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WORKING IN MEMPHIS: THE PRODUCTION OF FAIENCE AT ROMAN PERIOD KOM HELUL Paul T. Nicholson With Contributions by Peter French, Rowena Hart, Salima Ikram, Panagiota Manti, Marie-Dominique Nenna, Hendrikje Nouwens and Ross Thomas Illustrations by Tessa Baber, Alexandra Blakemore, Ian Dennis, Kirsty Harding, Joanne Hodges, Anne Jenner, Howard Mason, Emily Stewart, Frances Taylor and Laura Woodham Photographs by Janice Coyle, Paul T. Nicholson and Anna Stagg Film by Gerald Mee Excavation Memoir 105 Egypt Exploration Society 2013 ISBN 978-0-85698-210-1 SOLD AT THE OFFICES OF THE EGYPT EXPLORATION SOCIETY 3 Doughty Mews, London WC1N 2PG © The Egypt Exploration Society 2013 A catalogue entry for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 978-0-85698-210-1 Front Cover: Saggar IM-144 with faience vessel fragment F-96. Background view of the Memphis ruin field looking East from the E.E.S. Workroom. Rear Cover: Faience head of Serapis F-1616 Set in Adobe InDesign CS4 by Ian Dennis and Kirsty Harding (Cardiff University) Printed in Great Britain by Short Run Press Ltd., Exeter. FOR MY MOTHER DORIS NICHOLSON CONTENTS List Of Maps, Figures, Plates And Tables ..........................................................................................................vii Acknowledgements ...............................................................................................................................................xi SECTION I Chapter 1 Kom Helul, Memphis, Its Archaeological Context And Early Work ...........................................3 P.T. Nicholson Chapter 2 Pre-Roman Faience ............................................................................................................................15 P.T. Nicholson Chapter 3 The Excavation ...................................................................................................................................23 R. Hart And P.T. Nicholson Chapter 4 The Kiln .............................................................................................................................................. 59 P.T. Nicholson Chapter 5 Saggars And Kiln Furniture ..............................................................................................................79 P.T. Nicholson Chapter 6 Faience Vessels And Objects ............................................................................................................ 107 M-D. Nenna Chapter 7 Faience Technology ............................................................................................................................133 M-D. Nenna And P.T. Nicholson Chapter 8 Discussion And Conclusions ..............................................................................................................147 P.T. Nicholson Appendix 1 Geophysical Investigation Of An Industrial Site At Kom Helul, Memphis (Egypt) ................. 153 R. Hart Appendix 2 Domestic Pottery ..............................................................................................................................161 P.G. French Appendix 3 Basic Archaeozoological Report On Kom Helul Remains ...........................................................181 S. Ikram Appendix 4 Analyses Of Selected Faience Objects............................................................................................ 185 P. Manti V SECTION II Finds Catalogue ....................................................................................................................................................193 P.T. Nicholson Finds Registration System ...................................................................................................................................195 H.M. Nouwens Figurines................................................................................................................................................................ 201 R. Thomas And P.T. Nicholson Faience ...................................................................................................................................................................237 M-D. Nenna Coins .....................................................................................................................................................................285 Seals And Stoppers ...............................................................................................................................................287 Bibliography ......................................................................................................................................................... 299 Index ......................................................................................................................................................................313 Colour Plates .........................................................................................................................................................317 VI LIST OF MAPS, FIGURES, PLATES AND TABLES LIST OF MAPS 1.1 Petrie’s (1909a: Pl.I) map of Memphis showing the 3.15 Trench HAD1 showing the extensive mudbrick location of Kom Helul. platform which had been fired during a conflagration. 1.2 Map showing the location of Memphis and the location A trench [030] [031], thought to be part of Petrie’s of Kom Helul at the southern end of the Memphis ruin work, is located on the north side at the centre. field. 3.16 Trench HAD2, part of the same building as HAD1 with extensive damage caused by the building of LIST OF FIGURES enclosures. Context [133] underlies [142] at the south end of the trench. 2.1 The three main methods of glazing faience. 3.17 Trench HAD3. This is a small trench over part of 3.1 Trench HAC1 after removal of the uppermost contexts. the same building as HAD1 and HAD2 and showing 3.2 Trench HAC1 showing the location of the substantial extensive damage. mudbrick wall [008]. As no industrial features were 4.1 East-west section of the HAC3 kiln showing the present in this trench it was not further excavated. openings in the structure. The stoke-hole is at [335] 3.3 Trench HAC1 sections. and on the opposite wall are vents [336] and [337]. 3.4 Trench HAC2. This trench was a single context dump The access doorway is [235]. largely comprising broken saggars of Type 3. 4.2 Interior elevations of the HAC3 kiln. 3.5 Trench HAC3. Overview. 4.3 Reconstruction of the HAC3 kiln. The stoke-hole 3.6 Trench HAC3 at an early stage of excavation in 2001 is on the east side [335] with two vents on the west showing the kiln [040] with debris [053] in front of the [336] and [337]. Vent [336] was blocked in antiquity. area which revealed the stoke-hole. The access doorway which also serves as a vent and 3.7 Looking west at the stoke-hole [335] area of HAC3 possibly even as a secondary stoke-hole is located at with a plan of the debris [053] in front of it. The bottom west [235]. The domed top of the structure is deposit [062] still filled the upper part of the kin at this hypothetical but based on ethnographic examples and time. kiln design. 3.8 The eastern part of trench HAC3 showing the 5.1 Bar chart showing the range of rim and base diameters brickwork which forms part of the H-shape around for Type 3 saggars at Memphis. the kiln [063] and [049] on either side of the stoke- 5.2 Bar chart showing the range of rim and base diameters hole. The sondage made at the request of our S.C.A. for Type 12 saggars at Memphis. inspector is visible as [185]. 5.3 (Top) Saggar (IM-220). The facets on the interior 3.9 Looking west onto the step in the access trench in front are clearly visible. (Bottom) Saggar (IM-145). of the main opening in the kiln at HAC3. The contexts Vitrifcation is visible on the exterior while the interior to north and south are shown beyond the vertical preserves an owner’s mark. dotted lines. 5.4 A saggar joiner or wad (P-353) adhering to the base of 3.10 The north-western part of trench HAC3. The kiln a saggar. The characteristic M-shaped profile is clearly [040] is visible at top left along with the brickwork shown in the section. of [041] forming part of the kiln surround. Areas of 5.5 Schematic drawing showing the way in which vessels broken saggars [214] and dumped slag [239] and [241] were stacked within saggars, separated one from are visible. another with small clay cones. The vessels and scales 3.11 The eastern end of trench HAC3. are illustrative only. 3.12 The eastern end of trench HAC3. ‘A’ marks the 6.1 Shallow hemispherical bowls and deep bowls. findspot of coin N-5 from unit [186]. 6.2 Small bowls. 3.13 The slope of the access pit to the kiln in course of 6.3 Skyphos and Achaemenid inspired shapes. excavation. The amphora [310] lies immediately in 6.4 Plates, basins, beakers and kantharos. front of the west side of the kiln. 6.5 Restricted vases with ovoid or spherical bodies. 3.14 The access pit of the kiln [040] showing the deposit 6.6 Alabastrons, restricted vases with floral appliqué [189] from which came much of the domestic pottery decoration and fluted handles and plastic vases. at the western end of trench HAC3. 6.7 Ovoid pots and flasks. VII 6.8 Bowls. (e) 373; (f) 372. 6.9 Plates and platters. A2.8 Pottery from HAC3. (a) 739; (b) 377; (c) 631; (d) 625; 6.10 Small bowls, cylindrical vases, rare open vessel forms, (e) 623; (f) 345 skyphos, kraters, facetted beaker and ribbed bowl. A2.9 Pottery from HAC3. (a) 194; (b) 344; (c) 311; (d) 537; 6.11 Restricted vases with flat shoulders, truncated cone A2.10 Pottery from HAC3, HAD1 and HAD2. (a) 628; (b)