Dispelling the myths about ancient Egyptian copper tools

The author introduces their project, 'EgypToolWear,' which aims to expand the understanding of copper tool use and reframe current assumptions about this material. The author states that singular observations of the metalwork wear caused by production and use must be combined and contextualised so that the artifactual evidence of a broader corpus can be interconnected with tomb reliefs and paintings, strengthening interpretations. A closer study of copper patina will also help identify ancient production versus use wear from later interference, especially if the artefacts were cleaned in recent history without any documentation. This article contains the following relevant headings: Historical understanding and research of copper tools; Understanding the uses of ancient Egyptian copper tools; Initial results of the scientific studies of copper tools; Conclusion