Ancient Egyptians - Mudbricks
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Mudbricks
The ancient Egyptians used mud bricks in the construction of their Homes and Houses. Mud bricks provided an inexpensive and efficient building supply of building materials. Building with stone was reserved for great monuments to the gods and the pharaohs that the Egyptians deemed were worthy of lasting forever.

Ancient Egypt - Mudbricks Fact Sheet

Fact 1 on Mudbricks: Definition of mud bricks: The Mud bricks used by the ancient Egyptians consisted of a combination of sand, silt, and clay taken from the Nile mud and mixed with straw that acted as a strengthening and binding material.

Fact 2 on Mudbricks: Mud bricks were used in the construction of houses and homes in ancient Egypt - Our word "adobe" meaning mudbrick derives from the Ancient Egyptian word, "dbe", with the Arabic "al" added at the beginning.

Fact 3 on Mudbricks: Mud  brick architecture was used for a variety of building projects from the creation of the houses of the poorest Egyptians to the massive palace complexes of the kings and pharaohs.

Fact 4 on Mudbricks: Soil was used for building in ancient Egypt before the making of mud bricks was developed, the methods of using the soil was similar to the building techniques employed in making 'wattle and daub' houses.

Fact 5 on Mudbricks: The earliest use of the soil for building in ancient Egypt dates to the Predynastic period which was traditionally equivalent to the Neolithic period of the Stone Age. The mud was used it for the construction of the peasant Houses of the ancient Egyptians using the 'wattle and daub' type of building method.

Fact 6 on Mudbricks: The soil of Egypt, periodically washed by the annual inundation of the River Nile, is a black, compact, homogeneous clay, which becomes of stony hardness when dry.

Fact 7 on Mudbricks: Mud bricks were used for construction from at least the 1st Dynasty during the time period known in ancient Egyptian history as the Early Dynastic Period c3100 - 2770 B.C.

Fact 8 on Mudbricks: The mud bricks consisted of an oblong block of mud that was mixed with chopped straw and a little sand, and then dried in the sun.

Fact 9 on Mudbricks: The average dimensions of the ancient Egyptian mud bricks were:

Average sized bricks: 8.7 x 4.3 x 5.5 inches
Larger sized bricks: 15.0 x 7.1 x 5.5 inches

Fact 10 on Mudbricks: The mud clay was mixed with water and straw (that acted as a strengthening and binding material) in a clay pit. They trampled the mud with their feet to reduce it reduce it to a regular consistency.

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Ancient Egypt - Mudbricks Fact Sheet

Mudbricks
Discover fast, interesting fun facts about Mudbricks for kids with some amazing, cool and quick information about ancient Egypt and Egyptians. Ideal for children, homework, schools, teachers and kids of all ages! Find fascinating fun facts about Mudbricks for kids and the history, culture and civilisation of the ancient Egyptians and ancient Egypt. Interesting, fun facts about Mudbricks for research, schools, students and kids of all ages.

Mudbricks
Learn about the making of mud bricks and the use of mud bricks in ancient Egypt the fast and easy way via the Mudbricks Fact sheet.

Ancient Egypt - Mudbricks Fact Sheet

Fact 11 on Mudbricks: After it was sufficiently worked  the mud was pressed into brick moulds made of hard wood.

Fact 12 on Mudbricks: The mud brick moulds were laid out in rows  to dry in the heat of the sun for about one day. The mud bricks were then piled into stacks ready for use in building.

Fact 13 on Mudbricks: The ancient Egyptians were able to produce between 1000 - 1800 bricks in a day.

Fact 14 on Mudbricks: The nature of the soil in Egypt did not allow of deep foundations and foundations rarely measured more than 3 feet, most of the time the base which was used to build a house was levelled and the mud bricks was simply laid upon the surface.

Fact 15 on Mudbricks: The ordinary houses consisted of a ground floor, with sometimes one or two living-rooms above. The villas and palaces of wealthy Egyptians were built on a much grander style.

Fact 16 on Mudbricks: The mud bricks from the royal workshops were sometimes stamped with the cartouches of the reigning pharaoh.

Fact 17 on Mudbricks: Mud bricks were used to build the ancient Egyptian Mastaba Tombs as shown in the following picture.

Traditional mastaba

Fact 18 on Mudbricks: The mud brick mastaba was developed by the kings and nobility into massive underground tomb complexes.

Fact 19 on Mudbricks: Then during the 3rd Dynasty the mastaba tomb developed into the great Egyptian pyramids that were generally made of stone. However some pyramids include the use of mud bricks in their construction and it is estimated that over 24 million mud bricks were used to construct the pyramid of Pharaoh Senusret III at Dashur.

Fact 20 on Mudbricks: Burnt bricks were not often used before the Roman period. Glazed bricks appear in different colors such as green, blue, red, yellow, and white. 

Ancient Egypt - Mudbricks Fact Sheet

Mastaba Egyptian Tomb