Page 71 - J. C. Turner - History and Science of Knots

Ancient Egyptian Rope and Knots 59

Other examples of functional knotting are found in roofing, bags, baskets
and sandals. In Qasr Ibrim many roofs and floors covering cellars, consist of
wooden beams, covered with a lattice made of the midribs of date palm leafs,
tied with S- twisted dom palm leaf (Fig. 23). These light constructions were
covered with old pieces of matting and finally with a layer of mud. Knotting
was used often in combination with plaiting, which was the most frequently
occurring basketry technique in Qasr Ibrim. Plaiting did not occur in Egypt
before the Third Intermediate Period (1000 B.c.). From that period onwards
plaiting was increasingly important, becoming the dominant basketry tech-
nique in Egypt by the ninth century A.D.tSmall palm leaf bags were plaited
with date palm leaflets.

Fig. 23. Schematic drawing of a roof made of date palm midribs, tied with half
knots
The date palm is a feather palm, of which each leaf consists of a large mid rib,
with small leaflets at both sides. These leaflets can be split along the vein, with
both halves still connected at the base (Fig. 24). Thus prepared, these leaflets
were cleverly interlaced, so that the closed ends formed the top side of a bag,
and the tips of the leaflets were fastened at the bottom side, forming a strong
circular edge. Separate strands were pulled through the fabric and knotted at
the base with reef knots, or grannies to close the bags. Many of these little
bags have been found and they all had been opened at the top side, the natural
connection being torn. This aspect clarifies the function of the bags: they were
disposables, since opening them at the top made them unsuitable for re-use.
Just as we mistreat plastic bags by tearing the plastic, rather than opening
the knot, the people of Qasr Ibrim tore the palmleaves and left the knots in
place. These bags must have been a standard packaging for commodities, but
the archaeological context thus far has not yielded information on the original
contents of the bags.

tBefore the introduction of plaiting, all baskets were made with variations of coiling and
twining (see: Wendrich 1991 and in press).