Egypt Old Kingdom

AHVS 355A Summer 2021 Assignment 2

Naqada buff-ware vase with painted scenes

Imagine you are an archaeologist working on the burial grounds at Naqada. Besides the bodies, the graves contain a variety of goods: weapons, some textile fragments, foods, cosmetics, containers, etc.

At the end of the excavation season you look at the overall collection and find something interesting. Hundreds of objects, in a variety of types, feature human(like) figures with their arms curved over their heads.

Have a look at the objects that follow and speculate on the possible meanings these figures might have had in their culture.

NOTE: This is not a research question. Do not go looking for what other scholars say about the objects. Most published analyses are very selective and the point of this exercise is to deal with the primary sources (i.e. the objects themselves) and not just accept the voice of “authority”. Also note that this is exactly the process by which those scholars had to decide about these objects. Naqada culture left us no documents about their intentions.

Naqada buff ware vase with painted scenes

This painted buff ceramic vase is typical of the middle Naqada period and could be found in many burials.

The most common motif is shown in this and the previous image.

Naqada clay figurine

Also common were these figurines. They are made of clay and painted; some examples have plant designs painted on the bodies.

They are fairly small (about 12 inches in height) and have peg bottoms as shown in the full length photo in the next image.

Naqada clay figurine

Some of the first such figurines discovered were found in men’s burials, which caused scholars to suggest that they represented concubines.

This probably tells us more about those scholars than it does about Naqada culture.

What do you think?

How do you read the postures? What action does it represent? What might be the purpose?

Are all these objects (pottery jars & figurines) connected?

Naqada cosmetic palette - reverse side with relief

Perhaps also related is the imagery on this cosmetic palette.

This is a small (13 cm) example that shows signs of wear from being used, and still contains malachite pigment in the indentation on the obverse side.

Two Drawings of a Naqada painted vase

Pages 1 & 2 of this assignment show examples of Naqada pottery which feature the most common type of motif. There are other types of pottery & imagery, which were discovered as archaeologists excavated more finds. In this example (whole scene shown in the drawing below) the human figures dominate the design.

Naqada vase with black slip rim and molded figure - 2 views

A similar example is the one where the figure is actually molded into the surface of the Naqada black-slip ware.

In the museum where it is displayed it is described as “a monkey climbing the pot”. (This may, or may not, be an accurate description, you decide.)

Naqada figurine

Even the burial figurines have been found to exist in a variety of types. How might the inclusion of such pieces change initial interpretations? (refer to both general scholarly opinion & your own reading if possible).

Freed (Arts of Ancient Egypt, 2003) suggests that these figures and their painted pottery counterparts cannot represent deities because “deities in this period usually take animal forms”. Do you accept this as an argument? Why or why not?

Reconstruction of Naqada burial

In your discussion, you should also consider the importance of discovering objects “in situ” - that is, in the original context they were used/placed/situated by their original people.

Provide a short paper (minimum 750 words) with your response to the process of creating a new integrated reading of these objects.

DUE: May 19, 2021 at 12:30PM as an attachment to my email [email protected] See course outline for details on submission