Identification of vessel use and explanation of change in production techniques from the Old to the Middle Kingdom: Organic residue analysis, fabric and thermal characterization of pot sherds from Qubbet el-Hawa, Aswan, Egypt

摘要

For the first time, residue-analysis results of a red-rim bowl discovered at Qubbet el-Hawa in Aswan, Egypt, are discussed alongside the thermal characterization of unpublished pottery bowls of the Old and Middle Kingdoms from the same site. Scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis were performed to provide fabric description of the bowls. The results show the presence of 4-heptenoic and 4-decenoic acids. The Old Kingdom bowl showed a firing temperature range of 800-850 degrees C, while the Middle Kingdom example was fired to higher temperatures. This is a suggested explanation of the decrease in the use of red coating as a surface treatment after the Old Kingdom.