Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (19.2007(2010))

TELL EL-RETABA

EGYPT

III to Ramesses VI, Aston 1996: 106, 10,
Figs 4b, 8b) and the Third Intermediate
Period (Aston 1996: 125, Fig. 23a, especially
the reign of Osorkon II).
Shallow bread trays [Fig. 3:4], made of
either Nile C or Nile E clay, also occur in
large quantities on the site (Redmount 1989:
390-391, Fig. 54: 251-255). Such vessels
were very common during the late New
Kingdom, the Third Intermediate Period,
but also later in the Late Period going on the
Ptolemaic age. The tray presented here finds
parallels among vessels from the times of
either Ramesses III or IV (Aston 1996: 108,
Fig. 6), also from the Twenty-second
Dynasty (Aston 1996: 126, Fig. 24; Bavay
1998: 319-320, Fig. 32:14) and the Late
Period (Basilico, Lupo 2004: 6, 11, Fig. 2c).
Many fragments of large trays made of
coarse Nile C [Fig. 3:5] were also collected.
Their diameter is usually larger than 40 cm.
The body is always handmade. On the basis
of known vessels of this type they can be
dated to the Twentieth Dynasty (Aston
1996: 18, 113, Fig. 11:247), and later to the
Twenty-second Dynasty (Bavay 1998:
323-324, Fig. 34:46-47).
A large Nile C uncoated vat [Fig. 3:6]
was noted by Redmount (1989: 378-379,
Fig. 54:131). Dating is elusive however, the
late dynastic material from Elephantine
pointing with some likelihood to the mid
8th-7th centuries BC (Aston 1999: 159,
78-79, PI. 53:1634).
A fragment of so called “fire-dog”
(Petrie 1906: PI. XXXVIB:54) [Fig. 4] was
found in the southeastern part of the site.

The foot of the vessel is made of Nile B2
clay. Pots of this kind are plentiful at the
site, a few examples having been published
already (Petrie 1906: Pi. XXXVIB:53-55).
They are common in settlements of the late
New Kingdom and the Third Intermediate
Period (Aston 1996: 61; 1998: 580-581,
Fig. 2384, Twentieth-Twenty-first Dynasty;
Mysliwiec 1987: 39, 51-52, Fig. 303-304,
two pots found in the Seti mortuary temple
at Thebes come from a group described as
diverse pots from the New Kingdom and
Third Intermediate Period), where they
were used as supports for cooking pots
placed over a fire (Aston 1996: 62).
Although the majority of the Retaba
vessels came from the Late New Kingdom/
Third Intermediate Period/Late Period,
a few pieces are of a later date. A fragment of
jar made of Nile B2 sandy clay had a thin
white coat with decoration in black and
brown paint [Fig. 5]. Such floral motifs can
be dated to the Ptolemaic Period
(Poludnikiewicz 1992: 96,98-99, Figs 7-8).


Fig. 5. Ptolemaic Period jar with black and
brown painted decoration (Drawing
A. Wodzinska)

IMPORTED WARES

A few examples of imported wares were also
found. They are representative of Retaba’s
and ultimately Egypt’s foreign relations in
the late New Kingdom-Third Inter-

mediate Period and later. The imports came
from two general directions, including
mainland Greece and the Greek islands and
Cyprus in the north, and the East with

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Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean 19, Reports 2007