Spherical Jar, Meroitic Period, ca. 100 B.C.–300 A.D.
Meroitic
Painted pottery
Technical Glossary
Meroitic
Painted pottery
H. 6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm)
Rogers Fund, 1908 (08.202.47)
From both the technical and aesthetic point of view, the ceramics produced during the Meroitic period of the Kushite kingdom are of superb quality. These ceramics are particularly common in Lower Nubia, where many sites have been excavated. Decorative elements include geometric designs, plant and animal motifs, and even human figures. Although their repertoire shows both Egyptian and Hellenistic influence, the Kushite ceramic artists of this period develop their own distinctive style, which makes Meroitic pottery easy to recognize.
