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Experiments in Egyptian Archaeology: Stoneworking Technology in Ancient Egypt
92. The grooving in granite, previously mentioned, was imitated in the diorite and rose granite specimens with a flint tool possessing three faces and three edges. The experimental flint knapping created many such ‘trifaces’ of varying sizes. The point formed by the three edges may be driven with a mallet, and a groove is partly chipped and partly ground out of the hard stone’s surface. Alternatively, the flint may be grasped with the hands and rubbed vigorously along the stone (Figure 3.18). The point can be sharpened by percussion-flaking two of the edges. While flint chisels and punches, followed by sandstone rubbers, effectively produced grooving in granite, this technology is included here for consideration; ancient craftworkers may have used it. t. The experimental groove in diorite measured 5 cm in length, 4 mm in width and 1 mm in depth. In rose granite, the groove length was 4 cm, the width 3 mm and the depth 1 mm. The time taken for each groove was approximately 2 minutes.