UCLA

This dissertation demonstrates the ability to use the technological developments observable in objects to reveal long-term shifts in society, and to uncover in-depth information about communities of practice. Through an examination of the significant evidence for woodworking practices in both modern and ancient Egypt, universal aspects of the experience of wood technology are discovered, and compared to those that are context specific. The use of ethnoarchaeology and experimental archaeology permit this detailed analysis. The religious significance of timber in ancient Egypt, ancient Egyptian woodworking tools, and the position of the woodworker in Egyptian society, are then discussed, to provide the social and practical background necessary to assess the following data: a thorough technical analysis of coffin construction through time. The material evidence is examined in light of its historical context, demonstrating how the use and access to different timbers shifts in light of political and social developments, while the woodworkers must also constantly adapt construction techniques to changes that are largely out of their control. Coffins are shown to be particularly sensitive to these large-scale shifts, as visible elements of social competition and display. At times, the changes in material access and construction are shown to be responsible for major changes to religious beliefs and practices as well. In total, it is clear that technological developments can illustrate fluctuations in the Egyptian economy, religion, and society in a manner that artistic and textual evidence cannot.