Bottles and Vessel
Thousands of tumuli, or man-made mounds, are found across Senegal, much of the Gambia, and Mali’s Middle Niger region. They range from stone or gravel mounds six to nine feet high to sand dunes of fifty or more feet. Twelfth-century Arab commentators on the Ghana empire noted that upon death, Ghana’s leader was buried within a mound accompanied by "his ornaments, armies, and the vessels from which he used to eat and drink." This selection of earthenware excavated from the Killi Tumulus represents an array of vessel types. In preparation for this exhibition, a scientific campaign sought to date these works more precisely, establishing that they were produced during the first half of the second millennium.
Artwork Details
- Title: Bottles and Vessel
- Date: Various dates, ranging 1000–1480
- Geography: Mali, Gundam region
- Medium: Terracotta
- Dimensions: Various dimensions
- Classification: Ceramics-Vessels
- Credit Line: Musée du Quai Branly–Jacques Chirac, Paris
- Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing
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