Lecture 3: Death and Mortuary Architecture

A collection of vocabulary flashcards covering ancient passage tombs, Egyptian mastabas, pyramid evolution, and New Kingdom temple complexes.

Newgrange

An ancient Irish passage tomb built around 3200 BCE in the Brú na Bóinne complex that functions as both a burial site and a cosmic monument.

Roof-Box

An architectural opening located above the entrance at Newgrange that allows sunlight from the winter solstice sunrise to illuminate the internal passage and chamber.

Corbelled Vaulting

A stone masonry technique formed by layering stones inward to create an arched roof vault, with the earliest known European example located at Newgrange.

Memphis

The capital city of Lower Egypt during the Old Kingdom period (~2920 – 2137 BCE), characterized by a centralized government and pharaohs' pyramids.

Thebes

The capital city of Upper Egypt during the Middle and New Kingdom periods, known for its mortuary temples and the expansive Amun-Ra temple complex.

Osiris

The ancient Egyptian god of resurrection, afterlife, death, and fertility, with whom deceased pharaohs were identified upon death.

Ra

The ancient Egyptian sun god whose early phallic cone symbol was later stylized into the shape of a pyramid.

Ka

The spiritual life-force of a person in ancient Egyptian belief that required an unsatisfied spirit to be provided with earthly offerings and personal objects in the afterlife.

Ba

The aspect of the soul associated with the preserved physical body of the pharaoh, housed within the highest burial chamber of the Great Pyramid.

Mastaba

An early Egyptian stone tomb structure featuring a flat-topped, block-like building above ground, an offering chapel, a serdab, and a deep shaft leading to an underground burial chamber.

Serdab

A small room inside an Egyptian mastaba tomb built to house a symbolic statue of the deceased's ka.

Imhotep

The ancient Egyptian architect who designed Djoser's Step Pyramid (~2630 BCE), recognized as history's first named architect.

Djoser's Step Pyramid

The first monumental stone construction in Egypt (~2630 BCE) located at Saqqara, designed by Imhotep with 6 tiered steps over a concealed underground tomb chamber.

Sneferu's Pyramid at Meidum

An early pyramid (~2575 – 2551 BCE) built at a steep ~52-degree angle that suffered top portion collapse due to excessive weight, containing Egypt's first stone corbeled vault chamber.

Bent Pyramid

Pharaoh Sneferu's second pyramid attempt at Dahshur (~2575 – 2551 BCE) where builders adjusted the slope angle midway from 54 to 51 degrees (or 43 degrees) to prevent structural failure.

Red Pyramid

Pharaoh Sneferu's third pyramid at Dahshur (~2575 – 2551 BCE), constructed at a constant ~43-degree angle to a height of 344 ft, achieving the first successful true pyramid.

Pyramid of Khufu

Also known as the 'Great Pyramid' (~2551 – 2528 BCE), the largest Giza pyramid featuring a 755 ft base, 481 ft height, ~52-degree incline, and three distinct internal chambers.

Pyramid of Khafre

The second-largest pyramid at Giza (~2550 – 2494 BCE), standing 471 ft high with surviving limestone casing at its base and a single central ground-level chamber.

Pyramid of Menkaure

The smallest of the main Giza pyramids (~2490 – 2472 BCE), measuring 213 ft in height with a ~51-degree incline, left unfinished upon the pharaoh's death.

Valley Temple

An Egyptian temple built along the lower banks of the Nile where mummification rituals took place before bodies were moved along causeways to mortuary temples.

Mortuary Temple

An upper temple complex positioned near the base of a pyramid or tomb for performing continuous rituals, prayers, and offerings to the deceased pharaoh.

Karnak Temple Complex

A major religious and administrative center in East Thebes built and expanded over 2000 years, dedicated primarily to the sun god Amun-Ra.

Opet Festival

A 27-day annual Egyptian festival held at Thebes that involved sacrificial feasting, performers, a grand procession, and an estimated 80,000 onlookers.

Barque Sanctuary

An inner shrine within an Egyptian temple designed to house the sacred boat (barque) used to transport a deity's statue during religious ceremonies.

Pylon

A monumental entrance gateway to an Egyptian temple consisting of two sloping, tall stone towers flanking a lower central passageway.