A few words from your host
Ever since I studied the ancient Maya writing system, I was curious about how that system compared to the Egyptian hieroglyphic system. Eventually I took a course on hieroglyphic writing, after which I started paying more attention to all things from ancient Egypt. As a former trim carpenter and occasional woodworker, I was interested in how the Egyptian craftsmen worked their wood. In particular, my curiosity was initially sparked by the production of the scribal palettes, with their interior cavity for storing pens. I asked what any other reasonably curious maker would ask: "How did they make that?"
I started looking closely at all the original palettes, and photos of palettes, I could find, examining them from the point of view of a woodworker, NOT from the point of view of an armchair philologist. Then, I launched some experimental archaeology, which is just a fancy way to describe TRYING things out. So I started making some palettes! The teacher of that course on hieroglyphs, who somehow became my good friend, suggested some people might be interested in these palettes. The result is this web page, where the results of my labors are for sale, so that more labors might be subsidized!
The details of production may not be all that compelling to most people, though I expect to put together a few YouTube videos on the various processes used. Nonetheless, I have posted some photos below, and on the site's various pages dedicated to specific palettes, showing some of the work. I have more photos on the processes and materials on the studiopth Facebook page.
Much of the critical work is done with hand tools, just as the ancient Egyptians worked. I even use pull saws-- which is the sort of saw the Egyptians used-- when I need to cut one or two pieces of wood and don't want to set up power tools. After I saw and plane boards to size, carving tools and chisels are used to create inkwells, the pen cavities, and the "ramps" that give access to the pen cavities. If you want to see photos of that work, scroll further down. Each photo SHOULD take you to more information about that palette, if you click on it. If you don't want to see those images, just click on this button and go straight to the palettes.
If you are not in the market for a palette, but would like to toss some change in the tin cup, donations here will be most appreciated.
Middle Egyptian Hieroglyphs: A field guide
If you are studying Egyptian hieroglyphic writing and have an iPad, you might be interested in Middle Egyptian Hieroglyphs: A field Guide. which is an Apple Book I put together a few years ago. I compiled the usual Middle Egyptian sign tables—Gardiner lists, signs by shape, as well as tables for uniliterals, biliterals, and triliterals—all in a simple format with touch-screen navigation between tables; each table has pop-up windows giving sign usage information. That is a screen shot to the left. It is the resource I wish I had when I first studied Egyptian hieroglyphs. Get it here.
