Mud was the main construction material used in ancient Mesopotamia. Mud-brick buildings were constructed using mud mixed with reeds or other vegetable matter and dried in the sun.
The homes that constituted the center of Mesopotamian society ranged from simple reed huts to robust mudbrick houses. Houses made of solid mudbricks sat tightly packed along the unpaved streets. Each brick, a meticulously created mixture of clay, chopped straw, and water, was molded in wooden molds and dried under the sun’s searing rays. When ready, these bricks created the dwellings’ sturdy walls, which were meticulously placed by expert hands. The bricks were sturdy, but time and the elements took their toll, and families would frequently gather to mend collapsing walls, filling up holes with fresh mud plaster.
The use of ashlar blocks and baked bricks added a touch of luxury to homes owned by the wealthy. However, these materials were expensive and scarce, and only used in magnificent palaces or temples. For the average family, their world was made of cheap plaster and mud bricks, strengthened by wood, and embellished with straightforward wall paintings.