ANCIENT EGYPTIAN “PLYWOOD”

Abstract

The abundance of wood products left behind by ancient Egyptian burial practices in the arid climate can tell us about the earliest woodworking methods. However, they are yet to be fully discussed. In this paper, we reconsider the “plywood” of the coffin found under the Step Pyramid from the Third Dynasty, which has been identified as the oldest “plywood.” Rather than its similarity to plywood, we argue that it is the “beautiful wood assemblage” consisting of four species of foreign wood and two species of indigenous wood under gold foil that is most noteworthy and important.