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FISHTAIL BIFACES
USED IN THE "OPENING OF THE MOUTH" CEREMONY
PREDYNASTIC PERIOD
EGYPT
6,000 TO 5,300 YEARS AGO

PAGE 1 OF 1 PAGES
COPYRIGHT JUNE 30, 2012 PETER A. BOSTROM
Hafted fishtail biface with gold handle, computer generated.
FISHTAIL BIFACE

    Computer generated image of a hafted fishtail biface. Fishtail bifaces were used in the "Opening of the Mouth" ceremony in ancient Egypt.

Abstract images of fishtail bifaces.

ABSTRACT
FISHTAIL BIFACES
PREDYNASTIC PERIOD
EGYPT

    This article illustrates and describes several examples of a rare form of flaked stone biface that dates to the Predynastic period in ancient Egypt. Fishtail bifaces are well known from Predynastic tombs and have occasionally been uncovered in settlement sites at Hierakonpolis. They are often referred to as fishtail bifaces or fishtail knives and they were used in an important ritual known as the "Opening of the Mouth" ceremony. Fishtail bifaces were in use between 4,000 B.C. and 3,000 B. C.

    "The "opening of the mouth ceremony" is arguably the most important ancient Egyptian ritual."--------2002, Donald B. Redford, "The Ancient Gods Speak: A Guide To Egyptian Religion" pp. 293-296.
    "The peculiar shape of the blade (fishtail biface) to resemble a fish tail is typical of knives used, with other tools, for the ceremony of the "Opening of the Mouth," and would appear much later in scenes of funeral procession on the walls of the Tomb of the Nobles in Thebes."------2009, Abeer el-Shahawy, " Egyptian Museum In Cairo: A Walk Through The Alleys Of Ancient Egypt, pp. 17-19.
    "---the Sem priest brings an instrument called the "Pesh-en-kef," and touches the mouth of the mummy or statue therewith, and says, "O Osiris, I have established for thee two jaw-bones in thy face, and they are now separated."
---------1974?, first published 1899, Sir Wallis Budge, "Egyptian Magic," pp. 197-198.
    "The so-called fishtail knives are well documented from the Predynastic Naqada I-II period (4000-3300 B.C.) and were further used until the beginning of Naqada III times (ca. 3300-3050 B.C.)."---------2009, Marquardt Lund, "Egyptian Flint Work, Part III," Chips, Vol. 21, #3, pp. 5-7.

Abstract images of fishtail bifaces.
 
FISHTAIL BIFACES
PREDYNASTIC PERIOD
EGYPT

     Fishtail bifaces are a rare form of stone tool that had a religious function. Originally they were thought to be spear points before the discovery of a hafted specimen showed that the concave end faced outward while the pointed end was embedded in the handle. They were used in what has been described as possibly the most important ancient Egyptian ritual, known as the "Opening of the Mouth" ceremony. A fishtail biface was used to symbolically open the mouth of the dead just prior to burial so that the deceased's soul could receive sustenance in the tomb. Various publications refer to these tools as fishtail bifaces, fishtail knives, fishtail lanceheads, pseshkf, pesh-en-kef and pesehkaf (pass-kf).

Fishtail biface & Geraean knives in the Cairo Museum.
PHOTO BY DAN THEUS, CAIRO MUSEUM, COMPUTER ALTERED IMAGE.
LATER TYPE FISHTAIL BIFACE &
GERZEAN KNIVES
PREDYNASTIC PERIOD
EGYPT

    These Predynastic artifacts are on display in the Cairo Museum. The fishtail biface has been enlarged for better viewing. This example is  a later version that dates to sometime during the Naqada II period to the beginning of the Naqada III period between 5,500 and 5,300 years ago. This type is easily identified by the notch pattern at the center of the concave end. Later versions of fishtail bifaces have a v-shape rather than a u-shape. The "wings" or edges on either side of the center notch are also excurvate, which is an added feature that gives them more of an artistic look. Later fishtail bifaces also have sharper points on the hafting ends and they are generally longer than the earlier examples.

    Fishtail bifaces date to an early period in Egyptian history, long before the first pyramids. They were used during the Predynastic Naqada I-II periods and into the beginning of the Naqada III period. They date to an approximate time span of between 6,000 years ago and 5,050 years ago. Later examples of these tools were made from different materials.

Early style fishtail biface from Predynastic Period.
CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGER IMAGE
EARLY TYPE FISHTAIL BIFACE
PREDYNASTIC PERIOD
EGYPT

     This Fish Tail biface represents a product made by a highly skilled craftsman. It was made at a time when stone tool making in Egypt had reached a golden age of flintknapping. It dates to sometime during the Naqada I period to the beginning of the Naqada II period between 6,000 and 5,500 years ago. These earlier types have smooth curving concave edges on their working ends and rounded or blunted points on their hafted ends. The edges are also concave. Some examples are reported to have been steeply beveled on both edges, near the end, for hafting. It measures 4 1/2 inches (11.4cm) long, 2 15/16 inches (7.5cm) wide and 3/16 of an inch (5mm) thick.

    There are two different types of fishtail bifaces. Both types have a flared and concave working end and are widest opposite their hafted ends, which is unique for flaked stone bifaces. The earliest examples have smooth curving u-shaped concave edges on their working ends and rounded or blunted points on their hafted ends. The side edges are also concave. Some examples are reported to have been steeply beveled on both edges, near the end, for hafting.

Five fishtail bifaces from Predynastic Period Egypt.
 FISHTAIL BIFACES
EARLY AND LATER PERIOD TYPES
PREDYNASTIC PERIOD
EGYPT

     These five fishtail bifaces date to the Predynastic period in ancient Egypt between 6,000 and 5,300 years. Two different types have been identified. The examples on the right and the left represent the earliest type and the three in the center are more recent. The later type has a more pronounced v-shaped notch in the center of the fish tailed end. The earlier examples have a more uniform u-shape. The later fishtail bifaces also tend to be longer and they are usually made from a lighter colored chert that is described as caramel or light brown, like the restored example, fourth from the left. The two red examples may be off color from the photograph. Earlier fishtail bifaces were made from dark gray chert of good quality that may have been collected in tabular form.

    Later versions of fishtail bifaces have a more complex design pattern than the earlier examples. They are easily identified by their more abrupt notch pattern at the center of the concave end. They have more of a v-shape rather than a u-shape. The "wings" or edges on either side of the center notch are also excurvate, which is an added feature that gives them more of an artistic look. The later fishtail bifaces also have sharper points on the hafting ends and they are generally longer than the earlier examples.

Fishtail biface restored & with computer added handle.
CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGER IMAGE, BROKEN SEGMENT
LATER TYPE FISHTAIL BIFACE
PREDYNASTIC PERIOD
EGYPT

     This picture shows two computer altered images of a later type fishtail biface. This example was broken more than midway to the hafting end that might suggest it was damaged from use. The lower picture shows how it may have looked before it was broken. The upper example is hafted with a gold handle. Some fishtail bifaces were probably hafted onto very finely crafted handles that might compare to those found on Predynastic Gerzean knives that were made of ivory and gold.

   Most of the earliest fishtail bifaces are reported to have been made from a dark gray chert of good quality that may have been collected in tabular form. The more recent fishtail bifaces were made from a lighter colored chert that is described as caramel or light brown.

Early style fishtail biface from Predynastic Period.
CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGER IMAGE
EARLY TYPE FISHTAIL BIFACE
PREDYNASTIC PERIOD
EGYPT

      This fishtail biface is a classic example of an early style. Although it's more crude than other examples and has some damage on the tips of its "wings," it does have some areas of fairly well done parallel pressure flaking. There is also an area where it was ground prior to its final stage pressure flaking. It measures 4 1/8 inches (10.4 cm) long.

     Fishtail bifaces were manufactured by very skilled craftsmen. The goal seems to have been to produce a biface with a very flat cross section and very fine and thin edges. The preforms were shaped and thinned with percussion. Further thinning of the preform and straightening of the edges was done with pressure flaking and, in some cases, grinding. Grinding was used to flatten out the upper side of a preform then later pressure flaking removed most of the grinding. Particular attention was paid to the edge detail of fishtail bifaces. Some of them are finely serrated. Bruce Bradley described an average of thirty three serrations per inch from examples in a museum in Cambridge. Predynastic knappers did have access to copper and they most probably used pressure flakers made of copper. There is also evidence that attempts to remove unsightly hinged stacks, ridges, humps or any other imperfections were done with the additional process of using punch flaking and grinding.

Fishtail biface & "sword" in the Cairo Museum.
PHOTO BY DAN THEUS, CAIRO MUSEUM, COMPUTER ALTERED IMAGE.
LATER TYPE FISHTAIL BIFACE
PREDYNASTIC PERIOD
EGYPT

    This picture shows another excellent example of a later type fishtail biface on display in the Cairo Museum. It appears to have very fine edge work in the form of micro serrations. The fish tail is expertly flaked into an artistic shape with a classic v-notch center and excurvate "wings" on each side of the notch.

    Fishtail bifaces are rare. One estimate places the known examples at about 160. It's believed that some fishtail bifaces were hafted onto very finely crafted handles. The handles might compare to some of those found on Predynastic Gerzean knives that were made of ivory and gold.

Magnified view of edge serrations on fishtail biface.
CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGER IMAGE
LATER TYPE FISHTAIL BIFACE
MAGNIFIED VIEW OF SERRATED EDGE
PREDYNASTIC PERIOD
EGYPT

     This magnified segment shows a portion of the micro serrated edge of a later type fishtail biface. Tiny serrations are one of the identifiable traits that are observed on many of these finely crafted artifacts. Pressure flaking was probably done with copper. Bruce Bradley (1972) described an average of thirty three serrations per inch from examples in a museum in Cambridge.

     Fishtail bifaces are thought to have been used in the "Opening of the Mouth" ceremony. The shape of the blade, that resembles a fishes tail, is similar to more recent tools that appear in scenes of funeral processions on the the walls of tombs of the Nobles. The "Opening of the Mouth" ceremony was used to reanimate people who had died so the deceased's soul could receive sustenance in the tomb. But the ritual was also performed on statues of gods, kings and private individuals and temples and Apis bulls (a bull deity worshiped in the Memphis area). The effect was intended to allow these inanimate objects to eat, breath and hear so they could enjoy the offerings provided them by the religious cult.

Magnified view of grinding marks on fishtail biface.
EARLY TYPE FISHTAIL BIFACE
 GRINDING MARKS
PREDYNASTIC PERIOD
EGYPT

    This magnified view shows a small area on an early fishtail biface that was ground smooth. Grinding was used to flatten out the upper side of some preforms then most of the grinding was removed by final shaping of the biface with pressure flaking. There is also evidence that attempts to remove unsightly hinged stacks, ridges, humps or any other imperfections were done with and grinding.

   The "Opening of the Mouth" ceremony was a complex ritual. The earliest textual references date to the Old Kingdom 300 years or more after the earliest suspected use of fishtail bifaces. As the ritual evolves over time it becomes more complex. A thousand years later the ceremony is represented by seventy five scenes in the New Kingdom version. There is no written documentation that proves fishtail bifaces were used in the "Opening of the Mouth" ceremony during the Predynastic period. But the shape of the tool is the same as those depicted in later illustrations of the ritual. So the evidence does seems to validate the existence of the ceremony during this early period. Written text describes the moment when the fishtail biface is used, "the Sem priest brings an instrument called the "pesh-en-kef," (fishtail biface) and touches the mouth of the mummy or statue therewith, and says, "O Osiris I have established for thee the two jaw-bones in thy face and they are now separated, that is to say, the bandages with which they have been tied up can no longer prevent their movement when the deceased wishes to eat."

Magnified view of punch removed portion of hinge.
LATER TYPE FISHTAIL BIFACE
PUNCH FLAKE REMOVAL
PREDYNASTIC PERIOD
EGYPT

    This picture shows a magnified view of a hinged stack where percussion flaking did not follow through and remove an unsightly step fracture. It appears that an attempt was made to remove some of the step fracture with a punch. This process is fairly rare but it can be observed on ritual flint-work in other areas of the world, such as large Aztec bifaces.

    Fishtail bifaces are one of the most unique stone tools that were ever made and used before the "age of metal." The fact that they were special is reflected in their quality of craftsmanship. If they were in fact used to animate a persons spirit or soul, fishtail bifaces must have been seen and respected as very special instruments indeed.

"REFERENCES"

1972, Bradley, Bruce A., "Predynastic Egyptian Flint Implements, An Inductive Technological Sequence," Newsletter of Lithic Technology, Vol. 1, No. 3, pp. 2-5.
1974?
, first published 1899, Budge, Sir Wallis, "Egyptian Magic," pp. 197-198.
1984
, Hoffman, Michael A., "Egypt Before The Pharaohs," p. 114.
2002
, Redford, Donald B., "The Ancient Gods Speak: A Guide To Egyptian Religion" pp. 293-296.
2009
, Marquardt Lund, "Egyptian Flint Work, Part III," Chips, Vol. 21, #3, pp. 5-7.
2009
, Abeer el-Shahawy, " Egyptian Museum In Cairo: A Walk Through The Alleys Of Ancient Egypt, pp. 17-19.
From Personal Communications with Michael Allen Hoffman, PhD. (deceased)

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