Pyramids: Architectural Forms (Part 3)

by Nicholas Buccalo, copyright 2008

Please read Part I & Part II before reading this part, so that you will follow the train of thought.

As this animation implies, I believe that the shape and overall dimensions of an Obelisk are based on the reflection of the Sun on the Nile.

The Obelisk, a column of water holding the reflection of the sun, here on land, becomes alive as the sun passes over it's tip.  It's shape, that of a reflection in the water as the sun rises.  It is not some 'solar column' or other odd and rarely seen event.  If it was, the Architect would of had to seen it, and then been able to convince the Pharaoh that it existed.  No, it was a plain and simple echo of the Sun's reflection in the Nile itself.  A connection between the two most important life giving elements of Egypt. 

Animation: Please refresh browser if image does not load.

View across the river looks like this.  As mentioned before, I believe Imhotep placed a vertical plane on the banks of the Nile.  Then he stood on a platform to be at an appropriate height to catch the rising of the sun as it reflected itself on the Nile, in order to trace the reflection onto the plane.  It was probably at flood stage, as this was when the Nile would provide life to the land, allowing for the tallest Obelisk and best reflection.  I would imagine it would be done at the location where ever the Obelisk would eventually be erected, perhaps causing the varying heights based on the width of the Nile and what ever mountains lied to the East that might block the Sun.  I'm not totally sure of the distance he would have to stand back from the shore, but one could actually set this up in real life to find out if it corresponded to some special place.  

Once the Obelisk was erected, the goal would be to view the sun over the top of the Obelisk at a certain distance at a particular time.  The fact that the colonnade at Djoser was slightly tilted to the South West reinforces this theory if there was an Obelisk there.  It seems obvious to me why Obelisk's were on the outside of Precincts as this was a gesture to the Sun.  I would imagine most early ones lay towards the East of a Precinct or that the special viewing place lay to it's West.

I do not know why some sites would have 2 obelisks, at this time, unless there were 2 donors.  I also think the Obelisk/Sun meaning was probably lost in later versions of the Obelisk, certainly in later periods outside Egyptian culture.

View down the river looks like this... not used because it would create the wrong porportions.  I believe that the location was based on where the monument would be erected plus the location of the rising Sun, taking into account the lateral direction of the river, not longitudinal, as it is the lateral flooding that provides the life to the land.

The Culture of Building:  If an Architect, such as the famous Imhotep, convinced an important Pharaoh such as 'Djoser' (actual name is different, but was called Djoser some 1000 years later by visitors to the site) that he should build the Pyramid, Obelisk, Anhk and other components, future builders and Architects would more or less follow suit with the goal of suggesting 'improvements' to the design.  As the decades and centuries pass, many meanings are lost to time, what does continue is the fundamentals of a particular design.  So while Imhotep might of been extremely deliberate with the placement of every component, others following him might not of understood the complexity of what he achieved and misplaced elements.  This is why understanding this one complex, the Djoser Pyramid and complex is fundamentally important to understanding all Egyptian Architecture that follows, to see where deviations occur and if those deviations become part of the standardized building culture.

Architecture, through time, incrementally changes and evolves, typically to 'the ultimate expression' at which time designs change.  Egypt Architecture is no different.  It is just that the complexity, yet simplicity of concept that I feel Imhotep presented was so compelling that it influenced Egyptian Architecture for an extremely long time and since impressed all who have been born.