Wooden furniture

From Thebes, Egypt; Sandals from Beni Hassan, Egypt
New Kingdom, 1550-1069 BC; Sandals, Middle Kingdom, 2125-1795 BC

Most pieces of Egyptian furniture have been found in tombs, where they were placed so that they could continue to be used by their owners in the Afterlife. Considering the amount of furniture that must have been buried throughout Egyptian history, little has survived. Many pieces were destroyed by robbers or eaten by termites.

The stool was the most common item of furniture, usually with a scooped seat. Chairs were rarer and seem to have been a mark of high status. These sometimes had lion's or bull's feet and were often decorated with paint or inlays of wood, ivory, semi-precious stones or even gold. Both seats and tables were very low to the ground., still seen on some furniture in the modern Middle East. Egypt has little wood, and it is often of poor quality.

M. Stead, Egyptian life (London, The British Museum Press, 1986)