Researchers said the artefact shows ancient Egyptians were using a mechanically sophisticated rotary bow drill more than 5,300 years ago. First excavated a century ago from a cemetery at Badari in Upper Egypt, the tool shows wear consistent with rotary drilling. 'This suggests that Egyptian craftspeople mastered reliable rotary drilling more than two millennia before some of the best-preserved drill sets.' Researchers also found six coils of extremely fragile leather thong still wrapped around the shaft, which they said provides direct evidence of a bow drill system. The discovery rewrites the timeline of Egypt's early dynasties, placing the rise of the New Kingdom nearly a century later than previously thought.

Source: Daily Mail February 10, 2026 21:30 UTC