Unlike other regions of the Mediterranean, the environmental conditions at many sites in Egypt offer ideal conditions for the exceptional preservation of many wooden objects. Yet despite this abundance of archaeological material, surprisingly little is known about the socio-economic networks associated with the craft of woodworking. The aim of the Medjehu project is to trace these important networks through a multidisciplinary approach that includes systematic analysis of wood species (both Egyptian and imported), detailed technological examination, and stylistic and epigraphic study of each object. Concomitant with this, the Medjehu project aims to conserve and protect this unique historical heritage through conservation missions in the field and in museums and through the collaborative development and training of Egyptian wood conservators.
By bringing together the expertise of an international team of specialists and dissemination of our research through international conferences, exhibitions and publications, the Medjehu project proposes to redraw the economic and social history of woodcraft along the Nile.