A buff coloured spherical jar (D-ware) that is missing its rim. It has red painted decoration, which can be dated to the Naqada III Period. The jar was excavated from grave 157 within the Fort Cemetery at Hierakonpolis in 1905 by John Garstang (Adams 1987, 161). The grave was heavily disturbed and the sex of the body could not be determined. It is currently on loan from Swansea Museum. 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. There are slight cracks running down the body and several small areas have been chipped away. The surface seems quite worn and has suffered from abrasion.

Body: 7.5YR 6/2 pinkish grey | 5YR 6/4 light reddish brown | Decoration: 10R 5/4 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.