TELL EL-LARKHA
EGYPT
PROTODYNASTIC AND EARLY DYNASTIC POTTERY
FROM THE WESTERN KOM (PHASES 4-5)
Thick-walled bread moulds of rough ware
- made of Nile clay, tempered with
medium-to-coarse sand grains and fine-to-
medium chaff or coarse straw — were found
in strata belonging to phases 4 and 5. The
number of these forms increases from
Protodynastic to Early Dynastic times,
being definitely more numerous in phase
5. Most of the moulds are spherical with
rounded base. Shallow forms, sometimes
with flattened base, are also present but in
lesser quantity. The rim top is mostly
simple and rounded, rarely flattened or
concave. A few potmarks, mostly inside
the vessels, have been recorded on the walls
of these bread moulds.
Dated mostly to phase 4 are tall
tapering vessels without the bottom, which
was narrow and flattened. Also found were
small bowls in this fabric, as well as
different bowls with concave walls and
simple rim or slightly thickened external
extension, and cups with straight sides and
simple rim.
Fragments of different types of red slip
ware bowls also occur in these two phases.
They were generally made of Nile clay,
tempered with fine-to-medium sand and
sporadically very fine organic material;
coarser inclusions are also present
occasionally. Most of the bowls are light
red, or reddish-brown, coated both inside
and out, with burnished surface. Vertically
burnished bowls are very characteristic,
while horizontal burnishing outside and
vertical inside occurs on occasion. In a few
examples, also the upper part of the inner
surface just below the rim is horizontally
burnished, while the lower part is bur-
nished vertically. Fragments of streak-
burnished bowls have also been recorded.
Another frequent find from phases
4 and 5 on the Western Kom are fragments
of fine hard-smoothed wares made of Nile
clay, untempered or with very fine sand
inclusions or in a few examples made also
of marl clay. The surface of these vessels —
mostly jars - is finely hard-smoothed.
Marks of a turning device are visible
occasionally on the necks of such jars.
Potmarks also occur on a few examples.
Small fine drop-shaped vessels, complete
and fragmentary, were also found.
A few sherds collected from phases
4 and 5 are decorated with punctated
decoration. Most fragments of D-ware
from the Western Kom, occurring in both
phases, are decorated with so-called water
lines (wavy parallel lines in short groups).
Sherds of W-ware, as well as of so-called
wine jars with rope pattern and others with
a row of arches on the shoulder were also
found, as were pieces of cylindrical jars
with impressed or incised decoration
beneath the rim.
Pottery of phases 4 and 5 appears to be
characteristic of the period of state
formation in Egypt. On the grounds of
current research, our phase 4 can be dated
tentatively to Naqada IIIa2, with the end
of this phase falling sometime during
Naqada Mb, and our phase 5 to Naqada
Mb, ending sometime during the First
Dynasty, probably at its beginning. (MJ)
122
EGYPT
PROTODYNASTIC AND EARLY DYNASTIC POTTERY
FROM THE WESTERN KOM (PHASES 4-5)
Thick-walled bread moulds of rough ware
- made of Nile clay, tempered with
medium-to-coarse sand grains and fine-to-
medium chaff or coarse straw — were found
in strata belonging to phases 4 and 5. The
number of these forms increases from
Protodynastic to Early Dynastic times,
being definitely more numerous in phase
5. Most of the moulds are spherical with
rounded base. Shallow forms, sometimes
with flattened base, are also present but in
lesser quantity. The rim top is mostly
simple and rounded, rarely flattened or
concave. A few potmarks, mostly inside
the vessels, have been recorded on the walls
of these bread moulds.
Dated mostly to phase 4 are tall
tapering vessels without the bottom, which
was narrow and flattened. Also found were
small bowls in this fabric, as well as
different bowls with concave walls and
simple rim or slightly thickened external
extension, and cups with straight sides and
simple rim.
Fragments of different types of red slip
ware bowls also occur in these two phases.
They were generally made of Nile clay,
tempered with fine-to-medium sand and
sporadically very fine organic material;
coarser inclusions are also present
occasionally. Most of the bowls are light
red, or reddish-brown, coated both inside
and out, with burnished surface. Vertically
burnished bowls are very characteristic,
while horizontal burnishing outside and
vertical inside occurs on occasion. In a few
examples, also the upper part of the inner
surface just below the rim is horizontally
burnished, while the lower part is bur-
nished vertically. Fragments of streak-
burnished bowls have also been recorded.
Another frequent find from phases
4 and 5 on the Western Kom are fragments
of fine hard-smoothed wares made of Nile
clay, untempered or with very fine sand
inclusions or in a few examples made also
of marl clay. The surface of these vessels —
mostly jars - is finely hard-smoothed.
Marks of a turning device are visible
occasionally on the necks of such jars.
Potmarks also occur on a few examples.
Small fine drop-shaped vessels, complete
and fragmentary, were also found.
A few sherds collected from phases
4 and 5 are decorated with punctated
decoration. Most fragments of D-ware
from the Western Kom, occurring in both
phases, are decorated with so-called water
lines (wavy parallel lines in short groups).
Sherds of W-ware, as well as of so-called
wine jars with rope pattern and others with
a row of arches on the shoulder were also
found, as were pieces of cylindrical jars
with impressed or incised decoration
beneath the rim.
Pottery of phases 4 and 5 appears to be
characteristic of the period of state
formation in Egypt. On the grounds of
current research, our phase 4 can be dated
tentatively to Naqada IIIa2, with the end
of this phase falling sometime during
Naqada Mb, and our phase 5 to Naqada
Mb, ending sometime during the First
Dynasty, probably at its beginning. (MJ)
122