Egyptian Architecture

The egyptian architectural period was a time a creative and risky design. Egyptians used sun-dried mud brick or stone to construct massive monuments that were usually religious based such as the Great Pyramid of Giza. Actually, a reoccuring characteristic of egyptian architecture is the pyramid design. This design provided for a strong long-lasting structure that could also be built up to a massive size. Major points in egyptian architecture that stand out to people are the sphinxs, pyramids, and large temples dedicated to the pharaoh and other high ranking people. Other noteable designs are the tombs and monuments depicting their gods. Imhotep was considered to be the first architect in history. (www.wikipedia.org) As one of the officials of the Pharaoh, Djoser, he designed the Pyramid of Djoser (the Step Pyramid) at Saqqara in Egypt in 2630 – 2611 BCE.^[10] He may have been responsible for the first known use of columns in architecture. As an instigator of Egyptian culture, Imhotep's idealized image lasted well into the Ptolemaic period. The Egyptian historian Manetho credited him with inventing the method of a stone-dressed building during Djoser's reign, though he was not the first to actually build with stone. Stone walling, flooring, lintels, and jambs had appeared sporadically during the Archaic Period, though it is true that a building of the Step Pyramid's size and made entirely out of stone had never before been constructed. Before Djoser, pharaohs were buried in mastaba tombs.