A small Marl clay ellipsoid jar (classed as a D-ware vessel) with a rolled rim, flat base, two tubular handles, and red-painted decoration. The base is also painted. It can be dated to the Naqada II Period. This vessel was excavated from grave 137 within the Fort at Hierakonpolis in 1905 by John Garstang (Adams 1987, 140), and was purchased by Wellcome at auction in 1922 (lot 98) from the collection of Ralph Brocklebank. The current opinion is that D-ware vessels originated in Upper Egypt in the Naqada-Abydos area. It has been suggested that designs like this imitate stone vessels. For an overview of the ideas surrounding the origins of D-ware vessels, see Aksamit (1998) 36–7. The Hierakonpolis fort is a large mudbrick enclosure built during the Second Dynasty. While its function remains a mystery, it seems to be connected with king Khasekhemwy.

Exterior: 7.5YR 6/3 light brown; (decoration) 10R 4/2 weak red

Adams, Barbara 1987. The fort cemetery at Hierakonpolis (excavated by John Garstang). Studies in Egyptology. London; New York: Kegan Paul International. Aksamit, Joanna 1998. The D-ware from Abusir el-Meleq. In Eyre, C. J. (ed.), Proceedings of the Seventh International Congress of Egyptologists, Cambridge, 3–9 September 1995, 31–38. Leuven: Peeters.