Sphero-conical Vessels from the Ayyubid Wall in Cairo
A Typology (11th–15th c.)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/jia.v3i2.32827Keywords:
medieval Cairo, spher-conical vessels, typology, Aswan clayAbstract
During the archaeological excavations along the medieval walls of Cairo, undertaken by the Aga Khan Cultural Services and the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology in Cairo, a large amount of pottery has been discovered that can be dated from the Fatimid Period until the modern times. Within the Ayyubid and Mamluk layers a number of sphero-conical vessels have been identified. Made from a hard dense clay, these vessels are cooked to a high temperature and are coated with a purplish slip that sometimes appears shiny. The stratigraphy of the site has unfortunately not provided any clue concerning the function of these artefacts; however, very useful information with regard to dating can be understood. These containers can be divided into two different chronological groupings: Firstly, the Ayyubid era, which can be divided in two sub-groups; and secondly, the Mamluk era, represented by vessels exhibiting incised “scales” as decoration and in rare cases, a glazed surface. A number of similar containers from the Fatimid era can be added to the chronological-typology in order to show a kind of “prototype” to these spheroconical vessels. These vessels seem to be made of the same type of clay and are coated with the same slip.
References
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Adhal, K.
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Avissar, M.
2014. “ The ceramic finds from the Late Roman to the Ottoman periods at Bet She?an (Youth Hostel).” ?Atiqot 77: 65–146.
Bagatti, P. B.
1953. “Bombe a ‘fuoco greco’ in Palestina (VIII-XIII secolo).” Faenza, Bollettino del Museo Internazionale Delle Ceramiche in Faenza 39: 35–38.
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1930. La céramique musulmane de l’Égypte. Cairo: Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale.
Bilkadi, Z.
1995. “The oil weapons.” Saudi Aramco World 46(1): 22–27.
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2011. . “La céramique de la période fatimide à Tinnîs: Premier état de la question.” Cahier de la Céramique Égyptienne 9: 95–139.
Brosh, N.
1980. “A re-examination of Islamic ceramic grenades.” ?Atiqot 14, 114–115. Jerusalem: Department of Antiquities and Museums.
Christides, V.
1993 . “Naf?.” Encyclopédie de l’Islam VII: 885–887. Leiden: Brill.
1994. De Bagdad à Ispahan. Manuscrits islamiques de la Filiale de Saint-Pétersbourg de l’Institut d’Etudes orientales, Académie des Sciences de Russie. Exhibition at Musée du Petit Palais, 14 October 1994 – 8 January 1995. Paris: Paris – Musées.
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Dumarçais, J.
1965. “Eolipiles.” Syria 42: 75–-79.
Ettinghausen, R.
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1982. “Les fouilles de la municipalité de Beyrouth (1977).” Syria 59: 1–76.
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2009. “Assemblages de céramiques égyptiennes et témoins de production, datés par les fouilles d’Is?abl ‘Antar, Fustat (ixe-xe siècles).” In Actes du VIIIe congrès de l’AIECM2, Ciudad Real-Almagro, 27 février-3 mars 2006, edited by J. Zozaja, M. Retuerce, M.A. Hervás and A. de Juan, 171–192. Ciudad Real: Asociación Española de Arqueologìa Medieval.
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1992. “A sphero-conical vessel as fuqqa’a, or a gourd for ‘beer’.” Muqarnas 9: 72–92. https://doi.org/10.2307/1523137
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1986. Islamic Technology: An Illustrated History. Paris: Unescco.
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1951. “Aeolipiles as fire-blowers.” Archaeologia 44: 27–55. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261340900007207
Imbert, F.
2008. “Une nouvelle inscription de Saladin sur la muraille ayyûbide du Caire,” Annales Islamologiques 42: 409-421.
Kawatoko, M.
1992. Excavations of al-Fustat 1978-1985, vol. 2, edited by K. Sakurai. Tokyo: University of Waseda (in japanese).
Lane, A.
1947. Early Islamic Pottery, London: Faber and Faber.
Luschley-Schmeisser, I.
1998. “Ein Tropf-gefäss mit gesichtertem inhalt,” Res Orientales XI, Parfums d’Orient: 151-158.
Masson, A., M. Naguib and M. Shafey.
2012. “Overview of the ceramic productions from Luxor town mound.” Bulletin de liaison de la Céramique Égyptienne 23: 125–145.
Mercier, M.
1952. Le feu Grégeois, les feux de guerres depuis l’Antiquité, la poudre à canon. Paris: Librairie Orientaliste Paul Geuthner.
Milwright, M.
2008. The Fortress of the Raven, Karak in the Middle Islamic Period (1100–1650). Islamic History and Civilization 72. Leiden: Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/ej.9789004165199.I-445
Mouton, J.-M.
2010. ?adr, une forteresse de Saladin au Sinaï: Histoire et archéologie. Mémoires de l’Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres 43(1-2). Paris: De Boccard Edition.
Partington, J. R.
1960. A History of Greek Fire and Gunpowder. Cambridge: Heffer and Sons.
Pentz, P.
1988. “A medieval workshop of producing Greek fire grenade.” Antiquity 62(234): 89–93. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003598X00073531
Pradines, S. and D. Laville, M. Matkowski, J. Monchamp, N. O’Hora, M. Suleyman and T. Zurrud.
2009. “Excavations of the archeological triangle: 10 years of archaeological excavations in Fatimid Cairo (2000 to 2009).” Mishkah 4: 177–219.
Prag, K.
2006. “Defensive ditches in Ottoman fortifications in Bil?d al-Šam.” In Muslim Military Architecture in Greater Syria: From the Coming of Islam to the Ottoman period, edited by H. Kennedy, 295–306. Leiden: Brill.
Riis P. J. and V. Poulsen.
1957. Hama IV, 2: Fouilles et recherches de la Fondation Carlsberg 1931–1938 : Les verreries et poteries médiévales. Copenhagen: Fondation Carlsberg.
Rogers, J. M.
1969. “Aeolipiles again.” In Forschungen zur Kunst Asiens in Memoriam Kurt Erdmann, edited by Kurt Erdmann, Oktay Aslanapa and Rudolf Naumann, 147–158. Istanbul: Istanbul Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi, Türk ve Islâm Sanati Kürsüsü.
Ruszczyc, B.
1962. “Des bombes mameluks.” Bulletin du Musée national de Varsovie 3(3): 87–88.
Salamé-Sarkis, H.
1980. Contribution à l’histoire de Tripoli et de sa région à l’époque des croisades, problèmes d’histoire, d’architecture et de céramique. Paris: Institut français d’archéologie du Proche-Orient.
Sauvaget, J.
1949. “Flacons à vin ou grenades à ‘feu grégeois’.” Annuaire de l’Institut de Philologie et d’Histoire Orientales et Slaves 9: 525–530.
Savage-Smith, E.
1997. “Sphero-conical vessels: A typology of forms and functions.” In Science, Tools and Magic, Part Two: Mundane Worlds, Volume XII Part 2, edited by E. Savage-Smith, 324–333. Oxford: The Nasser D. Khalily Collection of Islamic Art.
Seyrig, H.
1959. “Flacons ? grenades ? éolipiles?” Syria 36: 81–89.
Sezgin, F.
2002. Technology of Warfare, Texts and studies V. Natural sciences in Islam vol. 80. Frankfurt: Institute for the History of Arabic-Islamic Science.
Sharvit, J.
2008. “The sphero-conical vessels.” In Paneas II: Small Finds and Other Studies, edited by V. Tzaferis, and S. Israeli, 101–112. Jerusalem: Israel Antiquities Authority.
Stern, E. J.
2012. ?Akko I: The 1991–1998 Excavations. The Crusader-period Pottery. Israel Antiquities Authority Reports 51(1–2). Jerusalem: Israel Antiquities Authority.
Tzaferis, V. and S. Israeli.
2008. Paneas I: The Roman to Early Islamic Periods Excavations in Areas A, B, E, F, G and H. Israel Antiquities Authority Reports 37. Jerusalem: Israel Antiquities Authority.
Watson, O.
2004. Ceramics from Islamic Lands. Al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait National Museum. London: Thames & Hudson.
Whitcomb, D. S. and J. Johnson.
1979. Quseir al-Qadim 1978. Malibu, CA: American Research Center in Egypt Report.
1982. Quseir al-Qadim 1980. Malibu, CA: American Research Center in Egypt Report.
1978. “Dir?sa f? al-Fu??r al-Mi?r?: Qaw?r?r al-Naf?.” Islamic Archaeological Studies 1: 1–111.
Ab? ??li? al-Arman?
1895. The Churches and Monasteries of Egypt and Some Neighbouring Countries. Translated and edited by B.T.A. Evetts, notes by A.J. Butler. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Adhal, K.
1997. “Seven sphero-conical vessels in the Stockholm Museum.” Medelhavsmuseet Bulletin 30: 58–69.
1996. À l’ombre d’Avicenne, la Médecine au temps des Califes. Exhibition from 18 November 1996 to 2 March 1997. Paris: Institut du Monde Arabe.
Arnon, Y. D.
2007. “Pottery, oil lamps and carved stone vessels.” In Excavation in Marcus Street, Ramla, 38–99. Haifa: Contract Archaeology Reports II.
Avissar, M.
2014. “ The ceramic finds from the Late Roman to the Ottoman periods at Bet She?an (Youth Hostel).” ?Atiqot 77: 65–146.
Bagatti, P. B.
1953. “Bombe a ‘fuoco greco’ in Palestina (VIII-XIII secolo).” Faenza, Bollettino del Museo Internazionale Delle Ceramiche in Faenza 39: 35–38.
Bahgat, A. and F. Massoul.
1930. La céramique musulmane de l’Égypte. Cairo: Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale.
Bilkadi, Z.
1995. “The oil weapons.” Saudi Aramco World 46(1): 22–27.
Bonnéric, J. and Schmitt, A.
2011. . “La céramique de la période fatimide à Tinnîs: Premier état de la question.” Cahier de la Céramique Égyptienne 9: 95–139.
Brosh, N.
1980. “A re-examination of Islamic ceramic grenades.” ?Atiqot 14, 114–115. Jerusalem: Department of Antiquities and Museums.
Christides, V.
1993 . “Naf?.” Encyclopédie de l’Islam VII: 885–887. Leiden: Brill.
1994. De Bagdad à Ispahan. Manuscrits islamiques de la Filiale de Saint-Pétersbourg de l’Institut d’Etudes orientales, Académie des Sciences de Russie. Exhibition at Musée du Petit Palais, 14 October 1994 – 8 January 1995. Paris: Paris – Musées.
De Saulcy, M. F.
1874. “Note sur des projectiles à main, creux et en terre cuite, de fabrication arabe.” Mémoires de la Société Nationale des Antiquaires de France 35: 18–34.
Dumarçais, J.
1965. “Eolipiles.” Syria 42: 75–-79.
Ettinghausen, R.
1965. “The uses of sphero-conical vessels in the Muslim east.” Journal of Near Eastern Studies 24(3): 218–229. https://doi.org/10.1086/371816
Forest, Ch. and J. D. Forest.
1982. “Les fouilles de la municipalité de Beyrouth (1977).” Syria 59: 1–76.
François, V.
1999. Céramiques médiévales à Alexandrie. Contribution à l’histoire économique de la ville. Etudes Alexandrines 2. Cairo: Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale.
Gayraud, R.-P., J.-Ch. Tréglia and L. Vallauri.
2009. “Assemblages de céramiques égyptiennes et témoins de production, datés par les fouilles d’Is?abl ‘Antar, Fustat (ixe-xe siècles).” In Actes du VIIIe congrès de l’AIECM2, Ciudad Real-Almagro, 27 février-3 mars 2006, edited by J. Zozaja, M. Retuerce, M.A. Hervás and A. de Juan, 171–192. Ciudad Real: Asociación Española de Arqueologìa Medieval.
Gouchani, A. and C. Adle.
1992. “A sphero-conical vessel as fuqqa’a, or a gourd for ‘beer’.” Muqarnas 9: 72–92. https://doi.org/10.2307/1523137
Hassan, A. Y. and Hill, D. R.
1986. Islamic Technology: An Illustrated History. Paris: Unescco.
Hildburgh, F.S.A.
1951. “Aeolipiles as fire-blowers.” Archaeologia 44: 27–55. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261340900007207
Imbert, F.
2008. “Une nouvelle inscription de Saladin sur la muraille ayyûbide du Caire,” Annales Islamologiques 42: 409-421.
Kawatoko, M.
1992. Excavations of al-Fustat 1978-1985, vol. 2, edited by K. Sakurai. Tokyo: University of Waseda (in japanese).
Lane, A.
1947. Early Islamic Pottery, London: Faber and Faber.
Luschley-Schmeisser, I.
1998. “Ein Tropf-gefäss mit gesichtertem inhalt,” Res Orientales XI, Parfums d’Orient: 151-158.
Masson, A., M. Naguib and M. Shafey.
2012. “Overview of the ceramic productions from Luxor town mound.” Bulletin de liaison de la Céramique Égyptienne 23: 125–145.
Mercier, M.
1952. Le feu Grégeois, les feux de guerres depuis l’Antiquité, la poudre à canon. Paris: Librairie Orientaliste Paul Geuthner.
Milwright, M.
2008. The Fortress of the Raven, Karak in the Middle Islamic Period (1100–1650). Islamic History and Civilization 72. Leiden: Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/ej.9789004165199.I-445
Mouton, J.-M.
2010. ?adr, une forteresse de Saladin au Sinaï: Histoire et archéologie. Mémoires de l’Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres 43(1-2). Paris: De Boccard Edition.
Partington, J. R.
1960. A History of Greek Fire and Gunpowder. Cambridge: Heffer and Sons.
Pentz, P.
1988. “A medieval workshop of producing Greek fire grenade.” Antiquity 62(234): 89–93. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003598X00073531
Pradines, S. and D. Laville, M. Matkowski, J. Monchamp, N. O’Hora, M. Suleyman and T. Zurrud.
2009. “Excavations of the archeological triangle: 10 years of archaeological excavations in Fatimid Cairo (2000 to 2009).” Mishkah 4: 177–219.
Prag, K.
2006. “Defensive ditches in Ottoman fortifications in Bil?d al-Šam.” In Muslim Military Architecture in Greater Syria: From the Coming of Islam to the Ottoman period, edited by H. Kennedy, 295–306. Leiden: Brill.
Riis P. J. and V. Poulsen.
1957. Hama IV, 2: Fouilles et recherches de la Fondation Carlsberg 1931–1938 : Les verreries et poteries médiévales. Copenhagen: Fondation Carlsberg.
Rogers, J. M.
1969. “Aeolipiles again.” In Forschungen zur Kunst Asiens in Memoriam Kurt Erdmann, edited by Kurt Erdmann, Oktay Aslanapa and Rudolf Naumann, 147–158. Istanbul: Istanbul Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi, Türk ve Islâm Sanati Kürsüsü.
Ruszczyc, B.
1962. “Des bombes mameluks.” Bulletin du Musée national de Varsovie 3(3): 87–88.
Salamé-Sarkis, H.
1980. Contribution à l’histoire de Tripoli et de sa région à l’époque des croisades, problèmes d’histoire, d’architecture et de céramique. Paris: Institut français d’archéologie du Proche-Orient.
Sauvaget, J.
1949. “Flacons à vin ou grenades à ‘feu grégeois’.” Annuaire de l’Institut de Philologie et d’Histoire Orientales et Slaves 9: 525–530.
Savage-Smith, E.
1997. “Sphero-conical vessels: A typology of forms and functions.” In Science, Tools and Magic, Part Two: Mundane Worlds, Volume XII Part 2, edited by E. Savage-Smith, 324–333. Oxford: The Nasser D. Khalily Collection of Islamic Art.
Seyrig, H.
1959. “Flacons ? grenades ? éolipiles?” Syria 36: 81–89.
Sezgin, F.
2002. Technology of Warfare, Texts and studies V. Natural sciences in Islam vol. 80. Frankfurt: Institute for the History of Arabic-Islamic Science.
Sharvit, J.
2008. “The sphero-conical vessels.” In Paneas II: Small Finds and Other Studies, edited by V. Tzaferis, and S. Israeli, 101–112. Jerusalem: Israel Antiquities Authority.
Stern, E. J.
2012. ?Akko I: The 1991–1998 Excavations. The Crusader-period Pottery. Israel Antiquities Authority Reports 51(1–2). Jerusalem: Israel Antiquities Authority.
Tzaferis, V. and S. Israeli.
2008. Paneas I: The Roman to Early Islamic Periods Excavations in Areas A, B, E, F, G and H. Israel Antiquities Authority Reports 37. Jerusalem: Israel Antiquities Authority.
Watson, O.
2004. Ceramics from Islamic Lands. Al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait National Museum. London: Thames & Hudson.
Whitcomb, D. S. and J. Johnson.
1979. Quseir al-Qadim 1978. Malibu, CA: American Research Center in Egypt Report.
1982. Quseir al-Qadim 1980. Malibu, CA: American Research Center in Egypt Report.
Published
2017-02-15
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Articles
How to Cite
Monchamp, J. (2017). Sphero-conical Vessels from the Ayyubid Wall in Cairo: A Typology (11th–15th c.). Journal of Islamic Archaeology, 3(2), 195-207. https://doi.org/10.1558/jia.v3i2.32827
