Egyptian Architecture Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards for review.

Thebes and Memphis

Cities of ancient Egypt located along the Nile River.

Siltation

The deposition of silt, beneficial for agriculture along the Nile River after flooding.

Monumental architecture

Large-scale construction projects in ancient Egypt that led to the development of worker's camps near construction sites.

Hieroglyphics

Pictorial representations of religion, history, and daily life in ancient Egypt derived from scratching pictures on mud-plaster walls.

Osiris

God in ancient Egyptian religion whose kingdom was imagined as a perfect version of Egypt, where a person's soul could enjoy eternal life after death.

Eternal Dwelling

A permanent tomb where pharaohs were buried with items needed in the afterlife, reflecting the wish for a fine burial, embalmment, funeral rites, and preservation of the body to house the spirit.

Batter wall

An architectural feature in ancient Egyptian construction where walls diminish in width towards the top for stability, often seen with thicknesses of 9 to 24 meters in temples.

Gorge or Hollow and Roll

A type of moulding in ancient Egyptian architecture inspired by reeds.

Lotus, Papyrus, and Palm Capitals

Common capitals used in ancient Egyptian architecture echoing indigenous Egyptian plants and symbolizing fertility.

Avenue of Sphinxes

Rows of monsters (body of lion, head of man, hawk, ram) leading to monuments in ancient Egypt.

Mastabas

Rectangular flat-topped funerary mounds with battered sides covering a burial chamber below ground, representing the first type of Egyptian tomb.

Pyramids

Massive funerary structures of stone or brick used in ancient Egypt.

Rock-Cut Tombs

Tombs built along hillsides in ancient Egypt, primarily for nobility rather than royalty, featuring a stairway with doors, column hall, offering chapel, serdab, and sarcophagus.

Mortuary Temples

Temples in ancient Egypt used for worship and in honor of pharaohs.

Cult Temples

Temples in ancient Egypt used for worship and in honor of gods.

Pylons

Monumental gateways to temples in ancient Egypt, consisting of slanting walls flanking the entrance portal.

Obelisks

Upright stone structures, square in plan, with an electrum-capped pyramidion on top, representing a sacred symbol of the sun-god Heliopolis in ancient Egypt.