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Industry : Pottery
Pottery
The Egyptians produced two kinds of ware: the finer quality made of faience and the commonplace pottery made of Nile mud. Pottery was widely produced because good clay was readily available in all parts of Egypt. Clay was principally used for making vessels that have a matte or slightly burnished surface and a color variation (black, red, a combination of black and red, or gray), which is the result of the material used and the process of firing. Known as “coarseware,” this pottery was employed for a variety of vessels and containers with diverse forms and specialized uses including bowls, dishes, platters, goblets, pots, beer jugs, milk jugs, wine jars, oil containers, and cosmetic vases. In fact many domestic possessions were kept and stored in pottery containers, and the production of these receptacles was so extensive both in chronological and geographical terms that the study of the development of different styles and types of pottery has become an essential dating tool for archaeologists. Since potsherds were recycled as a cheap writing material they also provide a different source of evidence in that area of study. Glazed pottery was only introduced into Egypt in the sixth century BC when Greek potters established themselves at Naucratis. There were few advances during the Pharaonic Period in the indigenous ceramic art in terms of producing either new forms or decoration. In fact pottery manufacture never rose to great heights in Egypt as it did elsewhere. The unglazed coarseware was decorated with painted ornamentation and motifs, but a different material faience was chosen for special objects. It is worth noting that the most attractive pottery vessels, covered with painted decoration, were made during the Predynastic Period before the Egyptians fully developed their considerable talents in other areas such as stoneworking and jewelry manufacture. In addition to its use for vases and vessels the Egyptians also employed pottery for modeling and produced a variety of figurines such as statuettes of humans and animals and tomb models including soul houses, concubine figures, and ushabtis. There were also pottery canopic jars and coffins, and in the Greco-Roman Period terracotta was used extensively for manufacturing lamps and votive figures of gods. Four stages occur in the production of pottery vessels: kneading the clay, shaping the clay into a pot, drying the vessel, and baking it. Scenes in the tombs, particularly of the Old and Middle Kingdoms, illustrate these processes, and further evidence is provided by wooden tomb models of potters’ workshops. First, the clay was prepared and kneaded to the required consistency; this was probably done by trampling on the clay. Finely chopped straw, chaff, or pulverized animal dung was added to temper the clay and reduce its stickiness. Next, the pots were shaped. In predynastic times this was done by hand, and even in later times the manual method was sometimes employed for the very simplest vessels. One of the greatest inventions, however, was the potter’s wheel which together with the brick mold was probably introduced in the earliest dynasties. There is some controversy over the exact date, but the final years of the predynastic era or the Archaic Period (Dynasty 1 or 2) have been suggested. The earliest form of the wheel was a small circular turntable that was rotated by hand on a vertical shaft or pivot with the potter using his left hand to turn the table and his right one to mold the pot. By the New Kingdom, however, a wheel was introduced that was moved by foot or turned by an assistant. This pivoted turntable with its limited momentum appears to be the only wheel known in Egypt before the Ptolemaic Period, and handmade pottery continued to be produced alongside wheel-made ware. The slip and wash were then applied to the pottery. For the most common slip, clay was mixed to a fine consistency and applied to the pot before it was dry. This changed the color of the pot and provided a smooth surface for the decoration to be applied. Finally, a wash of red ocher was often added to red ware to enhance its color. The pot was then dried; some were polished with pebbles before they were baked. This final stage in the process converted the fragile clay into a hard, durable, and water-resistant material. The earliest vessels were probably baked on the ground in a mixed heap of pots and fuel covered with animal dung to keep in the heat. From this a simple pottery kiln developed with separate areas for the pots and fuel; these resembled the ovens used by bakers and appear to have incorporated a furnace underneath while the pots were placed on top of or inside the kiln. .
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Industry : Pottery
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