A chemical examination of faience found in Nubia: preliminary observations

Abstract

Egyptian faience has been extensively studied, while faience found in Nubia has received little attention. This pilot study uses scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS) to examine 30 faience samples (bead and vessel fragments) from sites in Lower Nubia (Faras) and Upper Nubia (Kerma, Kawa, Sanam, Meroe) dated from the C-Group to the Meroitic Period (c.2160BC–AD350). The findings show the varied quality of the production of faience from Nubia with the potential identification of the use of cementation glazing in C-Group material, the presence of ‘glassy faience’ at Kerma, and the presence of high lead levels in a Napatan Period sample. The discussion that follows highlights the potential innovation in the development of faience found in Nubia set in the wider historical/social/political context. These results highlight the need for further examination of this vitreous material when found in Nubia and how it might have developed alongside—and separately from—faience found in Egypt.