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Nubian traditions on the ceramics found in the Pharaonic town on Sai Island

Nubian traditions on the ceramics found in


the Pharaonic town on Sai Island
Lauriane Mielle

Sai Island is located between the Second and Third


Cataract. It is a little upstream of Amara West and
downstream of Sedeinga. This geographic location has
been of strategic importance from the prehistoric to the
Ottoman period.
Since the 1950s, many fieldwork campaigns have
been conducted by the University of Lille-3 (France)
on the island (Figure 1). Amongst many sites dating to
different periods, four were identified as of the New
Kingdom, i.e. two cemeteries (SACP1: Gratien 2002)
(SAC5: Minault-Gout 1997; Minault and Thill 1974;
1975; Thill 2006-2007; 2007), one partly excavated site
probably with a potters workshop (SAV2: Hesse 1981;
1985), and most important, the fortified town (SAV1).

Since 2008, the University of Lille 3 has begun the


excavations in the north area of the latter site. Here
many periods are superimposed: New Kingdom,
Meroitic (rare), Post-Meroitic, Christian and modern.
Pottery evidence is very conspicuous, and only a few
contexts can be ascribed to the New Kingdom. For this
study, New Kingdom products from these contexts will
be discussed.
The ceramics found are several bowls, plates and
cups, which reflect a domestic production (Figure 2).
The discovery of large quantities of pot stands and jars
suggest that this area was used for storage activities as
is proved by the presence of two storage pits which
have been found there. All these products are of wares,
and have forms and decoration, characteristic of Egyptian pottery of the 18th Dynasty. Among these ceramics,
which in Nile silt were probably made in Nubia, typical
elements of the last Nubian cultures are preserved in
the productions. Thus, they are of Egyptian production,
but with Nubian features.
The Nubian

Figure 1. Sai Island, with Kerma and New Kingdom sites.

designs

Decorated pottery is abundant on this site. Designs


are typical of the Early New Kingdom: dotted lines, red
and black lines, Asiatic patterns, black triangles, etc.
(Figure 3). Among these patterns, there is a special production in Nile silt with black-painted triangles (Figure
4). Inside these triangles are dots or lines. Occasionally,
the triangles are completely filled with black. This pattern is frequently present on carinated bowls, always
with a red slip (10 R 4/6 to 2.5 YR 4/6). In one case
there are small white dots around the triangles, added
after the design. With one exception, this decoration
was found of of bowls, or maybe cups. It is under the
rim and there is again the red slip.
The fabric of three sherds corresponds to Nile Silt C
of the Vienna System (Arnold and Bourriau 1993, 173174). Two others sherds are in Nile Silt B2 (Arnold and
Bourriau 1993, 171-173). These pots were found in the
same area, but this pattern represents a small percentage of the decorated ceramics discovered.

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Figure 2. The 18th Dynasty pottery from the fortified town (SAV 1) (scale 1:4).

Figure 3. Typical design of the New Kingdom (scale 1:2).

This design has parallels on other Nubian sites. In


the fortress of Askut, it was found on two carinated
bowls made in Nile Silt C (Smith 1995, 163). The difference is in the surface treatment, which is white and
the pattern is painted in red. The decoration was also
found on some sherds from the fortress of Mirgissa
(unpublished), and always on carinated bowls with a
red slip and black decoration under the rim. Another

parallel is a jar recovered during the Scandinavian Joint


Expedition, from Site 185 (Holthoer 1977, pl. 17). The
design is on a red wash at the neck of a vessel of Nile
silt.
The pottery from Askut and SJE Site 185 is dated to
the late 18th Dynasty by the archaeologists, based especially on their context. Moreover, their context in Sai
also implies that the ceramics with this pattern was

Nubian traditions on the ceramics found in the Pharaonic town on Sai Island

Figure 4. A Nubian design of black triangles on a typical Egyptian form (scale 1:4).

from the middle of the 18th Dynasty. The red slip and
black painting is also more typical of this period (Hope
1987, 109).
So, what can be said about the origin of this design?
In Egypt there is no parallel known so far. It is however
also possible to find a link with the traditional Nubian
ceramics of the Kerma period (c. 2500-1500 BC); the
interaction with New Kingdom chronology would corroborate this assumption. However, the parallels are
with Kerma Moyen pottery (forms KM 5, KM 6: Gratien 1976, 175-177), and not with Kerma Classique
material. It is incised or painted under the neck of jars
or under the rims of bowls and cooking pots, always in
connection with triangles. It is the same situation with
the C-Group cooking pots found in Lower Nubia (Gratien 2000, 113-148). For the Kerma culture, we know
that the population occupied the same territory as the
Egyptians at the beginning of the conquest of Nubia. It
is the same for C-Group peoples (c. 2400-1500 BC)
who had lived with the first Egyptians of the 18th
Dynasty. Moreover, Askut, Mirgissa and Site 185 were
in the vicinity of C-Group sites.
In these four sites (Sai, Askut, Mirgissa and SJE Site
185), contact with native Nubians is certain, with either
Kerma or C-Group populations. In the fortified town
on Sai Island this design could be an innovation by
Nubian artisans who applied it to ceramics made in an
Egyptian way.
Cooking pots and

storage jars

Pottery with a mat impression is a type of ceramic


very frequent in the Pharaonic town (the fourth most
common product after bowls/cups/dishes, jars and beer

bottles). For this study, we are focusing on ceramics


uncovered in a storage pit, because here all the pottery
is dated to the 18th Dynasty. The pots with mat impressions represent 3.3% of the forms found in this feature.
This New Kingdom production has retained the same
manufacturing technique and the same patterns from
the Kerma period, and is always made from Nile silt.
Moreover, there is no use of the wheel in this period.
Mat impressions have been used until today, of course
with some variations in the manufacture.
In the Pharaonic town two categories have been classified, storage jars and cooking pots. Storage jars are
globular, with a small restricted neck (Figure 5). They

Figure 5. Storage jars with mat impressions (scale 1:4).

have a rectangular or circular weave. It covers only the


body, not the neck. There are three types of storage
jars, with variations in the neck.
Cooking pots are more numerous. They are characterised by an exterior burned surface. We find one open
bowl with a round base and two restricted bowls with
rectangular mat impressions (Figure 6). Another similar
bowl has circular mat impressions. The last type is represented by rough cooking pots, with a black surface,

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Figure 6. Cooking pots with mat impressions (scale 1:4).

a restricted bowl and a necked jar. On the surface we


can see coarse plant remains and coarse limestone particles.
These mat-impressed products were found in five
fabric types. The surface colour is always brown and
the core is black. These fabrics differ in the quantity of
inclusions.
Fabric 1. Opened porosity. Crumbly.
Inclusions: Abundant medium to coarse sand. Abundant medium plant remains. Rare medium limestone
particles. Rare medium red-brown particles.
Fabric 2. Medium porosity. Crumbly. Decomposed
limestone particles.
Inclusions: Abundant fine sand. Abundant medium to
coarse plant remains. Abundant medium limestone,
rare coarse limestone. Rare medium mica.
Fabric 3. Medium porosity. Medium hard structure.
Inclusions: Abundant fine sand. Abundant medium to
coarse plant remains. Rare fine red-brown particles.
Abundant fine mica. Rare medium rounded sand.
Fabric 4. Medium porosity. Crumbly. Decomposed
limestone particles.
Inclusions: Abundant fine sand. Abundant medium to
coarse plant remains. Frequent fine and very coarse
limestone particles, rare medium limestone. Frequent
medium red-brown particles. Frequent fine mica.
Fabric 5. Medium porosity. Crumbly. Decomposed
limestone particles.
Inclusions: Abundant fine sand. Abundant medium to
coarse plant remains. Frequent fine mica. Frequent

medium black-rock particles, rare coarse black-rock


particles.
These ceramics always with the same manufacturing
process kept the Nubian traditions alive and were certainly manufactured in Sai Island; it is local production,
but they are produced in an Egyptian context. Ceramics
with mat impressions are the evidence for a continuity
of the Nubian workshop. Indeed, the potters working in
the island were not only Egyptian; however, the rectangular mat impressions are dated to the New Kingdom,
as in Gism el-Arba (Gratien 2002, 227-228) and in the
Dongola Reach (Welsby Sjstrm 2001, 251). The
Egyptian domination changed some aspects of the traditional Nubian style, in particular the impressed patterns but not others. The round mat impressions seems
to be more a Kerman decoration reused in the New
Kingdom (Gratien 2000, 122).
The Kerma

pottery

In the same storage pit with the mat impressed samples were found two types of pottery directly related to
Nubian traditions and with the appearance of Kerma
Classique pottery. In the pit they represent 0.2% of the
total assemblage. They can be classified in two categories, which correspond to variations in the form and the
ware.
The first is certainly a Kerma product. The forms are
opened bowls with a rounded base (Figure 7). The

Nubian traditions on the ceramics found in the Pharaonic town on Sai Island

Figure 7. Typical Kerma Classique ceramics (scale 1:4).

manufacturing process is the same as typical Kerma


specimens: handmade, burnished and polished surfaces
with a white band on the outer surface. The Nubian
fabric no. 1 is similar to that of Kerma products, with
a fine texture and fine inclusions. The ware is fine, with
an open porosity and a medium-hard hardness. The
inclusions are fine and sparse sand, fine and frequent
limestone, fine and occasional plant remains, abundant
very fine red-brown rock particles, very fine and frequent mica, fine and frequent black-rock particles.
The second production is more significant. It consists again of bowls, but not in typical Kerma style
(Figure 8) and the surface is rough, brown to orange,

Figure 8. Imitations(?) of Kerma ceramics (scale 1-4).

polished but not burnished, and the white band has


almost disappeared. The Nubian fabric no. 2 is very
rough and different to the first production. It is a coarse
ware, with an open porosity and a medium-hard hardness. There are many decomposed limestone particles.
The inclusions are abundant fine sand, frequent coarse
limestone, frequent fine plant remains and rare medium
to coarse plant remains, abundant fine red-brown particles and very rare medium red-brown particles, frequent fine mica, frequent fine black-rock particles.
With all these features it seems likely that we are not
dealing with Kerma pottery. It is similar to Kerma production but more likely an imitation.
What is the explanation for the presence of Kerma
pottery in a New Kingdom pit? It is probably an intru-

sive sample, as are the three small sherds dating to


Kerma Ancien which were found along with the 18th
Dynasty ceramics. Moreover, the fortified town may
have been built over a Kerma site, even if generally the
Egyptians built their new sites a few kilometres away
from the Nubian ones (Dokki Gel). Again, the pottery
could have been used for a long time, the Egyptians
certainly reused Kerma pottery in daily life. For this
reason we can suggest that a continuity of a Nubian
workshop as well as Nubian traditions in Sai did exist
as late as the middle of the 18th Dynasty. Moreover, in
the SACP1 cemetery, close to the fortified town, some
sherds with fabrics similar to the second production
have been found in 18th Dynasty tombs (Gratien 2002,
224-225).
On Sai island there are two sites for the Kerma Classique and the Kerma Recent (Figure 1). The first is the
large Kerma cemetery (called SKC) lying into the
centre of the island, which was abandoned after the
Kerma Classique (Gratien 1985, 19-20). The second is
SAC4, with Kerma Recent tombs, close to the Pharaonic town, in the northern part of the island. The existence of these two cemeteries confirm the transition
between the Kerma Recent and the arrival of the Egyptians in Sai because in the SKC cemetery there is no
New Kingdom pottery, but in SAC4, there are nine
tombs of the transitional phase with mixed material
(Gratien 2002, 220-224). No settlement dated to the
Kerma Recent has been found so far. It is certain that
the Nubian population had not disappeared from the
island. In fact, as we have previously mentioned in the
SACP 1 cemetery, imitations of Kerma pottery have
been found. To support this theory we rely on the three
productions having links with Nubian traditions which
have been uncovered in the Pharaonic town. They give
us an overview of the continuity of Nubian traditions
in a local Egyptian milieu and of the gradual acculturation of the Kerma population, who became Egyptianized.
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Nubian traditions on the ceramics found in the Pharaonic town on Sai Island

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