Complex pyramidal Egyptian
With the period Prédynastique then the period Thinite one witnesses an evolution characteristic of the funerary habits of the former Egyptians who are translated for the most powerful character of the kingdom by the digging of impressive underground galleries reaching the royal vault and the construction of monumental constructions into raw bricks announcing in the desert abydénien the ultimate residence of the king become god. These structures became increasingly complex as well by their internal provisions as external during and S. the Pharaons of these first lines will develop this architecture more and the principles which chaired it while making build large enclosures intended to be used for the funerary worship of the king who remained to him buried with the variation in his Cénotaphe in lower part of a monument pointing out the Benben, the paramount hillock or more probably fall it from Osiris.
It is with Djéser that the architecture of the royal tombs takes a new dash joining together in only one complex these two elements up to that point distinct and giving to the monument an unequalled scale. Not only architecture is made stone, which represents a true technical revolution, but the pyramidal form is born, translating to once become it of Pharaon it joined the stay of the gods, index of a theological revolution. Indeed, this selected form very quickly will become the principal element of the funerary complex so much so that it describes the destination as it and than one will speak from now on about complex pyramidal .
Throughout this Ancient Empire it appears certain with the sights of discovered Textes of the pyramids that this architecture answered precise codes, learnedly thought then registered in the stone even of caveaux funerary in order to adding the writing eternal to this stone ECRIN intended to ensure the immortality of a divine king.
The pyramidal complex in IIIe dynasty
Djéser, second Pharaon of the dynasty, inaugurates with its complex of Saqqarah a new concept which will see a quick change in a little less than one century but whose principal elements will be with few things close immutable for all the royal monuments which will follow. This whole of buildings with funerary vocation develops according to a southern northern axis and its access was done by the south-east of the principal enclosure.
The account after him still four sovereigns who will build in their turn of other complexes continuing the initiated experiment and giving to the pyramid with degrees an increasingly dominating place signs probable of an evolution of the dominant religious thought whose god Re was the rising divinity. Apart from famous the complex of Djéser only three others were currently identified.
This dawn nun was parallel to the strengthening of a theocratic royal capacity whose main subject, god makes man, finished his terrestrial course in its palate of eternity in the Western desert, guaranteeing a news and ultimate transformation of the man king to him into a new god reappearing for eternity. Very quickly its association with the solar star, visible Hypostasis of the god Re, appeared as the held promise of a life assured in beyond for this character out of the commun run which had received same gods the heritage of the throne of Geb, god of the ground. Pharaon reigned on the men and the ground by divine right and its to become could be only immortal.
The funerary complex was to ensure this role and far from being a necropolis quiet and deserted it then reproduced the palate of the king and all the elements necessary to ensure him of many jubilees, like Re.
The plan of each pyramidal complex of this dynasty will hardly change although it is true that only the examples of Djéser and Sekhemkhet can truly be compared, their successors not having been able to complete their clean complex. One reached the funerary enclosure by a single access placed at the south-east of the principal enclosure of the complex which gave access to a first part of reception opening on a big space subdivided into different course following one another to the pertaining to worship temple. This last joined with the northern face of the pyramid sheltered in its basement the access to the underground device of the pyramid whose plan will be simplified reigns progressively.
The funerary Complexe of Djéser remains particular on the one hand because of its completion, but especially in comparison with the complexity of these appendices which then occupy still an important place in the general device of the royal cenotaph.
With Houni last sovereign of the dynasty, the accent is put on the pyramid itself which reaches unequalled proportions until there. The principal innovation of the Pyramide of Meïdoum lies especially in the royal vault which is placed in the middle of the solid mass of the pyramid, protected by a vault in corbelling, of which the concept will find its achievement with the great projects of Daschour and Gizeh.
Thus one finds as of the first pyramidal complexes the essential principles which will make the characteristic of the monuments of the following dynasties. A temple of reception, a pertaining to worship part being next to the pyramid, a southern tomb intended for the royal ka and all appendices necessary to ensure the funerary worship of the king.
The pyramidal complex from IVe dynasty
With the architecture of the pyramidal complexes takes a new form. The pyramid remains the most important element and the additional parts seem crushed by its mass so much and so that one speaks more about the pyramid that of these essential monuments for the royal funerary worship. It is however from Snéfrou that the principal elements initiated with the dynasty the preceding ones will find their plan final with a low temple and an ascending roadway connecting it to a high temple or funerary temple coupled to the pyramidal monument.
The primitive enclosure of the complexes of is transformed then into a wall girding the pyramid, the pyramid of the Ka and the pertaining to worship part of the high temple and from now on will be indicated by the Egyptologists under the term of Péribole.
This general plan will undergo only minor modifications during all the era of the large pyramids. But each architectural element analyzed in detail watch an evolution and the mark of a constant research on behalf of the former architects. However, two short periods of the Egyptian history, it and second half of make exception to this rule, the plans of the complexes being reproduced in manner quasi-uniform.
The Pharaons of the Average Empire, to legitimate their reign, will draw their inspiration among their glorious ancestors and will reinstate in their funerary complex of the elements appeared in and the such wall enclosing in steps of the complex of Djéser or the systems of closing with harrow of the Pyramide rhomboïdale. The plan hitherto firmly established and largely devoted pyramidal complex underwent consequent modifications. Thus the toughest convention which placed the entry of the funerary apartments on the northern face of the pyramid disappeared under the reign from Sésostris {{II}} showing the sign that, henceforth, the desire of the sovereigns to protect their skin prevailed.
The low temple
True temple of reception of the funerary or ceremonial processions in the honor of the late Pharaon, these structures were built with the edge of the cultivated grounds. One reached it by a port arranged at the edge of a lake or of a water reserve especially supplied with a derivation of the channel of Memphis. It is in these temples that were practiced the rites of embalming of royal late and, once the completed burial, that the daily offerings intended for the funerary worship were brought which was returned in the high temple. With the architecture of the low temples becomes elegant with gantries with monolithic columns, conferring to them the aspect of Propylée S monumental. They were decorated reliefs and richly equipped with royal statues and comprised vaults intended for the worship of the principal divinities of the kingdom. These temples which, in the first times of, were isolated from the world from alive will place thereafter in the heart even of a true city whose role entire was devoted to the funerary worship of the king.
Towns of pyramids thus appeared with the foot of the pyramidal complexes and it is necessary to imagine for certain sites become true dynastic necropoles a wide agglomeration dealing with Memphis, the old capital of the kingdom located on other side of the principal channel.
A whole administration had been established around the low temple as well as ports to discharge the goods coming from the funerary fields associated with the worship from the king, the artisanal workshops, butcheries, bakeries and the dwellings of the priests and servants dedicated to this true funerary foundation which occupied an important place in the economic life of the country. The importance of these cities and their temple of reception is then such as the capital itself will end up taking the name of the pyramid of Pépi {{Ier}} which qualified its funerary complex, proof if it is influence which exerted this whole in the town planning of the Ancient Empire.
The roadway
The distance of the various devices constituting the royal funerary complex finds, from the reign of Snéfrou, a solution with the invention of a long paved way provided with two parallel walls. There are a thought time that these roadways were with open sky but made discoveries with Saqqarah and to Abousir come to contradict this restitution and they should from now on be imagined like true corridors plunged in certain a half-light and being inserted through the desert towards the pyramid and its funerary temple.
Its length varied according to the site chosen for the construction of the pyramid which was more or less far away from the edge of the cultivated grounds and thus of the godroons which could serve the port of the temple and the building site during the construction of the complex. Thus for Khéops, although its exact layout is lost under the modern city of Gizeh, one can consider at more than 730 meters the length of the roadway connecting the two parts, thanks to the discovery recent of the vestiges of the ground of the temple of reception in full heart of the city. With that of Ounas to Saqqarah they are the longest roadways attested in a sure way until now.
This roadway, which led to the funerary temple the processions of offering daily bringing the goods and goods necessary to the worship of the king, was thus a colossal work to build, requiring important ground rising in order to catch up with uneven ground as well as sometimes imposing foundations as attests it the example of the pyramidal complex of Sahourê in Abousir.
It was also borrowed by the funerary procession once the rites of momification completed in the low temple and the body of the king placed in his internal sarcophagus. Its walls were decorated reliefs recalling the events of the reign and supported a roof in which was arranged openings in order to clarify this long advance towards the necropolis royal.
Thus at the time of the funeral, for last once the sovereign crossed the long corridor of his reign, passing in front of the scenes recalling his history such his constructions in the honor of the gods or certain spectacular stages of the construction of his funerary complex, his glorious huntings, its victorious wars to which assisted in a supporting attitude and nun the royal family and all the assembly of large of the kingdom come to eternally pay homage to the god victorious king of chaos. Lastly, all its people also were illustrated there, solidified in the attitudes necessary to cultivate, collect, raise the cattle, to drive out the birds, to fish fish in abundance and to produce all that was necessary to its survival in beyond.
The high temple
Simple vault giving on a court sheltering the funerary stele of the king with the pyramids of Snéfrou, the high temple develops in a masterly way with its successor with Gizeh. Its principal access is done by the roadway and it comprises in addition to stores intended to shelter the material of the worship and the royal statues, a large court bordered of gantries intended for the ritual purifications of the offerings made to the king daily. This court opened on the intimate part of the temple containing the false stele carries intended to facilitate the passage of the ka of the king from one world to another. True funerary liturgical object, this high stele was sheltered either in one second court with open sky or in a covered room.
This provision of the principal elements of the high temple will find evolution only in its complexity. With appears in the middle of the high temple a vault with five niches which contained five naoi sheltering five statues of the king illustrated in the shape of the five principal divinities of the country. The part of reception of the temple develops still more with the addition of additional stores and an architecture with elegance similar to that of the low temple, but especially of a richness of the materials which takes the step little by little on the colossal architecture of. Granite for monolithic columns of various orders, limestones finely carved in supporting high relief for the walls of the yellow star ceilings carved gold on a blue bottom harms, basalt or alabaster for the grounds… True forwardings are organized in the Eastern desert, towards the Sinai or more traditionally towards the careers of Aswan to find then to bring back by whole loadings these materials whose event-driven arrival for the time will be illustrated on the reliefs of the roadways of each complex.
Systems of drain are spared in the ground even temple in order to evacuate water lustrales abundantly versed on the offerings in the principal court of the monument. In the same way, of massive waste-gas mains with head of lion are fixed on the top of the walls in order to evacuate the rare rain water which could fall down on the desert of time to other and thus to threaten the painted decorations of the sanctuary whose essential symbolic system took part fully in the worship which was returned there.
Pictorial art indeed reaches for this period a top which will be perceived for a long time as the apogee of the ancient Egyptian art so much so that the distances successors of which inaugurates the Saïte period, will be inspired some in any point.
Pits with boat
Certain pyramidal complexes, from, will integrate pits into boat, elements already present in the funerary complexes of. The pyramids of Khéops and Khéphren count of them five, the pyramid of Sésostris {{III}} () certainly more. To, only two pyramidal complexes delivered some, the complex of Néferirkarê and the complex of Ounas.
With Khéops one attends for the first time the construction of pyramids of size similar and intended to shelter the royal and inevitably divine skins of his wives. One counts three for his complex of them, a height exceeding the twenty meters and laying out each one of a descending shaft leading to a vault arranged in lower part of the monument. Imitated in that by a certain number of his successors, one will note that they were built systematically outside the peribolus with in general an independent access. The vault which the beginning of their invention, coupled their Eastern face, made it possible to make the worship funerary, was transformed quickly into a small temple whose complexity will progressively develop to them reigns certainly to become true miniature pyramidal complexes, but independent. Thus the pyramid of Khentkaous {{Anger}}, prototype of this type of complex intended for a large royal wife, built in the north of the roadway of the temple of Mykérinos is connected to this one by its own roadway. Ouserkaf will make build for Néferhétepès a small complex in the south of his with Saqqarah and equips it with a small temple of worship joined with the Eastern face of the small pyramid. Khentkaous {{II}}, which one knows today thanks to the recent excavations of Abousir that she was regarded as one of the mothers founders of the dynasty, will still have its own pyramidal complex with a more important temple between the pyramidal complexes of her husband and his two sons.
Djedkarê finally will make build in the north of the funerary temple a true pyramidal complex for a still anonymous, complex queen equipped with a temple but this time of its own satellite pyramid.
It is with that the evolution of these pyramids of queens will see her result. Indeed, not only one attends their multiplication, signal of a notorious change in the role of the queens near Pharaon, but especially the last excavations carried out made it possible to find there adapted versions of the texts of the pyramids covering the walls of caveaux intended to protect the royal mummies, privilege up to that point reserved to the king alone.
With the Moyen Empire these subsidiary pyramids will be also built, but this time pyramid-satellite and pyramids of queens will be included in the peribolus of the pyramidal complex of Pharaon.
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