chemistry

Pylon (architecture)

Pylon (architecture) is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Pylon (architecture) rather than just read about it. In short: In ancient Egyptian architecture, a pylon is a monumental gate of an Egyptian temple (Egyptian: bxn.t in the Manuel de Codage transliteration). The English word "pylon" comes from the Greek term πύλη 'gate'.

Key takeaways

Pylon (architecture) belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Pylon (architecture) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Pylon (architecture) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

In ancient Egyptian architecture, a pylon is a monumental gate of an Egyptian temple (Egyptian: bxn.t in the Manuel de Codage transliteration). The English word "pylon" comes from the Greek term πύλη 'gate'. The Egyptian pylon consists of two pyramidal towers, each tapered and surmounted by a cornice, joined by a less elevated section enclosing the entrance between them. The gate was generally about half the height of the towers. Contemporary paintings of pylons show them with long poles flying banners.

Egyptian architecture

In ancient Egyptian religion, the pylon mirrored the hieroglyph akhet 'horizon', which was a depiction of two hills "between which the sun rose and set". Consequently, it played a critical role in the symbolic architecture of a building associated with the place of re-creation and rebirth.

Pylons were often decorated with scenes emphasizing a king's authority, since they were the public faces of buildings. On the first pylon of the temple of Isis at Philae, the pharaoh is shown slaying his enemies while Isis, Horus and Hathor look on. Other examples of pylons can be seen in Karnak, Luxor Temple and Edfu. Rituals to the god Amun were often carried out on the top of temple pylons. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon. In addition to standard vertical grooves on the exterior face of a pylon wall which were designed to hold flag poles, some pylons also contained internal stairways and rooms. The oldest intact pylons belong to mortuary temples from the Ramesside period in the 13th and 12th centuries BCE.

Revival architecture

Both Neoclassical and Egyptian Revival architecture employ the pylon form, with Boodle's gentlemen's club in London being an example of the Neoclassical style. The 19th and 20th centuries saw pylon architecture employed for bridges such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge and as stand-alone monuments such as the Patcham Pylon in Brighton and Hove, England.

Gallery

See also Ancient Egyptian architecture Column

References

External links Media related to Pylons (architecture) at Wikimedia Commons

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Pylon (architecture)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Pylon (architecture) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Pylon (architecture) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Pylon (architecture) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Pylon (architecture)

In research: Pylon (architecture) appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Pylon (architecture) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Pylon (architecture) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Architectural elements, Gates, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Pylon (architecture) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Pylon (architecture)” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Pylon (architecture) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Pylon (architecture) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Pylon (architecture) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pylon (architecture) in simple terms?

Why does Pylon (architecture) matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Pylon (architecture)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Pylon (architecture).