Life in the Desert for Low Tech Populations

[Maggietron]

Hello there! I'm currently working on a story that takes place in a desert community. It's far future post apocalyptic (think Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and stuff like that) so they have *some* technology but not much. I'm interested in resources about life for ancient cultures in the desert (e.g. Mesopotamia and Egypt) so that I can texture my story with realistic details. Does anyone have good books/documentaries/etc. they can recommend? Thanks so much in advance!

 

[Finchbearer]

Water is the most important resource in any desert climate, though you probably already knew that. I’d take a look at Petra in Jordan and how they channelled water to create a city that just shouldn’t have existed.

 

[Queshire]

I generally start with YouTube. Search for something along the lines of "life in ancient egypt" or something there.

 

[pmmg]

I dont think I could site the many things I have seen over the years that would inform me as to living life in a desert.

Clearly water matters most. Living near a river would help. Living where there is only sand, wont.

I suspect Dune has some insights onto this. Like Quesh, I'd start with Youtube and look up desert living, or any culture that I knew that lived in a desert. Maybe a video game that featured a desert environment would help. Also, any RPG guides on desert survival.

Just winging it, I would expect them to put a lot of energy into collecting and preserving water, where ever the source came from. I would also expect styles of dress, architecture, indigenous creatures and the like to be those that would suit the environment first.

You say their tech is way down, but also say they are post apocalypse, so maybe they have something from the past that can help them, like Moisture Vaproators, or desalinization plants.

 

[Queshire]

I'd also suggest looking into wilderness survival in a desert. Is Man vs Wild still on the air? It won't necessarily help with the day to day life of your setting, but can be useful to get an idea of what the big stuff they have to worry about.

 

[CupofJoe]

Caves. [Almost] climate controlled ready made shelter. And maybe the chance of a seeping water supply.

 

[_Michael_]

I would say look to the Dune series for such things. I always thought the idea of a city built inside a large outcropping of rock in the middle of the desert like the Fremen had would be kind of cool. Like, opens up inside with terraced areas in a massive cave.