Ceramic Fine Wares of Natakamani and the Problem of Identifying the “Imperial Style” in the Material Culture of Meroe (Sudan)

Abstract

The article analyzes ceramic fine wares of the ancient Meroitic Kingdom, made of white kaolinite clays (“eggshell wares”). This pottery appeared not earlier than the 1st century B.C. and gained popularity in the 1st–2nd centuries A.D., during the reign of king Natakamani and his successors. The kaolinite clays required professionalism and specific skills from ancient potters, as well as the availability of improved pottery wheels and kilns. Clay deposits were located near Meroe Royal City and in several other regions. The vessels were decorated with stamped or painted decoration in Egyptian or Hellenistic style and were distributed from Sennar and Abu Geili in the south to Karanog and Shablul in the north, being a clear marker of the Meroitic civilization. These complex wares could not be produced locally and became a marketable commodity. The morphological assortment of Meroitic fine wares is quite modest, while standardization of the shape and volume is noticeable, which may indicate centralized control over pottery workshops. The stylistic uniformity of the vessels suggests the existence of a special “Imperial” style of pottery in the time of Natakamani and his successors. At the same period plans of settlements, the architecture of palaces and temples, cult objects also demonstrated uniformity, which could be associated with state control of administrative centers and craft workshops. The decline of royal power in the 3rd – mid-4th centuries A.D. was synchronous with the degradation of Meroitic fine kaolin ceramics and its gradual replacement with wadi clays of grayish-beige colour and simplified decoration.