Egyptian House Box Model
From DT Online
Description
Ancient Egyptian houses were mostly one or two storeys high with a flat roof and surrounded by a walled courtyard as can be seen in the model of a house found in a burial chamber. The ground floor provided shelter for livestock and a series of steps led up to the general living space on the first floor or roof.
Window openings were small, to keep the inside of the house cool, and doorways were often raised off the ground to stop sand blowing in. The roof space included a canopy of some kind to provide shade from the sun during the day and at night was used as a sleeping area because it was cooler. The courtyard was shared with livestock and used to grow fruit and vegetables. An open air cooking area was located in the courtyard and it is here where general craft and other activities took place.
Construction
Houses for most people were made of bricks moulded from mud and chopped straw and dried in the sun (Note: the word ‘adobe’ comes from the Ancient Egyptian word ‘dbe’ and means ‘mud brick’).
Woven Papyrus reeds were used as window coverings and floor mats. Wood was scarce and had to be imported so there was little furniture other than small stools and tables. People slept on mattresses or mats on the floor.
Box Model of Ancient Egyptian House
A realistic Ancient Egyptian house can be made using a small box or carton as a starting point. Choose a size to suit the floor plan: the height is less important since it can be cut down to size. Boxes may be turned inside out to present a clean surface to the outside for painting. It is also much easier to do most work on the model whilst the box net is folded out flat.
Using a Craft Knife and a Safety Ruler the card can be laid on a Cutting Mat to alter the height, cut out windows and doorways
The modified box can be added to by concertinaing a strip of card to make steps or building a card ramp to either first or second floors.
A rooftop canopy is created either by using Stripwood or suspending a rectangle of fabric from a Stripwood support frame.
The courtyard wall is cut out of thick card and lengths of Stripwood added to create thickness. A second layer of card over the Stripwood completes the wall construction
Safety Point! Take great care with hot glue guns and all hot-melt glues. The melted glue can stick to the skin and cause severe burns.
