Metrology and Orientation in Egyptian Temples: The Cases of Deir ᾽el-Bahri and Amarna

During the 18th Dynasty of the New Kingdom, Egypt experienced a brilliant period of splendour. The high­est levels were reached in Astronomy, Mathematics, Medicine, and all cultural domains. The standardisation of measurements used for construction, with modulation and fixed parametres, as well as orientation, were evidence of this cultural culmination. Architecture was proposed as a reflection on Earth of the order of the Universe, the Macat. The perfection of Mathematics and Astronomy, applied to religious Architecture, proved the value of natural and stellar phenomena for the Egyptian civilisation, and the materialisation of this Cele­stial Harmony on Earth. As an example of these constructions, and a reflection of an Architecture designed for specific ritual purposes, the temples followed a strict order in terms of measurements and proportions. The Temple of Hāt–shepsūt in Deir ᾽el-Bahri and the Small Aten Temple in Amarna, for instance, were construc­tion milestones due to their symbology and the metaphysical and religious implications of their period.