DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.41333#0131
Teodozja Izabela Rzeuska
Warsaw
Some Remarks on the Old Kingdom White Painted Funerary
Cult Pottery from West Saqqara
(Plates 28-31)
The joint Polish-Egyptian archaeological mission
of Polish Centre for Mediterranean Archaeology in
Cairo and the Supreme Council of Antiquities under
the direction of Professor Karol MYSLIWIEC work-
ing in Saqqara since 1987 on the western side of the
mortuary complex of Netjerykhet has brought to light
a necropolis dated to the late Old Kingdom.1
Some years ago G. A. REISNER noted that every
tomb or grave has two functions:
1 • to house the body and the ka, i.e. burial place;
2. to provide means of supplying the ka with its daily
necessities, i.e. a place of cult.2
Both functions, i.e. burial and place of cult, are re-
flected in the architecture of the tomb/grave, where
the former function corresponds to the substructure
(shaft and burial chamber) and the later to the super-
structure (offering place - chapel or merely false door).
This division should follow the inventory from a tomb,
for example pottery. Hence, pots directly connected
with the second function is expected in the place of
cult, inside the chapels or in their vicinity.
During the work on the necropolis at West Saqqara
one has observed that pottery from the chapels differs
in character, quality and quantity from the pottery found
outside the chapels. This was the reason behind divid-
ing these vessels from the site into two groups:
1 K. MYSLIWIEC, T. HERBICH, with contribution by A. NI-
WINSKI, Polish Research at Saqqara in 1987, ETXVII (1995),
pp. 177-203; MYSLIWIEC, Saqqara, Excavations 1996, PAM
VUI (1997), pp. 103-109; IDEM, Saqqara. Excavations 1997,
PAMTX. (1998), pp. 90-99; IDEM, Saqqara. Excavations 1998,
PAMX (1999), pp. 81-89, IDEM, Saqqara. Excavations 1999,
PAM XI (2000), pp. 89-99, IDEM, Saqqara. Excavation 2000,
ALWXn(2001),pp. 107-119.
2 G.A. REISNER, The Development of the Egyptian Tomb
down to the Accession of Cheops, Cambridge 1936, p. 1.
3 H.-A. NORDSTROM, J. BOURRIAU, Ceramic Technol-
- pottery nearby the place of offering, next to the
entrances to the chapels or in their vicinity;
- pottery found in the place of offering: chapels, on
or beside offering tables, and false doors.
To the first group belong miniature vessels (see
fig. 1), beer jars (see fig. 2), stoppers, bread moulds
and trays (see fig. 3). The pots were made of poor
quality Nile silt B2 or Nile silt C according to the
Vienna System,3 with a roughly treated surface, of-
ten badly fired. This type of pots is most common on
Old Kingdom necropoleis. The West Saqqara cem-
etery is no exception to this rule. There are large de-
posits of complete vessels or sherds, some of which
add up to hundreds of objects. G. REISNER found
a lot of beer jars at Giza necropolis and called this
type the “traditional offering jar”.4 They were the
cheapest, most carelessly made vessels found at Giza.
A great number of these vessels were used in the
chapel services.5 After the offering was presented to
the dead the pots, used only once, were deposited
outside the chapels, hence the deposits of pots out-
side places of cult. This group shall be termed offer-
ing pottery.
To the second group belong potstands (see fig.
4), bowls, dishes of different shapes (see fig. 5). The
pottery is usually of higher quality. All are made of
fine Nile silt B1 or marl clay A2, red slipped, pol-
ogy: Clays and Fabrics, Fascicle 2, in: Do. ARNOLD,
BOURRIAU (eds.), An Introduction to Ancient Egyptian
Pottery, Mainz 1993, pp. 171-174.
4 REISNER, Mycerinus. The Temples of the Third Pyramid
at Giza, Cambridge Massachusetts 1931, Type IV, p. 212,
fig. 4; IDEM, A History of the Giza Necropolis II (com-
pleted and revised by W.S. SMITH), Cambridge-Massa-
chusetts 1955 (hereinafter referred to as: Giza Necropo-
lis II), pp. 70ff., fig. 85, type A-IV.
5 REISNER, Giza Necropolis II, p. 70.
125
Warsaw
Some Remarks on the Old Kingdom White Painted Funerary
Cult Pottery from West Saqqara
(Plates 28-31)
The joint Polish-Egyptian archaeological mission
of Polish Centre for Mediterranean Archaeology in
Cairo and the Supreme Council of Antiquities under
the direction of Professor Karol MYSLIWIEC work-
ing in Saqqara since 1987 on the western side of the
mortuary complex of Netjerykhet has brought to light
a necropolis dated to the late Old Kingdom.1
Some years ago G. A. REISNER noted that every
tomb or grave has two functions:
1 • to house the body and the ka, i.e. burial place;
2. to provide means of supplying the ka with its daily
necessities, i.e. a place of cult.2
Both functions, i.e. burial and place of cult, are re-
flected in the architecture of the tomb/grave, where
the former function corresponds to the substructure
(shaft and burial chamber) and the later to the super-
structure (offering place - chapel or merely false door).
This division should follow the inventory from a tomb,
for example pottery. Hence, pots directly connected
with the second function is expected in the place of
cult, inside the chapels or in their vicinity.
During the work on the necropolis at West Saqqara
one has observed that pottery from the chapels differs
in character, quality and quantity from the pottery found
outside the chapels. This was the reason behind divid-
ing these vessels from the site into two groups:
1 K. MYSLIWIEC, T. HERBICH, with contribution by A. NI-
WINSKI, Polish Research at Saqqara in 1987, ETXVII (1995),
pp. 177-203; MYSLIWIEC, Saqqara, Excavations 1996, PAM
VUI (1997), pp. 103-109; IDEM, Saqqara. Excavations 1997,
PAMTX. (1998), pp. 90-99; IDEM, Saqqara. Excavations 1998,
PAMX (1999), pp. 81-89, IDEM, Saqqara. Excavations 1999,
PAM XI (2000), pp. 89-99, IDEM, Saqqara. Excavation 2000,
ALWXn(2001),pp. 107-119.
2 G.A. REISNER, The Development of the Egyptian Tomb
down to the Accession of Cheops, Cambridge 1936, p. 1.
3 H.-A. NORDSTROM, J. BOURRIAU, Ceramic Technol-
- pottery nearby the place of offering, next to the
entrances to the chapels or in their vicinity;
- pottery found in the place of offering: chapels, on
or beside offering tables, and false doors.
To the first group belong miniature vessels (see
fig. 1), beer jars (see fig. 2), stoppers, bread moulds
and trays (see fig. 3). The pots were made of poor
quality Nile silt B2 or Nile silt C according to the
Vienna System,3 with a roughly treated surface, of-
ten badly fired. This type of pots is most common on
Old Kingdom necropoleis. The West Saqqara cem-
etery is no exception to this rule. There are large de-
posits of complete vessels or sherds, some of which
add up to hundreds of objects. G. REISNER found
a lot of beer jars at Giza necropolis and called this
type the “traditional offering jar”.4 They were the
cheapest, most carelessly made vessels found at Giza.
A great number of these vessels were used in the
chapel services.5 After the offering was presented to
the dead the pots, used only once, were deposited
outside the chapels, hence the deposits of pots out-
side places of cult. This group shall be termed offer-
ing pottery.
To the second group belong potstands (see fig.
4), bowls, dishes of different shapes (see fig. 5). The
pottery is usually of higher quality. All are made of
fine Nile silt B1 or marl clay A2, red slipped, pol-
ogy: Clays and Fabrics, Fascicle 2, in: Do. ARNOLD,
BOURRIAU (eds.), An Introduction to Ancient Egyptian
Pottery, Mainz 1993, pp. 171-174.
4 REISNER, Mycerinus. The Temples of the Third Pyramid
at Giza, Cambridge Massachusetts 1931, Type IV, p. 212,
fig. 4; IDEM, A History of the Giza Necropolis II (com-
pleted and revised by W.S. SMITH), Cambridge-Massa-
chusetts 1955 (hereinafter referred to as: Giza Necropo-
lis II), pp. 70ff., fig. 85, type A-IV.
5 REISNER, Giza Necropolis II, p. 70.
125