A researcher from the University of Warsaw’s Polish Center of Mediterranean Archaeology and her colleagues described the inner workings behind the collaborative nature of artisans when it comes to producing designs or decorations for temples in Egypt. According to Anastasiia Stupko-Lubczynska, artisans of different ability levels collaborated to produce the needed artworks for a mortuary temple in the Dayr al-Baḥrī complex in Thebes.
Stupko-Lubczynska and her colleagues analyzed two reliefs situated in the temple’s Chapel of Hatshepsut. After close examination, they discovered numerous discrepancies in artistic styles. “Chisel marks seen on the walls show where corrections were made, suggesting that master artisans worked side by side with apprentices learning the trade,” the Smithsonian wrote.
Image credit: Antiquity