The Evolution of Lower Egyptian Culture During the Formative Stages of the Egyptian State at Tell el-Iswid: The Contribution of Ceramic Technology

Abstract

This article focuses on ceramic technology at Tell el-Iswid dating to the second half of the fourth millennium BC—Buto IIIa and Naqada III(A2)-B periods. The study investigates the crucial transitional period during the formation of the Egyptian State. It identifies four ceramic technical traditions and examines their respective evolution and interaction. It provides new data on the mechanisms underlying the homogenization of the material culture that preceded and accompanied the unification of Egypt. The results show increasing contact between the Delta and the Nile Valley during Buto IIIa, and confirm Naqadan potters’ presence in the Delta from at least the Naqada IIIA2 period. At this time, specialized ateliers emerged in the Delta region using a Middle/Upper Egypt’s chaine operatoire for pottery manufacture. Nevertheless, the Lower Egyptian ceramic technical tradition persisted in the domestic sphere.