[ARC

1313] Architecture Culture & History 1

PRECEDENT STUDY

NAME OF BUILDING: LECTURER:

Edfu Temple

Pn Sharianne

STUDENTS NAME Tam Jhung Leung Kee Zhong Jian Goh Yee Thong Tan Jia Qi Jocelyn Tan Wan Wei WORD COUNT: 509

STUDENTS ID 0310082 0309584 0310044 0310107 0310050

 Ancient Egyptian architecture is the architecture of ancient Egypt, one of the most influential civilizations throughout history, which developed a vast array of diverse structures and great architectural monuments along the Nile. The well preserved Temple of Horus at Edfu is an example of Egyptian architecture and architectural sculpture. Edfu Temple, dedicated to the god Horus, was described as a link between macrocosmos (world) and microcosmos (man). The God and the King, as the representative, met in the temple. Edfu Temple was not open for public worship.(Tehuti Research Foundation,2013). Only the priest and the king are allowed to enter the most sacred sanctuary of the Edfu Temple. Edfu Temple was a place where statue of God was kept. Ancient Egyptians had strong belief in the concept of after- life and Edfu Temple was recreation of Primeval Mound where life began. It served its function as a noble household. The temple was built in the Ptolemaic period at the west bank of the Nile in Edfu, which was known as Apollonopolis Magna in Greco-Roman times. Even though there is no actual information that show the architect who built this temple, but Ptolemy III Euergetes I was the one who believed to be the first to begin the construction of the temple in 237BC. The construction was then completed in 57BC during the reign of Ptolemy IV. The main building material for Edfu Temple was sandstone because it is resistant to weathering. Sandstone, which is composed of quartz, is relatively soft and easy to be carved. Mudbricks were one of the materials used in the past The better mudbricks were fired, or "burnt" in an oven, though it was not uncommon for mudbrick not to be fired, and so not as durable.(Dunn, 2013). Generally, the buildings of ancient Egypt were built of stone using post-andlintel system which is a system of architectural construction based on vertical supports and horizontal beams as distinguished from systems based on arches or vaults. (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, n.d.). Most of the temples in ancient Egypt were constructed with beautiful columns shaped from posts of huge rocks, with beams placed upon the posts, and walls were merely fillings between uprights. To support the horizontal beams, the posts had to be placed closely which results in restricted internal spaces. (Fleming & Honour, 2005, p. 3). Edfu Temple had increasingly sacred zones, which are Pylon, Outer Courtyard, Hypostyle Hall and the Sanctuary. Temple has a Pylon that is considered the highest among surviving Temples in Egypt today. It is 37m high and is decorated with battle scenes, representing King Ptolemy VIII smiting his enemies before the God Horus. Pylons are rectangular towers with slightly sloping faces. The form of the gateway symbolized a rising sun, in hieroglyph as rising sun. (Odyssey Adventures in Architecture, 2013). Within the pylons is the colonnaded courtyard with distinctive, pared columns, which leads into the great hypostyle hall. The most sacred part of the temple was the sanctuary. Barque Shrine was kept here and it was only accessible to the king and priest.

Temple of Edfu: City of Edfu. (2013). Retrieved May 2, 2013, from http://www.ask-aladdin.com/Temples-of-Egypt/edfu.html

Pylon decorated with battle scenes Faade of Edfu Temple

 Barque Shrine in the Sanctuary of Edfu Temple Columns of Edfu Temple

Reference List
AskAlladin, 1999. Temple of Edfu. [online] Available at: < http://www.ask-aladdin.com/Temples-of-Egypt/edfu.html> [Accessed 3 May 2013]. Dunn, J. (2013). Building Materials of the Pyramids Builders. Retrieved 2 May 2013 from http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/material.htm Fleming, J., & Honour, H. (2005). A World History of Art (7th ed.). London: Laurence King. Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, (n.d.). Post-and-lintel Definition and More from the Free Merrian-Webster Dictionary. [online] Available at : <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/post-and-lintel> [Accessed 3 May 2013] NHS Evidence, 2003. National Library of Guidelines. [online] Available at: <http://www.library.nhs.uk/guidelinesFinder> [Accessed 18 April 2011]. Odyssey Adventures in Archaeology, 2013. Egyptian Temples . [online] Available at: <http://www.odysseyadventures.ca/articles/egyptian_temples/egyptian_temples-text.html> Tehuti Research Foundation,2013. Ancient Egyptian Temples.[online] Available at: <http://www.egypt-tehuti.org/temples.html> [Accessed 2 May 2013].