page_title: Bricks without straw
section_title: Making bricks with straw
hierarchical_section_title: Bricks without straw / Making bricks with straw
caption_attribution_description: English: Ancient Egyptian painted wooden model of three men making bricks, view 1, 12th Dynasty, Beni Hasan tomb 275, British Museum number EA63837: https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=119427&amp;partId=1&amp;searchText=Brick+making&amp;page=1
context_page_description: Bricks without straw is a phrase which refers to a task which must be undertaken without appropriate resources.
context_section_description: Many clay products require the addition of other materials to add strength and durability. In the case of bricks in Old Testament Egypt -- river clay is usually composed of very fine particles and so would dry slowly -- adding straw would "open up" the clay, allowing it to dry more readily in the sun. In addition to aiding in drying, the linear nature of straw adds stability to the clay brick in much the same way that rebar or wire mesh reinforce modern day concrete. Bricks made without straw would break and crumble easily. Adobe bricks used around the world are generally only sun dried but grasses, straw and other materials are added to the clay for the same basic reasons. 
  The ancient brick-making process can still be seen on Egyptian tomb paintings and models.
caption: Ancient Egyptian painted wooden model of three men making bricks], 12th Dynasty, 1991–1778 BCE, Beni Hasan tomb 275, British Museum
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