Egyptian pottery

Ancient Egyptian Pottery:

Pottery workers in ancient time were made with reddish brown clay. They used to make bricks table, ware, statuettes, funerary offerings items, Jeweler, toys and traditional games. Khnam was a water god for the Egyptians who was a potter who created man with pottery. They used to leave the pottery as simple as possible and mostly without any designs on it.  The red colour of the clay used to rise after firing and it is because of oxidization. They used to mix clay with lime to produce whitish marl which was found in few parts of Egypt.

Techniques:

The techniques were very traditional in fact they used to use their hands to form and pinch the clay.

The tools were made from thing they find. They managed to make a flat tool to be able to press the clay.

Kiln:

One kiln was found in Mahasna.  The kiln was made from bricks placed near each other with fire between the bricks to fire the pottery. Probably there was a roof to keep the temperature hot inside it. The pottery items used to be placed in the kiln on a piece of clay lined with herbage.

The entire crockery item was made with clay in the Early Dynastic period and they also invented techniques to be easier for them to produce crockery.  In the 18th and 16th century BCE the Egyptians invented the famous mould which is still popular now a day.  The potter wheel was produced in 27th and 22th century also known as the old kingdom. The potter's wheel is there to form jugs and decorative vases. The first pottery wheel needed to be rotated by hand and. The turntables were produced before the kick wheels so the potters used to make pottery with turntables.  Today we still use pinching and coiling technique to make a master piece with clay. Today the equipment and machinery is improved and even the clay is improved to gain flexibility. The decorations were made by cuts and painted. They used to mix clay and water to smoothen the surfaces and colour items. Glazing began in the 4rd millennium BCE and that time glazing was mostly blue and green.

Red wares crockery was made by forming with hands then dried outside in sunny area. Rarely did they use to be covered with red ochre and polished with stone.

Nile ware jug 

Pottery made without potter`s wheel 

• This pottery piece were finished by polishing with stone piece.
•  The black is created with over firing. 

Nile clay

It is also made in ancient times. I can see engraved pattern on it and embossment with clay itself. There is also traced of paint on it which is the same pattern of the engraving part. I think that the painting is created due to non coloured pattern Or engraved after firing.

Types of clay they used in Ancient times:

Nile clay:

• It can be fired in lower temperature due to the highly amount of silica in it.
• The temperature has to be approximately 700 to 800 degrees.
• The colour after firing varies to red, brown and sometimes black

Marl:

• Marl needs 800 to 100 degrees to be fired.
• When breaking a piece of marl it looks denser than the Nile clay.
• The colours of marl become beige, light yellow or pink after firing and its actual texture is harder than the Nile.
• Do not have any organic material.

Pottery from ancient Egyptian with Nile clay

Pot Made from nile

Pattern: the pattern is the second Naqada boat in Naqada two periods approximately 3500- 3200 BCE before the pyramids were produced.

• It was made without pottery wheel

Pattern: I can see a huge boat with allot of flat blades to move the boat.  The designs under the boat are probably there to represent the flamingos. The overall pattern was chosen to show the importance of the Nile River in Naqada style. 

Marl Pottery:

Vase made in ancient Egypt 

Pattern: I can see another boat with huge amount of oars and people on it. I can see different types of birds and i can identify flamingos. I can observe people dancing, shapes and animals. 

Jar which is situated in Mc lung Museum

• Studies show that this was made to be used as a rattle for children.
• Made from Nile clay

kiln used in Ancient times

How the artist got inspired from Egyptian pottery:

Modern vase inspired from Ancient Egyptian pottery

• There is the use of animals and birds like the old times.

Made in 1990

References:

Elaine A Evans. 2003.  A curious sealed pottery jar. Introduction. [online]. Availabel on: http://web.utk.edu/~museum/research/renotes/rn-25txt.htm Accessed on: 19th May, 2014

Lucy d. 2013. Ancient Egyptian pottery. [online] Available on: http://ancientegypt.global2.vic.edu.au/ Accessed on: 19th May, 2014

National Geographic. 1996.Naqada pot. [online] Available on: http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/media/naqada-pot/?ar_a=1 Accessed on:19th May,2014

Pottery. 2002. Materials and Techniques. form and decoration. [online]. Available on: http://reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/pottery/index.html Accessed on: 19th May, 2014

J Hil. 2010.Ancient Egyptian online.Khum. [online] Available on: http://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/khnum.html Accessed on: 19th May, 2014

Jimmy Dun. 1996. Egypt: The pottery of ancient Egypt. [online]. Available on: http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/pottery.htm accessed on: 19th May, 2014