomb structures on the western bank, which was known as the valley of
the dead.
• Temples were in the eastern bank.
• The Nile river also served as a route of transport & communication & is considered to be sacred by the
Egyptians as it serves as the life blood of Egypt

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

40
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

GEOLOGICAL

• Egypt had limestone in the north, sandstone in the central region & granite in the south.
• The gigantic scale of Egyptian architecture was mainly possible due to the Egyptian methods of
quarrying, transporting & raising enormous blocks of stone to position.
• Sun-dried & kiln burnt bricks made from Nile mud & chopped straw were used for palaces & houses,
while stone was used for pyramids & temples.
• The two predominant construction materials are sun-baked mud bricks and stones (primarily limestone,
but sandstone and granite stones were also commonly used)
• Stones were reserved only for funerary buildings and temples, while mud bricks were used generally on
royal palaces, fortresses, town walls, and other secondary buildings.
• Houses were made out of mud bricks too.
• The construction used no mortar.

CLIMATIC

• Egypt has a warm, sunny climate with very little rainfall that has led to the preservation of its ancient
buildings.
• Since sufficient light reached the interiors through doors & roof slits, Egyptian architecture is
characterized by the absence of windows.
• The massive walls, without openings, protected the interior from the fierce desert sun & also provided
the surface for “hieroglyphics” a script with pictorial representations.
• The absence of rain also resulted in the use of flat roof with thick stone slabs.
• Structure have no downspout , drainage , gutters due to absence of rain .

SOCIAL STRUCTURE

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

41
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

STRUCTURE/ ARCHITECTURE

• Egyptian constructions showed their skills in designing great religious, funerary, and public buildings
• The walls were sloped on the outside, which is referred to as the “batter” of the walls, while remaining
vertical on the inside.
• Architecture generally had a lot of symbolic ornamentation, such as the scarab beetle, solar disks, other
sacred animals such as Anubis the jackal, Horus the falcon, and plants like the papyrus and lotus (often
represented in the column capitals)
• All the monumental buildings were built with the post and lintel system.  They had flat roofs made of
huge stone blocks supported by external walls and closely spaced columns.
• Remnants show plans that were drawn on papyrus or flakes of stone, and the change orders sketches
(design changes during construction) seen on the walls of the project
• The monuments were like pieces of art and literature.  Most surfaces, including columns, were covered
with hieroglyphs, pictorial frescoes, and carvings painted with vivid colors. 
• Hieroglyphs were not only for decoration; they were also used to record historic events, to cast spells, or
to give instructions to help the deceased pharaoh navigate the underworld safely
• Most of the temples were aligned with astronomically significant events such as solstices, equinoxes,
and even the birth of the pharaoh, among other dates.
• During the Old Kingdom, the greatest challenges and masterpieces were in the shape of pyramids. 
• During the Middle Kingdom no major masterpieces but a lot of beautiful art.
• But, during the New Kingdom, there were grand temples and funerary complexes in Aswan, Luxor, and
other places. (Between the Old and New Kingdom the construction of pyramids stopped because of
construction costs.)
• As soon as a pharaoh was named, it was the start of designing and building his tomb. Construction
would not have stopped until his death.  This is why old pharaohs who reigned for a long time have
bigger tombs and larger treasures buried with them.
• Construction of tall structures were labor intensive. The workers piled the stones from the base, and as
the wall or column got taller, a mud brick ramp was been built around it to allow workers reach and
carry stones up to the new height.  Then, when finished, the ramp would have been slowly dismantled,
with artists carving and painting hieroglyphs from top to bottom.
• Architects to remember - Imhotep of the Step Pyramid complex, Hem-iunu of the Great Giza Pyramid,
Senenmut of Deir el-Bahari and many more.

TIMELINE
1. Ancient kingdom (3100 – 2466 BC) – Mastabas were built during the 3rd dynasty & most pyramids were
built during the 4th dynasty.
2. Middle kingdom (2466 – 1600 BC) – 12th dynasty founded the great temple of Amon at karnak.
3. New kingdom ( 1600 – 332 BC) – Thebes became the capital & queen Hatsheput constructed the
terraced temple at Der-el –bahari. Amenophis III built the temple at luxor & Rameses II completed the
hypostyle hall of Luxor temple, built the rock temple at Abu simbel & the Ramesseum at Thebes

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

42
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

COLUMN

ORNAMENTATION

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

43
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

MASTABA

• During the first and second dynasties, Egyptian kings were buried in Mastabas.
• Mastabas which is the Arabic word for "stone bench"
• The deceased were laid to rest in an underground chamber at the bottom of a shaft, and a flat-topped
tomb was placed over them.
• Mastabas provided better protection from scavenging animals and grave robbers.
• Use of the more secure mastabas required Ancient Egyptians to devise a system of artificial
mummification.
• Inside the Mastaba, a deep chamber was dug into the ground and lined with stone and bricks.
• The burial chambers were cut deep, until they passed the bedrock, and were lined with wood

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

44
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

EVOLUTION

• OUTER CHAMBER- where offerings were placed.

• SERDAB – inner chamber containing the statues of the deceased person

• SARCOPHAGUS – chamber containing the body , reached by an under ground shaft

• The exterior building materials were initially bricks made of sun dried mud
• The Mastaba was built with a north-south orientation, which the Ancient Egyptians believed was
essential for access to the afterlife
• This above-ground structure had space for a small offering chapel equipped with a false door
• Priests and family members brought food and other offerings for the soul of the deceased.
• High up the walls of the Serdab were small openings

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

45
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

STEPPED PYRAMID

King Djoser (3rd DYNASTY) established a powerful centralized administration based in the city of Memphis, not
far from the present-day city of Cairo. One of his officials was the famous architect and scholar Imhotep, who
designed the Stepped Pyramid (2649-2575 BC), a pharaoh's tomb at Saqqara that looks like a stairway to
heaven. This tomb is an elaboration of the original Mastabas, with its central burial chamber.

• The pyramid structure rises above the plateau in a series of six stepped ‘mastabas’ and was surrounded
by a complex of dummy buildings enclosed within a niched limestone wall over 10m high.
• The high limestone walls of the enclosure were decorated with niches and false doors which were
carved into the wall after it was built
• [Some archaeologists believe that the enclosure wall may have represented the earthly residence of the
King and so the term ‘palace façade’ became used for this type of decoration. It is thought that the
design imitates the wooden framework covered by woven reed mats which would have been used in
earlier structures although it has also been suggested that the motif may originate in Mesopotamia]
• The single entrance to the enclosure is the southernmost doorway on the eastern side of the wall and
leads to the entrance colonnade
• Immediately to the north of the entrance colonnade, on the eastern side of a large open courtyard, is a
series of reconstructed buildings. A rectangular building known as Temple ‘T’ is suggested to have been
a model of the King’s palace and contains an entrance colonnade, antechamber and three inner courts
leading to a square chamber decorated with a frieze of ‘djed’ symbols.
•  This structure leads into the southern end of the ‘Jubilee Court’, which is lined with dummy buildings
representing Upper Egypt (on the eastern side) and Lower Egypt (on the western side)

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

46
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

• All of the structures represent, in stone, the earlier building materials of wood and reed mats and it is
thought that the columns would have been painted red to simulate wood.
• At the southern end of the Jubilee Court there is a large elevated dais, the throne room.
• North of the Jubilee Court there are two mysterious buildings commonly called the ‘House of the North’
and the ‘House of the South’ and it is thought that these structures were originally partially buried
• In the House of the South there is a continuous ‘khekher’ frieze over the entrance and the walls inside
contain many New Kingdom graffiti, naming Djoser as the owner of the complex. The House of the North
contains a shaft, 20m deep, with an underground gallery which led to believing that the two buildings
were probably built as pyramids.

• Djoser’s mortuary temple lies against the northern wall of the pyramid, unlike later pyramids which
usually had the mortuary temples on the eastern side and only the entrance wall is preserved
• On the north-eastern corner of the pyramid is a court which contains a small structure known as a
‘serdab’. Inside this tiny sealed chamber, a painted statue of the King, sat on his throne and gazed out
through a peep-hole.
• It would seem that the Step Pyramid was first constructed as a square mastaba which was enlarged and
expanded in six stages, eventually becoming a 4-step mastaba
• Later, a 6-step structure which was no longer square, but had become a rectangle oriented east-west.
The limestone blocks were laid in courses which were inclined towards the centre of the pyramid.
• A large central shaft to the burial chamber descends to a depth of 28m, while above ground the
pyramid’s six steps rise to a height of 60m.

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

47
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

MEIDUM PYRAMID

• It was originally designed as a seven step pyramid with a further step being added once construction
was in a fairly advanced stage. ( 4th Dynasty - 2600BCE)
• It was then turned into the first true pyramid by filing in the steps and capping them with limestone. 
• The actual significance of the alteration of the structure during stage E3 has not yet been fully explained.
The monument's step-shaped form was abandoned in favor of a true pyramid form, and the north-south
orientation in favor of an east-west orientation. This seems to reflect an important shift in religious ideas
that occurred during the transition from the 3rd to the 4th Dynasty.

Each of these first two stages, designated

E1 and E2, was intended to be the final
structure. Yet, the pyramid was
eventually rebuilt in order to transform it
into a true, smooth sided pyramid E3. 

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

48
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

• The mortuary temple was the first example to be built on the east side rather than the north, and
although it is a simple building it is fairly well preserved.
• The whole complex is surrounded by an enclosure wall, traces of which remain.
• One the east side of the large open courtyard created by this wall there was a large Mastaba possibly
intended for the Crown Prince.
• On the south side of the courtyard there is a ruined satellite pyramid which is the oldest known example
of a cult pyramid.
• The entrance on the north face leads down to a small burial chamber in which fragments of a limestone
stele bearing the image of Horus were found.
• On the opposite side of the courtyard was another small Mastaba, possibly for the Queen

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

49
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

BENT PYRAMID

• The Bent Pyramid is an ancient Egyptian pyramid located at  Dashur, built under the reign of
Sneferu (2600 BC). This was the second pyramid built by him.

• The Bent Pyramid rises from the desert at a 54-degree inclination, but the top section (above 47 meters)
is built at the shallower angle of 43 degrees

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

50
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

RED PYRAMID

• The Red Pyramid, also called the North Pyramid, is the largest of the three major pyramids located at
the Dahshur.
• Soon after the bend in the BENT PYRAMID  began to take shape, Sneferu ordered another pyramid to be
built nearby, the Red, or North Pyramid. It would be Sneferu's third attempt at a classic, smooth-sided
pyramid, and an elegant precursor to the Great Pyramids at Giza
• The Red Pyramid boasted a single burial chamber that was accessed through two smaller chambers.
Snefru may have been buried here.
• Each side measures 722 feet, however, with it's sides sloping at 43 degrees , it is substantially shorter at
343 feet (104 meters).
• It is the fourth highest pyramid ever built in Egypt, with almost 160 layers of stone. Significantly, the Red
Pyramid was the first successful, true, cased Pyramid built in Egypt.
• The pyramid gets its common name from the reddish limestone used to build most of its core, but it is
also sometimes referred to as the Shining or Northern Pyramid.

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

51
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

GIZA PYRAMID COMPLEX

The Pyramids of Giza consist of the great Pyramid of Giza (also known as the Pyramid of Cheops or Khufu and
constructed c. 2560–2540 BC), the somewhat smaller Pyramid of Khafre (or Chephren) a few hundred meters to
the south-west, and the relatively modest-sized Pyramid of Menkhaure (or Mykerinos) a few hundred meters
farther south-west. The Great Sphinx  lies on the east side of the complex. Along with these major monuments
are a number of smaller satellite edifices, known as "queens" pyramids, causeways and valley pyramids

PYRAMID OF KHUFU/CHEOPS

• The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza pyramid complex 
• The Pyramid of Cheops served as a tomb for Pharaoh Khufu, also known by its Greek name, Cheops, in
Dynasty IV. It is estimated that was completed between 2550-2570 years BC
It is the sole survivor of the famous Seven Wonders of Ancient World.
• The pyramid is 482 ft high on a plan of 760 ft square inclined at 52 degrees

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

52
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

• A descending passageway of the entrance leads to the lowest chamber, also known as the subterranean
chamber. 
• This chamber is 79 feet below ground. Some Egyptologists believe Khufu originally intended to be buried
here, but later changed his mind.
• The descending passageway connects to an ascending passageway. The ascending passageway opens
into the Grand Gallery.
• The middle chamber, or Queen’s Chamber, can be accessed through the Grand Gallery. However, no
queens were ever buried here

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

53
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

• The Grand Gallery stands 161 feet long and 49 feet high

• Passageways were only three feet wide and four feet high
• The King’s Chamber is located at the top of the Grand Gallery. The King’s Chamber is a large rectangular
room. The only thing found inside the King’s Chamber was an empty red granite sarcophagus. The
sarcophagus sits at the very center of the pyramid.
• Weight-relieving chambers were placed above the King’s Chamber to distribute the weight of the
pyramid and keep it from collapsing into the King’s Chamber.
• Air shafts exist in both the Queen’s Chamber and the King’s Chamber. The air shafts are directly lined up
with the angle of the pyramid.
• The only difference is the King’s Chamber air shaft reaches the outside as a small rectangular opening.
The Queen’s Chamber air shaft does not reach the outside, but is blocked by stone.

It has been estimated that at least 2.3 million limestone stones were used in the construction of the Great
Pyramid of Khufu. Each of these 2.3 million limestones weighs between two and 15 tons

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

54
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

PYRAMID OF KHAFRE

• The Pyramid of Khafre or Chephren is the second-tallest and second-largest of the Ancient Egyptian
Pyramids of Giza and the tomb of the Fourth-Dynasty pharaoh Khafre (Son of Khufu or Cheops), who
ruled from c. 2558 to 2532 BC

• This pyramid is 704 feet square (214 m) at its base and it is 446 feet (136 m) in height, which resulted in
an angle of 53 degrees, sharper than Khufu’s pyramid

The interior is much simpler than that of Khufu’s pyramid, with a single burial chamber, one small subsidiary
chamber, and two passageways. The mortuary temple at the pyramid base was more complex than that of
Khufu and was filled with statuary of the king--over 52 life-size or larger images originally filled the structure.

• Khafre’s valley temple, located at the east end of the causeway leading from the pyramid base, is
beautifully preserved.

• It was constructed of megalithic blocks sheathed with granite and floors of polished white calcite. Statue
bases indicate that an additional 24 images of the pharaoh were originally located in this temple

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

55
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

Directly in front of the Sphinx is a separate temple dedicated to the worship of its cult, but very little is known
about it since there are no Old Kingdom texts that refer to the Sphinx or its temple. The temple is similar to
Khafre’s mortuary temple and has granite pillars forming a colonnade around a central courtyard. 

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

56
 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE - I

Right next to the causeway leading from Khafre’s valley temple to the mortuary temple sits the first truly
colossal sculpture in Egyptian history: the Great Sphinx. This close association indicates that this massive
depiction of a recumbent lion with the head of a king was carved for Khafre.

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

57
 1) Bab el-Hosan
2) Vestibule indoors
3) Terrace
HISTORYwith
OFcolonnade
ARCHITECTURE - I
4) Tumulus
5) Hypostyle Hall
MORTUARY TEMPLE COMPLEX
6) Sanctuary
- MIDDLE KINGDOM 7) Court
8) The First Portico
9) The First Tarrace
10) The Second Portico
11) Chapel of Hathor
12) Chapel of Anubis
13) Court
14) Sanctuary of Amon
15) Solar temple
16)Sanctuary of Hatshepsut and
Thutmoses I

NOTES PREPARED BY AKSHATHA NAIK, SJBSAP

58