A. Wutte, P. Ferschin:
"Proportion Analysis of Ancient Egyptian Funerary Monuments, Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology";
Talk: CAA - Computer Applications and Quantitavie Methods in Archeology, Tübingen; 2018-03-19 - 2018-03-23.

Mathematical texts such as the Rhind Mathematical Papyrus show that numbers and measurements played an important role for Ancient Egyptians. Most of these texts have a practical character and refer to daily problems but also address geometrical tasks. Theories claim that the ancient Egyptian architects knew about the Fibonacci series and the golden ratio or at least the idea of the concept of a periodical order of numbers and the appearance in geometry. It is probable that a grid was used to draw construction plans, as it is known for wall decorations.
Egyptian Late Period rock-cut funerary monuments at Thebes were evaluated in term of a consistent proportion system for this type of tombs. So far no construction plans are discovered for these monuments and a possible distortion has to be considered due to the conservation status of the tombs. To study the proportions of the buildings the ancient Egyptian measuring unit cubit was used. Several tombs were modelled as HBIM models and the rooms were examined for a consistent proportion system by statistical methods. Furthermore, corresponding rooms (e.g. courtyard, pillared hall) of the monuments were compared in term of their room dimensions and spatial proportions. Additionally, a digital parametric cubit-grid was generated and orientated along a central axis. This allows to identify spatial qualities of room components and correlations between buildings. The understanding of the proportions enables new perspectives on design concepts of these funerary monuments.

Egyptian architecture, proportion system, spatial analysis