The oldest bow drill in the world discovered in Egypt

It weighs 1.5 grams and is the oldest metal bow drill never found in Egypt. One reveals it interdisciplinary research conducted by the University of Newcastle and by the Academy of Fine Arts of Vienna who identified the find.

The discovery, published in the scientific journal Egypt and the Levant, shifts the origin of precision mechanics al 3300 a.C.in full the pre-Dynastic era.

Originally identified at the beginning of the twentieth century in tomba 3932 di badarithe artifact had remained for a century in a display case of the Museum of Archeology and Anthropology, mistakenly classified as a simple awl. The team led by Martin Odler has overturned this definition thanks to two key factors. THE’microscopic analysis he revealed signs of wear which indicate a high speed rotary movementnot under pressure. Additionally, the leather fragments surrounding the metal were identified as part of a bow ropethe engine of drilling system.

Bow drill technology

Il bow drill represents the first step towardsindustrial automation. Through the friction of a tight rope on a wooden arch, the metal rod reached impossible rotation speeds by manual force alone. “This technology allowed the artisans to drill hard pie e precious woods with a millimeter precisionaccelerating the production of beads and jewels which formed the heart of theeconomy of the time“, explains the study.

Metallurgical innovation and ancient trade

L’X-ray fluorescence analysis revealed a second surprising fact: the metal was not pure. The intentional presence of arsenic and nickel it was used to harden the tipmaking it a sort of “punta al widia” of antiquity. The traces of silver and lead suggest that theEgypt 5,000 years ago was already included in one global commercial networkimporting materials from Eastern Mediterranean long before the unification under i Pharaohs.

Museums: gold mines of ancient technology

For the professore Odlerthis finding is proof that i museums I am “gold mines” still unexplored. Many secrets of ancient technology they are not buried under the sand, but lie forgotten in warehouses European institutions. The discovery of Badari drill proves that the “operating system” from the Egyptian civilization it was already fully functional centuries before the construction of the first pyramid.