Kerma ware beaker
Height: 11.500 cm
Gift of the Government of Sudan
EA 55424
Room 65: Sudan, Egypt & Nubia
Kerma ware pottery beaker
From Kerma, Sudan
About
1750-1550 BC
'Classic Kerma'
The cultures of Kerma flourished between about 2500 and 1500 BC. Their most distinctive products were ceramics. The potters were able to produce incredibly fine vessels by hand, without using a wheel. The pot shown here belongs to the so-called 'Classic Kerma' phase, from around 1750 to around 1550 BC. Classic Kerma pottery is characterized by a black top and a rich red-brown base, separated by an irregular purple-grey band. The black tops and interiors are usually extremely fine and have a distinctive metallic lustrous appearance.
S. Quirke and A.J. Spencer, The British Museum book of anc (London, The British Museum Press, 1992)
