Byzantine-early Islamic Nile Silt Common ware
Egypt/Fayoum, Egypt/Upper Egypt
4th-8th century CE
Byzantine, Early Islamic - Umayyad/Abbasid/Tulunid
General Information
This group includes vessels, that clearly differ from the tableware based on their inferior quality or function – when clearly identifiable – and based on their traces of use or the fabric cannot be identified as cooking ware. The common ware was mainly used for the preparation and storage of food. Its daily use at the table cannot be excluded since this ware also includes vessel shapes that are similar to tableware but cannot be linked with it because of its remarkably poorer quality.
This group includes all open and closed shapes, however, the cups/bowls are by far the most common.
On Elephantine/Aswan, the Aswan Byzantine-early Islamic Common ware is more frequently attested.
Alluvial clay, brown to red color, sometimes with blue-malve core; medium-fine to medium-coarse texture. Many fine and small mica and sand particles, considerable presence of fine chaff inclusions.
The exterior surfaces are, generally, dark red slipped or they present a decoration made with yellowish dots on reddish bands.
On Elephantine/Aswan only a very small percentage of the ceramic assemblage was made of Nile clay and many fragments are decorated with painting.
