Bibliotheca Alexandrina Organizes Lecture on Pottery Decorations in Pre-dynastic Era in Ancient Egypt

The Bibliotheca Alexandrina, through the Antiquities Museum and the Zahi Hawass Center for Egyptology, affiliated with the Cultural Communication Sector, organizes a lecture entitled "The Significance and Significance of Pottery Decorations during the Pre-dynastic Era in Ancient Egypt", on Sunday, 30 April 2023 at 1:00 pm, in the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. Conference room, room (C)

The lecture will be delivered by Prof. Dr. Najeh Omar Ali; Professor of Antiquities and Ancient Egyptian Civilization, Faculty of Archeology, Fayoum University.

The lecture sheds light on the importance of pottery as a source for knowing the details of the daily life of human groups in ancient times, a manifestation of progress through pottery decoration, and the artistic taste of human gatherings in pre-dynastic times in Egypt, and the extent of the development of this art in general.

Through the decorative themes that highlight the maker’s skill in pottery in the Naqada civilization, social customs can be identified, as well as the practice of rituals in daily life, and the types of animals, birds, and plants that were used as decorative components, and knowledge of the quality of using pots and converting them into drawings and inscriptions, both for pots of purpose Religious or decorative, as the decoration on pottery has a significance in identifying the original culture, history, and the extent of progress and stability.

The influence of the environment had a prominent role in this regard. The fact is that these decorations could be just an act of nature that was discovered by the ancient Egyptians and used as a decorative element. This assumption seems very reasonable, especially since the ancient Egyptians were nature lovers, and they imitated nature in many ways. Sights throughout ancient Egyptian history.

The lecture will also touch on hunting scenes painted on decorated pottery in the pre-dynastic era, which reflect the wild, desert, and Nile environment of Egypt at that time, and highlight the social status and hierarchy of human groups in the land of Egypt. This confirms the importance of hunting scenes on pottery painted with white paste during the first Naqada period and the beginning of the second Naqada era, which is dominated by Nile fishing operations and low desert environments.

The ancient Egyptian artist not only depicted this but also depicted scenes of military victory, representing the arms of the victorious persons raised upwards, while the arms of the captives are tied from behind.

Translated by Ahmed Moamar