Painted by fire: an investigation of Predynastic black-topped pottery

This research adopts a multi-proxy approach to the study of black-topped pottery, exploring its manufacture and use to assess early ceramic craft specialisation in Predynastic Egypt. Through experimental archaeology and materials analysis, the chaîne opératoire of making and firing techniques used for black-topped pottery finds how Predynastic craft specialists produced black-topped pottery. Previous firing experiments have generally included modern equipment, notably electric kilns. The current experimental firings reproduce black-topped pottery using manufacture and firing methods, equipment, and tools that were available to Predynastic people, to replicate their technologies more authentically. Experimental pots are hand-made, burnished, then finished in a single, solid fuel firing. The possible development of kilns to fire between 800–900°C is found. Red-polished pots were produced in the same firing, an untried technique that has previously been hypothesised.

Experimental archaeology is supplemented by detailed examination of a museum corpus of black-topped pots. Use-wear on the corpus is characterised and found to be consistent with beer-related activities, confirming recent residue studies. Non-destructive, portable spectroscopy analysis of black-topped pottery is used for the first time. XRF finds a clear distinction between fabric and slip ingredients that were chosen for their performance properties by Predynastic potters. FTIR and Raman spectroscopy is used to identify post-firing treatments, finding carbon included in the black areas, and a shellac coating on one corpus pot, while confirming use of hematite in the slips. This research increases our understanding of Predynastic technologies and craft specialisation by demonstrating a development in kiln technologies, and finding links between black-topped pottery and beer-related crafts and activities.