Some notes on prehistoric decorated vessels with boat scenes

The article discusses several different aspects associated with the boat depictions of pottery from Prehistoric Egypt and gathers and assesses the evidence for Prehistoric Egyptian D-ware pottery vessels with boat representations. The depictions of boat scenes on decorated ware are found to assist in defining site chronologies to specific stages within the Naqada IIc-d Period. In addition, a revised typology based upon a "Four-F" methodology was discussed. The boat scenes are not associated with any specific burial beliefs of funerary rituals. It is now understood that it is the contents of the boat pot, not the actual boat decoration on the pot, that was the important component of the Prehistoric Egyptian burial belief. It was the valued contents of these boat pots that were required for use in the afterlife. The distribution of boat pots is also discussed and although they support the existence of long-distance trading activities, caution must be used to avoid overstating their social significance. (OEB)