Show Notes
Introducing the first episode of "Build like an Egyptian" series from "Build Like an Ancient".
Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/build-like-an-ancient/id1887035779
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/312nAy9fvUvZaQbc2TWbFm?si=LF-PiVspT_mxLtZB9Bd-wA
The Egyptians - Mud Men and the First Monuments!
To the surprise of many people, the ancient Egyptians built far more in sun dried mud-brick, than they ever id in monumental stone.
See our photos on Instagram for this episode https://www.instagram.com/p/DW2YHHJiBpC
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_of_Djoser
Technical Glossary: Egyptian Mudbrick & Plaster •Db.t: The Egyptian word for mudbrick. Often written with the brick determinative. Refers to the material itself, not just the shape. •Hib: Egyptian term for a refined clay plaster, often mixed with powdered limestone. Smoother and brighter than plain mud plaster. •Mastaba: Arabic for "bench." The modern term for the flat-topped, rectangular tombs of the Early Dynastic and Old Kingdom periods. •Battered wall: A wall that slopes inward as it rises. Increases stability and sheds water. •Nile alluvium: The clay-rich silt deposited by the annual Nile flood. The base material for mudbrick. •Temper: Material (sand, straw, chaff) added to clay to reduce shrinkage and improve drying. •Gypsum plaster: A plaster made from calcined gypsum (calcium sulphate). The dominant finishing plaster in Pharaonic Egypt due to low firing temperature and suitability in dry climates. •Lime plaster: Plaster made from calcined limestone (calcium oxide). Requires higher firing temperatures (700-900°C). Rare before the Ptolemaic period. •Stratigraphy: In plaster analysis, the sequence of layers. Egyptian plasters show deliberate layering: coarse mud base, fine clay levelling, gypsum finish. •Silt (The Bulk): This is the "Goldilocks" particle size—smaller than sand but larger than clay. It provides the volume. •Clay (The Binder): Pure Nile silt actually contains about 30% to 50% clay. This is the "glue." Without the clay content, the bricks would just crumble into dust once they dried. •Organic Matter: The Nile "mud" was rich in decomposed plant matter, which acted as a natural plasticiser, making the mix easier to mould. It also helped (marginally) with tensile strength
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More from Build Like a Roman
In this episode of Build Like a Roman, we look at the Roman glassmaker, not of fancy vases and goblets, but down to earth windows glass. Many people aren't aware that the Romans even had glass in their windows. Not only did they have glass, it was more common than it was centuries later, in medieval times.
In this episode of Build Like a Roman, we look at the Roman carpenter and the wider world of ancient woodworkers.
Does "Roman Roofs" make you think of red clay tile?
Roman Mosaicist created structural art using 'pixels' of marble. Some were functional and plain, some with standard geometric patterns while others were no less than works of art.
Roman Blacksmiths, Faber Ferrarius were at the heart of Roman construction. Without them, life would have been so much more difficult, not only for the masons, carpenters, plasterers an so on, but basically for everyone.