Roll a Ranger: EverQuest Next™ Landmark Idea: Notes on Egyptian Architecture

Egyptian architecture is orthagonal in style (organized by 90 degrees). This is mainly due to the fact that the ancient Egypt was oriented north to south along the Nile river and, that the sun played an important part in the culture which is oriented east to west. Not much is known about the architecture of daily live mainly because the buildings were constructed of reeds or mud bricks which easily were destroyed during the annual flooding of the Nile river. What does still exist is the pyramids, temples, and tombs.

Housing
Typical Peasant House
The typical house of the lower class was small, dark, and cramped. It was common to have 10 or more living in the same house. Because of the scarcity of wood there would be very little if any furniture in these homes. These homes would have been made of mud brick.

Typical Noble House
Far larger then a peasant house. Typical would have 25-30 different rooms to include a bathroom. Most noble houses were made of mud brick but occasionally stone.

Tombs and Temples
Roof Structures: The roofs of ancient Egypt used the lintel and post system. This means that interior spaces are crowded because of the columns needed to support the roof.

Columns: The columns of ancient Egypt imitated nature. Most common columns were of lotus flower or papyrus.

Mastaba
The mastaba was the earliest tomb found in ancient Egypt. It was still in use during the building of the pyramids to hold the deceased nobility. The structures are a simple rectangle with a small chapel on the inside and the actual tomb buried into the earth. Also there would be a cellar for items the deceased would need in the afterlife. It was built north to south. It is 4 times as long as it is wide and rose to about 30 feet.

Pyramid
The pyramid evolved from the mastaba. The first step was the step pyramid which looks like mastabas stacked upon each other. Next is the bent pyramid. This pyramid how a slope that was too steep to maintain hence the change of slope about half-way up. The last was the perfected pyramid.
The square base of the pyramid is oriented to the cardinal points based on true north. The great pyramid has a ratio of perimeter to height of 2π.

Image courtesy of http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Temple
When approaching a temple there is a sense of grandeur. The lane leading to the entrance would commonly have sphinx lining both sides of the avenue leading you to the great pylon that is the entrance of the temple. Upon entering the temple you would be in a massive courtyard with collandes on the sides. Next you would enter the hypostyle hall. Filled with massive columns that are close together in order to support the roof. Next you may enter a burque which is a shrine with a statue that is not enclosed. The finally room would be the actually sanctuary that had double doors to keep the common people out. This area may be surrounded by smaller rooms on the outside that were used for storage. As you move through the temple the rooms get small in both height and size.