Page:A History of Art in Ancient Egypt Vol 1.djvu/259

 The Tomb under the Ancient Empire, 169 irregularly placed, and they are often so narrow, many of them being nothing more than blind alleys, that the inexperienced visitor may well fancy himself in a maze. " The Sakkarah mastabas are built either of stone or brick. " The mastabas of stone are of two kinds : those of a very hard blue siliceous limestone and those of a softer chalky limestone which is found upon the spot. This latter stone was used for the Stepped Pyramid. The tombs upon which it was used seem to be much the oldest in the necropolis ; they are also the least rich and important. P"iG. 108. — Restoration of part of the Necropolis of Gizeh. " Our general notion of Egyptian architecture would lead us to look for the use of huge stones in these mastabas, and, in fact, certain important monuments, such as the Mastabat-el-Fm^aotui, and parts of important monuments, such as the Temple of the Sphinx and the passages and chambers of the greater pyramids, were constructed of very large blocks. But the Sakkarah architects were more modest. Apart from the ceilings, architraves and other places where big stones were necessary, the blocks are of an average height of about half a yard, with a proportionate length and thickness. " The brick-built sepulchres are of two kinds also. The more VOL. I. Z