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Temple at the Step Pyramid, Saqqara
This temple at the Saqqara complex may have been built for embalming Djoser's body but was regularly used afterwards – at least during the Third Dynasty of Egypt – most probably as an offering site (there is a platform out front which seems to suggest this) and for storage of various artifacts used in rituals. Archaeologists and scholars have been divided on what the temple was used for since the early 20th century.
Questions & Answers
When did ancient Egyptian architecture begin and end?
- Ancient Egyptian architecture developed during the Early Dynastic Period (c. 3150-2613 BCE) and continued through the Ptolemaic Dynasty (323-30 BCE) and then, sporadically, during the Roman Period of Egypt (30 BCE-646 CE).
What is the first pyramid built in Egypt?
- The first pyramid built in ancient Egypt is Djoser's Step Pyramid at Saqqara c. 2670 BCE.
What inspired ancient Egyptian architecture?
- Ancient Egyptian architecture was inspired and informed by the concept of ma'at (balance, harmony) and stability. Buildings were designed to represent the order established by the gods.
What is the most famous architecture in Egypt?
- The Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx are the most famous pieces of architecture from ancient Egypt.
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License & Copyright
This image was first published on Flickr.
Original image by Jay Galvin. Uploaded by Ibolya Horváth, published on 05 February 2016. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution. This license lets others distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon your work, even commercially, as long as they credit you for the original creation. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.
