Their homes were huge. Homes had flat
roofs. People often sat outside on their roofs in the evening to watch
the sunset and catch the evening breeze.
Nobles Homes:
Nobles lived in huge villas along the
Nile. Some were front with white limestone, which made the walls
sparkle. A few homes were even built with stone. But stone was
difficult to cut and use. Most homes were made of sun dried brick.
Each villa had 25-30 rooms. Most rooms had a purpose. They had family
rooms, guest rooms, storage rooms, kids rooms, and even bathrooms!
Homes had front and back doors. Each
door was built about 4 feet off the ground to reduce the amount of
sand and dust. Each door was reached by a ramp. Rather than stairs,
ramps led from one
level to another inside the house.
Peasants
Homes: A peasant's home was tiny by
comparison. Still, it was very nice. Each peasant family had their own
home. When you opened the door, you entered a courtyard. Inside the
courtyard, a ramp led up to the front door of the house. Some homes
had two stories, some had three or more. Ramps were used to move from
level to level. One ramp led up to the flat roof. People often slept
on their roofs. It was cooler, and quite lovely sleeping under the
stars.
Some peasants homes were huge,
especially in the country. Nobody cared how big you built your home as
long as you did it yourself in your own spare time. Since bricks were
easy to make, and materials needed to make the bricks were freely
found along the shores of the Nile, it was really up to each
individual how big of a home they wished to have, especially in the
country, where people had more room to build.
Shelter
in Ancient Civilizations