Preliminary investigation of the chaîne opératoire of Meroitic potsherds from the cemetery of Faras, northern Nubia (Sudan)

Abstract

• Handmade, black-burnished pottery had a significant presence in Meroitic contexts across Sudan, from Jebel Moya in central Sudan to Seyala in Lower Nubia, suggesting the production and exchange of handmade vessels was a key industry in the Meroitic kingdom. The macroscopic identification of examples with no discernible organic temper, in contrast to the typical fabrics containing vegetal temper, has been noted at several sites and has the potential to expand our understanding of the multiple chaînes opératoires within the term “handmade” and the industry’s social and economic role in Kush. However, the manufacturing techniques around handmade wares are still poorly understood, and little scientific analysis has been conducted on such pieces. Two Meroitic potsherds from the cemetery at Faras were selected that appeared macroscopically to be of different fabrics, and analysed by polarised light microscopy and SEM-EDX to determine the raw materials used and how the pots were made. The results show that the two vessels (a bowl and a beaker) were made with chemically similar clays, but by different technological processes, as one was organic-tempered and the second was probably sand-tempered. Non-destructive SEM-EDX surface analyses of the red and white pigments infilling very fine impressions on the surface of the beaker suggest the use of kaolinite and ochre to obtain the colours, probably applied after firing the pot.