OPUS 3

We spent some time in class this week not only comparing and contrasting two buildings in particular - Khufu's Great Pyramid at Giza with Hatshepsut's Tomb - but also male and female architecture. We found that the scale of a building had a lot to do with the specific sex it was made for. For example, Khufu was a male pharaoh, and his pyramid was large, reaching toward the sky, and was surrounded by smaller pyramids. These smaller pyramids were most likely for his wives and mother. (Roth, 196) Therefore, in this case the women's temples were not nearly as grand, causing Khufu's pyramid to stand out. Even when compared to the female pharaoh Hatshepsut's tomb, hers was not as large in scale or quite as intimidating.






In this same light, Hatshepsut's tomb did not stand out as much as Khufu's pyramids did. Instead, her tomb seemed to be unified with the land. It appeared that her tomb was actually a part of the mountain behind it, and that she took consideratin for others and the land, using similar materials. Khufu's Pyramid on the other hand was built to contrast the land and be noticed as a completely seperate ground. Another example of unity would be the cities and homes in ancient Egypt. Most homes were built the same way with flaired edges, were about the same size and were built connected to each other, almost like a townhouse in our current times. (Roth 207)




Also when comparing the before mentioned pieces of architecture, we found that the Tomb of Hatshepsut had many openings and, though it did have some large male comumns, it was more open and accessible than Khufu'd pyramid. The pyramid seemed to have many boundaries - for one it had no easy visible entrance. Also, anyone who wanted to enter knew there were traps set inside, and passage ways which were kept secret, creating more boundaries. (Roth 199)

A hypostyle hall, such as the one in the Temple of Khonsu, houses many columns. (Roth, 206) These comuns are usually massive and may even have engravings on them called heiroglyphics. These heirogliphics tell a story, much like a vignette. They were very deep, complex markings with intricate designs, made in an attempt to stand the test of time.



Many important elements in architecture, as we have discussed, come in threes. The one that has come up most reciently was porch, court, and hearth. I learned that to every building, and in some cases to every city, or just every room, one can find a porch a court and a hearth. This divides an area into sections. A porch would the transition place from out to in, and creates a change in atmosphere (a famous example of a porch would be the Loins Gate); a court is a place for gathering, a place to be seen; the hearth section is usually only available to specific individuals. This means it can be a master bedroom, which sould only be entered by the owner, or a place of worship, with a statue of a god, which should only be entered by someone of great importance or religious hierarchy, such as a priest.