Ancient Egyptian Pottery

.	Ancient Egyptian Pottery	Ancient Mayan Pottery
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Techniques	Pre-Dynastic Period - Hand made red wares produced in Nubia without a potter's wheel, they were made by hollowing out a lump of clay and pinching it to give it's final form Artifacts were then dried in the sun and finally vasrnished with a stone, to achieve a smooth shiny surface Early Dynastic Period - A flat tool was used to press the clay against the other hand, this simple procedure produced thin-walled vessels. Pottery was then decorated with engraved drawings of boats and crocodiles. It was then fired in simple kilns. Old Kingdom - invention of the potter wheel (rotated by hand). the clay was prepared more carefully achieving better consistency, and the kilns were improved. As a result pottery was more symmetrical and the surface has a homogenous color. Enamel was applied to smoothen the surface and colour the earthenware, it consisted of slip (a mixture of water and clay).	A potter's wheel was not used by the Mayans. Instead, Mayans used coil and slab techniques. 1) The coil method involved the formation of clay into long coiled pieces that were wound into a vessel. the coils were then smoothed together to create walls. 2) The slab method used square slabs of clay to create boxes and additions like feet or lids for vessels. Once the pot was formed into the shape, then it would have been set to dry and painted. Ballgames and rituals ere key subjects painted and inscribed on the vessels.
Use	Decorated Religious artifacts: 1) Canopic Jars: Four stone jars contained the interior parts of the body which were removed before embalming and deposited with the mummies these were the stomach, hear, lungs and liver 2) Osirian figures: small objects in enamel pottery deposited with the dead, representing mummies. These resembled each other in the hieroglyphic legends painted or impressed on them 3) ceramic jars filled with food offerings, were left in tombs Underocated daily use vessels: primitive and undecorated clay bowls, vases, jars and pots	Practical shapes to create vessels to carry liquids and food Limited religious role in pottery
Materials	Dark earthenware and stoneware 1) Nile Silt clay - produces Reddish brown pottery 2) Alabaster - transparent marble 3) Steatite (soapstone) - easily worked, and bears heat	Earthenware only 1) Volcanic clays and ashes - created varied colors when fired 2) No use of stones
External coat	Enamelled pottery was made from small steatite and clay artifacts, covered with colored enamel True glazed pottery was made in Roman times	Glazing was never applied Clay slips (mixture of clays and minerals) were used to decorate the pottery.
Partron Diety	Khnum - The Great Potter	secular pottery - no patron god

Pre-Dynastic pottery

Early Dynastic pottery

Old Kingdom pottery