Approach of pottery transition during the Late Saite-Early Persian period in Syene/Old Aswan: The Case of a domestic district in Area 3

Résumé En

The Swiss-Egyptian mission directed by C. von Pilgrim and W. Müller in Aswan discovered an important domestic sector in the protected area of the Temple of Domitian (so-called Area 3). Beneath the Ptolemaic strata, the excavation revealed two main occupation phases of the Late Period. In this communication I will present the preliminary results of the studies on the ceramic in this area during the transition between Late-Saite to Early Persian period. Syene’s case illustrates some disparities with a few sites in Lower Egypt (among others Tell el-Herr). Differences can also be seen with the contemporaneous material from Elephantine Island.Not so many sherds have been discovered for the first strata, but the Nile clay productions form the majority. There are two characteristics. The first looks like Saite tradition: red Nile Silt or Marl Clay with whitewash on the outer surface, while the second contains polished red fabric, similar to those known from Persian period workshops. We can also find productions imported from the fringes of Egypt, like sigas and flasks typical of the Western Desert. The first layer in the Late Period of Area 3 does not present many foreign importations. Due to the extreme fragmentation of the vessels, it is difficult to have a precise idea of these imports. However, one import is uncommon: the so-called eggshell ware, an Assyrian production evidenced in Syene during the whole Late Period occupation. With the classical foreign container from the Aegean Sea and Levantine coast, and some Attic fine tableware, we have other imitations and copies of this vessel. Consequently, identifying copies (make the same vessel) and imitations (taking some specific part of foreign pots to create a new vessel) became one of the main objectives of my work.