C-Ware vases with geometric decoration from Nagada I (Egypt, 4th millennium).
IFAO| N° d'inventaire | 32079 |
| Format | 23.8 x 32 |
| Détails | 226 p., paperback |
| Publication | Cairo, 2025 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | 9782724710557 |
The images left on various media by the pre-pharaonic culture of Naqada in Egypt in the 4th millennium BC are abundant and of fine quality. However, their understanding and interpretation are not always easy.
The cups and vases of Naqada I (3900-3700 BC), to which this study is devoted, are dark red in color and have a white painted decoration, composed solely of simple geometric shapes. For a long time, these repetitive and monotonous compositions have put off researchers and made any interpretation difficult. One might even think that we are dealing with a purely ornamental composition, devoid of any meaning.
This study reexamines this set of often neglected objects. To do this, a vast corpus of objects was collected and analyzed. Understanding these non-figurative decorations at first glance required the development of appropriate methods and conceptual tools drawn from anthropology, linguistics, and statistics. Ultimately, the study offered to the reader goes beyond the strict framework of predynastic Egyptian iconography to propose an archaeology of the graphic sign.
The images left on various media by the pre-pharaonic culture of Naqada in Egypt in the 4th millennium BC are abundant and of fine quality. However, their understanding and interpretation are not always easy.
The cups and vases of Naqada I (3900-3700 BC), to which this study is devoted, are dark red in color and have a white painted decoration, composed solely of simple geometric shapes. For a long time, these repetitive and monotonous compositions have put off researchers and made any interpretation difficult. One might even think that we are dealing with a purely ornamental composition, devoid of any meaning.
This study reexamines this set of often neglected objects. To do this, a vast corpus of objects was collected and analyzed. Understanding these non-figurative decorations at first glance required the development of appropriate methods and conceptual tools drawn from anthropology, linguistics, and statistics. Ultimately, the study offered to the reader goes beyond the strict framework of predynastic Egyptian iconography to propose an archaeology of the graphic sign.