Page:A History of Art in Ancient Egypt Vol 1.djvu/181

 General Principles of Form. 97 arete, when the principal facade and the corresponding one in its rear are vertical, the other two being incHned. Horizontal lines piedominate over inclined or vertical lines, and buildings, therefore, tend to develop in length and depth rather than in height. To this general ride, however, the pylons afford exceptions. Fig. 58. — Square building. The terminations of their edifices w^ere also horizontal. There was no necessity for sloping roofs, as, away from the immediate proximity of the sea, it hardly ever rains in Egypt. Moreover, the natural conformation of the country had its influence upon the creations of its inhabitants. The unforeseen and sudden variations, the contrasts of hill and plain, which we find in a --iriL — =^-.---5il^j Fig. 59 — Rectangular and oblong building. mountainous country like Greece, are here unknown. Lower Egypt is a verdant plain, intersected by canals, and stretching from the sea to the desert; in Upper and Middle Egypt the lazy river is accompained throughout its journey from south to north by two long chains of hills, the Arab chain and the Libyan, whose summits form an almost unbroken line. Between these aspects VOL I. o