The potters of Kom Dahab: the ceramic chaà®ne opératoire in the Ptolemaic Nile Delta

This study presents the results of analyses of ceramics from one of the rare excavated kiln sites that produced amphorae and common wares in Ptolemaic Egypt (332–30 BC), at Kom Dahab in the Western Nile Delta. Ceramics from the kiln trench, unfired ceramics and specific classes of transport, table and kitchen vessels were analysed by polarised microscopy and scanning electron microscope used with energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM–EDX). This made it possible to trace the different steps of the chaà®ne opératoire and revealed that potters made differentiated use of raw materials. A specific clay, perhaps offering economic advantages, soon dominated the amphora production. A variety of recipes was used for white and red slips applied to both utilitarian and tablewares. Shapes were strongly Greek-influenced, but after some time ceramic technology readmitted earlier Pharaonic traditions, presumably driven by consumer demand and economic considerations. The analysis of slipped bowls from Old Kingdom levels suggests the long-term exploitation of the local clay sources of distinctive chemical composition.