The tomb paintings and reliefs of Ancient Egypt constitute a major source of evidence for the historical and cultural reconstruction of this fascinating civilisation, but the compilation and detailed analysis of both the iconographic and textual data contained in such scenes in one volume is seldom undertaken. This book focuses on one of the main themes illustrated - craftsmen at work - and uses an original micro-analytical approach to determine the key conventions of their representation. Industries such as boat building, carpentry, jewellery making, leatherwork, metalwork, sculpture and stone vessel making are examined. Particular emphasis is given to the postures and actions of the figures, their methods, tools and interactions, as well as their clothing, physical features and objects on which they work. A catalogue of scenes, some previously unpublished, is included, together with over 2,000 plans and line drawings, innovative isometric diagrams, text and translation summaries, and appendices.

Table of Contents:
Part One - Research and Analysis Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Preamble 1.2 Literature Review 1.3 Selection of Theme 1.4 Review of Current Scholarship 1.5 The Case for a Micro-Analytical Approach 1.6 Scope of the Investigation 1.7 Indicative Results of the Investigation 1.8 Research Methodology 1.9 Limitations of the Study Chapter 2 The Scenes in Context 2.1 Overview of Corpus 2.1.1 Definitions 2.1.2 Distribution of Corpus Scenes 2.1.3 Hierarchy of Industries 2.2 Setting 2.2.1 Context of Workshop Products 2.2.2 Workshops of the Estates 2.2.3 Character and Organisation of Estate Workshops 2.2.4 Other Types of Workshops 2.2.5 Absence of Personnel Identifications 2.2.6 Identification of State Personnel 2.2.7 Identification of Palace Personnel 2.2.8 Role and Distribution of Personnel Identifications 2.3 Correlation Between Scene Type, Content and Title 2.3.1 Social Distribution of Workshop Scenes 2.3.2 Common Titles Related to Workshop Activities 2.3.3 Nominal v. Substantive Titles 2.3.4 Impact of Workshop Titles on Scene Selection 2.3.5 Impact of Other Titles on Scene Selection 2.3.6 Impact of Status on Scene Innovation 2.4 Location of Scenes 2.4.1 Location Relative to Chapel Type 2.4.2 Impact of Other Factors on Patterns of Placement 2.4.3 Placement in Areas of High Visibility 2.4.4 Placement Adjacent to Key Architectural Elements 2.4.5 Summary of Factors Influencing Scene Placement Chapter 3 The Scenes in Focus 3.1 Boat Building 3.1.1 Overview 3.1.2 Identification of Personnel 3.1.3 Identification of Materials 3.1.4 Common Procedures 3.2 Carpentry 3.2.1 Overview 3.2.2 Identification of Personnel 3.2.3 Identification of Materials 3.2.4 Common Procedures 3.3 Jewellery Making 3.3.1 Overview 3.3.2 Identification of Personnel 3.3.3 Identification of Materials 3.3.4 Common Procedures 3.4 Leatherwork 3.4.1 Overview 3.4.2 Identification of Personnel 3.4.3 Identification of Materials 3.4.4 Common Procedures 3.5 Metalwork 3.5.1 Overview 3.5.2 Identification of Personnel 3.5.3 Identification of Materials 3.5.4 Common Procedures 3.6 Sculpture 3.6.1 Overview 3.6.2 Identification of Personnel 3.6.3 Identification of Materials 3.6.4 Common Procedures 3.7 Stone Vessel Making 3.7.1 Overview 3.7.2 Identification of Personnel 3.7.3 Identification of Materials 3.7.4 Common Procedures Chapter 4 The Texts 4.1 Text Types 4.1.1 Function of Texts 4.1.2 Summary of Text Types 4.2 Analysis of Structure, Content and Purpose 4.2.1 Overview 4.2.2 Generic Identification of Figures and Objects 4.2.3 General v. Explicit Texts 4.2.4 Texts as Informers of Technical Procedures 4.2.5 Informative Role of Observation Texts 4.2.6 Use of Idioms and Invocations 4.2.7 Texts Emphasising Speed 4.2.8 Texts Emphasising Efficiency and Teamwork 4.2.9 Texts Reflecting Concern for Quality 4.2.10 Texts Related to Workshop Organisation 4.2.11 Texts Describing the Finished Product 4.2.12 Expressions of Praise and Reprimands 4.3 Conclusions 4.3.1 Role of Texts 4.3.2 Geographical and Temporal Distribution of Texts 4.3.3 Generic v. Specific Identification of Personnel 4.3.4 Stand-Alone v. Extended Texts 4.3.5 Use of Texts as Dating Criteria 4.3.6 Text, Image and Selective Captioning Chapter 5 Conclusions 5.1 Objectives 5.1.1 Summary 5.2 Findings Pertaining to Context 5.2.1 Setting and Identification of Personnel 5.3 Findings Pertaining to Distribution and Position 5.3.1 Ratio of Memphite to Provincial Cemeteries 5.3.2 Industry Hierarchy 5.3.3 Status of Tomb Owner and Scene Selection 5.3.4 Tomb Position 5.4 Findings Pertaining to Scene Content 5.4.1 Classification of Scenes 5.4.2 Methods of Display 5.4.3 Methods of Communicating Process 5.4.4 Conventional v. Non-Conventional Presentations 5.5 Findings Pertaining to Artistic Innovation 5.5.1 Summary 5.5.2 A Special Case: Tomb MQ1 5.6 Findings Pertaining to Scene Inscriptions 5.6.1 Text Types and Their Purpose 5.7 Concluding Remarks Part Two - Scene Catalogue 1.1 Explanatory Notes 1.2 Definitions 1.3 Summary of Catalogue Numbers by Site 1.4 Key to Catalogue Notations 1.5 Method of Citation Used in Catalogue Notes Bibliography Appendix 1 Micro-Features in Scenes of Boat Building Appendix 2 Micro-Features in Scenes of Carpentry Appendix 3 Micro-Features in Scenes of Jewellery Making Appendix 4 Micro-Features in Scenes of Leatherwork Appendix 5 Micro-Features in Scenes of Metalwork Appendix 6 Micro-Features in Scenes of Sculpture Appendix 7 Micro-Features in Scenes of Stone Vessel Making Appendix 8 Micro-Features in Workshop Scenes by Catalogue Number Appendix 9 Atypical Scene Types in Workshop Scenes and Occurrences Appendix 10 Atypical Postures in Workshop Scenes and Occurrences Appendix 11 Unique Micro-Features in Workshop Scenes and Occurrences Appendix 12 Micro-Features Common to Multiple Workshop Industries and Occurrences Appendix 13 Compilation of Text Types Index