The Metallography of some Ancient Egyptian Implements^*

Abstract

IRON in ancient Egypt has been the subject of many publications, and, concerning such aspects as the approximate date of the beginning of the Iron Age, the use of meteoritic iron, and the source of the Egyptians' knowledge of iron making, many different opinions have been expressed. With regard to some of these questions the position is such that evidence may be adduced in support of a variety of views each of which is at variance with certain portions of the total available evidence. Concerning the approximate date of the beginning of the Iron Age there are, for example, two main categories of evidence, the direct and the indirect, and generally speaking, the conclusion arrived at depends on which type is regarded as the more reliable. The evidence provided by the discoveries of iron articles, iron-smelting furnaces, or references to iron in writings or paintings constitutes the direct evidence, whereas the existence of hard stone carvings which would appear to have required the use of iron tools in their execution constitutes the indirect evidence.