THE LABYRINTH: CULTIVATING CHOICE

The confrontation of the still young architecture in Thebes with the traditional architecture of the Memphite region resulted in what was then an architectural phenomenon in Egypt: the possibility of stylistic choice. At the royal court in particular, buildings were no longer bound to a single tradition, but were rather of diverse typology and design—or what might be termed “styles” today. In this sense, the architecture of the Twelfth Dynasty is reminiscent of the historicism or revivalism of the nineteenth century. Remarkable, for example, are the tombs of officials around the pyramid of Senwosret I (fig. 34). There are