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The Evolution of Lower Egyptian Culture During the Formative Stages of the Egyptian State at Tell el-Iswid: The Contribution of Ceramic Technology

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Abstract

This article focuses on ceramic technology at Tell el-Iswid dating to the second half of the fourth millennium BC—Buto IIIa and Naqada III(A2)-B periods. The study investigates the crucial transitional period during the formation of the Egyptian State. It identifies four ceramic technical traditions and examines their respective evolution and interaction. It provides new data on the mechanisms underlying the homogenization of the material culture that preceded and accompanied the unification of Egypt. The results show increasing contact between the Delta and the Nile Valley during Buto IIIa, and confirm Naqadan potters’ presence in the Delta from at least the Naqada IIIA2 period. At this time, specialized ateliers emerged in the Delta region using a Middle/Upper Egypt’s chaîne opératoire for pottery manufacture. Nevertheless, the Lower Egyptian ceramic technical tradition persisted in the domestic sphere.

Résumé

Cet article porte sur la technologie des assemblages céramiques de Tell el-Iswid datant de la deuxième moitié du quatrième millénaire BC--Buto IIIa et Naqada III(A2)-B. En cela, il s’intéresse à une période de formation de la civilisation égyptienne cruciale. L’étude identifie quatre traditions techniques et analyse leurs interactions et leur évolution respective. Ce faisant, elle apporte de nouvelles données sur les mécanismes responsables de l’homogénéisation de la culture matérielle qui précède et accompagne l’unification politique en Egypte. Les résultats mettent en évidence les contacts croissants entre le delta et la vallée du Nil durant la période Buto IIIa et confirment la présence de potiers naqadiens dans le delta au moins à partir de Naqada IIIA2, comme en témoigne l’apparition dans cette région d’ateliers spécialisés qui fabriquent la céramique en suivant une chaîne opératoire exogène. A côté de cette nouvelle production spécialisée locale, on enregistre la persistance de la tradition des Cultures de Basse-Egypte (CBE) dans la sphère domestique.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Ministère de l’Europe et des Affaires étrangères and the Institut français d’archéologie orientale (Ifao) for making this study possible. They are grateful to Ulrich Hartung, Rita Hartmann, and Frédéric Guyot for allowing them to study part of the ceramic assemblages from Tell el-Fara’in/Buto and Tell el-Samara; and to Gaelle Bréand for the work accomplished since the beginning of the excavation on sector 4 which enabled the acquisition of the Naqada III(A2)-B ceramic database discussed in this article. They thank Valentine Roux for reading the text and giving valuable advice and the anonymous reviewers who provided useful comments and suggestions to improve and strengthen the article.

Funding

This work was supported by the Ministère de l’Europe et des Affaires étrangères and the Institut français d’archéologie orientale (Ifao).

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  1. University of Toulouse 2 Jean Jaurès UMR 5608 TRACES, Toulouse, France

    Jade Bajeot & Nathalie Buchez

  2. Inrap Hauts-de-France, Glisy, France

    Nathalie Buchez

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  1. Jade Bajeot
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. The technological analysis was performed by J. Bajeot, and N. Buchez performed the typological analysis. The authors contributed equally to the discussion of the results and the writing of this article. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Jade Bajeot.

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Archaeological time period: Late Predynastic period, second half of the fourth millennium BC

Country and region discussed: Egypt, Nile Delta

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Bajeot, J., Buchez, N. The Evolution of Lower Egyptian Culture During the Formative Stages of the Egyptian State at Tell el-Iswid: The Contribution of Ceramic Technology. Afr Archaeol Rev 38, 113–146 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10437-020-09421-7

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