Ancient Egypt, Predynastic Period, Naqada II, ca. 3500 to 3200 BCE. A spectacular example of Egyptian pottery, a buffware vessel with a petite base, a rounded body, a slightly corseted neck, a rolled rim, and a wide mouth. A pair of petite lugged handles are high on the sides. Displaying a sienna-hued body, the upper black-hued portion is comprised of thick carbon deposits formed by exposing the top to clouds of smoke for extended periods of time in an oxygen-deprived environment. Black-top vessels originally rose in popularity during the early Naqada I, a culture which inhabited ancient Egypt during its pre-dynastic period. The N'aqada were first described by famed archaeologist William Flinders Petrie; however, relatively little is known about them except that they were focused around the site of El-Amra in central Egypt, west of the Nile River. Size: 2.125" in diameter x 2.75" H (5.4 cm x 7 cm)

Pre-Dynastic Egyptian black-top vessels were traditionally made from silt deposits taken from the Nile river due to their abundance in iron and silica. After the pot had dried but before it was fired, it would first be burnished and rubbed smooth with a small stone to create the pinstripe vertical striations still visible today. An iron-rich slip would then be applied just before firing; when placed in an oxygen-rich environment, the elevated temperatures would create the vessels? signature red-orange hu.

After the end of the Naqada III period around 3,000 BCE, the use of Nile silt in pottery creations fell out of favor with the Pre-Dynastic Egyptians. This is due to the increase in popularity of marl clay, a newly-discovered material for creating terracotta objects which was easier to shape and enabled firing at far greater temperatures than the highly-porous silt.

Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection, acquired in 2020; ex-private New York, New York, USA collection; ex Ancient Resource Auctions, California, USA, 2014, Auction 32, lot #0041a

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#163877

Loss to edge of one handle and some roughness to rim. A few nicks and abrasions, commensurate with age. Otherwise, intact and excellent with lovely earthen deposits.