Pre Dynastic Architecture In Egypt

In Pre-dynastic times, Egypt was divided into Upper and Lower Egypt, most of the major findings were found in Upper Egypt. The architecture in pre-dynastic Egypt is focused on ensuring safety and happiness in the next life. Pre-dynastic architecture started with mastabas which were the standard type of tomb in early Egypt. The mastaba consisted of rectangular brick. Mastabas started out as single burials that quickly changed which made it accommodate multiple families. The most influential feature of the mastaba was the chapel. One of the most important and renowned architecture in pre-dynastic Egypt is the Imhotep, which was the earliest stone structure in Egyptian history. The pyramid was made for King Djoser and was 200 feet high, the structure …show more content…
The Old Kingdom is known for its grand art projects and wealth. One of these projects was the construction of the three great pyramids of Gizeh, these pyramids were to serve as a tomb of the fourth dynasty pharos (Khufu, Menkaure and Khafre). The great pyramids are symbols of the sun. Unlike the Imhotep which had stepped stairway and faced the northern sky The Gizeh pyramids are facing the east side to the sun. The burial chamber is adjoined to the east side where priests made offerings to the god-king. Old Kingdom statues survived in significant numbers due to the statues being substitute abodes of the Ka. The primary tool used to carve funerary sculpture is stone. One of the most influential pieces of this time was the seated statue of Khafre (Figure 3-11). The statue is made up of mostly diorite and dark hard stone. Khafre is sitting upright and wears a simple kilt. Between the pharos legs, there is a formation of two intertwined lions which is symbolic to the unification of Egypt. Khafre is wearing the royal headdress which would be the norm in Egypt and fake beard which is attached to his chin. Khafre has also a well-developed and has perfection throughout his whole body and has no true features and no aging. Egyptians see their pharos as kings and sculpted this one as so. The sculpture also depicts a timeless afterlife for Khafre. The sculptor also created and suppressed all movement on the figure creating an aura of eternal stillness. The polished look of the surface was achieved by the rubbing and grinding by many sculptors doing many steps in-order to achieve the god like form of Kafare. Overall, this statue of Khafre is seen as a ruler of the perfect body and being very