Innovation No. 31 of 77 in the book
The Architectural Blueprint
Limestone flakes and pottery fragments used to draft dimensioned plans for construction
- When
- c. 1150 BCE
- Dynasty
- 20th Dynasty
- Era
- New Kingdom
Long before drafting paper, Egyptian architects sketched measured plans on flakes of limestone and broken pottery — ostraca. Working examples survive from around 1150 BCE.
They drew to a grid, with dimensions marked, so a tomb or shrine could be cut to spec. One surviving plan matches an actual royal tomb in the Valley of the Kings.
It is a true blueprint: a drawing made so builders can reproduce a structure exactly, without the designer standing there.
Architecture’s first working drawings were scratched on Egyptian scrap.
Several flat limestone ostraca carrying plans have come out of the Valley of the Kings. The best known, from around 1100 BCE, is a detailed drawing of the tomb of Ramesses IX showing three consecutive corridors, an antechamber and the sarcophagus hall. It is drawn in red and black ink, with the height, width and depth of every room written beside it in hieratic, in royal cubits.
Frequently Asked Questions
What were the red lines for?
Proportion. Scribes ruled a red grid first and drew the plan onto it, so the drawing held a fixed scale and could be read off as measurements rather than judged by eye.
Why does a drawing on a stone flake matter?
Because it separates designing from building. Once a plan carries its own dimensions, a crew can cut the structure correctly without the architect present — and that is what lets one designer direct work at several sites at once.