The Value of Wood in Ancient Egypt

Wood & Timber

Remembering that Egypt is a desert country one of the rare commodities used by the Egyptians is wood. With a limited number of trees, supplies of timber were regarded as precious and the material was an expensive resource.

Types of Trees

Local

Acacia was native to Egypt and was used for making furniture

Willow (Salix, safsaf) is also found in limited numbers within Egypt and was again used for furniture production

Tamarisk trees grew on the outskirts of villages and desert areas providing windbreaks for sand blowing into these areas, the timber itself has numerous knots and is not suitable for furniture production

Sidder (Zizyphus, spina-christi) Sycamore-Fig (Ficus sycomorus) These types of timber have been found in the construction of early coffins dating from eleventh dynasty onwards

Imported

Cedar (Cedrus libani) imported from ancient Byblos by Egyptian kings for boat building and coffin construction

Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) grows naturally throughout North Africa and was used in the construction of composite bows, shafts, axes and adzes

Oak (Quercus cerris) probably imported from Turkey, this type of oak is subject to early decay

Ebony (Diospyros) imported, possibly from Ethiopia possibly, the land of Punt expeditions, is black or dark brown in appearance, highly durable, this timber was highly prized by the Egyptians

Carpentry and Woodworking

Felling
Tress were cut down using bronze axes, the tree branches were removed and the log was ready for transport and delivery to the carpenter

Preparation
On receipt of the log/timber from the lumberjacks/workman the Carpenter busied himself preparing the timber for woodwork production, this was done by cutting the log/timber with a pull saw, preparing the timber into planks. The trunks of trees were always converted into boards but were liable to wrap.

Types of Joints used
Butt Joints held together with wooden pegs, others include; half-lap, simple mitre, shoulder-mitre, double shoulder mitre, mitre-housing, dovetail-mire housing, scarf jointing and mortise and tenon jointing.

Fittings and Hinges
Barrel Hinges, Butt Hinges were made from wood, bronze or gold depending on who the product. Rope and Cord were used as fasteners for cabinets and boxes; a sliding bolt on staples was also used as a type of hinge

Tools of the Trade
Hand Saw, Pull-Saw, Glue Brush, Mort ice Chisels, Awls, Axes, Adzes, Slate Sharpener, Hand-Held Turning Lathe, Sanding Blocks (made out of sandstone), Mallets and Bow-Drills

Items Constructed
Beds, Boxes, Coffins, Chairs, Foot Rests, Stools, Scribe Boxes/Pallets, Vase Stands, Cabinets, Chests, Low Tables, Folding Stools, Carrying Chairs, Tent Poles and Boats.

Wooden coffins were as expensive as buying a luxury car in our civilisation today.

So next time in a museum and you see an ancient Egyptian object made out of wood - then you will know it is a very precious item.