Egyptian Ritual Vessels and their Adoption in Etruria

From archaic Etruria many Egyptian and Egyptianizing pottery vessels are known. Such vessels seem to have been designed for ritual purposes, as is indicated at least by their size, shape and decoration. While some of these vessels were produced in Egypt and then exported to Etruria, others which followed the Egyptian prototypes were made in various parts of the Eastern Mediterranean and sent from there to Etruria, again others following either the Egyptian originals or their East Mediterranean imitations were produced in Etruria itself. The provenance of these vessels as well as their place in ancient art history have been discussed at various occasions, sometimes quite controversially, but could still not be clarified. The relevant vessels from Egypt, which provided the basis for any imitations from outside of Egypt, have hardly been documented. And no scholar has ever touched upon the question of the original function of the vessels, their use in the ceremonies and festivals of Egypt, or their place in Egyptian religion. The relevant pottery classes, which are all of the Third Intermediate and Late Periods, will now be subjected to a thorough study, in the course of which they shall be examined under a perspective of both, art history and history of religion. For practical reasons, this study will be limited to Egyptian faience vessels and their imitations; Egyptian clay vessels, which were also imitated in Etruria, will be spared for further studies. The focus will first be on the finds from Egypt, then on those from Nubia and the areas bordering the Mediterranean Sea, with special reference to those from Etruria. Questions concerning the reception of the objects as well as the possible adoption of their function and meaning by the other peoples will be addressed. Answers will be given with reference to the indigenous cultures of those peoples, focussing on the Etruscans; cultures like that of the Greeks or the Phoenicians, in which the same objects appeared as foreign elements, will be referred to in comparison. It is supposed that the Egyptian ritual vessels were accepted in Etruria in the same or some similar way as they were in Egypt, that they attest to an adoption of aspects of the Egyptian religion, and that they may even give evidence for cultural change in Etruria, which was induced by contacts with Egypt. The Egyptian ritual vessels and their imitations seem to be prime examples of an intercultural communication between Etruscans and the people of Egypt. Such intercultural communication is supposed to have developed as a consequence of commercial enterprises, not as a result of migration. By describing such intercultural communication, the study dedicated to the Egyptian ritual vessels and their imitations will go far beyond the actual subject and contribute to a new understanding of the history of the ancient Mediterranean world.

From archaic Etruria many Egyptian and Egyptianizing vessels are known. Such vessels have been designed for ritual purposes, as is indicated by their size, shape and decoration. Whilst some of them where produced in Egypt and then exported to Etruria, others imitating the Egyptian prototypes were made in various parts of the East Mediterranean and from there shipped to Etruria, again others following either the Egyptian originals or their East Mediterranean counterparts were produced in Etruria itself. The provenance of any such vessels and their place in ancient art history have been discussed at various occasions, sometimes quite controversially, but could as yet not be identified. The relevant examples from Egypt, which provided the basis for any imitations from elsewhere, have hardly been studied. And no scholar has touched upon the question of the original function of these vessels, their practical use in the ceremonies and festivals of Egypt, or their place in ancient Egyptian religion. In the course of this project, the relevant Egyptian pottery classes, which are all of Third Intermediate and Late Period date, were for the first time studied as classes of objects and under the perspective of both, art history and history of religion. For practical reasons the study was confined to faience vessels only excluding some equally problematic classes of clay vessels of the same period. First the formal and functional spectrum of such vessels in their country of origin was defined. Then questions as to the receptive behaviour of the Etruscans were raised. These questions were answered with regard to their own cultural background and in comparison to other civilizations, in which the same vessels appeared again as foreign objects. Thus the project contributes to the study of Egyptian pottery of the early first millennium BC and to our understanding of intercultural communication throughout the ancient Mediterranean world. In the focus of the study were rare vessel types like the so-called Bokchoris vase, but also the more frequent hedgehog vases or vases in the shape of a squatting human being or ape holding a vessel with his or its hands. Situlae and so-called New Years Flasks, two abundantly documented classes, were also studied. The project has led to a number of new insights. All vessel types could be understood as genuinely Egyptian products and described along the general lines of the development of Egyptian pottery. Production centres in Egypt could be proposed for the various classes, sometimes with stronger arguments sometimes on still more hypothetical grounds. In most cases the practical purpose of the vessels could be identified. All vessels are related to burials and have been used for a number of specific burial practices, for which they were exclusively made. The examples from Etruria showed to have been used basically in a properly Egyptian way and only in some minor aspects adapted to local habits or ideas.