Painted decoration of water jars from Byzantine Athribis in the Egyptian Delta

Abstract

Water jars are easily recognizable as a type owing to the strainer fitted into the neck of these vessels. This form was distinguished in the assemblage coming from the Polish excavations around Kom Sidi Youssuf in Tell Atrib, the site of ancient Athribis in the Nile Delta. The discussed vessels were made of Nile silt and richly painted on the surface. The article focuses on the decoration of these water containers, presenting a catalogue of motifs: geometrical, vegetal, zoomorphic, human and others. The set is dated to the 6th–7th century AD based on the excavation context andcomparative studies of the so-called Coptic painted pottery from Egypt.

Keywords

• Athribis
• Byzantine
• Coptic
• Egypt
• Kom Sidi Youssuf
• painted decoration