Early Ceramics- Predynastic Period
In Egypt, during the Predy-nastic Period, a wide variety of ceramic vessels were created. Many of different shapes and sizes, some smooth while others decorated with heiro-glyphics. One bowl that is an attention grabber was a simple, round bowl that has two sculpted feet on the underside. This piece particularly fascinating because the feet add a humorous element to the bowl whether it was intended or not. One could find the feet humorous because it looks as if the bowl could just walk away any moment and carry away whatever contents filled it. Although the feet are humorous, they were actually a three- dimensional hieroglyphic for the word w'b, meaning pure or clean.
This bowl fascinating because it has a particularly odd tilt to it that would make it seem that if contents were placed in it they could spill out onto the ground. These bowls were filled with purified water that spilled out onto the ground. Many of these bowls were found in cemeteries explaining the tilt even further. The offering of clear water that spilled onto the graves was seen as liberation for the dead.
Even though these facinating looking bowls were placed in cemeteries, It would be enjoyable to have one of them sitting in a house setting to remind one that humor can be found in anything, even something as serious as a bowl that was placed tombs.
