Middle and Late Bronze Age Metal Tools from the Aegean, Eastern ...

together two sides of a handle, a few nails would have been equally effective.
Notwithstanding the cylinders from the Knossos hoard, many metal tubes are found
independent of saws. For instance, two hollow cylinders came to light in Prosymna Tomb
14, but there were no saws from that burial.
Another problem for interpreting the metal cylinders as handle casings is that the
size and shape of saw handles are unknown. The concept of a tubular handle for a saw is
based solely on metal casings, as Evely relates: “The best candidates to date must be the
short bronze cylindrical sleeves: these imply a straight handle of circular section,
presumably of wood, which was once joined to the blade by rivets and onto which were
slotted the bronze cylinders.” 462
While a circular wooden handle offers a natural grip,
such a configuration was not essential. Perhaps a rectangular handle was favored,
especially if less work was required for its manufacture.
The tubular drill and its usage in different regions may indicate inter-cultural craft
connections. Protopalatial Minoans likely adopted this method of drilling from Old
463
Kingdom Egypt for the production of stone vessels. Likewise, there appears to have
been a link between the Hittites and Mycenaeans in their use of the tubular drill in
masonry and sculpture. 464
H: Saws (Plates 4.43-4.50)
Metal saws were hammered into shape rather than cast, and were valuable tools of
carpenters and masons. In Egypt, the metal saw is attested throughout the third
millennium BC with preserved examples and depictions in tomb paintings, and the
462 Evely 1993, 36, figures 12 and 16.
463 Warren 1969, 161-164; Sakellarakis 1976, 174-177; Bevan 2007.
464 Wright 2006, 33; Thaler 2007, 295-297.
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