tour 3 of 14
Sudan Past and Present: Early cultures to the Arrival of Christianity
Pottery cup
The handmade pottery produced by C-Group
craftsmen is highly distinctive. This cup has the features of their
characteristic 'polished incised ware'. It has a
round bottom and is bowl-shaped, although it is small enough to be
considered a cup and was probably designed to hold food and
drink.
The cup's
exterior is incised with diamonds filled with cross hatching,
perhaps derived from designs used in basket work. Other motifs
include herringbone patterns and other geometric shapes with smooth
and incised areas. The incised decoration was applied to the pot
before the clay was dry. The vessel was fired to leave a black or
sometimes a red finish, which was highly polished. Finally, white
pigment was rubbed into the incisions to make the pattern stand
out. The remains of the white pigment can be seen in some areas on
this cup, but most is now
lost.
The C-Group culture
developed around 2300 BC and their economy was based on rearing
animals, mainly cattle. Permanent settlements multiplied, the more
advanced ones containing stone houses, and chiefdoms emerged.
Jewellery of bone, shell, stone and faience was made and leather
garments were worn. Chiefs traded peacefully with the Egyptians
until they gained political domination and C-Group traditions died
out by around 1600 BC.