Through the Eras

Architecture and Designtologists later came to call the “palace façade” pattern.This pattern was repeated throughout ancient Egyptianhistory, both in buildings and in representation inrelief and on statues, and led Egyptologists to arrive ata better understanding of the function of these enclosures.The Egyptians used the walled enclosure withpanels, called the palace façade motif, in hieroglyphicwriting contemporary with the earliest temples discussedhere. A drawing of this motif surrounded thenames of buildings the Egyptians called the “fortress ofthe gods” in hieroglyphic writing. Egyptologists believethat this writing connects the names to the buildingsfound at Kom es Sultan in Abydos. The buildings weregiven names such as “Thrones of the Gods” and “Processionof the Gods” which suggests that the Egyptiansthought of these buildings as places where the godsgathered. The Egyptians called these gods the “Followersof Horus.” Because the king himself was the incarnationof the god Horus the “Followers of Horus”were local gods from the provinces who gathered at theFortress of the Gods to deliver taxes. The design of thesurviving buildings indicates that this process wouldcontinue for the king even after he had died and goneto the next world.FORTRESS OF THE GODS. It is possible to generalizeabout the architecture of the Fortress of the Godsfrom the archaeological remains at Kom es Sultan inAbydos and the hieroglyphic writings of the names ofthese buildings. Located on the west bank of the NileRiver, the building’s entrance faced the river, suggestingthat the gods arrived in boats sailing on a canalthat led to the enclosure. Support for this theory comesfrom the discovery of boats buried along the east sideof the enclosure of King Khasekhemwy (fifth king ofDynasty 2, before 2675 B.C.E.) near Abydos. The otherarchitectural feature inside the enclosure was a moundof sand. This mound may be the remains of the platformwhere the king, as the god Horus, reviewed theassembled gods. These enclosures are prominent remainsfrom the First and Second Dynasties. They diminishin importance during later periods, but stillwere built as late as the New Kingdom (1539–1075B.C.E.). Scholars constructed this new interpretation ofthe buildings at Umm el Gaab and Kom es Sultanbased on knowledge of later buildings. The pyramidcomplexes built by kings in the Third through SixthDynasties contained both a burial and either one ortwo temples intended for preserving the cult of the deceasedking. Increased knowledge of these later structuresduring the early twentieth century allowedarchaeologists to reexamine the buildings at Abydos.Based on knowledge of the basic functions of buildingsin the later pyramid complexes, archaeologistshave discovered parallel uses for the pairs of buildingsthat First- and Second-dynasty kings constructed inAbydos.SOURCESDieter Arnold, “Royal Cult Complexes of the Old and MiddleKingdoms,” Temples of Ancient Egypt, edited by ByronE. Shafer (Ithica, N.Y.: Cornell University Press,1997): 31–85.Barry J. Kemp, “Abydos and the Royal Tombs of the FirstDynasty,” Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 52 (1966):13–22.David O’Connor, “New Funerary Enclosures (Talbezirke) ofthe Early Dynastic Period in Abydos,” Journal of theAmerican Research Center in Egypt 26 (1989): 51–86.SEE ALSO Religion: Temple Architecture and SymbolismPYRAMID COMPLEXESPART OF A WHOLE. The pyramid is the most widelyknown Egyptian architectural structure. Yet the pyramiditself is only part of a much larger complex. Egyptiankings built pyramid complexes during a distinct time period.During the Old and Middle Kingdoms(2675–1630 B.C.E.) most, but not all, kings built pyramidsas tombs. There are approximately 47 pyramidcomplexes that Egyptologists have identified from thisperiod. This does not include the pyramids built in theSudan by Nubian kings at a later time, because they werepart of a separate tradition over 1,000 years after theEgyptians stopped building pyramids.PYRAMID COMPLEX TYPES. Egyptologists recognizetwo major types of pyramid complexes. In the oldertype, the main axis of the complex was oriented northand south. This orientation associates the complex withthe Egyptian belief that the northern stars representedthe gods in the next world. The stars were the physicalexpression of the belief that the deceased king becameOsiris, king of the dead, and that his son on earth wasthe god Horus who ruled after him. Often the pyramidin the north/south complex was a step pyramid. In suchcases many Egyptologists believe the step pyramid representeda staircase to the stars. The second type of pyramidcomplex has a main axis that runs east and westand reflects a different belief system regarding the afterlife.This orientation associates the complex with theArts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt (2675 B.C.E.–332 B.C.E.) 9