Inherited Practices: The Heritage of Metalworking in Ancient Egypt between Techniques and Iconography: Wadi Nasab (Sinai) as a Case Study
الكلمات المفتاحية:
Wadi Nasab; Metallurgy workshop; Sinai; Copper; chaîne opératoire; Metalworking Scenes; Archaeometallurgy.، DOI.10.5281/zenodo.21203462الملخص
The metallurgical activities in ancient Egypt began during the late Predynastic era, with Wadi Dara in the Eastern Desert providing early evidence of systematic metalworking. Copper was the first metal to be smelted and melted, marking the first steps of ancient Egyptian metallurgy, and the later adoption of bronze represented a significant technological leap. Yet, key metallurgical operations, including smelting, melting, casting, hammering, and annealing, remained largely unchanged from techniques used during the Copper Age.
This paper will integrate the recent archaeological discoveries at Wadi Nasab in South Sinai, including evidence of large-scale copper smelting workshops, administrative buildings, and advanced metallurgical facilities, with the rich heritage of metalworking scenes depicted in ancient Egyptian tombs, primarily from the Old Kingdom. By correlating the material remains from Wadi Nasab, which show continuous metallurgical heritage from the Old Kingdom through the New Kingdom and illustrate state-level organization and industrial scale production, with the visual and textual evidences from tombs, this study aims to deepen the understanding of ancient Egypt’s metalworking traditions and their socio-economic contexts.
التنزيلات
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الرخصة
الحقوق الفكرية (c) 2026 Ahmed Mansour, Hesham Hussein (Author)
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