Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (14.2002(2003))

WEST SAQQARA

EGYPT

“BEER JARS” WITH ASHES FROM SAQQARA
PRELIMINARY REPORT

Teodozja Izabela Rzeuska, Jaroslaw Zielinski

“Beer jars” filled with ashes constitute one
of the most interesting categories of
ceramic finds from the Old Kingdom
necropolis at SaqqaraA Judging by the
archaeological context — these vessels were
found in burial shafts or tafl deposits
around such shafts — there is every reason to
believe that they formed part of the offering
deposits thrown into the shafts during
burial. To date, during five seasons of work
from 1998 to 2002, about 30 vessels filled
with ashes have been found, all coming
from the Sixth Dynasty burial ground.
Jar SQ 98-606 (Fig. 1) can be consid-
ered as an example of this category. It was
found together with other beer jars (deposit
7/98) in the tafl fill by wall M to the north
of the funerary complex of Merefnebef,
between shafts 52 and 53A Some of the
vessels contained a false filling of Nile silt,
others had ashes inside. All of them were
closed with mud-stoppers tightly filling
the tops of the vessels, so that the ashes
could not be spilled. On the outer surface of
these vessels, between the shoulders and the
rim, there was evidence of an outside
stopper. Fragments of such external stop-
pers were also found in the pottery deposit.
Parts of burned stems of plants, seeds,
corn seeds, as well as charcoal, small pieces


(Drawing XL Rzeuska)

1) This is an excellent example of how names suggesting the vessels' potential function, assigned as a matter of common
practice, not always correspond to reality. In this case, the “beer” jars did not contain beer at all!
2) For the location of the findspot, see K. Mysliwiec, PAM X, Reports 1998 (1999), fig. 2 on page 84.

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