Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
masonry, and no religious buildings were again roofed with grandiose stone slabs
weighing many tons. Ancient Egyptian religion, the Egyptian Temple type and
Pharaonic stone masonry fell into desuetude at the same time—and behind them
all and conditioning them all so did Egyptian hieroglyphics.
h is outline story gives occasion for the possible occurrence of arcuated brick
rooi ng in Egyptian religious building at three separate junctures.
Incidence
of brick
vaulting
(1) Very exceptionally in traditional Egyptian temples during Pharaonic and
Ptolemaic times.
(2) In temples of Egyptian religion during early Roman time (i.e. 1st-2nd Cen-
turies AD.
(3) In religious buildings (other than Egyptian temples) during later Roman and
Byzantine times (from ca 4th century AD onwards).
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Spencer (pp. 59-82) gives brief notice of the individual occurrences of arcuated
brick rooi ng in Ancient Egyptian building which can be summarised in accordance
with the above distinctions.
So far as concerns brick vault rooi ng in traditional Egyptian temples there
is virtually nothing recorded. Brick masonry ot en occurs in such temple pre-
cincts, but in outworks and auxiliary buildings—not in the “holy” premises, e.g.
the Hypostyle hall and the Sanctuary of the developed New Kingdom Temple.
One exception noticed in Pharaonic times is of a surprisingly wide span (7.70
m!) pitched brick vault in the mortuary temple of Amenhotep, son of Hapu, at
Medinet Habu. However the locale seems to be a secondary hall (Spencer, p. 67).
Another exception is the brick built mamisi juxtaposed to the (stone) Ptolemaic
temple at Deir el Medinah. h e rooi ng vault here is of double “barrelled” pitched
brick construction and again is of considerable span (Spencer, p. 80).
An interesting record is that of the second division: mud brick vaulting to
temples of the Egyptian religion built during Early Roman times. h ese temples
are more or less of the traditional disposition in design, but constructed not of
stone but mud brick. A concentration of them occurs in and about the Western
Desert Oases, Dhaklah and Khargah. A surprising number of temples were built
in this region for the most part in mud brick. So far as is evident from the surviv-
ing remains, the rooi ng was ot en brick vaulted, but l at mud terrace roofs also
occurred (Spencer, pp. 81-82). A good illustrated account of these buildings is
given in Hölbl III, pp. 35-101).
h e i nal division concerns rooi ng to Early Christian (Coptic) Churches; and
this is rarely considered in conjunction with its historical background in the roof-
ing of Egyptian temples. A good number of Early Christian churches survive in
Egypt, particularly in Upper Egypt and in outlying regions. h e remains show
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