Stonework was one of the earliest industries in ancient Egypt. A natural wealth of decorative stone was first exploited during the Pre-Dynastic period ( 4,000 BC ) and various quarry sites yielded basalt, breccia, granite, porphyry, limestone and alabaster. 2 ancient alabaster quarry sites have been identified, one at Wadi Gera and the other near Helena and in an area south of Mania. While Egyptian alabaster, geologically known as Calcium carbonate, was worked from the Pre-Dynastic time on, it was most popular during the New kingdom. The utilization of alabaster in Egypt dates well into the Pharaonic period of Egyptian history, and it is evident when one visits the temples, crypts and museums in Egypt.
the original alabaster was a kind of Calcite, a transparent spread or gypsum. On the hardness scale of one to ten, the alabaster would stand at only two to 2.5 soft enough to scrape with a fingernail. Due to the low toughness, it is easy to carve and polish, but it is also simply weathered, especially in wet conditions. Because of its softness , therefore , alabaster is typically carved for statuary and other decorative purposes. Ancient pharaohs used alabaster for many purposes, including household items, ritual objects, and for a number of different funerary purposes like sarcophaguses and canopic equipments.
The Working of hard stone reached its height in the third and fourth dynasties ( 2600 - 2400 BC ). The early vessels were of simple but classy shape, frequently with flat broad edges and little lug handles for suspension. The ancient artisans demonstrated their mastery of this medium as they shaped hard stone as if it were clay, manufacturing a variety of finely crafted vessels. there were no intact stone drilling tools recovered from ancient Egypt, although part of a stone worker toll kit survived. Decorative crypt paintings showing everyday life scenes have been the best source of information as to how stone pots were carved.
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