ABSTRACT
ALL Egyptian temples are remarkable as being entirely redangular, both in plan and elevation ; at no period was a curved structure used. This is perhaps due to the fact that the landscape of Egypt is a landscape of lines, vertical, horizontal or diagonal; and, as the artist knew nothing else, his buildings conformed to their surroundings. This was the reason of the vertical columns, horizontal roofs and sloping pylons of Egyptian architecture. The round arch was known as a constructional feature from the IIIrd dynasty, but it was used only where it could not be seen, merely as an economical means of support. Occasionally, the false vault is found, as in the temple of Sethy at Abydos and the temple of Hatshepsut at Der el Bahri, where it covers stairways or small rooms, but even in these cases it is inside the building and not visible from without. In every instance, whether of the true or false arch, it is always the round, not the pointed, arch.
