By Faith Nolan, Collections Assistant, National Museum of Ireland

One of the first objects I came across while working on the inventory project in the National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology (NMI), was (A&I)1899:314, a beautiful example of black-topped pottery which had been excavated at Hierakonpolis near Edfu in Egypt (Fig 1). Having been fascinated by Ancient Egyptian culture since I was a child, I was excited to learn more about this fabulous object, and to find out how this object came to be in the NMI.

What is black-topped pottery?

Black-topped pottery gets its name from its distinctive black and red colour (Figures 1 and 2). They date from the Predynastic period of Ancient Egypt, from about 4,000 to 3,000 BCE. It is a special type of pottery only found along the river Nile, at sites such as Naqada, Nabta Playa, and Elephantine in Egypt, and as far south as Kerma in Sudan. The culture which made the black-topped pottery are named the Naqada culture after the town near where the pottery was first excavated by W.M. Flinders Petrie and J.E. Quibell in 1894 (Fig 3). Black-topped pottery is handmade and has a variety of forms from dishes to narrow jars. Most are a type of jar called a hes-jar which have tapered bottoms, tall sides, and narrow necks. Hes-jars were used for libation rituals where a small amount of liquid is poured out as an offering to a deity, spirit or in memory of the dead.

The method used to get the distinctive black top had been debated since they were first described by Petrie and Quibell in 1896. Petrie thought that it might have formed in a single firing by “placing the mouths down in the kiln and leaving the ashes over the part which was burnt black” (Petrie & Quibell, 1896, p.12). Alfred Lucas thought that the colour was formed by a two-stage firing method where carbonisation would cause the effect when the pots were taken out of the kiln when red hot and placed in sawdust (Lucas, 1932). A study in 1974 proved that a combination of both theories caused the formation of the distinctive black top (Eissa et al., 1974).

How did it get here?

Almost two decades before (A&I)1899:314 came to be in the NMI, novelist and travel writer Ameila Edwards and archaeologist Reginald Stuart Poole founded the Egypt Exploration Fund (now the Egypt Exploration Society). It was set up in 1882 to document, explore and preserve Egypt and Sudan’s unique heritage. The main function of the fund was to raise money to finance excavations. The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology was set up to publish their findings, along with major publications of individual sites. Funds could be donated by individuals (a major early donor was Sir Erasmus Wilson), and institutions such as the NMI (then known as the Science and Art Museum). The NMI donated to the fund between 1899 and 1914, and some of the artefacts excavated came into the NMI’s collection. (A&I)1899:314 was one of the first artefacts excavated by the Egypt Exploration Fund to come into the NMI collection.

The register entry gives details of when and where the pottery was found, and some details about the books the Egypt Exploration Fund published which describe them.

1899.311 to 481

Collection of Pre-Dynastic pottery &c from Egypt. "Excavated this year at Hierakonpolis (near Edfu)". Cf. "Naqada and Ballas" by Petrie and Quibell. This prehistoric pottery is that now called New Race in the volume above mentioned." Given by the Egyptian Research Account, per F. W. Green, Esq., Thornfield, Tunbridge Wells. Cf. also "Egypt Exploration Fund. Archaeological Reports 1897-8" page 8.

1899.314 Jar, red pottery, smooth surface, black at mouth. H. 11".

There is a lovely letter attached to the register book which showed the shared hopes for future research and public display of the objects and the black topped pottery.

Thornfield,

Tunbridge Wells,

21.9.'99

Sir,

A set of prehistoric Egyptian pottery excavated this year at Hierakonpolis (near Edfu) is being forwarded to you by the Egyptian Research Account. A certain number of broken pots have been added in hopes that they may of use either as samples to show the structure of the pottery which is handmade or that someone may have time to repair them. Should any information other than that given in account given by Professor Petrie and Mr. Quibell "Naqada and Ballas" be required I shall be happy to give it if it is in my power.

I would point out that the prehistoric pottery is that called New Race in the volume above mentioned.

Yours [faithfully],

F. W. Green. 

For the Egyptian Research Account.

To see further examples of these wonderful objects and many more from Ancient Egypt in our collection, visit our Ancient Egypt exhibition in National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology on Kildare Street. For more information about black-topped pottery visit Global Egyptian Museum. 

Further Reading

Egypt Exploration Society (2024) Our history. [online]. Available from: https://www.ees.ac.uk/our-cause/about-us/our-history.html [accessed 30 May 2024]

Eissa, N.A., Sallam, H.A., Saleh, S.A., Taiel, F.M. and Kesthelyi, L., (1974). Mössbauer Effect Study of Ancient Egyptian Pottery and the Origin of the Colour in Black Ware. Recent Advances in Science and Technology of Materials. Vol. 3. pp. 85–98

Lucas, A. 1932. Black and black-topped pottery. Annales du Service des Antiquités de l'Égypte 32, pp.93–96. Available online from: https://archive.org/details/ASAE-32-1932/page/n51/mode/2up [accessed 30 May 2024]

Petrie, W.M. Flinders and Quibell, J.E. (1896) Naqada and Ballas, 1895. London : B. Quaritch. Available online from: https://archive.org/details/cu31924028748261/page/n25/mode/2up [accessed 30 May 2024]

Petrie, W.M. Flinders and Mace, A.C. (1901) Diospolis Parva : the cemeteries of Abadiyeh and Hu, 1898-9. London: Egypt Exploration Fund. Available online from: https://archive.org/details/diospolisparvace00petr/page/66/mode/2up [accessed 30 May 2024]

Center for Documentation of Cultural and Natural Heritege (CULNAT). (2006) The Global Egyptian Museum. Available online from: https://globalegyptianmuseum.org/ [accessed 09 October 2024]