The homes in ancient Egypt were well thought out. As a result of the climate, and the fact that Egypt is located in a very hot and dry desert, a lot of factors were considered.
The ancient Egyptian citizens most often made their homes from mud and papyrus. These materials were simple and easily accessible. Wood was used as support for the doorways and windows.
Enslaved people and children mixed clay with water and straw to make mud bricks. The mixture was done, formed and left to dry under the sun. When the sun had dried these bricks, they were then used to build structures.
Their roofs were from palm fronds, mats, or reeds. These materials could easily be replaced when necessary. Their roofs were flat to ease the effect of the sun, because of how flat the roofs were, they could also sleep on their roofs.
The materials weren’t just accessible and took little effort to source, they also kept the homes cool. As much as these materials met a need, they had to put other factors into consideration.
The Nile river flooded yearly for about three months. The flood nourished the soil for the farmers to cultivate the land. However, the flood also washed away homes easily.
This birthed the stone homes. While stones were not easily sourced, the wealthy could use it to build their homes. The stone houses were built by cutting blocks of sand and limestones into their desired sizes and building with them.
The ancient Egyptian citizens also built their homes to be at least 3 feet away from the ground to prevent dust and dirt from getting into their homes as a result of the environment.
The mud houses were also built in different ways to show social class and financial status. Wealthy families built more than one row of brick to increase the strength of the buildings. This prevented the houses from deteriorating fast.
