OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. 317 



approach each other so closely that serious confusion has arisen about 

 them in architectural criticism, it seems necessary to attempt to give 

 an outline of the theoretical development of the latter type with much 

 the same fulness as of the former. A few examples, taken, for various 

 reasons, almost exclusively from Egypt, will also be adduced by way 

 of illustration. 



The primitive pier, occurring, as has been said, in caves, is of ne- 

 cessity so shapeless, so entirely the product of utilitarian selection, that 

 except by a stretch of language it cannot be brought within the juris- 

 diction of art history. The first excavations in rock follow the veins 

 or strata that can be cut into with the least labor. They are irregular 

 arid rambling, — now constricted into galleries, now expanded into 

 chamhers. Hard spots are avoided, cut around, and left. Wherever 

 large rooms are desired, some kind of pillar is allowed to remain to 

 keep the roof from tumbling in. Any large coal-mine will furnish 

 abundant instances of this primitive use of the pier. 



"When now the artistic instinct begins to assert its authority, and 

 demand that these excavations, whether or not used for habitation, be 

 made more neat and attractive, the walls, roof, and pillars are smoothed, 

 and made to conform to some definite lines. A rectangular shape is 

 chosen for the cave, which is as large as the consistency of the rock 

 will warrant. If more space be called for, a second chamber is added 

 to the first, separated from it by a partition, but communicating with 

 it by a door. Presently it is observed that this partition-wall can be 

 safely perforated by more than one door, and the conveniences of 

 space almost doubled. The wall becomes a line of pillars of uniform 

 depth or thickness, but very possibly of varying width. This stage of 

 development is admirably exemplified by the ancient Tourah quar- 

 ries,* whence the stone for the Great Pyramid was taken, and by 

 many of the tombs on the plateau of Gizeh. Among the latter are 

 rectangular rooms of all sizes and shapes, with partitions entire, half 

 broken up, or completely transformed into a row of piers. f Of later 

 date, but nearly similar construction, are the Tombs of the Kings at 

 Thebes.* 



Whether the next step be the decoration of the simple square pillar, 

 or the addition of an abacus-like projection above it, is indifferent. 



* Vyse, Pyramids of Gizeh, iii. 90-94. 



t E.g., Lepsius, Denkmaler aus Egypten, i. 26, 28, 29, Tombs 71, 88, 92, et 

 passim. 



t Ibid., i. 9G, 97. 



