William Stevenson Smith’s scientific contributions

... On the other hand, the chisel-and-hammer technique is commonly associated with the development of metal and considered high-skilled practice that requires expertise and knowledge transfer (Meilach, 1970;Miller, 1948;Rockwell, 1990Rockwell, , 1993. Starting with the Egyptian Pharaonic era and onwards, it became the dominant and standard manual technique in the professional training of stoneworkers, stone sculptors, and engravers up to the present days with no, or just minor, changes (Adam, 1966;Dunn, 2010;Lucas, 1948;Miller, 1948;Rockwell, 1990Rockwell, , 1993Shaw, 2012;Smith, 1949;Stocks, 2003Stocks, , 2020Van Voorhis, 2018). The catalyst for the standardization of chisel-and-hammer technique in ancient Egypt was the technological evolution in the field of metal processing that allowed hardening the metal, resulting in the development of metal chisels (Adam, 1966;Etienne, 1968;Freed, 1984;Lucas, 1948;Miller, 1948;Smith, 1949;Stocks, 2020, Weinstein, 1974. ...

Reference:

Techné of Rock Engravings—the Timna Case Study