Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 06.djvu/819

* EGYPT. 709 EGYPTIAN ART. Boinet Bev, Dictionnaire gcoqraphiquc de I'Egyple (Cairo, 1S99) ; ISenudite. lUjypIc (Paris, I'JOO) ; Rovle, The Egyptian Campaigns 1SS2-S5, new eil. coiitimied to 1890 (Loniloii, 1900); Brehier, L'l'gyplc lie 178!) a IIWO (Paris, 1901); and Prime Ibrahim Hilniy, The Literature of Egypt Olid the Sudan, from the Earliest Times to the Year 18So, Inelusire: a liihliography (London, lSS(i-SS). The numerous reports of British sub- jects in oHieial position in Kgj'pt and the Sudan are valuable sources of information. Most of them are published by the British Government in London. EGYPTIAN ABT. The art of Egypt is, next to that ot Babylonia, the earliest in the world's history. Its origins have been investigated during the last live years with better success than ever before, especially by English arclioe- ologists, such as Petrie, and French explorers, as de Morgan. The proofs of Egyptian civiliza- tion whioli they have foimd, belonging to the First and the Second dTiasties, come into the domain of archipology rather than art, consisting of the contents of small tombs — arms, ornaments, and utensils. Relics of the stage of preiiistoric an- tiquities of the Stone Age have also lieen found, though it has not been proved apparently that the relics actually antedated the historic dynas- ties, rather than that they belong to another less advanced race, perhajjs contemporaneous with the first kings mentioned by Manetho. The four or five thousand years of Egj'ptian art, from the First DTiasty to the time of the Roman Empire, fall for all practical purposes into four main periods: (1) Old Empire (c.4000-3000) ; (2) Middle Empire (c.3000- 2100) ; (.3) Xew Empire (c.2100-324) ; (4) Greco-Roman revival (li.c. 324-C.300 a.d. ). The Christian art that follows, whether Coptic or Byzaiitine, is less Egyptian than cosmopolitan. During these more than four millenniums art retained great unity of .style as soon as it had reached — probably during the Third D-nasty — a mastery of the teclmiqiie of the various branches of art : although certain forms, such as temple architecture, were not develojied until as late as the Eleventh Dynasty. ARcniTECTrBE. The monuments of the Old Empire (First to Sixth dynasties of Manetho) behmg rather to engineering than to architec- ture, but, with all their simplicity, possess great material grandeur. There is as yet no temple architecture. A temple found by Petrie at Mei- di'ini is apparently an exception ; otherwise the shrines are merely parts of the pyramids. (See PvR.Mii).s.) These gigantic tombs, over a hun- dred in number, were erected for the burial of menilM'rs of royal and nobk? families, and each one contains a burial-chamber and a number of passages. The earliest dated pyramid is the stepped structure at Sakkarah, 190 feet high in six stories, built of brick. There are similar structures at Abusir and Meidflni. These imply possibly a knowledge on the part of the Egj'p- tians of the stepped temple pyramids of Babj-- lonia, also of brick. But stone soon came to be the material used for the Egyptian pyramids. This is illustrated by the three famous examples at Ghizcli. all belonging to kings of the Fourth I>>'nasty: Khafra. >Ienkaura, and Khufu (Cheops), that of the last-named the greatest of all, being 4S2 feet high. For persons not of royal blood the tomb took the form of a rectangu- lar structure. (See M.vstaba.) The best-pre- served shrine of this period is the so-called Temple of the Sphinx (q.v. ), of extremely primi- tive architecture, consisting of a hall in the form of a T roofed with plain stone lintels on si.xteen ])crfcctly plain .square stone piers. There is an entire lack, during this first period, of any archi- tectural iiu'inberment or decoration. Xo style has yet been funned. The Middle Empire shows a considerable change. Architectural orders are originated; eolunins and shafts of many profiles; capitals of many designs. The lintel was made the basis of design, and the vault relegated to engineering works. The careful execution that had before been confined to the industrial arts was applied to the decoration of buildings; color and relief sculpture embellished architecture. It is true th.Tt the pyramids of this period are smaller than those of the earlier dynasties, generally inferior in execution, and built of brick. But the rock-cut and free-standing tombs gave a chance to design fagades, porticoes, and columnar interiors. At Abydos is the group of tombs historically most interesting, as this was from the beginning of Egyptian history the most sacred burial-place. Here the usual type is free-standing. Of rock-cut tombs the most famous group is at Beni-Hassan. But the peculiar merit of this period is the creation of the grand type of temple arehitec- ture which was followed throughout the rest of Egyptian history. In it the Egyptians approxi- mated closely to the type afterwards followed by the Greeks. This is so in the material ele- ment of construction, in quarried blocks finished and laid in regular courses with the utmost care and accuracy. Among the Egj'ptians, they were sometimes attached by metal clamps or wooden dovetails. Equally Greek was the lavish use of columns supporting architraves. But there is no resemblance in the plan. Aside from a few exceptions, such as the quasi-Greek Temple of Amenophis IIL at Elephantine, with its peri- style surrounding a cella, the usual type of Egyptian temple is the following: A road bor- dered by colossal statues leads to the high- walled inclosure which hides the temple. The single imposing gateway is flanked by two tower- like pylons of verj' massive proportions; through it an open court is reached, surrounded by one or even two rows of coliiinns, making it resemble an atrium. Through a gate in a solid wall the outer part of the sanctuary proper is reached, the hypostyle hall, divided into three aisles crosswise by rows of columns, and lighted from above. Finally comes the inner sanctuary with an i.solated slirine in a dark caluiiinar hall, sur- rounded by small chapels. The elt'ectiveness of this arrangement, with its gradual transition from the brilliant sunlight of the court to the intense gloom of the farthest chapel, is in- creased by an upward slant of the floor-level and the curving of horizontal lines. This simple scheme was usually complicated by additions made by succeeding monarchs in any great shrine like Karnak or Phike: court after court, each with its entranc(^ pylons, were strung together or conueeted by avenues: and independent sanc- tuaries were placed side by side. The grouping on the island of Phihe is the most picturesque in EgVTit. Other important temples are that of Luxor, the Raniesseuni, and those at Medinet-Abu, Edfii, Bcnderah, etc. Edfu is most symmetrical