For
week two of the Amarna handling class, we looked at the rediscovery of Amarna,
including early visitors and the various excavations that have taken place at
the site. I was fascinated to see the differing interpretations of Amarna
depending on the interpreter and the assumptions made; for example, one of the
earliest European explorers Claude Sicard (1677–1726) viewed the images of
Akhenaten and Nefertiti on the boundary stela at Tuna el-Gebel as priests due
to his religious background.
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| Fig. 1: Faience bead (AB70) |
We had the opportunity to look at several objects this week, including a faience bead in the form of a double cartouche of Akhenaten (AB70), a flint sickle blade (W1380), some Amarna pottery (EC214 and W176c–d), and a very unusual item (W1077a) that proved to be the favourite of both classes. The faience bead was found by Petrie at Abydos in 1901–1902, with a more complete parallel in the Art Institute of Chicago (X38).
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| Fig. 2: Flint from a sickle blade (W1380) |
W1077a,
which is shaped like a giant acorn, is made of pottery. It is slightly damaged
at the “stem” and is embossed with a raised pattern. My group had a lot of fun
guessing the possible uses of the object (although those in the group who
volunteer in the Egypt Centre already knew the answer since we have two on
display in the House of Life!). The item is actually thought to be a “hand
grenade” dating to the time of the Crusades (Avissar & Stern 2005,
119–121). The vessels would be filled with “Greek fire” before being
utilised. At least two of these grenades were found at Amarna
by the Egypt Exploration Society.
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| Fig. 3: Grenade (W1077a) |
My
favourite objects were definitely the examples of “Palace
ware” or “Festival ware” (EC214 and W176c–d). We have quite a few examples
of this in the Egypt Centre collection. I’ve become a fan of this particular
pottery type in the last few months whilst helping in the stores and spending
some time with W193. Back in September 2019, I assisted with the moving the
vessel to the new store (see
the blog post by Molly Osborne). I was also on site when Phil Parkes and
Ashley Lingle-Meeklah from Cardiff University came to assess the vessel for
potential conservation. Ashley returned last Friday (31 January)
to treat the vessel before transporting it to Cardiff University’s conservation
labs where it will be desalinated to remove the build-up of salt on the vessel.
She made a fantastic time-lapse video of the process and will be providing us
with regular updates—although seeing it dismantled does make me feel a bit ill
after we carefully transported it across campus!
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| Fig. 4: Examining some blue-painted pottery (W176c–d) |
The
pieces we looked at this week were really beautiful despite their fragmentary
form (some of the vessels were huge given the circumference suggested by the
sherds), and the colours must have been magnificent when originally painted.
The typical colours used are cobalt blue, red, and black, and typically include
designs and motifs that reflect nature. This type of pottery has been suggested
as being produced at royal residences, or as being made specifically for use
during festivals.
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| Fig. 5: Blue-painted pottery from Amarna (W176c–d) |
As
always, I am very grateful for the opportunity to include object handling in
these classes. It really helps to bring the past to life and allows you to feel
connected to the time period you are studying. Thank you once again to the
Egypt Centre for these fantastic sessions.
Bibliography:
Avissar, M. and E. J. Stern (2005) Pottery
of the Crusader, Ayyubid and Mamluk periods in Israel. Israel Antiquities
Authority Reports 26. Jerusalem: Israel Antiquities Authority.
Hope,
C. A. (1991) ‘Blue-painted and polychrome decorated pottery from Amarna’. Cahiers
de la céramique égyptienne 2: 105–118.
——— (1991) ‘Blue-painted and polychrome
decorated pottery from Amarna: a preliminary corpus’. Cahiers de la
céramique égyptienne 2: 17–93.
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