Architecture, Belief Systems, And Societal Structure

In these civilizations, there were many worshipping and sacrificial places that were in place because of their belief in the gods and the afterlife. All around the world were temples and places to pray to the gods, but the religion in these civilizations was exceptionally strong. In Egypt, the Pyramids were everlasting tombs for the dead. The Pyramids are located on the Nile and was the most north and most sacred of all the temples. The belief in the afterlife was crucial in their religion. Egyptians treated the dead better than they treated the living. While your physical life on earth was short, they thought your soul could survive forever in the afterlife. These pyramids held important pharaohs and priests, that were placed in the tombs with gifts that they could take with them after they died.

The majority of ancient Egyptian structures studied by architectural historians and planners alike, were erected to honor a pharaoh or as a grand tomb for their journey through to the afterlife. Whether the structure was in the form of a temple, tomb or statue, the ritual and spiritual influence is unquestionable. The location, scale, and materials used to construct these monuments are all defining factors of how the space is used and functions.

Therefore the pyramids of Egypt are some the most magnificent wonders of the ancient world due to how pyramids were built, why they were constructed, and what was inside these structures. There are many inquiries that come to mind when pondering Ancient Egypt. Incredible historic monuments filled with artifacts are pyramids. They are genuinely majestic and profound establishments constructed thousands of years

It is important to note that Egypt has among the oldest history in world’s civilization. It is considered to be a pillar of intellectualism, politics, arts and archicture. Egyptian history has endured the destructive force of time through the ages

     Paralleling the pyramids in Egypt were the ziggurats of Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia (meaning between two rivers, the Tigress and Euphrates) began making these structures around roughly 2000 BC. They were made of bricks that they produced on the building’s work site. There were sun-dried bricks to make up the solid inside of the ziggurat, and there were kiln fired bricks that made up the structures façade. These bricks were much smaller than the stones used in Egypt and also did not have to be brought from far away. Some of the ziggurats were built on top of older ones. Like Egyptian pyramids, the ziggurat was believed to be a kind of gateway between heaven and earth, but unlike the pyramids, the ziggurats where not tombs for kings. Rather they were believed to be the earthly homes of gods. Egyptians built their massive structures outside of major populated areas. But the ziggurats were in prominent areas. Cities had their own patron god or goddess (some places even had two ziggurats, one for a god of both sexes) and priests were the only ones allowed into these temples. They had the honor of catering to the needs of the gods and were powerful figures in their respective communities. Mesopotamians also built the Tower of Babel, which was supposed to have been built as bridge from earth to heaven. It was most likely located in Neo-Babylonia (home of the Hanging Gardens) and was also one of

Throughout Egyptian history, Pharaohs have constructed pyramids to serve as a resting place and a gateway into the afterlife. Over a hundred pyramids have existed in Egypt varying in size and in structure. (world-pyramids.com) The largest, most elaborate pyramid that has been built is the Great Pyramid of Giza.

They honored their Pharaohs so greatly that they created incredible sculptures of them that showed that the wealthy civilization had a strong connection with their deity. These Egyptian artists were not so focused on the detail of the different events but on defining how much the supreme power they have, contrasting their size compared to the ordinary men, and to defend against all enemies. Many signs of intellectual architecture and engineering emerged from the Egyptian civilization that not only represented the artistic abilities but their ability to use their resources, themselves and wealth to create astonishing feats of construction.

While it may seem that the Ancient Egyptians built the Great Pyramids purely to gaze at, there is a much more symbolic reason behind the construction of these symbolic structures. The Egyptians believed that by building the pyramids they honored the pharaohs, even in death. Since all of Egypt’s pharaohs were believed to be living impersonations

Egypt’s pyramids are seen as monumental structures that inspire us as humans. These magnificent tombs of the kings have survived the ravages of time and still stand tall today, the sheer scale, accuracy and strength of these structures leave many modern day architects and historians in awe. There was an immense amount of effort and resources invested into tomb building as the Egyptians believed that the soul could not live on in the afterlife if the deceased’s body was not preserved and freed from the corruption on Earth. This also arises the question of how the Egyptians managed to achieve their success. How did Egyptian architecture evolve over time?

Ancient Egypt is a complicated period in history to understand how their society became urbanized and how cities emerged in their region due to the geographical area along the Nile River. Through excavations and analyses, historians have been able to conclude that the Ancient Egyptians valued tombs and temples, and were in contact with the Near East due to rare findings of subterranean domestic housing. Analyses of tombs, temples, and the rare findings of domesticated housing tell the archeologists and historians about the urbanization process, however, these three features only provide the scholars with a limited amount of knowledge due to robbing of tombs, deterioration of buildings, and flooding of the Nile.

The old Kingdom was a time of political and social stability in Egypt, the ancient Egyptian architecture extant today is made of stone. Many kinds of stone were abundantly available, and this availability must in part explain the giant proportions of these surviving buildings. Although tradition long held that slaves built those giant funerary monuments to the kings, it now seems clear that an entire class of artisans, sculptors, and builders were responsible for them. That a culture could organize such mammoth undertaking and accomplish them with what appear to be the willing cooperation of it people emphasizes the unity of the social as a whole. Because the pharaoh was considered divine and would consequently return to the gods when he died, The Great Pyramids were designed to soar to heaven. It was built in the Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom at Giza on the west bank of the Nile. “There were three pyramids were built by the pharaohs CHEOPS, ca. 2530 B.C.E.; CHEFREN, ca. 2500 B.C.E.; and MYCERINUS, ca. 2470 B.C.E.”

These deserts also kept outside architecture away and allowed for the Egyptians to develop their own, very unique, methods of building. The greatest works of Egyptian civilization are the Great Pyramids, which are comparable to the size of mountains and severed as tombs for fallen Pharaohs. It was a common belief in Egypt that in order for someone to reach the afterlife, their body on Earth had to be preserved and taken care of with respect. All bodies were embalmed as quickly as possible and then were buried in their tomb to rest for all eternity. Inside these pyramids and tombs, architects spent a great deal of time and effort building false hallways and walls in an effort to keep people from reaching the actual resting place of the deceased. We were finally able to get a better understanding as to why architects tried to keep people from reaching the tombs and why grave robbers were so active when we discovered the Tomb of Tutankhamen. Tutankhamen, also known as King Tut, died at the age of 18 and is so well documented because his tomb was discovered in modern times with most of his valuables left inside. Another tomb that has taught us a great amount about ancient Egypt is the Tomb of Nebamun. In this tomb there is a wall painting in which the artist applied such attention to detail that were are able to figure out what plants

There has always been a level of fascination amongst people when it came to the Egyptian culture. People have pondered upon the skill and calculations it took to build the great pyramids of Giza. There is an abundance of evidences in the architecture and design of many Egyptian artifacts to display the level of intelligence and knowledge the people of Egypt possessed. Even though there are still many unanswered questions about how the

The architecture of ancient Egypt is one of the most significant civilizations throughout history, which developed of different structures and great architectural monuments along the River Nile.

To understand the architecture of ancient Egypt we must first look at the culture of the people of Egypt and the influences the other civilisations in Mesopotamia had on the area.