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Egyptian

Ripple-flaked Knife, 3450-3200 BCE

Now On View

Description

Maker

Culture

Egyptian

Title

Ripple-flaked Knife

Year

3450-3200 BCE

Medium

Flint

Materials/Techniques

Materials

Dimensions

Length: 23.8 cm (9 3/8 inches)

Type

Credit

Museum Appropriation Fund

Object Number

23.002

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Ancient Egyptian Galleries

This knife was created from one large piece of flint; using localized pressure (as opposed to striking the blade with a hammerstone), a craftsman precisely removed small flakes of flint to produce the ripple-flake edge. Flakes were removed only on one side of the knife, perpendicular to the blade, then smaller flakes were removed to give the knife a serrated edge. Given the large amount of time and skill involved in producing ripple-flaked knives, it is likely they were reserved for ceremonial use, as grave goods.

This knife is still sharp.

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Ripple-flaked Knife with the accession number of 23.002. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.