were being erected with walls, projecting towers, and
gates, the designs of which were preserved on the
palettes of this time and thus survived to influence later
historical periods.
Of particular interest architecturally are the average
dwellings of the Egyptians. The earliest abodes were
probably versions of tents or roofless areas protected
from the wind and rain by walls or thickets. Eventually
mud was utilized to make walls, thus providing the mod-
els for the first actual residences. The mud, daubed at
first on thatched walls, was later turned into bricks, sun
dried and considerably more durable. Buildings were cir-
cular or oval in design, but innovations in wall construc-
tions, such as battering (the process of sloping walls to
provide sturdier bases), provided artistic flair and bal-
ance. Windows and doors were employed at the same
time. The windows were set into walls at high levels, and
both portals were trimmed with wood, a material that
became scarce in later periods.
In Upper Egypt there were definite advances, but
generally speaking, one of three basic plans was followed
in construction. The first was a rectangular structure with
paneled sides and a hooped roof. The second was a rect-
angular pavilion with a vaulted roof. The third was the
SEREKH(2)design. This was a large system of elaborately
paneled facings and niches. Flax chalk lines (lines drawn
in chalk after being measured with taut ropes) were used
early for construction measurements.
THE EARLY DYNASTIC PERIOD
(2920–2575 B.C.E.)
AND THE OLD KINGDOM (2575–2134 B.C.E.)
Art
Although the Early Dynastic Period and the Old King-
dom are noted for the rapid and impressive development
of architecture, as evidenced in tombs, TEMPLES, and
the evolving MASTABA, alongside the PYRAMID, the decora-
tive arts flourished as well. Craftsmen produced excep-
tional pieces of statuary, painting, furniture, jewelry,
and household instruments, which all benefited from
experimentation.
Sculpture in the round (freestanding statues) fulfilled
a ceremonial need for display in religious matters and
provided representation of the royal lines. Most statues
were made of limestone or granite. Sometimes wood, clay,
and even bronze were used, but such materials were rare.
Sculpture followed the same convention as painting and
relief, displaying a stylistic similarity. Statues were com-
pact and solid, notable for the air of serenity and ideal-
ized features that they imparted to their subjects. Such
idealization was a key element in the art of the time, for-
malized into powerful conventions. Portraiture was not
practiced on the elite, but realism emerged in the statues
of the commoners or lesser known individuals. The eyes
of the statues were sometimes brought to life by the
insertion of stones into the eye sockets. Paintings and
reliefs displayed a religious orientation. As part of the
decoration of mortuary complexes they depicted architec-
tural and hunting scenes, paradise scenes, and depictions
of everyday life, with references to the Nile River and its
marshlands. One remarkable tomb at MEIDUM depicts
uniquely beautiful paintings of geese, portrayed with
engaging naturalism.
At the close of the Fourth Dynasty (2465 B.C.E.) the
art of depicting figures and scenes in shrunken reliefs was
started. The outline of the form was cut sharply into the
surfaces of the walls, leaving enough space to emphasize
the figure. Shadows thus emerged, accentuating line and
movement while protecting the forms from wear. In this
era the solar temples (designed to honor RÉ, the sun god,
and to catch the sun’s rays at dawn) were being erected
along the Nile, and artists began to depict the natural
loveliness of the landscape and the changing seasons, as
well as the heavenly bodies.
Wall surfaces were marked by red and black lines
in the first stage of painting, allowing the artists to48 art and architectureA statue of the Old Kingdom Period pyramid builder Khafré
that displays the flowering of art in the early eras of Egypt.
(Hulton Archive.)