PREHISTORIC ARCHITECTURE
WHAT IS PREHISTORIC
— relating to or denoting the period before written
records.
The term "prehistory" can refer to the vast span of
time since the beginning of the Universe or the Earth,
but more often it refers to the period since life
appeared on Earth, or even more specifically to the
time since human-like beings appeared.
A. Stone Age
1. Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) - appeared first in
Africa and are marked by the steady
development of stone tools.
2. Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age) - period of the
Stone Age intermediate between the Paleolithic
and the Neolithic periods, characterized by
adaptation to hunting, collecting, and fishing
economy based on the use of forest, lakeside,
and seashore environments.
3. Neolithic (New Stone Age) - characterized by the
development of agriculture and the making of
polished stone implements.
B. Bronze Age
C. Iron Age
PREHISTORIC STRUCTURES
Among prehistoric remains of archaeological
interest, but of little architectural value, are:
1. Monoliths
2. Dolmens
3. Tumuli
4. Lake dwellings
1. Monoliths
Are single upright stones,
known in Western France
as "menhirs," (Maen—a
stone, hir—long), such as
those at Carnac in
Brittany.
A menhir (French, from Middle Breton: maen=stone
+ hir=long), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large
upright standing stone. Menhirs may be found singly
as monoliths, or as part of a group of similar stones.
Their size can vary considerably, but their shape is
generally uneven and squared, often tapering
towards the top
2. Dolmens and Cromlechs
(dol = table + maen = stone) and Cromlechs (crom
= bent + leac = flat stone) are often used as
interchangeable terms.
o Dolmen is the name sometimes applied to two or
more upright stones supporting a horizontal slab.
o While the term Cromlech may be used for three
or more upright stones, capped by a flat stone,
as at, Kit's Coty House, Maid stone, and other
places in England, Wales, Ireland, Northern
France, and India.
Poulnabrone dolmen, the Burren, County Clare, Ireland.
o
o
These dolmens or cromlechs often stand within
sacred circles of massive monoliths, supporting
horizontal slabs, as at Stonehenge.
It seem to be erected by primitive people for the
worship of the sun.
Théophile Malo Corret de la Tour d'Auvergne
He was a French officer named by Napoleon "first
grenadier
of
France".
He
was
also
a
celtomaniac antiquarian who introduced the words
"dolmen" and "menhir" into general archaeological
usage.
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a site in southern England, composed
of a group of stones arranged in concentric circles.
o
o
o
o
o
This array of stones is not a single structure, but a
series of structures built and rebuilt over a period
of about 1,500 years.
Researches
distinguish
three
phases
of
construction in Stonehenge.
The first was completed in c.2900 BCE, the
second took place during the years c.2900 –
c.2500 BCE and the third - from c.2550 to c.1600
BCE.
This is the best preserved megalithic site in
Europe.
It included a large external circle of triliths (only
in Stonehenge the dolmens are called triliths;
trilith, literally in Greek: three stones), two internal
circles built in a similar manner, and altarshaped stone in the center.
3. Tumuli or burial mounds
Were probably prototypes of the Pyramids in Egypt
and of the beehive huts in Wales, Cornwall,
Scotland, and Ireland.
Beehive hut
Section of chambered burial mound
4. Lake dwellings
Consisted of wooden huts built on piles in the water
for protection against attack.
A cairn is a man-made pile (or stack) of stones.
“History is like chismis.”
Ella Cruz
“Those who don’t know history are destined to
repeat it.”
(Left photo) A cairn marking a mountain summit in Graubünden,
Switzerland
(Right photo) Cairn at the boundary of Counties Durham and
Northumberland UK
Edmund Burke
EGYPTIAN ARCHITECTURE
(Circa 3200 BC – AD First Century)
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I. GEOGRAPHICAL
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Egypt the “Land of the Pharaohs”, of which the
ancient name was Kemet, or the Black land.
Consists of narrow strip of fertile, alluvial soil along
both banks of the Nile bordered by sandy desert.
It was the only country in the ancient world
which, by means of the Red Sea, commanded
outlet and inlets for foreign trade by both the
Mediterranean and Arabian Seas.
The Nile itself was of untold value, NOT ONLY as a
trade route and means of communication, but
also chiefly because its overflowing and fertilizing
waters made desert sands into fruitful fields.
From time immemorial, the Egyptians founded
their cities, both for living and the dead and here
are the royal pyramids and priestly temples.
II. GEOLOGICAL
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The natural products, such as timber, brick, clay,
and stone largely determined the character of
the architecture of a country
Chief stones includes limestone, sandstone and
alabaster
Hard stones includes granite, quartzite and
basalt
Stones were NOT ONLY used for constructive and
decorative architectural work, but also for vases
and even for personal ornaments
Porphyry was little used before Roman times
Egyptian quarries for limestone is located at Tura
and Ma’sara in the Mokattam Hills
Sandstone was quarried in central districts
Red granite or syenite was found in Aswan
The country was poor in metals
o Copper was gained chiefly at Sinai
peninsula
o Tin was at length imported for making
bronze
o Iron was extremely rare and of meteoric
origin and not mined
The gigantic scale which distinguishes Egyptian
architecture was made possible not only by the
materials but also by the method of quarrying,
transporting, and raising enormous blocks of
stone into positions
Sun dried and kiln burnt bricks were used for
houses and royal palaces
There was a little timber
o Acacia served for boats
o Sycamore was used for mummy cases
o Cedar and other woods were imported
o Indigenous date palm, whose fruit is the
staple food of the people, was
sometimes used for roofing
III. CLIMATIC
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Egypt is said to have but two seasons: spring and
summer
The climate is equable and warm
Snow and frost is unknown
Storm, fog and even rain are rare and these
conditions have contributed to the preservation
of the buildings
Such climate with brilliant sunshine conduced
also to the simplicity of the design
Sufficient light reached the interiors through
doors and roof slits
There was no need for windows
Unbroken massive walls not only protected the
interior from fierce heat of the sun but also
provided an interrupted surface for hieroglyphics
Roof drainage was not a consideration
Flat roof of stones slabs sufficed to cover the
buildings and exclude heat
IV. RELIGIOUS
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The close connection between religion and
architecture is everywhere manifested
The religious rites of the Egyptians were
traditional, unchangeable, and mysterious
These are evident in architecture of both tombs
and temples
The religion was monotheistic in theory but
polytheistic in practice through the cult of many
gods representing natural phenomena and the
heavenly bodies
The religious keynote of the Egyptians was one of
awe and submission to the great power
represented by the sun
Their chief worship was for Osiris, the man God
Elaborate preparations were made for the care
of their bodies after their death and the wealthy
built themselves lordly tomb houses
The deceased Pharaoh was transported across
the Nile to the West Bank where the Domain of
the Dead is located
There was no dividing line between Gods and
Kings
God themselves were invested with superhuman
and therefore with inventive powers
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Their Gods are associated in triads:
 Theban Triad
o Ammon – Sun God
o Mut – the wife of Ammon, the mother of
all things
o Khons – son of Ammon and Mut, the
Moon God
 Memphis Triad
o Ptah – the creator
o Sekhmet – wife of Ptah, goddess of War
o Nefertem – son of Ptah and Sekhmet
 Other gods includes:
o Osiris – the god of the dead
o Isis – the wife of Osiris
o Horus – the sky God
o Hathor – the goddess of Love
o Set – the dread god of Evil
o Seraphis – the Bull God
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V. HISTORICAL AND SOCIAL
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The Egyptian civilization is among the most
ancient of which we have any clear knowledge
Our information is derived from ancient literary
sources, from records in papyri and tablets
o Hieroglyphics – stones with written
inscriptions.
But more particularly from Egyptian buildings and
their inscriptions
It was a custom to record matters of history on
temples, and of domestic and social interest on
tombs and stelae.
Social and industrial conditions in Egypt were
largely determined by the inflexible rule of an
omnipotent government
Craftsmanship was very highly developed
Egyptians attained great skills in weaving, glass
blowing, pottery turning, metal working and in
making musical instruments, jewelry and furniture
The pursuit of learning astronomy, mathematics
and philosophy was continuously carried on
especially by the priest
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The kings of Ancient Egypt are known as
“Pharaohs”, a name given to them by the
Hebrews and derived from the Egyptian Per-aa,
the “Great House”
The pharaohs have been divided into thirty (30)
dynasties by Manetho, an Egyptian priest who,
about 300 BC, compiled a history of Egypt in
Greek
Egyptian civilization was already well advanced
when the first dynasty was inaugurated by
Menes
Egyptologist date the Ancient Kingdom back to
3500 BC or even 5000 BC
1. Ancient Kingdom (Dynasties I – X), 3200 – 2130
BC
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nowadays commonly subdivided as follows: the
Archaic Kingdom (Dynasties I-II), the Old
Kingdom (Dynasties III-VI), the First Intermediate
Period (Dynasties VII-X)
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Menes the first dynastic king is reputed to have
founded Memphis at the southern extremities of
Lower Egypt
Memphis was the capital of the throughout the
great pyramid building age extending from the
Third to Sixth Dynasty
Thebes emerged as the chief city in the Eleventh
dynasty
During the First and Second Dynasties, civilization
progressed and the art of writing and the
hieroglyphic system already were developed
The tombs for the kings and nobles were of the
mastaba type and were built of sun dried bricks
In the Third Dynasty the royal mastaba evolves
towards the true pyramid as is shown by the Step
Pyramid of the Pharaoh Zoser at Sakkara
It was in the Fourth Dynasty that the royal
pyramids became fully evolved
Culmination of achievement is represented by
the famous three at Gizeh: Cheops, Chefren and
Mykerinos
o Cheops – largest pyramid in Gizeh/Giza
o Chefren – second largest
o Mykerinos – smallest of the three
Many pyramids followed chiefly at Abusir and
Sakkara in the Fifth Dynasty
Sakkara was again the favoured location for the
pyramids in Sixth Dynasty
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2. Middle Kingdom (Dynasties XI-XVII), 2130 –
1580 BC
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often divided into the Middle Kingdom (Dynasties
XI-XII) and the Second Intermediate Period
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The Eleventh Dynasty saw a progressive recovery
of political stability and mastery of the arts
Mentuhetep II unified the country once again
Mentuhetep II built an elaborate, terraced
mortuary temple at Der el-Bahari
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Pyramids usually were of crude bricks faced with
stones
The energetic and enterprising Amenemhat I of
the Twelfth Dynasty restored earlier temples and
founded the Great Temple at Karnak
Senusrets I erected at Heliopolis the earliest
known instance of a large obelisk
Amenemhat III probably built the Labyrinth at
Fayum.
The Eleventh and Twelfth Dynasties belongs a
series of open fronted tombs at Beni Hasan
Followed by five Dynasties of such confusion that
even succession of kings is uncertain
3. New Kingdom (Dynasties XVIII-XXX), 1580332 BC
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Amasis I completed the expulsion of the Hyksos
from the delta and pursued them into Palestine.
Thebes was the capital and many buildings were
erected.
Thothmes I began those additions to the Temple
of Ammon at Karnak.
Thothmes I was the first Pharaoh to be buried in
the “rock cut corridor” Tombs of the Kings in
Theban Mountain.
Queen Hatshepsut patronized the arts of peace,
re-established religious rites, and built below the
mountain side her fascinating terraced funerary
temple at Der el – Bahari.
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Thothmes III one of the greatest Pharaoh who
rebuilt and decorated many temples
Amenophis III built the greater part of the temple
at Luxor, dignified that at Karnak by pylons and
sphinxes
Amenophis III erected the renowned Colossi of
Memnon
Amenophis IV, who in the fourth year of his reign
changed his name to Akhnaten deserted Thebes
and founded his capital at Tell el – Amana
Seti I continued his father’s work at Karnak, built
his Temple at Abidos and his own sepulcher
among the Tombs of the Kings
Ramesses II called by early Egyptologist “the
Great”, surpassed the achievements of his
predecessors.
Ramesses II finished and erected many temples,
such as the Rock Temples at Abu Simbel, the
Hypostyle Hall at Karnak and the Ramesseum at
Thebes
Craftsmanship had begun to deteriorate during
the reign of Ramesses and following reigns
All the Kings in the Twentieth Dynasty were
named Ramesses
4. The Ptolemaic Period ( 332 – 30 BC )
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Alexander the Great rescued the Egyptians from
their hated oppressors
He was hailed by the priest as the son of Ammon
He founded Alexandria as the capital and it
became the center of Greek culture
On his death in 323 BC, Egypt fell to his general
Ptolemy (Ptolemy was his best friend lol)
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Greek customs and methods crept in
The Ptolemies upheld the gods, built temples of
the native type at Dendera, Esna, Edfu and
Philae
The reign of Ptolemy II is famous for the Pharos or
Light House
Ptolemy V is responsible for the production of the
Rosetta Stone
Struggles with Rome were continuous
On the death of Cleopatra, Egypt became a
Roman province
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The Seven Wonders of Egypt
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
The Great Pyramid of Giza
Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
Statue of Zeus at Olympia
Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
Colossus of Rhodes
Pharos Lighthouse at Alexandria
original character is seen in the later
monumental style of stone and granite
Egyptian monumental architecture which is
essentially columnar and trabeated style was
mainly employed on pyramids, tombs, and
temples
Egyptian temples, approached by impressive
avenues of sphinxes – mythical monsters each
with the body of a lion and the head of a man,
hawk, ram or a woman
o Androsphinx - has the body of a lion and
a head of a man
o Criosphinx - has the body of a lion and a
head of a ram
o Hieracosphinx - has the body of a lion
and a head of a hawk
5. The Roman Period (30 BC – 395 AD)
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Egypt under Caesar entered another phase of
prosperity
This period includes the construction of the
famous “Pharaoh’s Bed “
Under Constantine, Roman control in Egypt
extended even to religion
In AD 324 Christianity was declared to be
recognized as its official religion and the Bible
was translated into Coptic
When Theodosius the Great issued his edict in AD
381, decreeing that the whole of the Roman
empire should be Christian
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Plan of the Egyptian temples differ in many
respect to the Greek
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The main entrance of the temple is flanked by
slender obelisk which formed a strong contrast
to the massive pylons
Courts and halls alike were designed to produce
an impressive internal effect
6. Later Periods ( AD 395 to present day )
V. ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
General Architectural Characters:
1. Simplicity
2. Massiveness
3. Monumental
4. Mysterious
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The primitive architecture in the valley of the Nile
appears to have consisted of puddle clay and
reeds, or of sun baked bricks, and some of its
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The hypostyle hall, seemingly unlimited in size is
crowded with columns and mysteriously
illuminated from above was the grandest
achievement of Egyptian planning
Temples frequently consist of a series of additions
spread over many centuries
Temple walls are immensely thick, of limestone,
sandstone or more rarely of granite
The wall faces slope inwards or batter externally
towards the top, giving massive appearance
Columns are not used externally in Egyptian
buildings which normally have a massive blank
wall crowned with characteristic “gorge“
cornice of roll and hollow moulding
Walls even when of granite were generally
carved in low relief and sometimes coated with
thin skin of stucco
Colonnades and doorways were essentially
trabeated, were usually square headed and
spanned with massive lintels
Windows are seldom found
Roofs were composed of massive slabs of stones
supported by outer walls and closely spaced
columns
Flat roofs of dwelling houses served as pleasant
rendezvous for enjoyment of fresh breezes which
sprang up at sunset
Columns seldom over six diameters high often
appear in the form of papyrus or lotus tied at
intervals by bands
The circular shaft curve in towards the base like
sheathed stalks and sometimes stand on thick
unmolded bases which in shape somewhat
resemble a Dutch cheese
Mouldings were few and consisted of the bead
or roll moulding for the angles of the building
Mouldings were evidently considered to be out
of place where walls were relieved by sculptured
pictures from base to summit
TOMB ARCHITECTURE
The tombs were of three main types:
a) Mastabas
b) Royal Pyramids
c) Rock Hewn Tombs
a) Mastaba – An ancient Egyptian, rectangular,
flat topped, funerary mound, with battered
(sloping) sides, covering a burial chamber below
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It is derived from the Arabic word which means
“bench”
They were probably derived from the rude heaps
of stones piled over earlier mummy holes
They consist of three parts namely:
o The outer chamber in which were placed
the offerings to the Ka or “double”
decorated with festals
o The inner secret chamber known as
“serdab” which contains the statues of
the deceased members of the family
o The
chamber
containing
the
sarcophagus, reached by underground
shaft
Mastaba of Thi, Sakkara
TY
 Well preserved and restored
 Was erected to Thi, who held the position of royal
architect and superintendent of royal pyramids
 Consist of small vestibule, beyond which is a
large court where offering to the deceased were
made
 The masonry is accurately joined and the bas
relief s are some of the finest and most interesting
in Egypt
 A second chamber has mural relief which
represent harvesting, ship building, slaughtering
of sacrificial animals as well arts and crafts of Old
Egypt
Mastaba of Aha, Sakkara
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It dates from the First dynasty
It is closely identified with Menes, the unifier and
founder of Memphis
It takes the form of a shallow pit, subdivided by
crude brick walls into five chambers
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The central chamber is designed to contain the
body of the king and the other four chambers for
his intimate possessions
Brick superstructure covered a broader area and
had twenty seven compartments containing
other grave goods, including jars for food, ceiled
with timber and covered with brick or debris
The exterior had “palace-façade” decoration of
serrated vertical projections and recesses, the
first of the series of such tombs at Sakkara
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Three types of pyramids
a) Stepped – Example : Pyramid of Zoser
(Architect: Imhotep )
b) Bent – Example: South Pyramid of Seneferu
c) Sloped – Example : Pyramid at Gizeh
(Architect: Isostress )
Mastaba K1 at Beit, Khallaf
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A massive stairway tomb of crude brick, typical
of the Third Dynasty
The stair and the ramp is guarded by five stone
portcullises, lead to a rock cut, stone lined tomb
chamber surrounded by a knot of magazines of
funerary offerings
Above ground, the mastaba is plain and virtually
solid
b) Pyramid - a sepulchral monument in the form of
huge stone structure with a square base and
sloping sides meeting at an apex
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The word pyramid is derived from the Greek word
“pyramis” or wheatened cake
Ancient Egyptians called them “mr”
Did not stand in solitary isolation but were the
primary part of a complex of buildings which
includes the ff:
1. An offering chapel, with stele, usually abutting
the east side of the pyramid but occasionally on
the north
2. Mortuary temple for the worship of the dead
3. A raised and enclosed causeway
4. Valley building in which embalmment and
internment rites was performed
Mortuary – deified pharaohs
Cult Temple – popular worship of ancient and
mysterious god/s
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Are founded on the living rock, leveled to
receive them, and were of limestone quarried in
their locality
Faced with finer limestone coming from Tura
Granite , in limited use for linings of the chambers
and passageways was quarried in Aswan
Entrances normally were from the north side
Sides were scrupulously oriented with the
cardinal points
Were built in a series of concentric sloping slices
or layers , around a steep pyramidal core so that
the whole mass first appeared in step-like tiers
1. Stepped Pyramid of Zoser, Sakkara
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Is remarkable as being the world’s first large scale
monument in stone
Built by Zoser’s architect Imhotep
The pyramid shows no less than five changes of
plan in the course of building
It began as a complete mastaba, 7.90 m high,
unusual in having a square plan, of 63.00 m sides
2. Pyramid at Meydum
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Attributed to Huni, last king of the Third Dynasty
Though eventually completed as a true pyramid,
it was definitely known that at one stage it was a
seven stepped structure
Faced with Tura limestone
3. Bent or South Pyramid of Seneferu, Dashur
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Peculiar for having two angles of inclination
Lower half of the pyramid has 54°15’ inclination
Upper half has 43° inclination where it shows
hasty completion
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It has two entirely independent tomb chambers,
one is reached from the north, the other from the
west
The change in slope had the object of lightening
the weight of the upper masonry as the walls of
chambers and passages began to show fissures
The plan is square, 187.00 m and the height
about 102.00 m
It is faced with Tura limestone
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4. North Pyramid of Seneferu, Dashur
7. Pyramid of Mykerinos ( Menkaura )
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Made after the abandonment of the Bent
Pyramid
Was the actual burial place of Seneferu
Adjoins nearby tombs of Royal family
It is the earliest designed and completed true
pyramid
The pitch of the sides is unusually low, 43°36’
which is very similar to the upper part of the Bent
Pyramid
5. Great Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu), Near
Cairo
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Designed for Cheops, son of Seneferu and the
second king of the Fourth Dynasty
The largest pyramid of the famous three in Gizeh
Originally 146.40 m high and 230.60 m square on
plan
Covers an area about 13.00 acres or more than
twice that of S. Peter, Rome
The four sides face the cardinal points, are
equilateral triangles and make an angle of
51°52’ with the ground
There are three separate internal chambers, due
to changes of plan in course of building
The subterranean chamber
Queens Chamber which is discarded and
abandoned in favor of the King’s chamber
Kings Chamber where the sarchopagus is
located
The entrance is 7.30 m off center on the north
side and 17.00 m above ground level
Built solidly of local stone, the pyramid originally
was cased in finely dressed Tura limestone stone
blocks and the apex stone perhaps guilded
The average weight of blocks is 2500 kg (2 1/2
tons , bedded in thin lime mortar
6. Pyramid of Chephren (Kafra)
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Is the second of the three at Gizeh
Slightly smaller than Pyramid of Cheops
The sides are 216.00 m and 143.00 m high
Slope is 52°20’ and has only one chamber at the
core
Near its apex, the original limestone casing is
preserved
Base courses of the facing were of granite
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Is much smaller than its two predecessor at Gizeh
109.00 m square and 66.50 m high with sloping
sides at 51°
Much of its casing is preserved and is mainly of
Tura limestone but includes sixteen base courses
in granite
c) Rock Hewn Tombs
 Rare before Middle Kingdom
 Designed to serve the nobility rather than the
royalty
1. Tombs, Beni Hasan
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From the Eleventh and Twelfth dynasties
numbering to thirty nine
Belong to a provincial great family
Are wholly rock hewn tombs and consist of
chamber behind a porticoed façade plainly
imitating wooden construction in character
2. Tomb of the Kings, Thebes
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Located on the arid mountains on the west side
of the Nile
They witness a complete abandonment of the
royal pyramid tomb during the New Kingdom
The sarcophagus usually lay in a concluding rock
columned hall
Walls were elaborately painted with ceremonial
funerary scenes and religious texts
Important tombs of this kind includes the tombs
of Seti I, and Ramases III, IX and IX
Valley of the Kings
 The west bank necropolis can be divided into a
number of zones and sub-zones, of which the
Valley of the Kings is only one zone. The northern
sector of the west bank closest to the Nile River is
often referred to as the Tombs of the Nobles.
Temples
 Temples were of two main classes
1. Mortuary Temples
o For ministration to deified pharaohs
Developed from the offering chapels
of the royal mastabas and pyramids
2. Cult Temples
o For the popular worship of the
ancient and mysterious gods
o
EXAMPLES OF TEMPLES
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1. Temple of Khons, Karnak
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A cult temple
May be taken as the usual type
Characterized by entrance pylon, court,
hypostyle hall, sanctuary and various chapels
all enclosed by a high girdle wall
The entrance pylon is fronted by obelisks and
approached through imposing avenue of
sphinxes
2. Temple of Hatshepsut, Der el-Bahari, Thebes
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Built by her architect Senmut, alongside that of
Mentuhetep
It is terraced similarly but her place of burial lay
far away in a corridor tomb in the mountain
beyond
Solely a mortuary temple dedicated to Ammon
and other gods
Wall relief in this temple are exceptionally fine
and includes representations of queen’s trade
expedition at Punt and her allegedly divine birth
3. Great Temple of Ammon, Karnak
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The grandest of all Egyptian temples
134 columns, 16 rows
Was not built upon one complete plan
Owes its size, disposition and magnificence to
the work of many kings
Originally consisted of a modest shrine
constructed early in the Middle Kingdom about
2000 BC
The first considerable enlargement was made by
Thotmes I
Occupies the site of 366.00m x 110.00 m and is
placed in an immense enclosure along with
other temples and sacred lake
Surrounded by girdle wall 6.10 m to 9.00 m thick
Connected by an avenue of sphinxes with
temple at Luxor
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Had six pairs of pylons added by successive
rulers
A great court 103.00m x 84.00 m gives entrance
to the vast hypostyle hall
The roof of enormous slab is supported by 134
columns in sixteen rows
The central avenues are about 24.00 m in height
and have columns , 21.00 m high and 3.60 min
diameter with capital of papyrus flower or bell
type
Side avenues are lower with columns 13.00 m
high and 2.7 m in diameter with papyrus bud
capital
4. Great Temple, Abu Simbel
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Is one of the two rock hewn temples
commanded by the indefatigable Rameses II
Is the most stupendous of all rock hewn temples
An entrance forecourt leads to imposing
façade, 36.00 m wide and 32.00 m high forming
as pylons
In front of the façade are four rock cut seated
colossal statues of Rameses over 20.00 m high
The hall is 9.00 m high has eight Osiris pillars and
vividly coloured wall reliefs
5. Small Temple, Abu Simbel
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By Ramesses II
Located close to The Great Temple of Abu
Simbel
Dedicated to his deified Queen Nefertari and the
Goddess Hathor
The façade is 27.40 m wide and 12.20 m high
Comprises six niches recessed in the face of the
rock and containing six colossal statues, 10.00 m
high representing Ramesses and Nefertari
Obelisk
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Originated in the sacred symbol of the sun God
of Heliopolis
Usually stood in pairs astride temple entrances
Are huge monoliths, square on plan and tapering
to an electrum capped pyramidion at the
summit which is the sacred part
Have height of nine to ten times the diameter at
the base
Four sides are cut with hieroglyphics
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Many were removed from Egypt by the Roman
Emperors and there are at least twelve in Rome
alone
1. Obelisk in the Piazza of S. Giovanni in
Laterano, Rome
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Was brought to Rome from the Temple of
Ammon at Karnak, Thebes
Originally erected by Thotmes III
It is the largest known obelisk
2. Cleopatra’s Needle
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The obelisk at the Thames Embankment, London
Originally at Heliopolis
Was brought to England from Alexandria in 1878
It bears the inscription of Thotmes III and
Ramesses II
ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS
2. Openings
a. Doors
b. Roof Slit
c. Windows
3. Walls
 Usually thick
 Decorated with hieroglyphics at the interior
 Battered at the exterior
4. Mouldings
a. Torus Moulding
b. GorgeMoulding/Hollow and Roll
5. Ornaments
a. Scarab – symbol of resurrection
b. lotus and Papyrus – symbol of fertility
c. Ureaus – cobra motif
d. Grape Pattern – symbol of eternity
e. Vulture – symbol of protection
f. Solar Disc
TERMINOLOGIES
1. Pylon – a term applied to the mass of masonry with
central opening forming a monumental entrance to
Egyptian temple
2. Sanctuary – the most sacred part of the church or
temple
c. Papyrus – aquatic plant used by the Egyptians for
great variety of purposes including the construction
of the primitive reed huts
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
bas relief – carved
mural relief – painted
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kings/pharaohs are the main architects (most of
the time)
obelisk/s – often seen as a pair
Architecture in The Ancient Near East
(Circa 5000 BC – AD 641)
The architecture of the ancient Near East is considered
under the following headings:
a. Early Mesopotamian ( 5th to 2nd Millennium BC )
b. Assyrian and Neo – Babylonian ( C 1859 – 539 BC )
c. Early Anatolian and Hittite ( C 3250 – 1170 BC )
d. Canaanite, Phoenician and Israelite ( C 32– 887 BC)
e. Syro – Hititte ( C 1170 – 745 BC )
f. Urartian ( C 850 – 600 BC )
g. Phrygian ( C 750 – 650 BC )
h. Median and Persian ( C 750 – 350 BC )
i. Seleucid, Parthian and Sassanian ( 312 BC – AD 641)
I. GEOGRAPHICAL
Ancient Near East was the home of early civilizations
within a region roughly corresponding to the modern
Middle East:
- Mesopotamia (Modern Iraq, southeast Turkey and
northeastern Syria)
 It created the first centralized governments, law
codes and empires.
 It is the first to introduced social stratification,
slavery and organized warfare.
 It laid the foundation for the fields of astronomy and
mathematics.
 Earliest civilizations of Near East flourished in the
fertile plains of the twin rivers, Tigris and Euphrates.
 To this district assigns the Garden of Eden and the
four rivers of the Book of Genesis.
 Inundation of the country with the destruction of
crops and flocks was an ever-present danger to the
dwellers in the river plains.
 The plain of Mesopotamia (Gk. Mesos=middle +
Potamos= river) was irrigated by canals from river to
river and thus the land became fertile enough to
support the immense populations round Nineveh and
Babylon.
 Geographically speaking Babylonia and Assyria were
one country which ancient writers called Assyria.
II. GEOLOGICAL
-Ancient Egypt ( although the majority of Egypt is
located in North East Africa )
 Chaldea or Lower Mesopotamia is an alluvial district
of thick mud and clay deposited by the two great rivers,
Tigris and Euphrates.
-Anatolia/Asia Minor (modern Turkey and Armenia)
 No stone was found and no trees would grow.
-The Levant (modern Syria, Lebanon, Israel, State of
Palestine and Jordan)
 Bricks became the usual building material in
Babylonia.
- Malta
 The walls were constructed of crude, sun dried bricks
faced with kiln burnt and glazed bricks of different
colors.
-Arabian Peninsula
 It is considered the cradle of civilization.
 It was the first to practice intensive year-round
agriculture.
 It gave the rest of the world the first writing system
(although writing is also known to have developed in
Egypt, in the Indus Valley, in China, and to have taken
form independently in Mesoamerica).
 It is the first to invent potter’s wheel and then the
vehicular and mill wheel.
 There were bitumen springs at It on the Euphrates
and elsewhere.
 In early times hot bitumen and pitch was used as a
cementing material and mortar of calcareous earth in
later period.
 In Assyria there was plenty of stone in the mountains
of the north, but the Assyrians followed the Babylonians
in the used of bricks.
 In Persia there were hard, colored lime stones which
were used in the building of Susa and Persepolis.
 Roof timbers were obtained from Elam.
Other Gods
 Persian tiles have always been world famous for their
beauty of texture and color.
a. Enlil – the Lord of the Sumerian pantheon, patron
God of Nippur.
 Anatolia has rich supply of timber.
b. Ningirsu – patron God of Lagash.
III. CLIMATIC
c. Marduk and Ashur – national Gods of Babylon and
Assyria.
 Most of the Near East is subject to extremes of
temperature between winter and summer.
 Elevated platforms on which to build towns and
palaces were not only desirable but essential in Chaldea
which is situated round the river deltas and a region of
swamps and floods.
 Assyria which is located nearer the mountains had a
similar climate to that of Chaldea.
 The dry, hot climate of the high table land of Persia
was in striking contrast to the damp of the low-lying
plains of Mesopotamia and resulted for the innovation
of the open columned halls in the palaces at Susa and
Persepolis.
IV. RELIGIOUS
 The polytheism of Babylonia and Assyria was
variously expressed in the worship of heavenly bodies,
division of the universe and local deities.
 The priest as depositories of Chaldean wisdom,
arrogated themselves the power of reading the stars, of
divination and of interpreting the will of the gods.
 Here as in Egypt, the system of triads of deities was in
force, and among the Assyrian gods in triads were:
 The temple was the mainspring of growth of cities in
Mesopotamia.
 Omen tablets and text survived from about BC 3800,
the source of our knowledge about Babylonian methods
of divination.
 Superstition and symbolism everywhere prevailed
and it is evidenced in the man headed bulls placed as
genii at palace entrances to ward off evil spirits.
Persia which betrays the influence of Babylon became
incorporated in the religion of Zoroaster as early as
1000 BC.
Zoroastrianism – a system of ethical forces representing
good and evil of war from the beginning of time.
Two Gods under Zoroastrianism
a. Ahura Mazda or Ormazd – the sky God and the
creator of good.
b. Ahriman – the destructive spirit and the creator of
good.
There appeared to have a tendency towards
monotheism and to a belief in the final triumph of God.
a. Anu –God of Heaven, the patron of Warka
 Fire was held by Zoroaster to be the manifestation of
good and fire worship needed no temples but only
altars for the sacrificial flame.
b. Baal –God of Earth
V. SOCIAL
c. Ea or Enki –God of Waters, patron god of Eridu
a. Babylonia
B. Another triad
 The Babylonians were traders in origin and traders
they remained, employed slaves not only for the
buildings of palaces and their platform but also for
wonderful system of education and for agriculture.
A. Triad of the Universe
a. Shamash – God of the Sun
b. Sin – God of the Moon
c. Ishtar – God of the life-giving power
 The first system of writing was invented by the
Sumerians in the fourth millennium BC.
 Cuneiform or wedge-shaped characters on clay
tablets or cylinders have proved more lasting than the
Egyptian records on perishable papyrus.
 The Assyrians next conquered Babylonia in 1275 BC
and remained the great military power of Near East
until the destruction of Nineveh about 606 BC.
 The people were divided into nobles with hereditary
estates, a landless class of freemen, and lastly slaves.
 Irrigation and agriculture also occupied the Assyrians.
Nineveh (City in Iraq)(/ˈ nɪnɪvə/; was an ancient
Assyrian city of Upper Mesopotamia, located on the
outskirts of Mosul in modern-day northern Iraq. It is
located on the eastern bank of the Tigris River, and was
the capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. Today it is a
common name for the half of Mosul which lies on the
eastern bank of the Tigris. It was the largest city in the
world for some fifty years.
 They built palaces on raised platforms by the work of
captive slaves.
 King Tiglath-Pileser I carried on campaigns to the
northwest and in northern Syria
 Assyrian wall sculptures portray social conditions and
form an illustrated history of the battles and exploits of
the monarchs.
 Ashurnasirpal wage war on every side and removed
the government from Ashur to Calah ( Nimroud).
b. Assyria
 Assyrians were fighters and sportsmen rather than
traders.
 The economy of these ancient civilizations included
carpenters, masons, smiths, makers of musical
instruments, engineers, scientists, mathematicians,
poets and musicians.
c. Persia
 Persian domination was due to the military
superiority of this hardy, upland race which gradually
imposed Persian civilization on Near East under the rule
of the Satrap.
 They were all soldiers, landowners as horsemen and
people as infantry.
VI. HISTORICAL
A. BABYLONIAN PERIOD
 It rise in the 3rd millennium BC.
 An early Sumerian king Eannatum seems to have
brought about the first union of Babylonian cities.
 The great king Hammurabi in 2250 BC established the
domination of Babylon and formulated his “Code of
Law”.
 The Babylonian power declined later under the
attacks of the Hittites and Kassites, until in 1700 BC
Assyria became a separate kingdom.
B. ASSYRIAN PERIOD
 Came into existence at around 2nd millennium BC.
 Shalmaneser II made himself master of Near East
from Media to Mediterranean, and from Armenia to the
Persian Gulf.
 Tiglath-Pileser III extended his empire to the borders
of Egypt.
Sargon, most famous kings of the Assyrians, was the
first to defeat the army of the Egyptians.
 Sennacherib invaded Syria, defeated the Egyptian
army, entered Judea and seized Jerusalem.
 Essarhaddon fought against the Arabs and Medes,
invaded Phoenecia, Edom, and Cilicia and conquered
Lower Egypt in 672 B.
 He too built great palaces at Calah (Nimroud) and
Nineveh and also temple to the gods
 Ashurbanipal fought three campaigns in Egypt and
sacked Thebes in 666 BC
 Empire was at its height of power in 634 BC
 Empire decline and Nineveh was captured and
destroyed in 606 BC and the Assyrian empire divided.
 The new Babylonian Empire only lasted for seventy
years.
 Nebuchadnezzar II is famous for the destruction of
Jerusalem and Babylon captivity.
 Belshazzar was captured by the Persian King Cyrus in
538 BC.
C. PERSIAN PERIOD
 The domination of Persian over Near East and
struggles for further extension of power recorded her
contact with Greece and Egypt.
 After the capture of Babylon Cyrus made war on
Croesus, King of Lydia.
cardinal points, thus differing from Egyptian pyramids
whose sides were so placed.
Ziggurats ( def.) – artificial mountain, made up of
tiered, rectangular stages which rose from one to seven.
 Types of Ziggurats
 Cambyses his son extended the Persian conquest to
Egypt.
 Darius carried Persian armies into Europe as far as
Danube.
 He captured Miletus in 494 BC and destroyed the
famous Ionic temple.
 He defeated the allied Greeks at Ephesus but was
himself defeated at Marathon in 490 BC.
 Xerxes met with the defeat of the Greeks not only in
the sea battle of Salamis but also in the land battle at
Platea
 Under Alexander the Great, Near East became a
Greek colony
 After Alexander’s death it fell under the Seleucid,
Sassanian and finally to the Arabs.
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
 Massive towered fortification and temple complexes
or palaces were outstanding constructions.
Temples – typical to Babylonian Architecture.
Palaces - typical to the Assyrians.
 Clay was the material used for the palace platform
and were faced with either sundried of kiln burnt bricks.
Little was known of architecture in the Near East till
the nineteenth century excavations of Botta, Place,
Layard and Rowlinson.
 The Babylonians and Assyrians erected temples and
palaces on artificial platforms reached by flight of steps
30.00 to 50.00 feet above the plain for defense and
protection against malaria.
 Buildings were raised on mud brick platform and the
chief temples had sacred “ziggurats”.
 The Persians like the Assyrians placed their palaces on
lofty platforms often partly rock cut and partly built up.
 Walls were white washed and colored for the
ziggurats.
 The Babylonians clothed their walls with a coat of
glazed brickwork of many colors.
 Assyrian walls were composite structures of sundried
bricks faced with kiln burnt bricks which contrast with
the massive stone walls of the Egyptians and the solid
marble walls of the Greeks.
Ziggurats which rose tower like in diminishing terraces
to temple observatory on top had their angles to
 Palace walls were frequently sheathed internally
with alabaster bas reliefs which records military and
sporting exploits.
 External walls were plainly treated sometimes with
alternating vertical projections and recesses and the top
is finished with battlemented crestings.
 Towers flanked palace entrances and occurred on
short intervals along the walls.
 Assyrians generally used slabs of glowing alabaster on
which they displayed those delicate carvings prized for
their artistic qualities.
 Assyrian buildings were designed for both internal
and external effect in contrast with Egyptian designs.
 Arch with radiating voussoirs was employed in
construction and has been known in the third
millennium.
 Assyrian doorways were spanned by semi-circular
arches suitable to the nature of brick construction.
 Arches at the palace entrances were enhanced by
decorative archivolts of colored bricks.
 Windows were not used but the light of the was
admitted through pipe holes in walls and vaults.
 In Assyrian architecture the brick-built tower and not
the column is the outstanding feature.
 The Persians on the contrary used columns, widely
spaced and comparatively slender, as they had only to
support the weight of the timber and clay roofs instead
of the ponderous stone slabs as in Egypt.
 Persian columns were sometimes surmounted by
twin bulls, unicorns, horses or griffins, on the back of
which were placed the cross beams of the roof.
 The Assyrians like the Egyptians had no general use
for mouldings.
 Glazed tiles and marble slabs which protected the
perishable brick walls were sufficient decorations
without mouldings.
 Mouldings only came into general use after they have
been evolved and standardized by the Greeks.
 The Assyrians used as their chief architectural
ornament chiseled alabaster slabs which shows an
extraordinary refinement of line and detail far superior
than Egyptian carvings.
 Facing with polychrome glazed bricks was introduced
by the Assyrians was a principal mode of decoration.
 The Assyrians displayed their skilled craftsmanship
not only in stone carving but also in bronze working as
shown in the gates of Shalmanaser II.
 The external ornament of Assyrian palaces appears to
have been concentrated round the main entrance in the
sculptured monsters which guarded the kingly
threshold.
 Persians used horizontal stone lintels for doors and
windows in contrast to the arches of the Assyrians.
 Assyrian roofs were supported on brick vaults or
timber poles were externally flat and were probably
rendered waterproof by layers of bitumen.
 Houses in Babylon were vaulted and the dome was
frequently employed over small compartments.
 Persian roofs were also flat and probably of timber.
 Assyrians seldom appear to have used columns.
 The Persians continued the use of flanking monsters
to doorways as in the Propylea at Persepolis.
EXAMPLES:
A. EARLY MESOPOTAMIAN ARCHITECTURE
1. Warka ( Uruk: the Biblical Erech )
 Was by far the largest of the Sumerian cities.
 In the Early dynastic period it had a perimeter of over
9.00 km (6.00 miles).
 About one third (1/3) of this great area was occupied
by temples and other public buildings.
 The two major areas of the city with important
buildings were the Eanna and the Anu precincts
associated with the mother goddess and sky god
respectively.
2. Ziggurat and Precinct of Ur
 Already very old, were extensively remodeled by
Urnammu and his successor.
 The complex comprised the ziggurat and its court; a
secondary court attached to it and three great temples.
 All these stood on a great rectangular platform at the
heart of an oval shaped walled city which is 6.10 m
above the surrounding plain.
 The ziggurat is 62.00 m x 43.00 m on base, and about
21.00 m high and carried a temple on its summit.
 Ziggurat at Ur had a solid core of mud brick covered
with a skin of burnt brickwork 2.40 m thick.
3. The White Temple and Ziggurat at Warka
 The best preserved among the ziggurats dedicated
to Anu.
 May be said to illustrate the origin of the ziggurat or
temple tower in the prehistoric Mesopotamian temple
set on its platform.
 Had sloping sides, three of which had flat buttresses.
 The temple originally whitewashed had an end-toend hall span of 4.50 m flanked on both sides by a series
of smaller rooms, three of which contained stairway
leading to the roof.
Shallow buttresses formed the principal decoration of
the hall and external walls.
 The platform stood 13.00 m high.
4. Temple Oval at Khafaje
 Located northeast of Baghdad.
 Was an unusual complex dating from the Early
Dynastic Period.
 Of the three ascending terraced levels, the lowest
made a forecourt approached through an arched and
towered gateway from the town, with a many roomed
buildings on one side, either administrative or a
dwelling for the chief priest.
 The second terrace, wholly surrounded by rooms
used as workshops and stores had at its end the temple
platform about 3.60 m high.
 Near its stair case against the side of the temple
terrace, was an external sacrificial altar.
5. Sumer
 Located in southern Mesopotamia
 Is the earliest known civilization in the world.
6. Gobekli Tepe
 World’s first temple.
 Early Neolithic sanctuary located at the top of a
mountain ridge in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of
Turkey.
 It includes massive stones carved about 11,000 years
ago by people who had not yet developed metal tools
or even pottery.
 Predating Stonehenge by 6,000 years, Turkey's
stunning Gobekli Tepe upends the conventional view of
the rise of civilization.
B. ASSYRIAN ARCHITECTURE
1. City of Ashur
 Was the ancient religious and national center of the
Assyrian states.
 Here the ziggurat temple of Ashur, the national god,
was restored by Tukulti-Ninurta I.
 The double temple of Anu and Adad had twin
ziggurats with their related temples spanning between
them.
2. City of Nimrud (Calah)
 There was an enclosure with another, 100.00 m x
70.00 m overall.
 Was restored and enlarged by Ashurnasirpal II who
made it as capital of his kingdom.
 Within the ovals the layout was rectilinear, the
corners oriented to the four cardinal points.
 Excavations of its citadel revealed that it had an area
of 550.00 m x 320.00 m.
The North West Palace was built by Ashurnasirpal II as
his chief residence and comprised a large court, flanked
on the north side by a modest ziggurat with associated
temples and by row of rooms later to be used to house
administrative records.
3. Palace of Sargon
 A complex of large and small courts, corridors and
rooms covering 23.00 acres.
 Each of the building was raised upon a terrace.
 The main entrance to the palace grand court was
flanked by great towers and guarded by man headed
winged bulls nearly 3.80 m high.
 The palace had circular arch decorated with brilliantly
coloured glazed bricks.
 The palace had three main parts, each abutting the
grand court.
 A group of three large and small temples.
 Service quarters and administrative offices.
 The private and residential apartments with state
chambers behind it.
 State chambers had their own court.
 The lofty throne room about 49.00 m x 10.70 m was
the outermost of the state suite planned around its own
internal court.
 The throne room was probably one of the few
apartments to have flat timber ceiling, for fine timber
was rare and costly.
 The plastered walls bore painted decoration of triple
band of friezes framed in running ornament about 5.50
m high overall.
 Walls are thick, about 6.10 m in average.
 The Grand and Temple Courts are decorated with
sunken vertical paneling on the whitewash walls and
towers finished stepped battlements on top and stone
plinths below.
4. City of Nineveh
 Was made the capital of the Assyrian Empire by
Sargon’s son Sennacherib.
C. NEO-BABYLONIAN ARCHITECTURE
1. City of Babylon
 Its ruins differ from those earlier cities largely
because of the use of burnt brick.
 Destroyed by Sennacherib.
 Rebuilt by Nebuchadnezzar II.
 Had an inner and outer part each heavily fortified.
 The inner town was probably square in plan of about
1300 m sides containing the principal buildings, the
Euphrates River forming the west side.
 The principal sites lined the river front, and behind
them ran a great processional way.
 Ishtar Gate glows in colored glazed bricks, patterned
with yellow and white bulls and dragons in relief upon
blue ground.
2. Hanging Gardens of Babylon
 One of the marvels of the ancient world.
 Was 275.00 m x 183.0 m over all.
 Among its maze of rooms was a vast throne room
52.00 m x 17.00 m whose façade is decorated with
polychrome glazed bricks.
 It is adjacent to the chief temple of the city dedicated
to Marduk and to the north of it is the famous ziggurat,
“The Tower of Babel“.
D. EARLY ANATOLIAN AND HITITE ARCHITECTURE
1. Palace of Beycesultan
 Is an outstanding example of the use of timber as
reinforcement for walls constructed of mud bricks with
footings of limestone.
 Some resemblance to the palaces of Minoan Crete is
discernible though not a close one.
2. Temple I, Bogazköy
 Is the largest and oldest of five identified temple
there.
 Has no regular orientation but show other principal
features in common.
 Consist of a number of rooms arranged round a
central court, with cloister or corridor access on two
or more sides.
 Is girdled by a paved road beyond which are
numerous magazines, many still filled with great
pottery jars and one containing cuneiform tablets
constituting the temple record.
3. Open- air sanctuary, Yizilikaya
 About 1.60 km northeast of Bogazköy.
 A deep re-entrant in an almost sheer limestone
face with processions of some seventy gods and
goddesses about 1.00 m high.
 A lesser sanctuary with reliefs adjoins the east.
E. CANAANITE, PHOENICIAN AND ISRAELITE
ARCHITECTURE
1. Two Palaces at Tell Atchana (Ancient Alalakh)
 Construction is mostly attributed to the Hurrians
more than to any other groups.
F. SYRO-HITITE ARCHITECTURE
1. Citadel of Zincirli
 Oval in plan, standing centrally on a mound in a
walled town which, like so many in ancient West Asia,
was completely circular.
 Construction of the citadel walls was typical of the
period in being of timber framed, sun dried bricks,
standing in two courses of cut masonry in rubble
foundation.
 Internally the citadel is divided was divided into
defensive zones by cross walls, securing the approaches
to an “Upper” and “Lower” Palace of about the eight
century BC.
 Each palace comprised bit-hilâni or porched house
which is so characteristic of Syria during that period and
may have had its origin as early as the palace of YarimLim in Alalakh.
G. URARTIAN ARCHITECTURE
1. Citadel of Van
 Earlier construction was built by Yarim-Lim, ruler
of the minor kingdom of Yamkhad.
 The capital of Urartu, must have been impregnable.
 In essence a private house with the public rooms
in the north wing and the private rooms at the
south.
 Has a long cliff along the south side, and some 90.00
m of the Urartian walls survives among much later
work.
 The most interesting feature of the Yarim’s
palace was the use of basalt orthostats in the north
wing, the earliest example.
 At the west end of the citadel stands a massive stone
podium, perhaps a shrine but more probably a form a
barbican protecting the entrance of the citadel.
2. Temple of Solomon, Jerusalem
 Water supply coming from a spring was built by
Sarduri I the founder of Van.
 Built by the Phoenician craftsmen with cedar
beams imported from Lebanon.
 Nothing has survived from it.
 Excavations revealed much of the long and
complex succession of defenses of the city in the
Jebusite period and after David made it the center
of his kingdom.
 The fortification of the citadel was almost certainly
the work of Menua, whose reign together with that of
Menua II saw the two main periods of building activity
that seem to have occurred in the history of Urartu.
2. Temple of Kayalidere
 Made of rougher masonry.
 Has a façade over 12.00 m long, with walls 3.20 m
thick.
 Interior of the sanctuary is 5.00 m square.
 Dedicated to Haldi, the chief god Of Urartu.
 May have had gable roof and may resembled Tomb
of Cyrus at Pasargadae though in wood instead of stone.
3. Shamiram Su (Semiramis Canal)
 Is the most famous of the canals and cisterns which
formed a major part of the works of the successive
Urartian kings.
 Was constructed by Menua to bring water from the
valley of the Hosap river southeast of Van to the fields
and gardens round the capital.
 This canal is largely visible to this day.
H. PHRYGIAN ARCHITECTURE
1. Gordion
 The capital of Phrygia.
I.
MEDIAN AND PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE
A third doorway on the south led towards the
“Apadana”, a grand audience hall 76.20 m square with
thirty-six columns within its 6.00 m thick walls begun by
Darius but completed by his two successors.
 Lay immediately south of the Apadana is the Palace
of Darius.
 The buildings of Darius were arranged in the loose
fashion of earlier times.
 Xerxes added his buildings in between.
 Xerxes built his own palace near the southwest angle
connected with an L-shaped building identified as
“Harem” or women’s quarter
 Xerxes commenced the famous “Hall of the Hundred
Columns” – a Throne Hall 68.60 m square with 11.30 m
high, supporting flat cedar roof.
 All walls were double, except on the north side.
1. Tomb of Cyrus, Pasargadae
 All monumental stairs were lined with reliefs.
 A simple box like monument of limestone 3.20 m
x 2.30 m.
 Stepped battlements crowned the parapet walls.
 Gabled and standing on a platform of six steps.
 It is typically Achaemenian in its use of large
blocks, accurately cut, smoothly dressed without
mortar but reinforced by swallowtail clamps of lead
and iron.
Ten Main Parts/Buildings of the Palace at Persepolis
(memorize)
 Begun in 518 BC by Darius I.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Stairway to Terrace
Gatehouse of Xerxes
Apadana of Darius I
Palace of Darius I
Palace of Xerxes
Tripylon
Harem
Treasury
Hall of 100 Columns
Inner Gatehouse
 Was mostly executed by Xerxes I and finished by
Artaxerxes I about 460 BC.
J.
 Various buildings stood on a platform partly built
and partly excavated.
SELEUCID, PARTHIAN AND SASSANIAN
ARCHITECTURE
1. Palace, Feruz-abad
 Its design is based on an early house and
paralleled by the tomb of Gur-i-Dokhtar.
2. Palace of Persepolis
 The approach on the northwest was by a
magnificent flight of steps 6.70 m wide shallow
enough for horses to ascend.
 A gate house by Xerxes had mud brick walls,
faced with polychrome glazed bricks, and front and
rear portals guarded by stone bulls.
 Built of stone rubble faced with plaster.
 Has deep, open fronted arched entrance leading to
three domed halls, forming a reception suite, beyond
which is a court surrounded by private chambers.
2. Palace, Ctesiphon
 It is made of brick.
 Usually attributed to Chosroes I but is probably of
the fourth century AD.
 Principal part surviving is a vast banqueting hall,
open fronted like the reception tents of tribal sheiks
in nomadic days, with flanking private wings
screened by an enormous walls 34.40 m high.
TERMINOLOGIES
1. Citadel – in military architecture, a fort with four
to six bastions. It is usually sited at a corner of a
fortified town but connected to it.
2. Barbican – an outwork of a medieval castle, of
which the object was to protect a drawbridge or the
entrance.
3. Voussoirs – the truncated wedge-shaped blocks
forming an arch.