In modern homes, we use air conditioners to maintain a comfortable temperature in the summer. But when the power goes out, our homes become unbearably hot and stuffy. But thousands of years ago, when people didn't have electricity, they used technologies that allowed their homes to stay cool even during very hot weather. Now that the planet's climate is changing and average temperatures are rising, scientists suggest remembering these technologies. This will make modern cities more comfortable to live in.
Thousands of years ago, people used technologies to cool buildings that may be relevant even today. Photo source: livescience.com
Sumerian housing construction technologies
The Sumerian civilization, which actively developed in the 4th-3rd millennia BC, achieved great success in a variety of human activities, including construction. The Sumerians, as we know, lived in a hot and dry climate, so even 6,000 years ago they had to think about how to make their homes cooler.
According to archaeologists who study the ruins of Mesopotamian cities, ancient people used various tricks to make their houses more comfortable. For example, they made the walls very thick, which increased their thermal insulation properties. In addition, they tried to make very small windows.
Sumerian cities had narrow, shaded streets. Photo source: warspot.ru
It should be said that in modern buildings, builders try to make windows, on the contrary, large. But if you look at a modern house with a thermal imager, you can see that windows are the most heat-conducting parts of the building, that is, heat leaves the building through windows in winter, and the room heats up in the summer heat. Perhaps, due to global warming, in order to make buildings more energy efficient, builders will again have to abandon large windows.
In addition, the Sumerians tried to build houses close to each other. Thanks to this, fewer walls were exposed to direct sunlight. In addition, narrow streets provided shade for almost the entire day. This allowed pedestrians to comfortably move around the city during intense heat.
The Sumerians also paid a lot of attention to building materials. They used adobe and clay for the roof and walls. These materials absorb heat during the day and release it at night. This also made their houses more comfortable.
Wind towers in ancient Egyptian buildings captured the wind and directed it downwards. Photo source: livescience.com
How the ancient Egyptians kept their homes cool
The ancient Egyptians also tried to make their houses more comfortable during the heat. They built them from stone and clay bricks. But their most interesting feature is a unique technology known as mulqaf. Its essence was to create high and narrow openings in the walls, which were made on the side of the building where the winds prevailed. In palaces, wind towers were built instead of openings.
These holes and towers served as air intakes, that is, they captured the wind and directed it into the building. There were also openings on the opposite side to remove heat. Thus, a draft and coolness were provided inside the premises. But that's not all – the Egyptians made terraces on the roofs, where they slept at night in the cool.
It must be said that this technology is still used in the Middle East and Central Asia. It makes the premises comfortable without air conditioning, even when it is very hot outside. Perhaps the use of “air intakes” in the future may find application in other regions.
The Pueblo people built their homes under rock overhangs to provide shade. Photo credit: livescience.com
How people kept their homes cool on other continents
Similar technologies were used by other ancient civilizations that developed on other continents. For example, the Pueblo people, who lived in what is now the American Southwest, also built houses with small windows and used clay bricks to build walls. They also built houses with shared walls to minimize heat penetration from the outside.
The Puebloans also paid great attention to the choice of location for building their homes. They tried to create communities under the shelter of cliffs facing south. Thanks to this orientation, the cliffs provided their homes with cool shade. At the same time, the buildings received a sufficient amount of sunlight.
Water drainage in ancient cities was designed to direct rainwater to where it was needed. Photo source: livescience.com
In addition to keeping cool, almost all civilizations that developed in dry climates created rainwater collection systems. This allowed them to survive the dry season. It must be said that now scientists are again working on creating effective ways to collect and store rainwater. Together with green infrastructure, rainwater collection can be an effective strategy for increasing the resilience of cities to changing climate conditions.
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In general, according to experts, ancient technologies can be adapted to modern conditions in order to minimize the negative effects of global warming. Moreover, engineers are already adopting some of these technologies.