The petrography of imported Levantine Combed vessels from early Old Kingdom Giza

Figures & data

Figure 1 Map of the eastern Mediterranean, showing the production and diffusion patterns of Combed vessels (Thalmann and Sowada 2014: fig. 1).

Figure 2 Early Combed jars in Egypt.

a. Hierakonpolis, Locality 29A, Dynasty 0 (after Adams and Friedman 1992: fig. 8e).

b. Buto, Stratum V, Dynasty 0, TeF 87 T IXB 26/18 & 18a (Köhler 1998: pl. 68.9, 7312).

c. Abydos, Tomb U-y, early Naqada IIIB, U-y/1 (Hartung 2001: 208, fig. 457).

d. Tomb O (Djer), 1st Dynasty, Petrie Museum UC17388 (drawing K. Sowada).

e. Tomb O (Djer), 1st Dynasty, Ashmolean Museum E4031 (after Petrie 1902: pl. VIII.6).

Figure 3 Imported pottery from Giza tombs: petrography Group 1 — Iron-rich, calcareous with chert, Fabric P200. Exemplar — Sample 1, Combed jar (MFA 13.5638), Tomb G 4240, early–mid 4th Dynasty.

a. MFA 13.5638 (Photo © 2019 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, photo and drawing K. Sowada).

b. Sherd fracture (photo K. Sowada).

c. Thin-section at plane-polarised light (PPL), 100x magnification (micrograph M. Ownby).

d. Thin-section at cross-polarised light (XPL), 100x magnification (micrograph M. Ownby).

Thin-sections show chert inclusion at top, decomposing limestone inclusion at bottom, quartz grain at lower right.

Figure 4 Imported pottery from the settlement at Heit el-Ghurab, Giza: petrography Group 1 — Iron-rich, calcareous with chert, Fabric P200. Exemplar — Sample 4, Combed krater rim (HeG Reg. 69608), square 4-E21, unit 21384, bakery, Gallery Complex, late 4th Dynasty.

a. HeG Reg. 69608 (photo A. Wodzińska).

b. Sherd fracture (photo J. Quinlan).

c. Thin-section at plane-polarized light (PPL), 100x magnification (micrograph M. Ownby).

d. Thin-section at cross-polarized light (XPL), 100x magnification (micrograph M. Ownby).

Thin-sections show decomposing limestone as light brown inclusions, quartz as white inclusion, shale fragment as black inclusion.

Figure 5 Imported pottery from Giza tombs: petrography Group 2 — iron-rich, less calcareous, with no chert, Fabric 201. Exemplar — Sample 2, Combed jar (MFA 13.5593), Tomb G 4340 A, 4th Dynasty.

a. MFA 13.5593 (Photo © 2019 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, photo and drawing K. Sowada).

b. Sherd fracture (photo K. Sowada).

c. Thin-section at plane-polarized light (PPL), 100x magnification (micrograph M. Ownby).

d. Thin-section at cross-polarized light (XPL), 100x magnification (micrograph M. Ownby).

Thin-sections show lack of sand-sized grains with a scatter of white silt-sized quartz grains.

Figure 6 Imported pottery from the settlement at Heit el-Ghurab, Giza: petrography Group 2 — iron-rich, less calcareous, with no chert, Fabric P201. Exemplar — Sample 5, Combed jar base (HeG Reg. 96251), 6-U24, unit 28608, Royal Administrative Building, late 4th Dynasty.

a. HeG Reg. 96251 (photo A. Wodzińska).

b. Sherd fracture (photo J. Quinlan).

c. Thin-section at plane-polarized light (PPL), 100x magnification (micrograph M. Ownby).

d. Thin-section at cross-polarized light (XPL), 100x magnification (micrograph M. Ownby).

Thin-sections show lack of sand-sized grains, large inclusion at upper left is a possible basalt fragment.

Figure 7 Imported pottery from Giza tombs: petrography Group 3 — calcareous, less iron-rich with foraminifera, Fabric P202. Exemplar — Sample 3, Combed jar (MFA 37.2729), Tomb G 5020 Annex A, early-mid 4th Dynasty.

a. MFA 37.2729 (photo © 2019 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, photo K. Sowada).

b. Sherd fracture (photo K. Sowada).

c. Thin-section at plane-polarized light (PPL), 100x magnification (micrograph M. Ownby).

d. Thin-section at cross-polarized light (XPL), 100x magnification (micrograph M. Ownby).

Thin-sections show lack of sand-sized grains, but silt-sized foraminifera middle at far right and lower left.

Figure 8 Imported pottery from the settlement at Heit el-Ghurab, Giza: petrography Group 3 — Calcareous, less iron-rich with foraminifera, Fabric P202. Exemplar — Sample 6, Combed jar body sherd (HeG Reg. 105925), square 4-E21, unit 22286, bakery, Gallery Complex, late 4th Dynasty.

a. HeG Reg. 105925 (photo A. Wodzińska).

b. Sherd fracture (photo J. Quinlan).

c. Thin-section at plane-polarized light (PPL), 100x magnification (micrograph M. Ownby).

d. Thin-section at cross-polarized light (XPL), 100x magnification (micrograph M. Ownby).

Thin-sections show lack of sand-sized grains, brown chert inclusion at upper middle, and foraminifera at upper left.

Figure 9 Applied potmarks from Egypt and the central Levant.

a. MFA 37.1319 (Sample 11), Tomb G 7330, mid-late 4th Dynasty. Petrography Group 1, Fabric P200 (Photo © 2019 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston).

b. Detail of potmark on MFA 37.1319.

c. Applied ‘ram’s head’ potmark from Tell Fadous-Kfarabida (Genz 2014: fig. 12).

Table 1 Summary of all samples included in the petrographic analysis

Sample #	Catalogue/Registration Number(s)	Vessel/Sherd Type	Provenance	Date of Context	Petrographic & Fabric Group	Figure
Exemplar Samples
1	MFA 13.5638 Reisner Reg. 13-11-64 Sowada 2009: 56–57, [5]	Combed jar	Tomb G 4240 Owner: Sneferu-seneb	Early-mid 4^th Dynasty	Petrographic Group 1 Fabric P200	Fig. 3
2	MFA 13.5593 Reisner Reg. 13-10-29 Sowada 2009: 59, [15]	Combed jar	Tomb G 4340 A Owner: name not preserved	4^th Dynasty	Petrographic Group 2 Fabric P201	Fig. 5
3	MFA 37.2729 Reisner Reg. 38-8-11 Sowada 2009: 58–59, [12]	Combed jar	Tomb G 5020 Annex A Owner: name not preserved	Early-mid 4^th Dynasty	Petrographic Group 3 Fabric P202	Fig. 7
4*	HeG Reg. 69608	Combed krater rim	Heit el-Ghurab, Gallery Complex	Late 4^th Dynasty	Petrographic Group 1 Fabric P200 Giza Fabric Group GF-4	Fig. 4
5	HeG Reg. 96251	Combed jar base	Heit el-Ghurab, Royal Administrative Building	Late 4^th Dynasty	Petrographic Group 2 Fabric P201 Giza Fabric Group GF-5	Fig. 6
6	HeG Reg. 105925	Combed jar body sherd	Heit el-Ghurab, Gallery Complex	Late 4^th Dynasty	Petrographic Group 3 Fabric P202 Giza Fabric Group GF-3	Fig. 8
Supplementary Samples
7	MFA 13.5639 Reisner Reg. 13-11-65 Sowada 2009: 57, [6]	Combed jar	Tomb G 4240 Owner: Sneferu-seneb	Early-mid 4^th Dynasty	Petrographic Group 1 Fabric P200	App. 1, Fig. A
8	MFA 13.5671 Reisner Reg. 13-11-106 Sowada 2009: 57, [7]	Combed jar	Tomb G 4440 Owner: name not preserved	Early-mid 4^th Dynasty	Petrographic Group 1 Fabric P200	App. 1, Fig. B
9	MFA 13.5672 Reisner Reg. 13-11-107 Sowada 2009: 57, [8]	Combed jar	Tomb G 4440 Owner: name not preserved	Early-mid 4^th Dynasty	Petrographic Group 1 Fabric P200	App. 1, Fig. C
10	MFA 13.5673 Reisner Reg. 13-11-108 Sowada 2009: 58, [9]	Combed jar	Tomb G 4440 Owner: name not preserved	Early-mid 4^th Dynasty	Petrographic Group 1 Fabric P200	App. 1, Fig. D
11	MFA 37.1319 Reisner Reg. 34-6-17j Sowada 2009: 59, [14]	Combed jar	Tomb G 7330 A Owner: name not preserved	Mid-late 4^th Dynasty	Petrographic Group 1 Fabric P200	Fig. 9a; App. 1, Fig. E
12	MFA 13.5132 Reisner Reg. 13-1-506 Sowada 2009: 65, [38]	Combed jar	Tomb G 2175 B Owner: Khnum-nefer	Early-mid 5^th Dynasty (?)	Petrographic Group 3 Fabric P202	App. 1, Fig. F
13	Reg. 98/11/23 Sowada 2009: 61–62, [22]	Combed jar	Tomb G 7948 Owner: Khafre-ankh	Late 4^th Dynasty	Petrographic Group 2/3 Fabric P201/202	App. 1, Fig. G
14	HeG Reg. 470	Combed jar body sherd	Heit el-Ghurab, Gallery Complex	Late 4^th Dynasty	Petrographic Group 1 Fabric P200 Giza Fabric Group GF-2	App. 2, Fig. A
15	HeG Reg. 3903	Combed jar body sherd	Heit el-Ghurab, south of Wall of the Crow	Late 4^th Dynasty	Petrographic Group 1 Fabric P200 Giza Fabric Group GF-2	App. 2, Fig. B
16	HeG Reg. 4308	Combed jar handle	Heit el-Ghurab, Gallery Complex	Late 4^th Dynasty	Petrographic Group 1 Fabric P200 Giza Fabric Group GF-1	App. 2, Fig. C
17	HeG Reg. 4502	Combed jar handle	Heit el-Ghurab, Gallery Complex	Late 4^th Dynasty	Petrographic Group 1 Fabric P200 Giza Fabric Group GF-1	App. 2, Fig. D
18	HeG Reg. 11858	Combed jar body sherd	Heit el-Ghurab, Gallery Complex	Late 4^th Dynasty	Petrographic Group 1 Fabric P200 Giza Fabric Group GF-2	App. 2, Fig. E
19	HeG Reg. 16831	Combed jar body sherd	Heit el-Ghurab, Gallery Complex	Late 4^th Dynasty	Petrographic Group 1 Fabric P200 Giza Fabric Group GF-3	App. 2, Fig. F
20	HeG Reg. 22967	Combed jar base	Heit el-Ghurab, south of Wall of the Crow	Late 4^th Dynasty	Petrographic Group 1 Fabric P200 Giza Fabric Group GF-2	App. 2, Fig. G
21	HeG Reg. 28067	Combed jar body sherd	Heit el-Ghurab, south of Wall of the Crow	Late 4^th Dynasty	Petrographic Group 1 Fabric P200 Giza Fabric Group GF-2	App. 2, Fig. H
22	HeG Reg. 34931	Combed jar body sherd	Heit el-Ghurab, south of Wall of the Crow	Late 4^th Dynasty	Petrographic Group 1 Fabric P200 Giza Fabric Group GF-2	App. 2, Fig. I
23	HeG Reg. 45316	Combed jar body sherd	Heit el-Ghurab, Royal Administrative Building	Late 4^th Dynasty	Petrographic Group 1 Fabric P200 Giza Fabric Group GF-1	App. 2, Fig. J
24	HeG Reg. 65286	Combed jar handle	Heit el-Ghurab, Royal Administrative Building	Late 4^th Dynasty	Petrographic Group 1 Fabric P200 Giza Fabric Group GF-2	App. 2, Fig. K
25	HeG Reg. 107579	Combed jar base	Heit el-Ghurab, Gallery Complex	Late 4^th Dynasty	Petrographic Group 1 Fabric P200 Giza Fabric Group GF-2	App. 2, Fig. L
26	HeG Reg. 115276	Combed jar body sherd, possibly from a krater	Heit el-Ghurab, Standing Wall Island area	Late 4^th Dynasty	Petrographic Group 1 Fabric P200 Giza Fabric Group GF-4	App. 2, Fig. M
27	HeG Reg. 130872	Combed jar base	Heit el-Ghurab, Kromer’s debris	Mid-late 4^th Dynasty	Petrographic Group 1 Fabric P200 Giza Fabric Group GF-2	App. 2, Fig. N
28	HeG Reg. 130960	Combed jar body sherd	Heit el-Ghurab, Kromer’s debris	Mid-late 4^th Dynasty	Petrographic Group 1 Fabric P200 Giza Fabric Group GF-4	App. 2, Fig. O
29*	HeG Reg. 35124	Combed jar body sherd, possibly from krater	Heit el-Ghurab, Gallery Complex	Late 4^th Dynasty	Petrographic Group 1 Fabric P200 Giza Fabric Group GF-4	App. 2, Fig. P
30*	HeG Reg. 105978	Combed jar body sherd, possibly from a krater	Heit el-Ghurab, Gallery Complex	Late 4^th Dynasty	Petrographic Group 1 Fabric P200 Giza Fabric Group GF-4	App. 2, Fig. Q
31*	HeG Reg. 112192	Combed jar body sherd, possibly from a krater	Heit el-Ghurab, Gallery Complex	Late 4^th Dynasty	Petrographic Group 1 Fabric P200 Giza Fabric Group GF-4	App. 2, Fig. R
32*	HeG Reg. 112649	Combed jar body sherd, possibly from a krater	Heit el-Ghurab, Gallery Complex	Late 4^th Dynasty	Petrographic Group 1 Fabric P200 Giza Fabric Group GF-4	App. 2, Fig. S
33*	HeG Reg. 112650	Combed jar body sherd, possibly from a krater	Heit el-Ghurab, Gallery Complex	Late 4^th Dynasty	Petrographic Group 1 Fabric P200 Giza Fabric Group GF-4	App. 2, Fig. T
34*	HeG Reg. 112828	Combed krater rim	Heit el-Ghurab, Gallery Complex	Late 4^th Dynasty	Petrographic Group 1 Fabric P200 Giza Fabric Group GF-4	App. 2, Fig. U
35*	HeG Reg. 112855	Combed jar body sherd, possibly from a krater	Heit el-Ghurab, Gallery Complex	Late 4^th Dynasty	Petrographic Group 1 Fabric P200 Giza Fabric Group GF-4	App. 2, Fig. V
36	HeG Reg. 58187	Combed jar base	Heit el-Ghurab, Royal Administrative Building	Late 4^th Dynasty	Petrographic Group 2 Fabric P201 Giza Fabric Group GF-5	App. 2, Fig. W
* Samples 4, 29–35 may come from the same vessel
Breakdown of material analysed
Cemetery Material Settlement Material	Total number of samples analysed 10 samples 26 samples, all sherds, including two rims, five bases, three handles and 16 body sherds	Total number of vessels represented 10 fragmentary jars Probably no more than 5, including several two-handled jars and maybe two kraters

Table

Cemetery samples	Exemplar: Sample 1 (Fig. 3), Additional: 7–11 (App. 1, Figs A–E)
Settlement samples	Exemplar: Sample 4 (Fig. 4), Additional: 14–35 (App. 2, Figs A–V)

Table

Cemetery samples	Exemplar: Sample 2 (Fig. 5)
Settlement samples	Exemplar: Sample 5 (Fig. 6), Additional: 36 (App. 2, Fig. W)

Table

Cemetery samples	Exemplar: Sample 3 (Fig. 7), Additional: 12, 13 (App. 1, Fig. F-G)
Settlement samples	Exemplar: Sample 6 (Fig. 8)

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