Experiments In Egyptian Archaeology

This fresh and engaging volume examines the evidence for masonry in ancient Egypt. Through a series of experiments with over two hundred replica tools, Denys A. Stocks brings alive the methods and practices of ancient Egyptian craftworking.

This fresh and engaging volume examines the evidence for masonry in ancient Egypt. Through a series of experiments with over two hundred replica tools, Denys A. Stocks brings alive the methods and practices of ancient Egyptian craftworking.

This volume builds bridges between usually-separate social groups, between different methodologies and even between disciplines. It is the result of an innovative conference held at Swansea University in 2010, which brought together leading craftspeople and academics to explore the all-too-often opposed practices of experimental and experiential archaeology. The focus is upon Egyptology, but the volume has a wider importance. The experimental method is privileged in academic institutions and thus perhaps is subject to clear definitions. It tends to be associated with the scientific and technological. In opposition, the experiential is more rarely defined and is usually associated with schoolchildren, museums and heritage centres; it is often criticised for being unscientific. The introductory chapter of this volume examines the development of these traditionally-assumed differences, giving for the first time a critical and careful definition of the experiential in relation to the experimental. The two are seen as points on a continuum with much common ground. This claim is borne out by succeeding chapters, which cover such topics as textiles, woodworking and stoneworking. And Salima Ikram, Professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo, here demonstrates remarkably that our understanding of the classic Egyptian funerary practice of mummification benefits from both 'scientific' experimental and sensual experiential approaches. The volume, however, is important not only for Egyptology but for archaeological method more generally. The papers illuminate the pioneering of individuals who founded modern archaeological practice. Several papers are truly groundbreaking and deserve to circulate far beyond Egyptology. Thus the archaeologist Marquardt Lund tackles the problem of understanding the earliest known depictions of flint knife manufacture, those from an Egyptian tomb dated around 1900 BC. He shows the importance of thinking outside 'traditional', i.e. modern, knapping practice. Lund's knapping method, guided by the tomb depictions, is surprising but effective, and very different from that presented in manuals of lithic technology or taught in academic institutions.

In this new edition of Experiments in Egyptian Archaeology, Denys A. Stocks introduces further experimental research on stoneworking in Ancient Egypt through archaeological and pictorial evidence. A further 20 years of research has been added to the original publication and the book now includes the results of experiments that test and evaluate over 250 reconstructed and replica tools, bringing alive the methods and practices of Ancient Egyptian craftworking. This practical approach to understanding the fundamentals of Ancient Egyptian stoneworking highlights the evolution of tools and techniques, and how these come together to produce the wonders of Egyptian art and architecture. A new chapter on Predynastic industrial transitions and convergence explores how the surge in technology, particularly in the expanding production of stone vessels and in the production of faience artifacts, drove the expansion of the economy of the Late Predynastic period in Egypt. Introducing the results of new research to enrich our understanding of the fundamental development of stoneworking, and other supporting technologies in Ancient Egypt, this book remains an important volume for students and researchers wishing to understand Ancient Egyptian technology and development.

Science in the Study of Ancient Egypt takes an innovative and integrated approach to the use of scientific techniques and methodologies within the study of ancient Egypt. Accessibly demonstrating how to integrate scientific methodologies into Egyptology broadly, and in Egyptian archaeology in particular, this volume will help to maximise the amount of information that can be obtained within a study of ancient Egypt, be it in the field, museum, or laboratory. Using a range of case studies which exemplify best practice within Egyptian archaeological science, Science in the Study of Ancient Egypt presents both the scientific methods of analysis available and their potential applications to Egyptologists. Although Egyptology has mainly shown a marked lack of engagement with recent archaeological science, the authors illustrate the inclusive but varied nature of the scientific archaeology which is now being undertaken, demonstrating how new analytical techniques can develop greater understanding of Egyptian data.

The inherent paradox of Egyptology is that the objective of its study – people living in Egypt in Pharaonic times – are never the direct object of its studies. Egyptology, as well as archaeology in general, approach ancient lives through material (and sometimes immaterial) remains. This Element explores how, through the interplay of things and people – of non-human actants and human actors – Pharaonic material culture is shaped. In turn, it asks how, through this interplay, Pharaonic culture as an epistemic entity is created: an epistemic entity which conserves and transmits even the lives and deaths of ancient people. Drawing upon aspects of Actor Network Theory, this Element introduces an approach to see technique as the interaction of people and things, and technology as the reflection of these networks of entanglement.

Defence. Attack. Symbolism. The development of warfare in any society provides an evocative glance into the lives (and deaths) of our predecessors. This is never more the case than with that most enticing of ancient civilisations, Ancient Egypt. Follow Rebecca Dean through the fascinating world of mysterious figures such as Tutankhamun and Nefertiti, examining not only the history and development of ancient Egyptian warfare, but the weapons used and the way they were handled.Swords, axes, and daggers are the weapons of choice here, as ancient Egyptian warfare is brought vividly to life through the exciting use of experimental archaeology. By examining and testing replicas of real-life artefacts, just how deadly these ancient Egyptian weapons were can be seen. Looking closely at the nature of such weapons also brings to life the formidable women who, on occasion, grasped power in a male-dominated world.Read on to discover more about this fascinating subject.