Our Homes

The building material of ancient Egyptian houses was adobe and bricks made of Nile clay. These houses were often destroyed by the periodical floods of the river, but models buried in graves and written archaeological records give us an accurate enough description. Most of them were single floor, but probably some were two storeys high, with a roof terrace or a balcony.

The most common types of houses consisted of three living rooms, one kitchen and one pantry. Some buildings also had a basement, used as a pantry; and a flight of stairs leading to the roof terrace. Doorways and windows were simple rectangular openings, windows were not glazed.

Furniture

Poorer people used furniture made of reed,
the wealthier ones’ were
made of wood. Various stools, beds, storage
chests appeared.

Interior decoration

Living space was made homely and friendly by colourful decoration. The walls were painted, and the reed window curtains were also coloured.

Storage

Staples (cereals, oil, etc.) were usually stored in amphorae on the second floor.

Workshop

The craft workshop was situated on the upper floor. Tableware, utensils and textiles were manufactured here.

Settlement

Houses were sunk in the sand and were built tightly together (because of the climate and local weather conditions). The narrow streets, alleys were covered with roofs, and a wall around the settlement was also protecting it from the sand.