Experiments in Egyptian Archaeology: Stoneworking Technology in Ancient Egypt PDF
Preview Experiments in Egyptian Archaeology: Stoneworking Technology in Ancient Egypt
EXPERIMENTS IN EGYPTIAN ARCHAEOLOGY EXPERIMENTS IN EGYPTIAN ARCHAEOLOGY Stoneworking technology in Ancient Egypt Denys A. Stocks First published 2003 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2004. © 2003 Denys A. Stocks All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Stocks, Denys A. (Denys Allen), 1941– Experiments in Egyptian archaeology : stoneworking technology in ancient Egypt / Denys A. Stocks p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Building, Stone–Egypt–History. 2. Stonemasonry–Egypt–History. 3. Architecture, Ancient–Egypt. 4. Egypt–Antiquities. I. Title. TH117.S76 2003 693′.1′0932–dc21 2003041383 ISBN 0-203-43023-9 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 0-203-34053-1 (Adobe eReader Format) ISBN 0–415–30664–7(Print Edition) TO MY WIFE, CAROL, AND SONS JEFFREY, IAN AND PAUL CONTENTS List of tables xi List of figures xiii Foreword xxi Acknowledgements xxiii List of abbreviations xxv Predynastic and Dynastic chronology xxvii Map of Egypt xxxi Introduction 1 PART I Skills and tools: fledgling industrialists 5 1 Craftworking: industry’s driving force 7 Craftworking: mind over matter 7 Important tools, materials and artifacts: a brief overview 10 Experiments and their interpretation 21 2 The cutting edge 25 Copper and bronze cutting tools 25 A cluster of furnaces: the key to manufacturing expansion 34 Hammering: the art of forceful shaping 43 Enter the bow: a power transmission device 50 Copper and bronze cutting tools: experimental manufacture and hardness tests 56 To cut, or not to cut – that is the problem 63 vii CONTENTS 3 A flint for all seasons 74 Some evidence for the working of hard stones 74 Flint and chert: a brief description 81 The experiments with the flint tools 83 Tools for keeping: tools for throwing away 95 PART II High priests of industry: the state’s influence on technology 101 4 The abrasive technologists 103 Flora and technology connections 103 Abrasives and metals in use for the sawing and tubular drilling of stone 105 The sand environment in Egypt: effects on human activity 109 Drilling stones with reed tubes 111 Copper: a new material for an old purpose 112 The construction and use of the experimental Manchester saws and tubular drills 116 The Aswan sawing and drilling experiments 129 Discussion 135 5 Making stone vessels 139 Stone vessels by the thousand 139 The tomb evidence for stone vessel making 142 Analysis of the pictorial evidence 147 A twist/reverse twist drill attachment tool 149 Reconstructed twist/reverse twist drills 150 The twist/reverse twist drill tests 152 Making stone vessels in ancient Mesopotamia 155 Manufacturing a limestone barrel-shaped vase 155 Discussion 165 6 The development of stone sarcophagus manufacture 169 Shaping stone sarcophagi: surface decoration tools and techniques 169 Hollowing hard stone sarcophagi interiors 172 Discussion 175 viii CONTENTS 7 Master masonry fitters 179 Masonry fitters’ tools 179 Some problems confronting the mason 183 The Kahun set of rods and string 187 Some ancient uses for rods and string 189 Fitting two megalithic blocks together: a proposal 191 Friction and force: physics to the rescue 194 PART III Industrial revolution in ancient Egypt 201 8 Theban mass-production tools 203 Early bead-making techniques 203 Six New Kingdom tombs in the Theban necropolis 208 Interpretation of the illustrations 209 Manufacture of the reconstructed tools 213 Experimental bead-drilling 216 Discussion of the experimental results 221 9 By-products from a bygone age 225 Modern by-product materials 225 Ancient faience: a brief description 225 Experimental faience manufacture 227 Discussion 229 10 Ancient technical interrelationships 234 Interconnected tools and processes 234 Indicated craftworkers’ health problems 237 Final summary 238 Glossary of technical terms 240 Bibliography 249 Figure sources 256 Index 258 ix
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