ABSTRACT
Such an intuitive attitude towards design resulted in a lack of documentary evidence-in the form
of plans, records, "copy books," and "measured drawings"-which might testify to the thought
processes of, and resources used by, the architects.445 A few well-known ostraca referring to the
planning and construction of masonry buildings exist, and there is also a papyrus with a detailed plan
of a royal tomb.446 In addition, an unpublished ostracon from Deir el-Bahri, now in the Cairo
Museum,447 depicts the sketch-plan of a house (fig. 73). Although such representations are difficult to interpret, the sketch suggests an Amama-style house set in a square compound. The rectangular house
exhibits an entry through the enclosure wall; and one large square room (the central hall?) is featured. This building is flanked by a triangular enclosure above, and two rectangular rooms, each with its own
doorway, below. A large blank area suggests a yard or garden-an assumption supported by two small
"tic" marks on the interior face of the enclosure wall, which perhaps represent buttresses like those
found on brick walls that must run unsupported over a long distance. Round circles in this area may
represent the granaries found in such yards.
