V. I. Yarmolovich

An unusual storage jar with a face from Deir el-Banat (Fayoum oasis)

The article is devoted to investigation of a fragment of a vessel decorated with a face depiction. It was found during archaeological excavations at Deir el-Banat (Fayoum oasis). The site is divided into three parts — the northern necropolis, the southern necropolis and the ‘convent’. The fragment was found on the surface in the ‘convent’s territory. It is a shoulder of a big vessel. The depiction of a face (two eyes and a nose) is made with lumps of clay and applied to the outer surface of the vessel. A thin bulge is above the eyes. The vessel is made of Nile silt fabric.
An analogy for the vessel from Deir el-Banat was found in Tebtynis situated in the Fayoum oasis as well. This neckless storage jar has sloping shoulders, a conical body and a base with a ring foot. Its shoulders are divided into two parts: the upper part has a relief surface, while the lower one bears a depiction of a face and wave-like ornaments. Loop handles are fixed on the lower part. This vessel is also made of Nile silt fabric. This allows us to reconstruct the vessel from Deir el-Banat and date it to the 8^th century CE.

Keywords:
pottery, Fayoum oasis, figure vessel, medieval Egypt, necropolis, convent.

Original language — English.

DOI: 10.24411/2686-9276-2019-00017.

Referring: Yarmolovich V. I. An unusual storage jar with a face from Deir el-Banat (Fayoum oasis) // Egypt and neighbouring countries 2 (2019): 57–63. DOI: 10.24411/2686-9276-2019-00017.

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