Cylindrical Coil Basket and Lid

This cylindrical basket with a matching lid was found to the right of the door of an 11th Dynasty tomb. Nested inside the basket was another smaller basket of similar shape. When the excavators opened the two containers, they were surprised to find a small collection of personal objects, including bits of malachite wrapped in a piece of linen cloth, a lump of wax, raisins, several pieces of aromatic wood, and a bundle of plant fiber. To the left of the tomb entrance two “wands” made of hippopotamus tusks had been deposited, one plain and one carved with apotropaic figures. The presence of these rare implements may indicate that they and the curious set of items in the baskets were used in a ritual performed in front of the tomb.

The basket was made using the coiling technique, the most common production method at the time. First a “bundle,” which forms the flexible core of the coil, was made from halfa grass. Then the bundle was shaped and twisted into a tight spiral, building out from the center of the base of the container, and wrapped with “winders,” flat strips made of doum palm leaves. Each time the winder was wrapped around the bundle, a few strands of grass from the previous bundle were also taken up, fixing the bundle in position coil by coil. Palm leaves are strong, smooth, and glossy, and thus provided beautiful surfaces inside and out. In the present basket, some of the winders were colored with dye and interwoven in a regular sequence to create an attractive checkered pattern. The conical lid, which matches the rim in diameter, was made using the same technique. Finally, some linen twine was attached at the sides of the basket and the center of the lid to serve as simple handles.