1

Nubian Pottery from Egyptian Cultural Contexts of the Middle and Early New Kingdom
Proceedings of a Workshop held at the Austrian Archaeological Institute at Cairo, 112 December 2010

Irene Forstner-Mller Pamela Rose (eds.)

001_012 Introduction.indd 1 10.09.2012 11:39:22

 2 Introduction

ERGNZUNGSHEFT ZU DEN JAHRESHEFTEN DES

STERREICHISCHEN ARCHOLOGISCHEN INSTITUTES IN WIEN

herausgegeben im Auftrag des

STERREICHISCHEN ARCHOLOGISCHEN INSTITUTES

von

Sabine Ladsttter

HEFT 13

WIEN 2012

001_012 Introduction.indd 2 10.09.2012 11:39:22

 3

Irene Forstner-Mller Pamela Rose (eds.)

NUBIAN POTTERY FROM EGYPTIAN CULTURAL

CONTEXTS OF THE MIDDLE AND EARLY NEW KINGDOM

Proceedings of a Workshop held at the Austrian Archaeological Institute at Cairo,

112 December 2010

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 4 Introduction

Gedruckt mit Mitteln des Bundesministeriums fr Wissenschaft und Forschung

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Die Deutsche Bibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte bibli-
ografische Daten sind im Internet ber <http://dnb.ddb.de> abrufbar.

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Die Deutsche Bibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data is avail-
able in the Internet at <http://dnb.ddb.de>

Alle Rechte vorbehalten

ISSN 1727-2502
ISBN 978-3-900305-62-8
Copyright 2012 by sterreichisches Archologisches Institut Wien LOGO
Redaktion: Pamela Rose, Irene Forstner-Mller
Gesamtredaktion: Barbara Beck-Brandt
Umschlaggestaltung: Bro Pani
Gesamtherstellung: Holzhausen Druck & Medien GmbH

001_012 Introduction.indd 4 10.09.2012 11:39:23

 5

Contents

Introduction
Irene Forstner-Mller Pamela Rose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
List of Participants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Early 18th Dynasty Nubian Pottery from the Site of Sesebi, Sudan
Pamela Rose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Kerma-Ware Vessels Found in an Intact Burial Chamber at Aniba

Jana Helmbold-Doy Anne Seiler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Medja vs. Kerma at the First Cataract Terminological Problems

Dietrich Raue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Nubian Pottery in Aswan

Irene Forstner-Mller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Pan-Grave Pottery from Nag el-Qarmila and Sheikh Mohamed Cemeteries in Gharb Aswan
Maria Carmela Gatto Carla Gallorini Sara Roma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Nubian Pottery Traditions during the 2nd Millennium BC at Tell Edfu

Natasha Ayers Nadine Moeller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Nubians in the Third Upper Egyptian Nome: A View from Moalla

Colleen Manassa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Middle Nubian Ceramics from Umm Mawagir, Kharga Oasis

Colleen Manassa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Nubian Pottery from Memphis, Kom Rabia

Janine Bourriau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

From the Deep South to the Far North: Nubian Sherds from Khatana and Ezbet Helmi
(Tell el-Daba)
David Aston. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

Nubian Pottery at Avaris in the Second Intermediate Period and the New Kingdom:
Some Remarks
Irene Forstner-Mller Pamela Rose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181

Typological, Chronological and Functional Remarks on the Ceramic Materials of Nubian

Type from the Middle Kingdom Harbour of Mersa/Wadi Gawasis, Red Sea, Egypt
Andrea Manzo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

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 Nubian Pottery Traditions during the 2nd Millennium BC at Tell Edfu 103

N a t a s h a Ay e r s N a d i n e M o e l l e r

Nubian Pottery Traditions during the

2nd Millennium BC at Tell Edfu*

1. The Archaeological Context

The excavations of the administrative quarter at Tell Edfu have uncovered a considerable per-
centage of Nubian pottery among the Egyptian corpus. The chronological framework of the asso-
ciated structures shows a continuous sequence from the late Middle Kingdom until the early 18th
Dynasty, which provides a good starting-point for the analysis of the Nubian material because it
can be linked to a precise stratigraphic record with the presence of well-dated Egyptian pottery.
The late Middle Kingdom contexts (US 2280 and US 2078) from which Nubian pottery is pre-
sented here are closely related to the large columned hall that was part of a major administrative
complex. This hall is situated along the southern side of the complex and once had a minimum of
16 columns1. That administrative tasks were carried out in this hall can be deduced from its archi-
tecture and the presence of more than one thousand discarded clay sealings that were ubiquitous
in the layer covering its thick mud floor (US 2079 = US 2280)2. This layer lies directly on top of
the last phase of floor renovation and constitutes the final occupation before the abandonment of
the building (Fig. 1). An aeolian deposit (US 2078) of several centimetres accumulated above US
2079, which indicates the abandonment of the columned hall, and it marks the end of the admin-
istrative activities once performed here. However, at this stage the building remained relatively
intact. It is only in the layers above US 2078 that there is evidence for its being dismantled and
the columns and some of the sandstone bases removed.
Evidence indicates that the late Middle Kingdom administrative complex had fallen out of
use by the end of the 13th Dynasty (early Second Intermediate Period). In the current excavations,
some traces of settlement activity were found in the area southeast of the columned hall. Several
floor levels marked by activities of domestic character especially related to food preparation have
been excavated here. They show very clearly the change in function in this area from the pres-
ence of an official building with an administrative purpose to domestic squatter (?) activity during
the early Second Intermediate Period. This occupation came to an end when the whole area was
transformed into a large silo court that held the grain reserve of the ancient town during the 17th
Dynasty (late Second Intermediate Period)3.
A trash deposit (US 2659) related to use of the first silo phase was excavated in the small space
between the southern wall W 451 of the columned hall, which by then had long fallen out of use,

* The authors would like to thank Dr. Irene Forstner-Mller and Dr. Pamela Rose for the invitation to participate in
the Nubian pottery workshop and to contribute to this publication, in addition to all of the attendees for their help-
ful comments and discussion. The autors would like to thank Ch. Hochstrasser-Petit for the pencil drawings of the
Nubian pottery.
1
s. Moeller 2010b, 98105.
2
These two context numbers are all equivalent to the same layer in stratigraphic terms. From 2005 until now, parts
of this layer were excavated in different areas of the building, which were at the time of excavation not yet connect-
able. Therefore different stratigraphic unit numbers were assigned to them.
3
Moeller 2010b, 8794. The silos can be divided into three consecutive phases (Vac, s. table 2, p. 88).

103_116 Mller Ayers.indd 103 10.09.2012 11:45:47

 104

Silo

103_116 Mller Ayers.indd 104

N
388

Silo
Silo 323
2nd PHASE OF SILO COURT 308
Silo
Construction of silos Si 393-405-502 316
Fl 321
W 361
2024
Levelling + floor renewal
2027

2028

W 398
Occupation of outside floors 2085 Profile D 3bis
Silo
303 NM - GM - TEP 2010
Fl 467 = 2272
Levelling + floor renewal 2032a
2032b GM - TEP 2011
Construction of silos Si 653-654-655 Fl 703 = 2541

Floor renewal Fl 346 = 2039 W 451

Silo Court
ll
sure wa
Silo

ca. mid 17th Dyn.

405

enclo
Occupation of exterior floors 2045a

ndom
2045b

Old Ki
1st PHASE OF SILO COURT Fl 375 = 2086
Construction of silo Si 303

2050 Fl 321

Fl 321
Accumulation aeolian deposits 2057 = 2049

2024 2028
2027

Levelling of the Columned Hall ? 2522

Removal of column bases 2564 2563

2085
Natasha Ayers Nadine Moeller

Ho 710 Ho 709 Fl 703 = 2541

2032a Fl 346 = 2039

Columned Hall
Fl 354 = 382

levelling of the
2032b

Abandonment and
Fl 375 = 2086
Fl 467 = 2272
Abandonment =
2087 = 2078 2045a 2045b
accumulation aeolian deposits
2050

Last occupation layer 2079

2057 = 2049
Fl 354
Last floor renewal Fl 356 a Fl 354 = 382
Fl 356 b 2522 Fl 354 = 382
Fl 356 c 2087 = 2078
Fl 356 d 2087 = 2078
Successive floor renewals 2079 2087 = 2078
Fl 356 e 2079 = 2059
2563
Fl 356 f Fl 356 a, b, c, d Fl 356 a, b, c, d
2564 Fl 356 e to x
Fl 356 e to x Fl 356 e Ho 709

12th - 13th Dyn.

Columned Hall
Ho 710

0 50 100 cm

Fig. 1 South profile in southern columned hall including detailed stratigraphic analysis of the matrix

10.09.2012 11:45:47
 Nubian Pottery Traditions during the 2nd Millennium BC at Tell Edfu 105

Fig. 2 Silo Si 388 with fill layers inside it

and the small silo Si 653, which was built against the eastern exterior of the large silo Si 303. This
trash fill accumulated on the surface of an irregular mud floor that was found between W 451 and
silo Si 653. Being quite heterogeneous in character, this fill layer contained numerous Nubian
pottery fragments. They date to the first half of the Second Intermediate Period and are clearly
contemporary with the functioning of the silos.
The last two contexts containing Nubian pottery sherds are also related to the silos. They were
found in two thick trash layers that filled the inside of Silo Si 388 once it had fallen out of use. Si
388 is located in the northern part of the granary court and belongs to the third phase of silo use
(Vc)4. It was very well preserved; its walls still had a height of four meters and it was possible
to see the beginning of the curve that formed the dome-shaped top (Fig. 2). When it ceased to
function as a silo, thick fill layers of refuse were dumped inside. Nubian sherds from two of these
layers (US 2547 and US 2562) were chosen for a detailed analysis. US 2547 is also the context
of a large number of hieratic ostraca. Both contexts lie within the lower half of the silo fill and
contain Egyptian pottery with forms from the late Second Intermediate Periodearly Dynasty 18.

N.M.

2. The Nubian Pottery

The Nubian ceramic material found during the recent excavations at Tell Edfu includes a vari-
ety of shapes and decorative motifs from different Nubian traditions. During the autumn 2010
season at Tell Edfu, a small but representative sample of the Nubian corpus was selected to be

4
Moeller 2010a, 111112, figs. 1. 2.

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 106 Natasha Ayers Nadine Moeller

ED 2079.50 ED 2079.23

ED 2079.1 ED 2079.31

ED 2079.36

ED 2280.3

1 5 cm

Fig. 3 A selection of the Egyptian pottery corpus from US 2079, US 2280

presented within the chronological framework of the Egyptian pottery5. This necessitated delv-
ing into the complicated question of cultural identification (i.e. Pan-Grave, C-Group, Kerma)
and the difficulties in untangling the conflicting chronologies put forth for these cultural groups
in Egypt. The study of the Nubian corpus from Tell Edfu is in its initial stages, and the aim of this
paper is to provide a description of the Nubian pottery found in the ancient town of Edfu from
the late Middle Kingdomearly Dynasty 18, up to the time of Hatshepsut/Thutmose III.
Nubian pottery is a consistent presence in the assemblages of the late Middle Kingdom
early Dynasty 18 at Edfu, and some general observations can be made about the Nubian cor-
pus as a whole before discussing the chronological/cultural distinctions. None of the Nubian
pottery from Tell Edfu, which was found in the archaeological contexts that belong to the set
time-frame can be positively identified with the C-Group culture. It is possible that the C-Group

5
The Egyptian pottery from the late Middle Kingdomearly Dynasty 18 levels at Tell Edfu is the focus of N. Ayers
Ph.D. research.

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 Nubian Pottery Traditions during the 2nd Millennium BC at Tell Edfu 107

pottery is part of the early Middle Kingdom corpus, as it is the case at the neighbouring site of
Hierakonpolis6.
Restricted bowls with incised decoration, which are usually equated with cooking pots due to
the soot on the exterior surface, are by far the most common type and represent approximately
90 % of the Nubian pottery excavated at Tell Edfu, followed by black-topped bowls with red slip,
which make up approximately 89 % of the corpus. The remaining 12 % of the Nubian ceramics
consists of rare or unique pieces discussed below.
The percentage of Nubian pottery present in a particular context at Tell Edfu is dependent on
the date of the archaeological context. In the late Middle Kingdomearly Second Intermediate
Period levels, Nubian pottery accounts for approximately 12 % of the total assemblage, with
Egyptian pottery representing the remaining 9899 %. The situation changes in the late Second
Intermediateearly Dynasty 18 contexts, when there is a substantial increase in the percentage of
Nubian pottery present in the assemblage to approximately 5 % and higher. These statistics are a
preliminary observation and more study is needed before percentages can be presented in greater
depth.

2.1 Late Middle Kingdom Through Early Second Intermediate Period

In the final phase of occupation of the columned hall (US 2079 = US 2280), Nubian pottery was
found together with Egyptian pottery that can be dated to the late Dynasty 12early Dynasty 13
tradition (Fig. 3).
All of the Nubian pottery from the late Middle Kingdomearly Second Intermediate Period
contexts belongs to the Pan-Grave culture and is handmade. This corpus can be divided into two
types: cooking pots and black-topped red slipped bowls. The more common of the two is the
coarse cooking pot. These restricted bowls are made of a coarse, highly friable fabric and deco-
rated predominantly with criss-cross patterns made with a stylus or comb on the body, leaving an
undecorated rim zone on many of them (Fig. 4 b). This is typical of the Pan-Grave culture and a
common feature on the cooking pots. In the majority of cases, the rim area is recessed and deline-
ated by a horizontal line.
A less common decorative motif on the cooking pots is the so-called pine tree pattern (Fig. 4 a).
The interior of this sherd from US 2280 has a reddish brown coating that was burnished7. A paral-
lel for this pine tree pattern was found at nearby Hierakonpolis in the Pan-Grave cemetery HK47
which dates to Dynasty 138.
The aeolian deposit (US 2078) sealing the final phase of use of the columned hall revealed a
sherd from the base of a coarse cooking pot with incised concentric circles (Fig. 6, 2078.N.1).
Such incised concentric circles also appear on the base of a cooking pot found at Elephantine in
Bauschicht 13 (late Dynasty 12Dynasty 13)9.
A less common type of Nubian pottery found in these contexts is the black-topped red slipped
bowl with highly burnished interior and exterior surfaces, referred to as Black Topped Ware10.
These bowls are part of the Pan-Grave, C-Group, and Kerma cultures, which makes it difficult
to assign them more precisely to any of these three cultures and also to date them independently.
An example of this ware can be seen on Fig. 6, 2280.N.1, and shows very thin walls and a narrow
rim diameter of 8 cm. We have identified it as belonging to the Pan-Grave culture because of its
association with the Pan-Grave cooking pots.

6
s. for example the results presented by Friedman 2007.
7
No parallel for this interior coating is known to the author.
8
Guiliani 2001, 43, fig. 11 g.
9
von Pilgrim 1996, 342343, fig. 152 a.
10
Guiliani 2001, 40.

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 108 Natasha Ayers Nadine Moeller

b. 2280

a. 2280

c. 2562

e. 2547.N.4

d. 2562.N.2 1 5 cm

f. 2659.N.1

1 10 cm

g. 2659.N.1

Fig. 4 Nubian sherds from Tell Edfu showing various decorations and surface treatments

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 Nubian Pottery Traditions during the 2nd Millennium BC at Tell Edfu 109

2.2 The Second Intermediate Period

US 2659 revealed ceramics that fall between the late Middle Kingdom pottery style and the late
Second Intermediate Periodearly Dynasty 18 style (Fig. 5).
This context included Nubian pottery that differs from that found in earlier levels; however,
the Nubian corpus still belongs within the Pan-Grave culture. Figure 6, 2659.N.2 is a cooking pot
with a very dense fabric that is not as coarse as most of the other cooking pots. The sherd seems to
have a self-slip and is completely oxidized with burnished interior and exterior surfaces. Shallow,
combed criss-cross decoration was executed below a rim zone delineated by an incised line. This
is the only example of this type so far identified at Tell Edfu.
Another cooking pot rim is also unique among the sherds studied at Edfu (Fig. 6, 2659.N.3).
This coarse cooking pot is burnished on the interior and exterior rim. Diagonal lines were deeply
incised, which left the surface rough.
Most of a cooking pot (Fig. 4 f and Fig. 6, 2659.N.1) could be reconstructed, providing the
complete profile of the pot and the entire decorative scheme. The rim is folded with a recessed

ED 2659.1 ED 2659.13

ED 2659.8

ED 2659.5 ED 2659.2

1 5 cm

Fig. 5 A selection of the Egyptian pottery corpus from US 2659

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 110 Natasha Ayers Nadine Moeller

ED 2078.N.1 ED 2280.N.1

ED 2659.N.2

ED 2659.N.3

1 5 cm

ED 2659.N.1

Fig. 6 Drawings of Nubian sherds from US 2280 and US 2659

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 Nubian Pottery Traditions during the 2nd Millennium BC at Tell Edfu 111

area where the fold meets the body and a second horizontal groove below the rim area. This is a
typical Pan-Grave feature. Incised bands with groups of three parallel lines, which intersect an-
other band of three parallel lines, extend from below the rim to the start of the base. It is unusual
for this decoration to extend all the way to the base. An incised grid pattern executed in three sec-
tions of unequal size decorates the rounded base of the pot (Fig. 4 g).

2.3 The Late Second Intermediate Period Through Early Dynasty 18

After the silos fell out of use, they were filled with trash that contained much pottery dating to the
late Second Intermediate Periodearly Dynasty 18 tradition (Fig. 7). This filling occurred fairly
rapidly as the pottery from the bottom layers appears to mirror that from the top layers. There are
few residual sherds from earlier periods and no intrusions from later periods. Additional trash lay-
ers that were dumped in large quantity cover the entire silo courtyard, effectively creating a sealed
context for the pottery in the silos, and contain ceramics dating to early Dynasty 18 (Hatshepsut/
Thutmose III).
Layers US 2562 and US 2547 were found in Silo Si 388 and, like all of the contexts filling the
silos, they contained Nubian pottery. All of the Nubian pottery from the late Second Intermediate
Periodearly Dynasty 18 contexts at Edfu can be assigned to the Kerma culture and are hand-
made. This corpus is more varied in regard to type and decorative techniques than the late Middle
Kingdomearly Second Intermediate Period Nubian corpus; however, the coarse cooking pots
and black-topped red slipped bowls are still the most common types.
The Nubian cooking pots from the trash layers in the silos are distinct from the late Middle
Kingdomearly Second Intermediate Period cooking pots of the Pan-Grave culture. None of the
Kerma cooking pots have a recessed rim or a horizontal line clearly distinguishing the rim area
from the body, rather the decoration stops a few centimetres below the rim or even continues to
the top of the rim. Combed criss-cross patterns and combed closely spaced lines running in ap-
proximately the same direction (diagonal and vertical) are most common. US 2547.N.1 (Fig. 8,
2547.N.1) is a coarse cooking pot decorated with a combed pattern of closely spaced criss-cross
lines on the body and a rim area that is burnished but not incised. The most common decorative
style for Nubian cooking pots from these levels consists of closely spaced, combed lines that do
extend up to the top of the rim (Fig. 8, 2547.N.2).
Additionally, a wide range of black-topped red slipped bowls was found in the fill of the silos.
An interesting example is a large, coarse bowl with the top of the rim folded into a wavy shape
(Fig. 9, 2562.N.1). Presently, no parallel for this rim has been identified. The small bowl from US
2562 is a more typical example of black-topped red slipped bowls in the late Second Intermediate
Periodearly Dynasty 18 corpus (Fig. 9, 2562.N.3). Another variation on the black-topped red
slipped bowls is represented by a horizontally burnished sherd of a small restricted bowl with a
red slipped body and tan rim area (Fig. 4 e and Fig. 8, 2547.N.4). This is the only example of this
variation that has so far been discovered at Edfu.
Vessels showing impressed decoration are also present in the Nubian corpus at Edfu, but they
are relatively rare. Three different pots have been identified with mat-impressed decoration, in-
cluding the rim of a restricted bowl from US 2562 (Fig. 4 d and Fig. 9, 2562.N.2). This decorative
technique has parallels at other sites in Egypt during the late Second Intermediate Periodearly
Dynasty 1811. A single body sherd displays a simple impressed pattern made of single deep dots
from a stylus (Fig. 4 c).
The well-known Classic Kerma beakers with exceptionally fine walls and ashy-grey band are
rare at Tell Edfu, but a few sherds were found in US 2562.

11
Gratien 2000, 122, fig. 19 Classic Kerma; Lacovara 1990, fig. 4, 1 nos. 45.

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 112 Natasha Ayers Nadine Moeller

ED 2547.1

ED 2562.10

Pattern
Burnishing
on Interior
and Exterior

ED 2547.2

ED 2547.4

1 5 cm

Fig. 7 A selection of Egyptian pottery from US 2547 and US 2562

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 Nubian Pottery Traditions during the 2nd Millennium BC at Tell Edfu 113

ED 2547.N.1

ED 2547.N.2

ED 2547.N.4

1 5 cm

ED 2547.N.3

1 5 cm

Fig. 8 Drawings of Nubian sherds from US 2547

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 114 Natasha Ayers Nadine Moeller

2562.N.1

ED 2562.N.2

ED 2562.N.3

1 5 cm

Fig. 9 Drawings of Nubian sherds from US 2562

Drawing 2547.N.3 depicts one of two large storage jars from Tell Edfu decorated on the rim
band with simple impressed oblique spaced dotted lines on the exterior and interior of the rim ex-
ecuted with a comb (8 teeth in each row) (Fig. 8, 2547.N.3)12. The rims of these large vessels are
folded inward and a reddish-brown slip/coating is applied to the exterior and burnished. This type
of storage jar is typical of Classic Kerma with parallels found at Kerma sites in Nubia13. These

12
Many thanks to Dr. Maria Gatto for providing the proper terminology for this decoration.
13
Gratien 2000, 5657, fig. 6 example b.

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 Nubian Pottery Traditions during the 2nd Millennium BC at Tell Edfu 115

Kerma storage jars and Kerma beakers are certainly imports from Nubia, but this is less clear for
other types of vessels such as the cooking pots which appear much more frequently and might
have been produced locally14.

3. Fabric Types

A variety of fabric types appear in the Nubian corpus from Tell Edfu. A few comments on the
most prominent inclusions visible using a simple hand lens with 10 magnification are the limit
of the information on the Nubian fabrics at this time15. Inclusions and voids from straw, which
is rounded and not rectangular like the chaff found in Egyptian Nile clays, and a fibrous temper
are commonly found in the cooking pot fabrics. Small, white, rounded inclusions are often found
in Nubian pottery from Nubia to Tell el-Daba, including Edfu. This type of inclusion appears in
some of the Nubian cooking pots from Edfu, but it is consistently present in the fabric of black-
topped red slipped bowls16. This is not an inclusion found in the Egyptian pottery. Coming from
early Dynasty 18 contexts is a rare fabric with red inclusions that could be a kind of mineral or
clay. One cooking pot sherd from the early Second Intermediate Period exhibits rounded sand in
such abundance that it is possible to refer to this as temper rather than a natural component of the
clay source.
N.A.

Bibliography

Friedman, R. F.
2007 The Nubian Cemetery at Hierakonpolis, Egypt. Results of the 2007 Season, Sudan and Nubia 11, 2007, 5771.

Gratien, B.
2000 Les pots de cuissons nubiens et les bols dcors de la premire moiti du IIe millnaire avant J.-C. Problmes
didentification, CahCerEg 6, 2000, 113148.

Guiliani, S.
2001 Nubians at Hierakonpolis: Pottery from the Nubian Cemeteries, Sudan and Nubia 5, 2001, 4045.

Lacovara, P.
1990 Deir el-Ballas: Preliminary Report on the Deir el-Ballas Expedition, 19801986 (Winona Lake 1990).

Moeller, N.
2010a Tell Edfu, in: G. Stein (ed.), The Oriental Institute 20092010 Annual Report (Chicago 2010) 94104.
2010b Tell Edfu: Preliminary Report on Seasons 20052009, JARCE 46, 2010, 81111.

Pilgrim, C. von
1996 Elephantine 18. Untersuchungen in der Stadt des Mittleren Reiches und der Zweiten Zwischenzeit, AV 91
(Mainz 1996).

14
The question of local vs imported production of the Nubian pottery found in Egypt is an interesting and compli-
cated issue, partly dependant upon whether the inclusions described in the Fabrics section of this article are natural
components of the clay source or added as temper. As an oversimplified example, small, rounded white inclusions
appear in Nubian pottery across all of Egypt. If these inclusions are derived from the clay source(s), then these
vessels were likely made near the region with this clay source(s). Conversely, if these inclusions are indeed temper
added to the clay as part of the chane opratoire, then some of these vessels might have been made locally at Edfu
and elsewhere in Egypt.
15
In the future seasons, fabrics will be analyzed using a USB Dinolite microscope which allows for much more de-
tailed images of the fabric.
16
All participants in the workshop were familiar with this inclusion in their own corpus of Nubian cooking pots.

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