Straw’ tempered ware

This research on pottery has three aspects. The ability to differentiate with trace elements different sedimentary units allowed us to conclude that pottery was produced from Nile deposits located in the immediate vicinity of the potter s workshop and kilns (25). The finer Plum Red Ware, most popular between ca. 4000 and 3400 B.C., and most common in cemeteries, was made from the same Nile sediments as the more common Straw Tempered Ware that dominated settlement ceramics. The Plum Red Ware was often fired in specific areas that may have behaved like natural wind tunnels (e.g., Locality 39 and 59 in Figure 1). Our more limited studies of Hard Orange Ware (a fine pottery most popular after about 3400-3200 B.C.) have shown that, although made from local Nile sediments, there was a significant... 

A third research theme suggested by our geochemical studies of Pre-dynastic ceramic technology at Hierakonpolis deals with the differences in methods of production between Plum Red and Straw Tempered wares. Initially, we suggested that the somewhat increased Ca content in the Plum Red Ware may have been due to the deliberate addition of Ca salts (27). The present studies of the wadi sediments and Unit C suggest, however, that the older Nile sediments contain an acid-soluble Ca phase deposited, much like the Fe, on the surface of particles. Finer grained particles with more surface area appear to contain most of this soluble Ca. This Ca probably originates from the Ca salt deposits in the older shale sediments that are redeposited from solution onto the Nile sediments. 

Figure 4. Normalized REE distribution curves for Masmas and Sahaba formations and ceramic materials from Hierakonpolis. Key O, typical pattern of Masmas silt , ceramic plum red ware produced from this silt A, typical pattern of the straw tempered ware , a waster from the kiln where some of this straw tempered ware was produced X, silt from the Sahaba formation that was used at this kiln. (A silt from the Arkin formation was identical to the Sahaba silt in REE concentrations.)...

---