How to Build Ancient Egyptian Houses
To build ancient Egyptian houses, you will need wood as the skeleton for the structure. To fill in the skeleton, they used mud bricks as their main material for their houses. If you listened well to your science teacher before, bricks stores heat during the day and releases it at night. This works particularly well in desert regions such as Egypt that experiences extreme changes in temperature from day to night.
However, these structures didn't stand to the test of time. Unlike the pyramids, these houses are not made on solid stone. Most of these houses never left traces in the history of Egypt that makes an archeologist sigh in disappointment. If only the ancient Egyptians have the proper tools and materials, who knows what would happen next!
Layout of an Ancient Egyptian House
Mud brick houses share a common layout for every village in ancient Egypt. If you take a closer look in one of them, every part of the house functions like a modern day house. The front rooms of the house serves as a living room for the guests of the family.
Try to peek at further in their houses. You will find a large space with an altar at the side of the room for worshiping the gods. The large space provides a place for them to sleep. Staircases allows them to access the roof just in case they need the extra space for their belongings.
For a place to cook their food, they don't have chimneys to spill the smoke outside. Egyptians prefers their kitchens roofless. Imagine if smoke just circulates inside their house. Instead of a cozy home, it turns out as a brick oven!
On the other hand, the rich and elite Egyptians live in mansions. These ancient mansions have the same layout with mud brick houses, except that there are quarters available for more people. These people vary from employees, to guests, and a private place for the family members. If you are an avid fan of privacy, consider yourself lucky. Remember, the poor Egyptians doesn't even have the luxury of privacy in their own homes!
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