Black-topped pottery
According to archaeologist Kit Nelson, "the multitude of changes that appear in pottery during the Late Neolithic are an important reflection of broader changes that occur during this period.
A wider variety of finishing techniques can be seen in Late Neolithic pottery including adding slip, which is liquified clay, to vessel surfaces.
Egyptologist Flinders Petrie, one of the first archaeologists to discuss black-topped pottery, suggested that during the firing process the top portion of the vessels would be partially buried in ashes so that “as the charcoal covered them it deoxidised the iron from red peroxide to black magnetic oxide.
This theory would later be contested by Alfred Lucas, an analytical chemist, who theorized that the black top was a chemical effect caused by carbon as opposed to a lack of oxygen, and that the technique the Egyptians used would have required two firing sessions.
[8][2] Lucas’ two-phase production process, which is the more commonly accepted theory, consists of an initial firing process in which the ware would be removed from the kiln during the red-hot stage (approximately 540 degrees Celsius) and “placed mouth downwards on a layer of sawdust.”[2] A notable feature of black-topped ware is that the porosity of the blackened rim and interior is significantly less than that of the red exterior.
This theory is supported by the fact that upon the introduction of marl clay in Egypt and Sudan, the presence of black-top pottery began to wane.
Black-topped ware typically takes the form of the Egyptian hes-jar, which are tall shouldered jars that were used for pouring libations.
"[1] Archaeologist Karin Sowada postulates that the religious function of black-topped pottery is demonstrated via two-dimensional artwork from the Early Dynastic Period.
In the Fourth Dynasty slab stela of Wepemnofret, the prince is "seated before a table of offerings including a black-topped jar.
The liquid contents of the vessels then represented the Nile and the renewal process associated with the river's cycle of flooding and fertilization.
Egyptologist Winifred Needler theorizes that the similarities in surface treatment indicate a possible association with polished red ware.
