. Ancient Egypt. Egyptology. tered reed mats were set. These houses most often consisted of a single room with an open courtA'ard in front (fig. 9). Cooking and most domestic activ- ities were conducted outside, with the interior of the hut reserved for sleeping and possiblv animal keeping. More substantial structures of brick and timber have recently been uncovered at Hierakon- polis, the site of the largest sur\i\ing town of the pred^Tiastic period. Most of these villages were agricultural, wheat and barley being the principal crops. Farming de- pended on the annual flooding of the Nile, whi
. Ancient Egypt. Egyptology. tered reed mats were set. These houses most often consisted of a single room with an open courtA'ard in front (fig. 9). Cooking and most domestic activ- ities were conducted outside, with the interior of the hut reserved for sleeping and possiblv animal keeping. More substantial structures of brick and timber have recently been uncovered at Hierakon- polis, the site of the largest sur\i\ing town of the pred^Tiastic period. Most of these villages were agricultural, wheat and barley being the principal crops. Farming de- pended on the annual flooding of the Nile, which occurred fromjulv to December. When the river retreated, the water left in low-hing areas provided for continued irrigation. Crops were harvested in the spring and seed grain was stored until the winter planting. The soil was tilled with wooden hoes set with flint blades, and grain was harvested with wooden sickles set with serrated flint blades (fig. 8). Additional objects of flint included arrow- heads of various types, adzes, knives, and even rep- resentations of birds and animals. The most im- pressive productions of the flint knapper's art were the beautifully ripple-flaked knives of the late pre- d\Tiastic period. These knives were chipped to roughly the desired shape and then ground smooth and serially pressure flaked along one side to form the rippled surface (fig. 11). That these knives were often set udth gold or ivon- handles indicates the high \alue placed upon them. E\-entualh- the 7. ILeft, above) wheel-made redware spouted bowl. Old Kingdom. Height 10 cm. #30987. 8. (Left, below) I. to r.: redware howl, Xaqada III. #288349; pattern jar unth plant motif. #31473; flint sickle blade set in reconstructed haft. Fayum neolithic. #200423; buff-ware storage jar, Xaqada III, #31483; flint hoe blade, Fayum neolithic, #219280. 9. (Abo\'e) Reconstruction ofPredynastic wattle and daub house. Beloti') Stone vase-making scene from the mas- taba of Mereruka,Saqqara
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