This paper presents a new provenance evaluation of recently published Egyptian copper alloy artefacts dating to the Protodynastic and Old Kingdom periods. The excavation context of a Protodynastic chisel from Elkab is considered in detail to provide a nuanced interpretation of its dating. In turn, the broader implications of this dating for early Egyptian copper provenance determination are discussed. Furthermore, several Old Kingdom artefacts from Abusir and Giza are reviewed. These objects include some of the earliest attestations of likely metal imports within Egypt, although their exact provenance remains unclear. Using a wide range of reference data and technological arguments, alternative interpretations are suggested to obtain a more nuanced picture of copper alloy imports and their role in early Egyptian metal procurement.

本文介绍了对最近出版的可追溯到原始王朝和古王国时期的埃及铜合金人工制品的新来源评估。详细考虑了来自 Elkab 的 Protodynastic 凿子的挖掘背景，以对其年代进行细致入微的解释。反过来，讨论了这种测年对早期埃及铜来源确定的更广泛影响。此外，还审查了来自阿布西尔和吉萨的一些古王国文物。这些物品包括埃及境内可能进口金属的一些最早证明，尽管它们的确切来源仍不清楚。使用广泛的参考数据和技术论据，建议进行替代解释，以更细致地了解铜合金进口及其在埃及早期金属采购中的作用。