TY - GEN
T1 - Egyptian engineering in the Early Dynastic period
T2 - Origin of the State. Predynastic and Early Dynastic Egypt
AU - La Loggia, Angela Sophia
PY - 2011
Y1 - 2011
N2 - Well before the Pyramid Age, the Egyptians built monumental structures as is
demonstrated by the massive mud-brick tombs and funerary enclosures of the Early
Dynastic kings at Abydos and the mastabas in the contemporary elite cemetery at
Saqqara. Timber in this early period was most often used to roof the sub- and superstructures, whilst some tomb owners also utilised this material for the lining of their burial chambers. A few of these tombs incorporated ston,e in their structures, such as the granite pavement in the tomb of King Den (Dynasty) J, the limestone blocks lining the burial chamber of King Khasekhemwy (Dynasty 2), and the stone roofing of the Dynasty 1 Tombs 3507, 2185 and 3121 at Saqqara.ln addition, monolithic limestone slabs were used to line, pave and roof some of the tombs of the Early Dynastic officials and lower classes at He/wan, located on the east bank of the Nile. Although less than 0.5% of the more than 10,000 tombs so far excavated contained stone, the Helwan tombs are exceptional in their use of stone in this period. It was, however, the humble mud~brick that was the most commonly-used building material of this early period. The massive mud-brick structures built at this time not only show impressive architectural skill, but also demonstrate the high degree of proficiency of the early builders when evaluated against engineered designs that are centred on rational mathematical analysis of the loads and strengths of the materials used in the structure. Ancient Egyptian building methods were based on empirical design, which was determined by the practical and experimental limits of wall heights and thicknesses for standing walls and roofing. The engineering analysis undertaken for this paper ultimately aims to demonstrate that these structures were not built in an ad hoc manner, but were constructed with a significant level of expertise, ingenuity and resourcefulness at this early period in Egyptian history.
AB - Well before the Pyramid Age, the Egyptians built monumental structures as is
demonstrated by the massive mud-brick tombs and funerary enclosures of the Early
Dynastic kings at Abydos and the mastabas in the contemporary elite cemetery at
Saqqara. Timber in this early period was most often used to roof the sub- and superstructures, whilst some tomb owners also utilised this material for the lining of their burial chambers. A few of these tombs incorporated ston,e in their structures, such as the granite pavement in the tomb of King Den (Dynasty) J, the limestone blocks lining the burial chamber of King Khasekhemwy (Dynasty 2), and the stone roofing of the Dynasty 1 Tombs 3507, 2185 and 3121 at Saqqara.ln addition, monolithic limestone slabs were used to line, pave and roof some of the tombs of the Early Dynastic officials and lower classes at He/wan, located on the east bank of the Nile. Although less than 0.5% of the more than 10,000 tombs so far excavated contained stone, the Helwan tombs are exceptional in their use of stone in this period. It was, however, the humble mud~brick that was the most commonly-used building material of this early period. The massive mud-brick structures built at this time not only show impressive architectural skill, but also demonstrate the high degree of proficiency of the early builders when evaluated against engineered designs that are centred on rational mathematical analysis of the loads and strengths of the materials used in the structure. Ancient Egyptian building methods were based on empirical design, which was determined by the practical and experimental limits of wall heights and thicknesses for standing walls and roofing. The engineering analysis undertaken for this paper ultimately aims to demonstrate that these structures were not built in an ad hoc manner, but were constructed with a significant level of expertise, ingenuity and resourcefulness at this early period in Egyptian history.
M3 - Conference proceeding contribution
SN - 9789042924901
T3 - Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta
SP - 233
EP - 256
BT - Egypt at its Origins 3
A2 - Friedman, Renée F.
A2 - Fiske, Peter N.
PB - Peeters Publishers
CY - Leuven
Y2 - 27 July 2008 through 1 August 2008
ER -