Ancient Egyptian Palace: The Tripartite Plan of Audience System

Abstract

The royal palace was undoubtedly a major institution of ancient Egyptian royal cities,
but it has received relatively little attention among Egyptological literature in favour of
religious architecture. 1 This brief essay intends to review some common architectural
features, which are recognizable in Middle Kingdom, New Kingdom and Late Period royal
palaces, in spite of their variability and complexity. One aspect of the palace that seems to
repeat a similar pattern in chronological development of palatial architecture is the
audience system; it shows a process of standardization culminating in New Kingdom, with
the elaboration of a tripartite plan, an axial pattern of inner circulation and a specific
decoration theme.