Ancient Egyptian Inventions That We Still Use Today

Are you wondering about some of the items on this list and how they came up with them in ancient Egypt? Air conditioning before electricity? Did the Pharaohs wear watches? Grab a snack, get comfortable, and read all about these five mind-blowing inventions from ancient Egypt that are still around today.

Air Conditioning. The climate of the Nile valley is extremely arid, and temperatures can climb well over 100 degrees. The ancient Egyptians soaked reed mats with water and placed them over windows and doorways. Then, when the breeze blew through the mats, it cooled the interior of their houses—also known as the process of "evaporative cooling." Essentially, the water absorbs the heat, evaporates, and cools the air the same way a modern window air conditioner unit works. Of course, you can thank the Romans for central air, but that's another article!

Egg Incubators. These mud ovens mimic the warmth under a hen. "With lots of heat, moisture, and periodical egg-turning, an egg oven could hatch as many as 4,500 fertilized eggs in two to three weeks, a volume that impressed foreigners for centuries (source)."

Fun fact: Chickens were not brought to Egypt until the Ptolemaic dynasty--that was closer to Cleopatra's time. Meaning they were a late addition to ancient Egypt. Egg incubators were essential for the ancient Egyptians to have chickens without importing them from Asian markets.

The ancient Egyptians kept the inner workings of their egg incubators a secret, and it was only after the Enlightenment that they revealed the process. By mimicking the instincts of the hen and knowing what temperature to hatch, the Egyptians produced chicks year-round. Even though the invention of the electric incubator made mud ovens obsolete, there are still rural Egyptians using the mud oven method from over 2,000 years ago.

Toothpaste. Due to the grit in ancient Egyptian bread, the primary food staple, tooth enamel wore down quickly, causing severe dental issues. As a result, toothpaste was a necessity, and the oldest recipe comes from ancient Egypt. The recipe is from the Ptolemaic dynasty making it about 2,000 years old. It calls for rock salt, mint, dried iris flower, and pepper. This mixture was said to make teeth whiter. Other recipes called for ingredients like dried ox hooves and eggshells. The ancient Egyptians also invented toothbrushes using wood with frayed ends. Modern dentists who've sampled recreated ancient Egyptian toothpaste formulas found them to leave their mouths feeling cleaner than 19th-century versions.

Leather Tannery. The ancient Egyptians used leather in many different forms throughout their long history. Workers created sandals, wrist guards, chariot parts, furniture, and even water jugs from leather. However, only during the late Ptolemaic period was vegetable-tanned leather introduced.

Fun Fact: "In Egypt, leather was most commonly made from the skins of cow, sheep, goat, and gazelle, although those of more exotic species such as lion, panther, cheetah, antelope, leopard, camel, hippopotamus, crocodile, and possibly elephant have been identified (source)."

Leather crafting was a booming business in ancient Egypt and required skilled artisans who used many different tools and dyes of all colors. The most popular of these colors were red and green. Although the process has changed, leather tannery is still thriving in the Egyptian economy, and workers now use chemicals. Nevertheless, one can visit well-established leather tannery businesses in Cairo today.

Clocks. Egyptian clocks were slightly different from the ones we use, but they still kept time. The ancient Egyptians created the twelve-hour day. Pharaohs weren't wearing wristwatches, but priests did need a way to tell time for their rituals inside the temples. There were two models of water clocks. Clay, copper, or stone vessels filled with water had a hole in the bottom. As the water drained out of the hole in the outflow clock, the lowered water level inside told the time at specific increments etched in the vessel's side. The inflow clock was similar, but it had a separate outer vessel that caught the draining water. That outer vessel had specific time increments etched inside, indicating the time as it filled. The Greeks and the Romans also used water clocks and sundials to tell time. There are still water clocks in Australia, the United States, China, and the Middle East.

These inventions were passed down from ancient Egyptian culture over 2,000 years ago, and we still use them today--many of them every day! At least, I hope you're using toothpaste every day!

Resources:

Ancient Egyptian Air Conditioner Over 4,000 Years Old

Why Ancient Egypt Was So Cool

The Egyptian Egg Ovens Considered More Wonderous Than The Pyramids

The Oldest Known Recipe For A Toothpaste

UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology: Leatherwork

Water Clocks: Keeping Track of Time in Antiquity

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If you enjoyed this article, you might also like:

• 5 Inventions From Ancient Egypt That We Still Use Today
• What Did The Ancient Egyptians Eat?
• Hatshepsut: Egypt's Greatest Pharaoh
• Mysteries of Tutankhamun's Tomb
• Was Cleopatra A Murderer?

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