Historians have traditionally not been kind to the orgins of marquetry. This is due in part to the fact that much of their research relies on written text. During the first part of the present era not much was recorded. In marquetry, our knowledge of this ancient craft is taken from antiques and museums, some of which do not exist anymore. If these sources do not survive today then we also must trust in writings on the subject, but only to the extent that missing gaps can be filled in.
Our present civilization originated in Egypt over 5,000 years ago and, like the Greeks, owe the beginning of their artisan crafts to Egyptian influence. Although appliqué inlay was known in Mesopotamia during the Ubaid period (3900BC), it is marquetry that we are concerned with. Egyptian marquetry first appeared during the XI Dynasty (2133-1991BC) on utilitarian boxes with ebony and ivory. Advancements in technique and materials reached its peak in the XVIII Dynasty under King Tutankhamen (1361-1352BC). Most of this marquetry was in the form of geometric patterns. By this time mother of pearl and imported woods from Lebanon, Syria and Turkey by way of the Mediterranean Sea were in use. The scope and extent of the craft seems to have been well established by the examples found in King Tuts Tomb when it was discovered in 1922. One such example was a large chest veneered with ivory and inlaid with ebony in a parquetry weave pattern. The number of pieces used to decorate this object exceed 30,000.
The tools of the Egyptian craftman did not evolve during the reign of the Pharaohs, but the materials from which they were made improved extending from flint to copper to bronze. It would be another 3,000 years before a melioration of marquetry would be realized.
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