Читать книгу The House of Serenos - Clementina Caputo - Страница 10

2

FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION AND SHAPES IN AREA 2.1 (ABOVE AND BELOW FLOORS) TYPO–CHRONOLOGICAL STUDY

The aim of this chapter is to introduce the pottery vessels and some other ceramic products documented in all the contexts belonging to occupation levels and also the dumped layers in Area 2.1. For the sake of the present study, only a typo-chronological and technological analysis of the various functional classes and their major representatives is provided.¹

2.1. TABLE AND SERVICE WARES

2.1.1. Bowls

Within the large category of table ware, four main types of bowls have been distinguished according to the shape of the rim and the profile that characterizes the fragments examined:

1) Small footed bowls (Pl. I: nos. 1–9, Group 1);

2) Straight sided bowls (Pl. I: nos. 10–21, Group 2);

3) Convex bowls (Pl. I: nos. 22–27, Group 3);

4) Carinated bowls (Pl. II: no. 28–37, Group 4).

Most of them are made of A-Group fabric, less frequently B-Group fabric.

One of the most common types of open form in all the stratigraphic units of Area 2.1, mainly from below and less frequently from above floors (Phases II–III), is the class of small footed bowls (Pl. I: nos. 1–7). They have an incurved rim and a flat base, on which a spiral pattern is made when the vessel is cut off from the clay (still clearly visible on no. 5). The average rim diameter for these bowls is around 10 cm. It is likely that they were used both for drinking and for eating. They are regularly attested in the Oases and in the Nile Valley in both Late Ptolemaic and early Roman period contexts,² as well as in contexts dated to the second to fourth century CE at Ismant el-Kharab/Kellis³ and Douch/Kysis.⁴ So far, nos. 8 and 9 (Pl. I) are attested exclusively in the occupation stratigraphic units (13 MNI in total). The specimens found are often complete or nearly so (Figure 9), characterized by molded walls and flat base. The size of the rim is consistently around 7 cm. They are made in A1a fabric, rarely in B10, and the surfaces are generally white- or orange-slipped. No similar types have been recognized so far among the materials from below floors. Although no direct parallels have been found, the presence of these types among the occupation context materials allows us to date them at least to the second half of the fourth century CE.

The second group of bowls is characterized by straight or sloping walls, and flat or slightly domed bottom (Pl. I: nos. 10–21). The rim varies in shape from simple with a groove on the inner face (Pl. I: nos. 10–11) to those with one or more ledge on their inner side to lodge a lid (Pl. I: nos. 12–13), to rims with a squared section (Pl. I: nos. 14–18), to modelled flange rims (Pl. I: nos. 19–21). The bowls nos. 14–21 occasionally have a decoration on the rim consisting of red vertical marks on white color. The diameters range from 10 to 14 cm and from 16 to 21 cm. Some of them were clearly used as cooking vessels, as the black deposits on the exterior side demonstrate. All these types (nos. 10–13 and 14–21) are generally attested in the dumped material of Area 2.1, below floors (Phase II). Comparable shapes from Ismant el-Kharab/Kellis⁵ and Douch/Kysis⁶ are dated to the second and third centuries CE. The same types of bowls have been found at Amheida in the ceramic assemblages coming from House B10, in association with small ostraca (tags) dated no later than 335 CE; in that context they can thus be assigned more precisely to the first half of the fourth century CE at the latest.⁷

The convex bowls (which are wider than higher in shape, and so different from the “classical” convex bowls related to the Greek and Roman standard shape) are the third largest type. They have incurved rim and flat or domed bases (Pl. I: nos. 22–27), and were used not only for consumption but also as lids or for cooking, as the black soot on the external surfaces clearly proves (no. 25). The diameter ranges from 10 to 14 cm in the smaller variant, and to 16 to 23 cm in the larger one. The top of the rims is generally decorated with red dots or marks on cream color. Some bowls are decorated on the inner surface with reddish-purple spiral patterns on yellow color, which is a specific decoration of the Kharga productions, and made of both A1a and B3 fabrics. In Area 2.1 all these types, especially those with spiral decoration, appear in the contexts above the floors (Phase III), and they are comparatively common at Ismant el-Kharab/Kellis⁸ and Douch/Kysis⁹ in contexts dated to the late third–fourth centuries CE.

The third type is represented by the bowls with carinated contour (Pl. II: nos. 28–37). No. 28 (Group 4a) is an unrestricted small bowl with a gently carinated contour, a slightly everted, rounded rim, and a ring foot. The rim is decorated with red dots on white color, and the surfaces are light apricot washed. Only one example has been registered from Area 2.1, coming from below Street 2 (Phase II). The closest parallel is from Ismant el-Kharab/Kellis, found in pre-fourth century deposits.¹⁰

The bowls nos. 29–37 (Group 4b–f) have a modelled rounded rim and low or medium tall foot-ring base; some of them have the rim decorated with dots or irregular red marks on white/creamy paint. The types nos. 29–31 can be dated according to the parallels from Ismant el-Kharab/Kellis to the second–third century CE, and are commonly found in the dumped material below B1 and the streets (Phase II).¹¹ To the later phase (Phase III) seem to belong the bowls with more pronounced carination and inward rim (nos. 32–33) or everted flaring rims (nos. 34–37). These bowls are usually heavily blackened on the outer surface, since they were used also for cooking. The closest parallels are from Ismant el-Kharab/Kellis and ‘Ain el-Gedida, from contexts dated to the late third–fourth century CE.¹²

The flanged bowl no. 38 (Pl. II, Group 5) imitates in the shape the Egyptian Red Slip ‘A’ Wares (ERS-A).¹³ The shapes of the ERS-A are close imitations of some African Red Slip Ware (ARS) products, in particular the types that were manufactured in the fifth and sixth centuries CE.¹⁴ The whole surface of these vessels is generally covered with thin matte slip and they have rouletting and stamp decorations on the exteriors and bottoms of the open forms.¹⁵ The flanged bowl in the catalogue is made of local fabric A1a and has red slipped surfaces. On the outside of the rim, instead of a line of rouletting, there is a decoration consisting of red drops on white color. It has been found in one of the units above the floor (DSU 208) in Room 13; another rim fragment of the same type comes from a not reliable unit (DSU 226) in Room 12 (Phase IV). The closest parallels are from Elephantine,¹⁶ Kom el-Nana (Amarna),¹⁷ and El-Ashmunein,¹⁸ all dated within the span of the mid-fourth to the seventh century CE.

The medium bowls with everted rims and almost hemispherical bodies (Pl. II: nos. 39–41, Group 6) occur mainly in the contexts below floors of Room 9 and Street 2; only two examples come above floors, in Room 4 (DSU 23) and Room 8 (DSU 102) (Phases II–III). The exterior surface of these bowls is often blackened by soot, and the top of their rims is rarely decorated with wavy lines on cream or white color. The rim diameter ranges between 18 and 25 cm. Similar shapes are attested at Ismant el-Kharab/Kellis (early Roman period),¹⁹ at Elephantine (end of first–end of fourth/beginning of fifth century CE),²⁰ and at Kom el-Nana at Amarna (400–700 CE).²¹

2.1.2. Dishes

Four different types of dishes have been identified so far (Pl. II: nos. 42–46, Group 7). No. 42 (Group 7a) is has a low shape with flanged rim and carinated walls, the base of which is missing. It is made of A1a fabric and has the red slip only on the inner side. The dish imitates in its shape the Eastern Sigillata B Ware,22 but on the outside of the rim, instead of the rouletting, a layer of painted cream color is present. The Egyptian copies of these Eastern Sigillata dishes are attested, both in ceramic and faïence,²³ in most of the Egyptian sites occupied during the Roman imperial period. The closest parallels for the example in the catalogue are from Elephantine,²⁴ El-Ashmunein,²⁵ Tebtynis,²⁶ and Mons Claudianus,²⁷ dated from the first half of the first to the third century CE. The dish no. 43 (Group 7b) has a pronounced bead rim and sharply carinated body. The base is missing. The surfaces are plain and pinkish. The shape resembles some casseroles with a flat base produced during the Roman period, but there are no traces of cooking on it. In Area 2.1, these types are mainly spread in the dumped material below floors (Phase II). Similar vessels are attested at Elephantine,²⁸ Tebtynis,²⁹ and Mons Claudianus,³⁰ dated within the first to second century CE.

The small vessels nos. 44 and 45 (Pl. II, Group 7c) have everted rims and a shallow carinated body. The bases are missing. They are made of A1a fabric, and only one of them has a decoration on top of the rim, consisting of red dots on cream color (no. 45); the other one (no. 44) has plain surfaces, orange in color. The latter has been reused as an ostracon. The Greek text (O.Trim. 1.446) is written on the outer side of the sherd and is incomplete, with only a few letters preserved.³¹ The date suggested for the text on the basis of stratigraphy is ca. 275–350 CE. The shapes of both examples in the catalogue recall a type of bowl/dish with carinated contour and rounded base widespead during the Ptolemaic period in Egypt, and they have very close parallels in some specimens found in the Ptolemaic deposits at Mut el-Kharab.³² However, the physical characteristics of the Amheida pieces would suggest a later date, that is, the Roman period. They have been found in two units located below the floors of Room 2 (DSU 49) and Room 10 (DSU 241), in which most of the ceramic fragments are dated between the first century BCE and the early fourth century CE (Phase II).

The small dish no. 46 (Pl. II, Group 7d) has a flat flared rim and molded body; the base is missing. A decoration is visible on top of the rim, which consists of wavy red painted lines and spiral motifs on cream color.³³ The fragment is blackened by soot on the external surface and on the rim, suggesting that it was reused as a lid. Traces of red slip are still visible under the black layer. The amount of soot on it suggests that the vessel was reused as a lid. It has been found in one of the units above floor (DSU 157) in Room 15 (Phase III). The closest parallels are from El-Ashmunein, were several examples have been found in the South Church contexts,³⁴ and some similar shapes are attested from Elephantine,³⁵ Kom el-Nana,³⁶ and Tod,³⁷ all of them are dated between the second half of the fourth and the mid-seventh centuries CE.

2.1.3. Oasis Red Slip Ware (ORSW)

The fine wares with red slipped surfaces are attested on several sites in both Dakhla (Oasis Red Slip Ware) and Kharga Oases (Kharga Red Slip Ware).38 The vessels in the catalogue (Pl. III, Group 8) are predominantly bowls, which occur with either wide flanged rims (nos. 47–51, Group 8a), sometimes with areas of modelling on them (no. 54, Group 8d) or direct simple rims (nos. 52–53, Group 8b-c). They normally have simple convex sides, and the bases are either round, flat, or with a low ring. The rim diameters range from 9 cm, in the small-sized bowls, to 28 cm, in the largest examples. Restricted forms are rare among the assemblages; only one base of fragmentary closed form (no. 55, Group 8e) is attested so far.

All examples are made of A27 fabric, with red-fired body and shiny red/red-orange slipped interior and exterior surfaces. In Area 2.1, the ORSW occur only in the occupation levels (0.61%), dated to the second half of the fourth century CE (Phase III). The closest parallels are from Alexandria,³⁹ Douch/Kysis,⁴⁰ Ismant el-Kharab/Kellis, Mut el-Kharab,⁴¹ and Ain el-Gedida,⁴² and are generally dated between the beginning of the fourth century CE and the fifth century CE.⁴³

2.1.4. Liquid Vessels

The large family of liquid vessels includes several forms related in particular to the service of beverages, costrels, jugs, and flagons (Pls. III–IV, Group 9). This family is not one of the richest among the ceramic material from Area 2.1 (2.9%), but its chronology extends from the Roman period to Late Antiquity. The different shapes can be organized at least in nine sub-groups.

The first group listed consists of handled costrels with strainer (Pl. III: nos. 56–59, Group 9a). The oval or irregularly-shaped handles are joined below the rim or on the neck, terminating on the shoulder. The strainer generally has one central hole, surrounded by four to five additional holes of a similar size. These containers are made of A1b and A5 fabrics, with cream or white slipped surfaces. Generally, these types occur in the dumped materials levelled below floors of Area 2.1 (Phase II). They were common in the Eastern desert, where the closest parallels are from Mons Claudianus,⁴⁴ dated to the mid-first to second century CE. Only one specimen (no. 58), with a complete spout applied on the shoulder, has been found at Amheida in a late occupation level (Room 13, DSU 207, Phase III). Its shape is very similar to those attested at Elephantine,⁴⁵ dated to the third–fourth century CE, and similar shapes are also very common in Antinoopolis, the Theban area, and Koptos,⁴⁶ dated to the fifth–sixth century CE.

The jugs nos. 60–61 (Pl. III, Group 9b) are not so abundant in Area 2.1 (only 5 MNI in total). The examples in the catalogue come from stratigraphic units located above the floors of Room 4 and Room 15 (Phase III). The shape is characterized by double-lipped rim with a broad, approximately cylindrical neck, and handles, rising from the edge, sit vertically on the shoulder. One of the pieces (no. 60) has the rim slightly pinched on the part opposite to the handle. The two bottles nos. 62–63 (Pl. III, Group 9c) also have pinched, in-turned rims, forming a cup mouth, sloping shoulders; only in one case (no. 62) is the handle still preserved. All of them are made of A1a fabric, except for no. 63, which is made of B10 fabric. The few parallels found are from Elephantine and are dated to the third–fourth century CE;⁴⁷ for nos. 62–63, similar examples have been found also in El-Ashmunein contexts,⁴⁸ dating to the fourth-fifth century CE.

Single-handled trefoil flagons (Pl. III: nos. 65–67, Group 9e) are attested from both above and below floors (Phases II–III). No. 65 comes from one of the dump layers below Street 2 (DSU 368). It is made of forty pieces, most of which join to complete the entire profile of the vessel. The in-turned rim forms a cup-mouth on a Medium-tall neck, ovoid body, and high foot-ring base. The vessel is made of a very soft peach-colored fabric, and the exterior surface has a thick orange slip layer. It is probably an Aswan ware production, where these vessels were used for boiling water.⁴⁹ However, some parallels are also found at Mons Claudianus, dated to the first–second century CE,⁵⁰ and Bir Showish (Bahariya), where some table amphoras have been found in House 3 with the same cup-mouth and rib on the tapered neck, but doublehandled and with different body-shape, dated to the end of the third century CE.⁵¹ Similar forms are also attested at El-Ashmunein, characterized by two handles and dated to the late fourth-eighth century CE.⁵² The other two trefoil flagons in the catalogue (nos. 66–67) are very fragmentary. Only the upper part is preserved. The handle had to start from the edge in both specimens, as we can notice from one of them (no. 67). They are made of Group-A fabric. Similar examples have been found in the early Roman Period deposits at Ismant el-Kharab/Kellis⁵³ and at Mons Claudianus.⁵⁴

Rarely attested in the assemblages are no. 64 (Pl. III, Group 9d) and no. 68 (Pl. III, Group 9f). Both are made of A3b fabric, from the Nile Valley. The table amphora no. 64 lacks both the rim and the body. Two small, thin, handmade handles are attached from the neck to the shoulder. No direct parallels have been found for this shape, even if the fabric and the morphological characteristics suggest a date of the third–fourth century CE. It comes from one of the dump layers located below the floor of Room 2 (DSU 34), in which the ceramic types identified exhibit a wide date range, from the late first century BCE to the early fourth century CE (Phase II). No. 68, in contrast, finds comparison with some examples from Elephantine. The piece is very fragmentary, and only a small part of the rim and neck is preserved; the rest of the vessel is missing. At Elephantine, these types of bottles, very close in shape to the lekythoi, are not attested in the stratigraphy of the third and fourth century CE. On the other hand, they appear in contexts dated to the second quarter of the fifth century to the first third of the sixth century CE.⁵⁵ Our specimen comes from the collapse of the ceiling in Room 12 (DSU 245) and could be considered as post-abandonment refuse (Phase IV).

The double-handled flagons or amphoriskoi (Pl. III: nos. 69–71, Group 9g) appear, even in small numbers (5 MNI in total), mainly in the strata above floors (Phase III). They are characterized by very long necks with filter (nos. 69–70), direct rims, slightly everted (no. 69), and sloping shoulders. The exterior surface is often cream slipped and can be, in some specimens, decorated with black or reddish/brown dots (no. 71) or abstract motifs. Commonly, they are made of B10 or A5 fabrics, with thick white or light-yellow slipped surfaces. The closest parallels for these types of vessels are from Elephantine,⁵⁶ El-Ashmunein,⁵⁷ and Kom el-Nana (Amarna),⁵⁸ and are dated between the fourth and the seventh centuries CE.

The costrels nos. 73–79 (Pl. IV, Group 9i) are the most common type of liquid vessel identified within the assemblages from the occupation layers of Area 2.1 (Phase III). Generally, they have a direct simple rim, sometimes slightly pinched (no. 76), on which is attached the handle, a three-holes strainer at the base of the short cylindrical neck, a body ovoid in shape, and a low foot-ring base. They are often made of B1/B10/B15 or A5 fabrics, rarely in A1/2, with white- or cream–slipped exterior surfaces. The closest parallels are from Douch/Kysis,⁵⁹ Ismant el-Kharab/Kellis,⁶⁰ ‘Ain el-Gedida,⁶¹ and ‘Ain el-Chabata (Bahariya Oasis),⁶² and are dated between the third and the end of the fifth centuries CE. One similar specimen, made of calcareous clay, is attested at Taposiris Magna and dated as late as the sixth–seventh century CE.⁶³

2.1.5. Kraters

This category includes a series of containers with an open shape, defined in this study as kraters (Pls. IV–V: nos. 80–86, Group 10). Their shape is characterized by a high rim, slightly everted, and a deep body narrowing towards the end, with a carination on the shoulder and near the base. Unfortunately, none of the specimens in the catalogue retains its base, so it is not possible to say with certainty if it was rounded, carinated as it would seem from nos. 84–86, or even with a foot. Most of them have decoration on the inner side of the rim or on top of it, generally made of vertical marks (no. 80), spiral or wavy lines (nos. 81–82, 84–85), reddish/purple in color on cream or white paint; rarely, they have a more complex combination of these decorative elements, such as in the case of no. 86.64 This krater presents a painting on the entire internal surface, from the edge to the base: thick vertical marks are on top of the rim, followed by a register of “S”-lines interweaved with each other on the inner face of it, while the main section dominates the central part of the body. This latter consists of an agricultural scene on which are recognizable palm trees with dates, vine shoots with bunches of grapes, the ladders presumably used for harvesting the fruits, and possibly some animals below the trees, such as a donkey. Dates and grapes are among the species of plants well attested and cultivated in the Great Oasis (Phoenix dactylifera and Vitis vinifera).65

Although the presence of more or less elaborate decorations on these containers should be indicative of a table use, the thick layer of soot often detectable on their exterior walls and close to the base would suggest a parallel or secondary use as cooking vessel. They are made of A1a and A1b fabrics, rarely in the fine versions A2a and A2b. The pieces in the catalogue come almost exclusively from the contexts above floors in Area 2.1 (Phase III), especially from Room 15 (DSUs 140, 145, 152, 157), and are very close to the specimens attested at Ismant el-Kharab/Kellis,⁶⁶ Kom el-Nana (Amarna),⁶⁷ and Douch/Kysis,⁶⁸ dated between the fourth and the seventh centuries CE.

2.2. UTILITY WARE

2.2.1. Deep Bowls and Basins