Beer Jars from Tell el-Murra Graves

Abstract

Over the five excavation seasons conducted between 2011 and 2015 at the Early Dynastic Tell el-Murra cemetery, 17 graves were discovered along with their pottery assemblages. Nine of them contained vessels which are generally considered to be beer jars. Amongst the 18 examples of this kind of jar, a few types can be distinguished that show an affinity to similar vessels from the other Early Dynastic sites of Tell el-Farkha, Minshat Abu Omar, Buto, Helwan, Abydos, and Kafr Hassan Dawood. These analogies indicate that the Tell el-Murra graves should be dated to the Naqada IIIC2/D period and in some cases an even more precise date can be obtained. In addition, the presence of beer jars within the pottery assemblages of the graves also provides us with information concerning the funerary customs of the inhabitants of the Tell el-Murra site.

Keywords

• beer jars
• graves
• cemetery
• Tell el-Murra
• Early Dynastic