Coiled Basketry Through Time in Ancient Egypt – Neolithic and Predynastic Baskets
As was discussed previously, the oldest baskets were found in the Fayum as subterranean silos. These silos were made of roughly coiled straw materials sunk in the ground (Wendrich, 2000; 256). Well made, finely executed coiled baskets were also found in these Fayum settlements, alerting archaeologists that this was by no means a recent development in technology, that it was probably perfected sometime earlier during the Neolithic (Wendrich, 2000; 256). What should be noted is these early baskets show a delicacy that is equal, if not outweighing, the workmanship of later periods (Wendrich, 2000; 256).
One such basket pertaining to the Fayum Neolithic period is in the possession of the Petrie Museum. It measures approximately 7.5 centimeters tall, and is theorized to be a model instead of an actual basket. The workmanship of this particular basket, while somewhat difficult to see, appears to be of fine quality. The wrapping is still tight despite the decomposition the basket has suffered, and it still, for the most part, retains its form (Artifact UC2941).
A complete basket pertaining to the Fayum A culture was discovered by Caton-Thompson in 1926. While a photo of the basket is available, little description accompanies it. The size of the basket is unknown at this time, but the ovoid basket appears to be in excellent condition with tightly coiled wrappings and fairly rigid walls (Wendrich, 2000; 256-7).
Another coiled basket, supposedly pertaining to Predynastic Maadi, is on display in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. This fragment shows the delicate workmanship that has been associated with these early baskets (Wendrich, 2000; 257). While the provenience of most of these baskets is uncertain, though many appear to be from a funerary context, they still are able to shed some light on the early basketry techniques used by the ancient Egyptians (Wendrich, 2000; 257).
© 2011, Page Strong. All rights reserved.
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