LauraTimmisPot of The Day - Black-topped Red ware Jar - Predynastic Egypt, Naqada II ca. 3650–3300 B.C.<br>
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Black-topped red ware pots are a specialised type of pottery which developed during the Egyptian pre-dynastic period (4000–3000 BC).<br>
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The two tone colour effect on the pots is achieved through a combination of oxidation (red) and reduction (black) firing. This shows early potters had sophisticated ceramics skills and there’s been extensive research done by archeologists to determine how they did this. The current understanding is that the ancient potters fired the pieces in two stages. The first stage was to bring the ware up to a ‘red-hot’ stage in a kiln (approx 540 degrees C), the pots would then be removed and placed top down into a bed of sawdust (or similar material). The buried section of the pot would be in a ‘reduced’ environment allowing the carbon to develop and thus giving the dark back colour. The bottom of the pot would be in the open, exposed to the air allowing the iron in the clay to oxidise resulting in the bright red colour. <br>
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Although it was over 5000 years ago, those early potters had such a deep understanding of the subtle interactions between fire and clay. Blows my mind! <br>
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Photo credit - The Met Museum<br>
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