General Information

First identified by
Rodziewicz, the Coptic Glaze Ware (CGW) is one of the earliest examples of
Islamic glazed pottery. According to Ting and Taxel (2020), “CGW is
identifiable for its open vessel form (e.g. bowl or plate) and flat base, often
with straight walls, plain rim, pink ceramic fabric and multihued painted
decoration that was applied either under or over the glaze. In their respective
description of the CGW assemblages from Alexandria and Aqaba, Rodziewicz (1976)
and Whitecomb (1989) both noticed that these bowls display similar formal and
stylistic elements to Egyptian red and white slip wares and Coptic painted
ware, which were derived from the Late Roman fine ware of north Africa, Asia
Minor and Cyprus” (27:1). One of the explanations for the technology of CGW concerns
the influence of Chinese ceramics, or the Changsha wares specifically (Whitcomb
1989, 182). However, in a recently published article, Ting and Taxel (2020)
argue that “the local Egyptian fine ware and possibly glass technologies and
the Byzantine glaze technology were the precursors of the CGW technology” (27:
4). It is also important to note that “it was not until the production of CGW
that all these existing elements were combined for the first time” (Ting and
Taxel 2020, 27:4).

Jaffa (Israel/Central Coastal Plain)

Khirbet 'Amra (Israel/Negev)

Ramla (Israel/Central Coastal Plain)

El-Khirba, Nes Ziyyona (Israel-Palestinian Authority/Southern Coastal Plain)

Yavneh Yam (Israel-Palestinian Authority/Southern Coastal Plain)

al-'Aqaba, Aila (Jordan/Wadi 'Arabah)