What are architectural and artistic features, construction practices, functions, and symbolic meanings of Zoser’s Pyramid Complex at Saqqara?
Egypt was one of the most civilized and prosperous lands for almost 2000 years in the ancient years. This was as a result of the art and architecture that the country had in the form of pyramids and ruins of temples as well as tombs. The art and architecture provide a valuable history of Egyptian life and up to now, are significant parts of the history of Ancient Egypt. [1]
Egypt is a very religious nation, and the Egyptians believed in life after death. They believed that life continued even after a person dies. However, to live life after death, a dead body had to be preserved or mummified. Mummification in the ancient years involved burying the deceased person’s body in pits in the desert. The heat from the sand, as well as its dryness, dehydrated the bodies creating ‘mummies.’ The dead body was also buried with food, drinks, and items that the person had or enjoyed while alive. [2]
The preservation of the dead body depended on the person’s status in life. For instance, the Kings and wealthy persons were built for tombs that contained structures as well as wall paintings to use in the afterlife. The gods were also treated with proper care as they were made temples that included attendants. Their temples had farmland and stables, and their walls contained rituals and festivals. [3]
Civilization period in Egypt happened between 2650-2150 B.C. and it was under the rule of King Zoser. He was the first king to rule in the Third Dynasty. The king’s minister was the Imhotep, and the advances that took place in this dynasty can be attributed to him. The Imhotep was a skilled architect and the architect of the Zoser Pyramid Complex. [4]
The Zoser Pyramid also known as the Step Pyramid was the first stone building in ancient Egypt. It was designed to preserve the body of Zoser and his family members. The pyramid contains the body of Pharaoh Zoser and his Ka. During its construction, Pharaoh Zoser ordered that his mastaba, be a mountain so that people working in the fields below it could see it. He ordered his Imhotep to enlarge the mastaba so that it can be massive as a mountain. The Zoser Pyramid is a huge milestone in the architectural and art history of Egypt. [5]
The pyramid was built of stone, limestone blocks specifically, which was the first in that period and it brought the idea of stone and monumentality. The monument is erected 92′ below the ground, and this is where the Pharaoh Zoser and his Ka reside. There were six stages of the construction of the Zoser pyramid. The first stage involved the construction of a mastaba that in size was similar to a football field. Pharaoh then ordered the enlargement of the mastaba on all sides. This followed an expansion only on the east side making it a rectangular plan. [6]
The pharaoh and his Imhotep then decided to add another mastaba that was smaller directly on top of this one to make two. They then added more on top of the two mastabas to make four mastabas. During the final stage, two more mastabas were added to make a total of six. The Zoser pyramid then became the six-step pyramid. After this, the pyramid was cased with limestone. The final height of the monument was 204 feet. [7]
The pyramid has a wall surrounding it that is 1800 by 900 feet which are made of white limestone. The enclosure wall has a zigzag pattern so that the walls can be stable. The complex has only one entrance that is contained on the south-east side of the enclosure wall. On entering the entrance, there is a long hall. The hallway is filled with 42 columns which are attached to wing walls. The columns form 21 compartments along the hallway. The columns of the hallway have a very plastic quality and are fluted. They appear like bundles of reeds.
The long hallway includes a smaller hall that has four pairs of columns that are connected to the walls placed vertically to the long hallway. The hall being vertical allows for sunlight to cut through the openings created. There are other structures in the complex apart from the pyramid, and these include the south tomb and two courts (north court and Hebsed court). The southern tomb contains Pharaoh’s Ka and the north court has two houses. The structures in these courts are completely solid because they do not have any internal spaces. The Zoser Complex Pyramid was a significant milestone in architectural design and is an essential part in the history of architecture.
Just outside the enclosure wall is a trench dug that surrounds the complex. The trench is decorated with niches, and it measures 750m in length and 40 meters in width.
The Zoser complex has a burial chamber that is a vault. The chamber is constructed with well-dressed granite and had one opening. The opening, however, was closed after the burial of the pharaoh.
The north side of the complex pyramid contained the temple otherwise known as the northern temple. It faced the north stars which the pharaoh hoped to join. The north temple provided a place for rituals to be performed daily as well as offerings. Just adjacent to the temple is the sedarb which housed the Kings Ka. The sedarb had two holes in it so that the King could witness the ceremonies and rituals.
The Zoser pyramid is wholly made of stone and is the first in the dynasty. The pyramid is then cased with limestone, and the enclosure walls are made of white limestone. The builders used larger and better blocks as compared to previous pyramids and laid the beds leaning inwards. They used clay instead of mortar as an aid to set the blocks. The builders also buried the dummy structures partially, that included those in the North and South tomb.
The enclosure walls were made in a zigzag pattern which is known as crenellation. The builders dug a trench in the underlying rock near the enclosure wall. The trench walls have niches as decorations, and it is 750m in length and 40m in width.
The builders of the Zoser Pyramid were profoundly influenced by architecture in the early dynasty period. This consisted of the use of light, reeds, straw, wood, mud bricks and matting. For instance, the columns in the long hallway were fluted and appeared reed like. The builders did not plan a step pyramid but a square mastaba which transformed with time into a rectangular mastaba then into the six-step pyramid.
The construction of the Zoser Pyramid was made spatially. The spatial organization allows for one to have views of all its structures diagonally while moving through the complexes. The long hallway was made vertically so that it can create clerestory openings that allow light to cut through into the space.
The columns in the long hallway are fluted, and this might be due to some reasons. First, it is because they emphasize the verticality of the long hall. Second, the columns are narrowed upward and this was used because less support is needed as the column goes upward. The narrowing of the column also contributes to the verticality of the hallway.
Conclusion
The Zoser Complex pyramid plays an essential part in the architectural history of the world as well as in Egypt. It was the first ever pyramid of its kind to be built of stone and was cased with limestone. The Zoser pyramid preserves the body of the third dynasty Pharaoh that was Zoser and his Ka. His Imhotep did the architectural design. During its construction, Pharaoh Zoser ordered that his mastaba, be a mountain so that people working in the fields below it could see it.
The architectural design of the Zoser Pyramid consisted of the use of natural materials such as stone, mud bricks, reeds, and wood. This was evident in the construction of the mastabas, the enclosure walls as well as the columns in the long walls. The Zoser Pyramid has a spatial, unlike other pyramids that allows one to have views of all its structures diagonally while moving through the complexes. In conclusion, the Zoser Pyramid marked an essential part of Ancient Egyptian history and paved way to a building of masonry with stone.
References
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Aldred, C. (1965). Egypt to the End of the Old Kingdom (New York: McGraw-Hill.). UniM Baill High Use 913.32 A365
Aldred, C. (1988). Akhenaten, King of Egypt. London: Thames and Hudson. UniM Baill High Use 932.0140924 ALDR
Bottaro, J. (2001) Religion in Ancient Mesopotamia.
Chadwick, First Civilizations: Part II, Ch. 4. The Akkadians and the Ur III Dynasty; Mesopotamia in the second millennium BC, pp. 50–59.
Desroches-Noblecourt, C. (1989). Tutankhamen: Life and Death of a Pharaoh London: Penguin. UniM Baill 932.01 DESR – recalled from store
Edwards, I.E.S. (1976). Tutankhamun, his tomb, and its treasures. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. UniM Giblin Eunson 709.32 EDW 1
Edwards, I.E.S. (1985). The Pyramids of Egypt. Harmondsworth: Penguin. UniM Baill 932 EDWA
Grimal, N.(1992). A History of Ancient Egypt Cambridge: Blackwells. UniM Baill High Use 932.01 GRIM
Hoffman, M.A. (1984), ‘The Royal Tombs: An End and a Beginning’ (Chapter 18) in Egypt before the Pharaohs, London, pp. 267–288.
Jacobsen, T. (1976). The Treasures of Darkness: A History of Mesopotamian Religion
James, T.G.H. (1988). Ancient Egypt: the land and its legacy. London: British Museum Publications. UniM Baill f 932 JAME
Sasson, J. M. (1995) (ed.) Civilizations of the Ancient Near East, vol. III, part 8.
Spence, A.J. (1993). ‘The Early Dynasties’ (Chapter 4) in Early Egypt: The Rise of Civilization in the Nile Valley, London, pp. 63–97.
Spencer, A.J. (1993). Early Egypt: The Rise of Civilisation in the Nile Valley. London: The British Museum Press, UniM Baill High Use 932.011 SPEN.
Wilkinson, R. H. (2000). The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt. New York: Thames and Hudson. UniM Archit 932 WILK
Hoffman, M.A. (1984), ‘The Royal Tombs: An End and a Beginning’ (Chapter 18) in Egypt before the Pharaohs, London, pp. 267–288.
Spence, A.J. (1993). ‘The Early Dynasties’ (Chapter 4) in Early Egypt: The Rise of Civilization in the Nile Valley, London, pp. 63–97.
Wilkinson, R. H. (2000). The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt. New York: Thames and Hudson. UniM Archit 932 WILK.
Aldred, C. (1965). Egypt to the End of the Old Kingdom (New York: McGraw-Hill.). UniM Baill High Use 913.32 A365
Aldred, C. (1962). The Development of Ancient Egyptian Art, from 3200 to 1315 B.C. (Lo London: Tiranti.). UniM Archit 709.32 ALD
Desroches-Noblecourt, C. (1989). Tutankhamen: Life and Death of a Pharaoh London: Penguin. UniM Baill 932.01 DESR – recalled from store.
Aldred, C. (1988). Akhenaten, King of Egypt. London: Thames and Hudson. UniM Baill High Use 932.0140924 ALDR
Edwards, I.E.S. (1976). Tutankhamun, his tomb, and its treasures. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. UniM Giblin Eunson 709.32 EDW.
Edwards, I.E.S. (1985). The Pyramids of Egypt. Harmondsworth: Penguin. UniM Baill 932 EDWA
Grimal, N.(1992). A History of Ancient Egypt Cambridge: Blackwells. UniM Baill High Use 932.01 GRIM
James, T.G.H. (1988). Ancient Egypt: the land and its legacy. London: British Museum Publications. UniM Baill f 932 JAME
Sasson, J. M. (1995) (ed.) Civilizations of the Ancient Near East, vol. III, part 8.
Chadwick, First Civilizations: Part II, Ch. 4. The Akkadians and the Ur III Dynasty; Mesopotamia in the second millennium BC, pp. 50–59.
Spencer, A.J. (1993). Early Egypt: The Rise of Civilisation in the Nile Valley. London: The British Museum Press, UniM Baill High Use 932.011 SPEN
Jacobsen, T. (1976). The Treasures of Darkness: A History of Mesopotamian Religion.
Bottaro, J. (2001) Religion in Ancient Mesopotami
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