Ancient Egyptian Architecture vs Ancient Greek Architecture

Ancient Greek Architecture was influenced by Ancient Egyptian Architecture — inherited monumental stone temple-building and the columned hall.

Great Hypostyle Hall, Karnak Temple, Luxor — Ancient Egyptian

Ancient Egyptian Architecture

Monumental stone architecture of temples, pylons, and pyramids — massive, axial, and built to outlast eternity, with forests of columns and walls of carved hieroglyphs.

  • Massive battered (inward-sloping) stone walls
  • Monumental pylon gateways framing temple entrances
  • Hypostyle halls packed with columns and papyrus/lotus capitals
  • Strict axial, processional symmetry
  • Surfaces covered in carved and painted hieroglyphs and relief
Full Ancient Egyptian Architecture guide →
Parthenon (west front), Acropolis, Athens — Ancient Greek

Ancient Greek Architecture

The refined temple architecture that gave the West its classical orders — Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian columns, pediments, and a near-mathematical pursuit of proportion.

  • The classical orders: Doric, Ionic, Corinthian
  • Peripteral plan — a colonnade wrapping the temple
  • Triangular pediment with sculptural relief
  • Post-and-lintel stone construction (columns and entablature)
  • Optical refinements: entasis, inward lean, curved stylobate
Full Ancient Greek Architecture guide →

At a glance

Ancient Egyptian ArchitectureAncient Greek Architecture
Erac. 3000 BCE–30 BCEc. 700 BCE–100 BCE
DisciplineArchitectureArchitecture
RegionEgyptGreece, Mediterranean
FamilyAncientAncient, Classical
Formal traitsmonumental, post-and-lintel, massive, ornamentalcolumnar, symmetrical, post-and-lintel, refined

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