Sometimes this was preceded by a pylon-gateway, such as usually heralded the approach to a temple.  Inside the enclosure it was like a small town, divided into quarters by irregular walls.  The dwelling-house stood at the farther end; the granaries, stabling, and open spaces being distributed in different parts of the grounds, according to some system to which we as yet possess no clue.  These arrangements, however, were infinitely varied.  If I would convey some idea of the residence of an Egyptian noble,—­a residence half palace, half villa,—­I cannot do better than reproduce two out of the many pictorial plans which have come down to us among the tomb-paintings of the Eighteenth Dynasty.  The first (figs. 14, 15) represent a Theban house.  The enclosure is square, and surrounded by an embattled wall.  The main gate opens upon a road bordered with trees, which runs beside a canal, or perhaps an arm of the Nile.  Low stone walls divide the garden into symmetrical compartments, like those which are seen to this day in the great gardens of Ekhmim or Girgeh.

[Illustration:  Fig. 14.—­Plan of a Theban house with garden, from Eighteenth Dynasty tomb-painting.]

In the centre is a large trellis supported on four rows of slender pillars.  Four small ponds, two to the right and two to the left, are stocked with ducks and geese.  Two nurseries, two summer-houses, and various avenues of sycamores, date-palms, and dom-palms fill up the intermediate space; while at the end, facing the entrance, stands a small three-storied house surmounted by a painted cornice.

[Illustration:  Fig. 15.—­Perspective view of the Theban house, from Eighteenth Dynasty tomb-painting.]

[Illustration:  Fig. 16.—­Part of the palace of Ai, from tomb-painting, Eighteenth Dynasty, El Amarna.]

The second plan is copied from one of the rock-cut tombs of Tell el Amarna (figs. 16, 17).  Here we see a house situate at the end of the gardens of the great lord Ai, son-in-law of the Pharaoh Khuenaten, and himself afterwards king of Egypt.  An oblong stone tank with sloping sides, and two descending flights of steps, faces the entrance.  The building is rectangular, the width being somewhat greater than the depth.  A large doorway opens in the middle of the front, and gives access to a court planted with trees and flanked by store-houses fully stocked with provisions.  Two small courts, placed symmetrically in the two farthest corners, contain the staircases which lead up to the roof terrace.  This first building, however, is but the frame which surrounds the owner’s dwelling.  The two frontages are each adorned with a pillared portico and a pylon.  Passing the outer door, we enter a sort of long central passage, divided by two walls pierced with doorways, so as to form three successive courts.  The inside court is bordered by chambers; the two others open to right and left upon two smaller courts, whence flights of steps lead up to the terraced roof.