Cover
Title page
Copyright page
Dedication
Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgments
Map of sites
Chronology
Introduction
Seeking the Potter’s Wheel
Figure 2.1: Different Types of Potter’s Wheels with French Mistranslations identified by Childe (1954) tour, tournette, the stick and kick wheels. After Miller, 2009, pg 114, fig 4.5. Drawing: S. Doherty
Figure 2.2: Tomb of Ty showing potter with possibly the earliest known representation of a potter’s wheel in Egypt, storeroom, register 7 Saqqara, Egypt c.2450-2300 B.C. (Épron & Daumas, 1939, p. pl 71)
Figure 2.3: An example of an s-shaped crack, indicative of thrown pottery, from goblet P03-219, Tell Sabi Abyad, Syria, Late Bronze Age (Duistermaat, 2008, pp. 379, fig V27)
Figure 2.4: The Twist Reverse Twist Drill. A) Old Kingdom example with 2 stone weights, Gardiner’s U25 determinative B) The New Kingdom variety with a single limestone weight. These would have either a forked shaft attachment as shown, or a hollow borer w
Figure 2.5: Manufacturing Meidum bowls over a mould or former. The clay is firmly pressed over the mould and curved over. Then a knife or similar tool is used to scrape away excess clay to shape the base. Drawing: S. Doherty
Figure 2.6: An example of a CD7 bowl, 4th dynasty, Giza. AW9944-3. Photo A Wodzińska
Figure 2.8: Left: Japanese potter’s wheel with socketed disk (a) hardwood pivot; (b) hardwood wheel with a porcelain cup as bearing; (c) hollow cylinder extends down the pivot to provide an annual bearing at (d) which steadies the wheel; (e) stick to pla
Figure 2.9: Clay wheelhead from pottery quarter at Ur 44kg, dia 75cm, 5cm thick, c.3000 B.C. Note the 8 pin marks, possibly for an attachment to the spindle of the pivot (Simpson, 1997b, pp. 50, fig 1)
Figure 2.10: The remains of the potter’s workshop, with the 20cm deep slot and short walls (a) and (b). After Verner (1995, pl 5, fig 26). Labels: S Doherty after Verner (1995, pg 26)
Figure 2.11: Left: The Abu Sir clay wheel-head. Burnt clay, 45cm in diameter. (Odler, in press; Verner, 1992; 1995, pp. 27, fig 27a, pl 5) and Right: Verner’s interpretation of how the wheel was set up (Verner, 1992; Verner, 1995, pp. 27, fig 27b)
Figure 2.12: The reconstructed potter’s wheel, with the pivot head curved or in the shape of a “mushroom” in the upper example, flat in the lower examples. Drawing: S. Doherty
Figure 2.13 The British Museum Collection of unprovenanced Egyptian Potter’s Wheel bearings. Photo: S. Doherty ©The British Museum
Ancient Sources for the potter’s wheel
Figure 3.1: Possible potter’s wheel scene from the rock cut tomb of Nebemakhet, Giza (After Holthoer 1977, pg 6, fig 1)
Figure 3.2: Potter’s Workshop from tomb of Ty, storeroom, register 7 Saqqara, Egypt c.2450-2300 B.C. (After: Épron & Daumas, 1939, p. pl 71)
Figure 3.4: Tomb of Khentika from Saqqara, in the cemetery of Pharoah Teti, depicting two potters, 6th dynasty. (After: Holthoer 1977, pp. 8-9, Harpur 2011, pp. 444-445)
Figure 3.5: The loose block of a seated potter working on his potter’s wheel, with a second potter’s wheel with completed vessel to the right. After: Vachala 2004, p. 179, Fragment I 204
Figure 3.6: The tomb of Bakt III pottery making scene. After Holthoer 1977, pg 12, fig 14
Figure 3.7: The pottery workshop scene from the tomb of Amenemhat. After: Newberry 1893, pg 30-31, pl XI
Figure 3.8: The pottery workshop of Khnumhotep III at Beni Hasan. After: Newberry, 1893, pp. 68, pl XXIX
Figure 3.10: The pottery workshop scene in the tomb of Djeutihotep. Newberry & Griffith 1985, pl 25
Figure 3.9: The most complete potter representation from the pottery scene from tomb of Nomarch Djeutihotep, Deir el Bersha (After: Newberry & Griffith 1895, Pl. 25)
Figure 3.11: The potters from the tomb of Horemkawef, Hierakonpolis, Second Intermediate Period. After Friedman 2006, pg 25
Figure 3.12: Pottery workshop of Kenamun (TT 93), Thebes. After: Davies 1930, pl 59
Figure 3.13: Servant Statuette of Potter, perhaps from 5th dynasty tomb of Nikauinpu, Giza [E10628] 13.2 x 6.7 x 12.5cm. Photo: Oriental Museum Collections, Chicago
Figure 3.14: A close up of the potter’s wheel in Gemniemhat’s tomb at Saqqara, AEIN 1633 ©Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek. Photo: Ivor Pridden
Figure 3.15: Wooden model from the tomb of Gemniemhat at Saqqara, AEIN 1633 ©Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek. Right: bird’s eye view showing carpenters at work behind the potters in the partially covered buildings, while the potters work outside. One works the whe
Figure 3.16: Relief from the tomb of the 5th dynasty Vizier Ptahshepses pA iqdw n pr dt Wri “the potter of the mortuary estate, Weri” iqdw “potter” is circled in red. After Vachala 2004a, p. 179, Fragmente 57(B)+81+93+221
Figure 3.17: Section of papyrus from the archive of the Raneferef’s mortuary temple showing the inscription qd nTr at the top of the column. After Posener-Kriéger, Verner &Vymazalová 2006, pl 49.
Figure 3.19: The Pyramid text representations of potters (L-R) A-C from Pyramid of Pepi I (Leclant, Mathieu, & Pierre-Croisiau, 2001, pl XVI: col 8, XXIV: col 30), D from the Pyramid of Merenre (Sethe, 1910, p. 160) from the Pyramid text spell 1185
Inventing the potter’s wheel
Figure 4.1: The Chaîne Opératoire approach. The four basic links are raw material procurement, technology (separated into primary and secondary reduction and typology), use and discard. After: Grace (1989, p. 3)
Figure 4.2: An example of Petrie’s Black topped ware, UC9546 ©Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, UCL
Figure 4.4: Representation of a shrine on the top of the Uruk Vase. Showing from left: man carrying basket of offerings to priestess in front of shrine or temple of goddess Ianna. Shrine is represented by two reed bundle standards, with streamers which ar
Figure 4.5: Map of the Near East and Egypt, showing keys sites mentioned in the text. S. Doherty
Figure 4.6: Polychrome handbuilt pottery © Trustees of the British Museum AN144655
Figure 4.7: The plan of the city of Uruk-Warka, showing the temple complexes of its patron gods in the centre of the city on the highest ground. Within these precincts, craft workers’ workshops were located. Roaf 1990, pg 60, fig 60b
Figure 4.8: The Twist Reverse Twist Drill. A) Old Kingdom example with 2 stone weights, Gardiner’s U25 determinative B) The New Kingdom variety with a single limestone weight. These would have either a forked shaft attachment as shown, or a hollow borer w
Figure 4.9: Door Socket made of Quartzite found near to the temple revetment at Hierakonpolis, and about 10m away from the Main deposit within the temple enclosure. Note the socket for the pivot of the doorjamb and the human head to left. After Quibel
Figure 4.10: Map of the Town of Hierakonpolis, with the findspot of the quartzite doorsocket and stone grinders’ workshop indicated After:Quibell 1900, plate LXXIII
Figure 4.11: Map of Egypt showing basalt outcrops (solid black) and areas containing Triassic to Tertiary felsic and/or mafic flows, sills, dykes and plugs. (Mallory-Greenough et al. 1999 Pg 1263)
Figure 4.12: Niuserre upper temple, Abu Sir 5th Dynasty. Basalt blocks in situ in temple floor, with other blocks of basalt and granite lying about. Note the remains of socket joint in the circular granite block in centre of the picture, possibly indicati
Figure 4.13: Examples of V-shaped bowls, made by arranging coils of clay and then thinned and shaped on the potter’s wheel. Left and Centre: BM 125942; 1937, 1211.224 from Tell Brak ©Trustees of the British Museum Middle photo: S. Doherty. Right: profile
Figure 4.14: The Chaine Operatoire of the v-rimmed bowl. (1) It is built up with coils (letter A-I), upon the potter’s wheel. (2) The wheel is spun and the coiled pot is thinned and shaped (J-O). (3) The pot is cut off the wheel and the base removed (P-Q)
How did the Potter’s Wheel come to Egypt?
Figure 5.1: Ceramics from Stratum Ia in Buto. Left: Indigenous Egyptian Ma’adi style handmade jar, Right: Uruk style coil-made and potter’s wheel finished V-rim jars made in Nile clay. ©DAI 2012
Figure 5.2: The Complete wall from the storeroom of the tomb of Ty, depicting the various craft scenes. Women are coloured yellow, men brown (After Épron & Daumas, 1939, p. pl 71) Osiris.net 2012: http://www.osirisnet.net/mastabas/ty/e_ty_04.htm
Figure 5.3: A relatively rare example of a man making pottery using the hammer and anvil technique, an activity normally undertaken by women. El Nazla, Faiyoum,Egypt. Photo: S. Doherty
Figure 5.4: Evidence for social status of the potter at the wheel displaying prominent ribs. Limestone statuette, body and wheel in red/brown, base black 6th dynasty, tomb of Nikauinpau, Giza, 13.2 x 6.7 x 12.5cm, Oriental Institute, University of Chicago
Figure 5.5: Experimental reconstruction of the pit kilns located at HK11 C Square B4NW (Baba, 2005, p. 20)
Figure 5.6: The Fire dog features from Hierakonpolis square A6, HK11 C, feature 12. (Takamiya & Baba, 2004, p. 19)
Figure 5.7: The screen kiln at el Mahasna (Garstang, 1902, p. 39)
Figure 5.8: The Assistant Potter in the tomb of Ty in front of the kiln, shielding his face with his hand. storeroom, register 7, Saqqara, Egypt c.2450-2300 B.C. (Épron & Daumas, 1939, p. pl 71)
Figure 5.9: The multi-period pottery workshop at Ain Asil. Soukiassian et al. (1990), pg 12, fig 5
Figure 5.10: Hazor pottery mask (C 1136) and wheel bearing (C1200/2) in situ. Locus 6225, Stratum IB LB II Yadin 1958, pl CLXXXII Area C
Figure 5.11: Plan and section of cave 4034 at Lachish (Magrill & Middleton, 1997, p. 69)
Figure 5.12: The Miniature vessel dump outside Sneferu’s Meidum pyramid, 4th dynasty from el-Khouli’s 1991 excavations. Photos: S. Doherty
Figure 5.13: Examples of miniature vessels from Meidum © Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology (Petrie 1892, pl XXX; Petrie, Mackay, & Wainwright, 1910, pl XXV). UC17625 9.3cm, UC17632 7.4cm, UC 17630 6.7cm
Figure 5.14: The Meidum Pyramid foundation deposit, containing miniature vessels (nos 20-24), examples of Meidum bowls (e.g. no. 42) and basalt stands (36 & 37) within a sealed 4th dynasty context. Petrie, Mackay, & Wainwright, 1910, p. 2 pl XXV
Detecting the Use of the Potter’s Wheel in Egyptian Pottery
Figure 6.2: X-rays of the coil hand-built experimental pot (Left) and electric wheel-thrown pot (Right). The white “specks” are iron oxide spangles that have been added to the buff stoneware clay to replicate the distribution of added temper within the cl
Figure 6.3: Xeroradiograph of three miniature vessels. Note spiral pattern in the bowl (centre) and the cross hatching in the walls of the jars on either side. Exposure 150 kV, 18mAs After: Magrill and Middleton 1997, pg 73, fig 6(d)
Figure 6.4: Indications of thrown pottery. Left: An example of an S-shaped crack, indicative of thrown pottery, from goblet P03-219, Tell Sabi Abyad, Syria, Late Bronze Age (Duistermaat, 2008, pp. 379, fig V27). Right: The indicative string cut “drag” l
Figure 6.5: Iron Oxide Spangles being added to the clay during the wedging process. Photo: S. Doherty
Figure 6.6: Coils clearly visible in the base of this wavy handled jar c.3200 B.C. © Ashmolean 546-95. Photo: S. Doherty
Figure 6.7: The rilling marks created by the fingers of the potter (indicated in blue) when shaping the rim of the wavy handled jar. The vessel was entirely hand built using large coils of clay, then placed within a stationary chuck, mat, or support and t
Figure 6.8: Wavy handled jar. Constructed using coils on flat support (note base of pot is flat), then a slab of clay added to the top of pot at join line (indicated in red) which was then rotated leaving rilling marks only in inside the rim area where th
Figure 6.9: Miniature Vessel from Abydos. Thrown on a potter’s wheel. Note the striation marks, the scrapes on the base and rim, and sticky fingermarks. The rim has been carefully shaped, but the potter left quite a lot of clay on the base when cutting
Figure 6.10: The characteristic marks of wheel-throwing, as indicated upon this example of a miniature vessel. AN1895.766, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Photos: S. Doherty
Figure 6.12: BM32622. The potter’s wheel bearings chosen to replicate by the author, comprising a socket of black granite and a pivot of white limestone. Scale is 5cm. ©The Trustees of the British Museum. Photo: S. Doherty.
Figure 6.13: The newly cured concrete potter’s wheel bearings based on the British museum example BM32622. Photo: Alan Davies
Figure 6.14: The original sketch of the potter’s wheelhead found in the mortuary temple of Queen Khentkaus II (after the find card of the excav. no. 293/A/78). The numbers are in centimetres. Odler (in press fig 12)
Figure 6.16: The reconstructed potter’s wheel. Drawing: S. Doherty
Figure 6.17: (Left) The author has finished centring the lump of clay on the reconstructed ancient wheel and is commencing opening out the vessel with the fingertips. (Right) The author is shaping the body and rim of the vessel prior to its being remove
Figure 6.18: The pottery tools found in the potter’s workshop at Lachish. After: Tuffnell 1958, pl 215
Figure 6.20: The carved and honed granite replica potter’s wheel bearings. Note the lubrication discolouration already starting to form. Photo: S. Doherty
Figure 6.21: The granite wheel bearings set up. Photo: S. Doherty
Figure 6.22: (Left) The outside of the replica pot. (Right) the outside of the archaeological miniature vessel AN1895.766. Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. The red arrows indicate sticky fingerprints or marks left when the vessel was lifted off the potter’s whee
Figure 6.23: (Left) The inside of the replica pot. (Right) the inside of the archaeological miniature vessel. AN1895.766. Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. The red arrows indicate the torsion crack or dimple, created when the potter first placed their fingers int
Figure 6.24: (Left) The bases of the replica pots. (Right) the bases of the archaeological miniature vessel. AN1895.766. Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. The white arrows on the upper replica vessel indicate the drag lines created when the pot was removed from t
Figure 6.25: Examples of V-shaped bowls, made by arranging coils of clay and then thinned and shaped on the potter’s wheel. Left and Centre: BM 125942; 1937, 1211.224 from Tell Brak ©Trustees of the British Museum Middle photo: S. Doherty. Right: profile
Figure 6.26: Internal view of replicated V-rim vessel (unfired). Note flat base and smoothed sides. In this example, the final set of coils are still distinguishable. Photo: S. Doherty
Figure 6.27: The smoothed outer edge of the replicated V-rim vessel (unfired). This example has been burnished with a pebble resulting in its shiny appearance. The base of the vessel is flat and the traces of the coils have been largely obliterated. Photo
The Spread of the Potter’s Wheel from Royal to Domestic Contexts
Figure 7.1: The Statue of Djoser’s ka from his serdab at Saqqara. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Photo: S. Doherty
Figure 7.2: Left: A dummy stone model vase made of calcite. 6th Dynasty. Note it is completely solid. UC69832.Middle: A wheel thrown miniature pottery vase made of NB2 clay (Vienna system). 4th Dynasty, Meidum. UC17609. Right: Meidum vessel red slipped po
Figure 7.3: Model vessels made of Calcite from Giza tomb G 7440 Z, 4th dynasty Height 1.7-6.4cm, dia 2.1-6.3cm. Harvard University of Fine Arts Expedition, 1927 (27.1483-1591) D’Auria, Lacovara, Roehrig (1988, p. 77, fig 37-43) After: (Allen, 2006, pp. 20
Figure 7.4: 4th dynasty miniature vessels from Meidum After: el-Khouli, pg 44, pl 50, pottery types 15-16
Figure 7.5: Shape comparison of Predynastic (Naqada I-II) basalt stone vessels (top row) and miniature pottery vessels (bottom row) from the site of Ma’adi. After Rizkana & Seeher (1988, pg 68, fig 16)
Figure 7.6: Built area of the mortuary temple of Old Kingdom Kings compared to the area taken up by storerooms within the temples. After Bárta (2005, pg 184, fig 4)
Figure 7.7: Arrows indicate G. A. Reisner’s 1930s pottery spoil heap still visible to the south of Khafre’s pyramid, close to the causeway of Menkaure’s pyramid. Inset (left) some of the miniature vessels loose on the surface Photos: S. Doherty
Figure 7.8: Large conical bedja bread mould manufactured around a conical former Wodzińska 2009c, Left colour pl 6; Right pg 142 fig 67
Figure 7.10: The rilling marks are quite clearly discernible in this Meidum vessel sherd from Buhen, particularly along the rim. Old Kingdom 10cms (L) x 14.5cms (W) ©Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology UC20101. Photo: S. Doherty
Figure 7.9: The experimental wheel set up with pre-prepared cones of clay, ready to be used for throwing. Photo: S. Doherty
Figure 7.11: 6th dynasty bowl with spouted rim, from Saqqara SQ98-507 Type 598. Clear signs of being thrown on the potter’s wheel (spiral at the base) rim dia 29.5-24cm, height 7.7cm, Nile B1. After Rzeuska (2006a, pg 276, pl 117 and CD)
Figure 7.12: Close up detail of a Meidum bowl rim sherd showing the rilling marks similar to Figure. Old Kingdom, Buhen. 5.1cms (L) x 9.5cm (W) ©Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology UC20091. Photo: S. Doherty
Figure 7.13: Three views of the same CD7 vessel AW1275, from Heit el Ghurob, Giza, reproduced with kind permission of Anna Wodzińska, GPMP, AERA. Photo: A. Wodzińska
Figure 7.14: Left Drawing of CD7 bowl made of Nile Clay, scraped base and coated with white wash After Wodzińska 2009a, pg 238 fig 18. Right: example of Meidum bowl from Giza, red coasted and polished. Carinated bowl with round shoulder and rounded base.
Conclusion
References
Appendices
