Ancient Nephite Homes

According to North American theorists, including the Heartland and Great Lakes models, the ancient people who built mounds in these areas, were the Nephites. If that were true, then we could expect to find an early civilization similar to the one that existed in Jerusalem before 600 BC, of which Lehi, Nephi, Sam and Zoram would have been well familiar.

A typical village around Jerusalem in Lehi’s time. Note the sturdy construction and use of stone in the homes

Thus, upon arriving in the Land of Promise, we can expect that Nephi knew all about the types of homes known in Jerusalem, of what they were made, and basically how they were made. After all, he said once they settled in the Land of Nephi, that he said, “I did teach my people to build buildings, and to work in all manner of wood, and of iron, and of copper, and of brass, and of steel, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious ores, which were in great abundance” (2 Nephi 5:15).
    It should also be understood that the most significant building to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the center of all their lives, was the temple. In terms of building, Nephi added, “And I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon save it were not built of so many precious things; for they were not to be found upon the land, wherefore, it could not be built like unto Solomon's temple. But the manner of the construction was like unto the temple of Solomon; and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine” (2 Nephi 5:16).
    Now, what were these “precious things” of the temple that were not found in the Land of Promise?

Two cherubim of gold (Exodus 25:18-22)

• Precious vessels (II Chronicles 36:18,19), including pots, snuffers, dishes for incense, firepans, bowls, et. Also gold and silver vessels. In addition, precious vessels would have included the arc of the covenant, lavers, brazen sea, and 12 bronze oxen.
• Precious things would have included the special woods used to build Solomon’s Temple, such as cedars from Lebanon—a very well-known and highly praised wood, which Tyre and Sidon exported to many places in the world. In addition, there was olive wood in Jerusalem, also a special tree not indigenous to the Americas.

Left: Incense offering altar; Right: The Shewbread

• Precious ointments and incense (II Kings 20:1-13), would have been frankincense Oil, Myrrh oil, both a product of Boswellia and Commiphora trees; also crocus-oil from the Crocus sativus flower. None of these were indigenous to the Americas, and therefore would not have been found in the Land of Promise.
• While Bronze (dating to 3500 BC) is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive, but sometimes with other elements such as arsenic, phosphorus, manganese, aluminum, or silicon, and was known in Ancient America, specifically in Andean South America, there is no mention of bronze as one of the metals used or resulting from alloying in the Book of Mormon. However, it is mentioned as being used to a great extent in Solomon’s temple.

The twelve oxen holding up the giant brazen sea

Thus, numerous “precious things,” common to the Old World, especially the Old Testament world, would not have been found in the Land of Promise, making Nephi’s statement about some of the precious things of the temple were “not found in the land.”
    As late as the 1400s, the technology of alloying tin or lead with copper was unknown in the Valley of Mexico, so the Aztec metalworkers worked with soft, lustrous metals such as copper, gold, and silver.

Blue Circle: The Valley of Mexico

None of these metals were found in the Valley of Mexico and had to be imported from distant areas.; Of course, the Aztecs had metal objects, but had acquired them from other peoples. However, as conquest gained them metal working regions, the technology started to spread. By the time of the Spanish conquest, a bronze-smelting technology seemed to just be coming into existence.
    The point is that Lehi and his family, upon arrival in the Land of Promise, belonged to a civilization that had already achieved certain levels of accomplishment in numerous areas of development. They knew and understood the use of cut and dressed stone, working of precious metals, construction of fine buildings, and the development of textiles.
    Nephi knew how to form steel, nor is that out of the question since the earliest known production of steel has been excavated from an archaeological site in central Anatolia (Turkey) and are nearly 4,000 years old, dating from 1800 BC. Steel weapons, such as the falcate sword have been found dating to that time along the Mediterranean, from Anatolia to Iberia. Weapons of Noric steel, developed in Austria, was later used by the Roman military.

Nephi teaching his people how to use iron and steel for building

When Nephi said he taught his people how to work with steel (2 Nephi 5:15), we do not know whether he already knew how to do this, or if it was one of the things he was taught during the process of building his ship. However, the fact is, he knew how to do this and taught his people in the fledgling city of Nephi such metalwork.
    While the theorists who claim Lehi landed in North America are energetic in their beliefs, the fact is that nothing has ever been found in the areas of the Heartland or Great Lakes as ancient inhabitants that were much past the stone age. Their homes were rickety limbs bent into a curve and laced together with other limbs, and the roof covered with either skins or
    In North America, a longhouse was a type of long, proportionately narrow, single-room building made of sapling limbs bent into a curve and laced together with other limbs, and the roof covered with either skins or bark, and represent the earliest form of permanent structure in many cultures. They had doors at each end and got their name because they were built in the shape of a long rectangle. Usually they were around 80 feet long and 18 feet wide, with holes in the roof to allow for the smoke from fires to escape and a door at each end.
    On the other hand, Archaeologists working in Nazareth in modern-day Israel have identified a house dating to the first century that was regarded as the place where Jesus was brought up by Mary and Joseph. The house is partly made of mortar-and-stone walls, and was cut into a rocky hillside.
    In Israel, houses were made extremely sturdy since it was common for a family to spend much time upon their housetops, as it is said of David (2 Samuel 11:2). The climate was usually mild and ideal for gatherings. The roof usually had three layers: the wooden beams, straw mats, and a clay top, the latter pressed down tight with a stone roller. 
    In the case of the man carried in a bed to see Christ but was stopped by a huge multitude, they carried him to the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus (Luke 5:18-21)
    In Lehi’s time, the smallest homes of the very poor might be little more than a square, stone structure covered with a whitewashed sort of stucco. There would typically be one larger multipurpose room and a smaller back room for the animals. Some houses in hilly regions were partial cave dwellings, built up against the limestone rock face, perhaps with the front section built onto it. Many homes employed the “hillside strategy” that made use of hollowed out caves. Such structures were easy to build and there was a certain natural coolness to them.
    Another sort of house, also common among the working poor and typical village-dwellers, was one built around a central open court with small rooms opening onto it. This kind of building had the advantage of needing only short beams for the roof structures, since the central court had no roof. The open concept retained the coolness by allowing air to move freely through. Cooking could also be done in the open central court, when the weather permitted. If the family had some animals, they were often kept in part of the house at night.
    Families, sometimes including several generations, tended to live under one roof and had little or no privacy.

    The roof was of real importance in everyday life. It was a flat roof that sloped just enough to drain off the rainwater, which was carefully collected into cisterns or large containers, since every drop of water was precious. The roof of the house was flat and sturdy, enabling people to venture up on it. Since the roofs were used so often, the law of Deuteronomy required guard rails to be installed to prevent falling.
    These roof areas provided an open second floor, where tools would often be stored, laundry would be put out to dry, and people would often gather to talk, especially in the evening. Scripture also speaks of it as a place to retire and pray. In the evening when it was cool, people sat and talked, and in the better weather would often slept there. Some also placed tents and other coverings on the roof, since the climate of the Mediterranean provided a perfect setting most times of the year.
    Except for the roof structures, which included wood timbers, the basic building material in Palestine was stone. The limestone provided excellent building material and as the stones were fashioned into a wall, they would be coated with a flat, fixed stucco-like material and smoothed over. Foundations were dug with great care as the people built upon rock rather than sand. The mortar was used to bond the stone that was made of clay mixed with shells and potsherds.
    As for the structure of the roofs, wooden trusses were necessary, since the roof would be used as a kind of second floor. Then a type of wattling or firm lattice of straw mats would be covered over and smoothed with hard clay. Yearly repairs were made just prior to the rainy season. Most of the inner doors were narrow; only the door facing the street was wider and had a hinged door that could be secured.
    In poorer homes the floor was simply pounded earth. The more affluent might have pebbles or baked clay tiles. Wooden floors could be afforded only by the very wealthy, who also could have water piped to their houses. Ordinary people went to the well or spring-fount, or perhaps a local stream, and collected water with skins, jars, and all kinds of pitchers. Some larger towns did have conduits or aqueducts that brought the water to certain public areas. The washing of clothes was done away from the main house lest water run back in.
    The point is that Lehi and his family were used to such living, particularly at the level of the more wealthy, an in no way would have built their houses out of sapling wood and birchbark. After all, they had the Bedouin style tents to live in while they built their stone houses and public buildings like the temple.    For those who want to claim the Nephites had house and cities made of wood and simple limited construction, like was found in North America, simply do not understand the Hebrew nature and what Lehi and his family had been used to living at Jerusalem.