Category:
Containers and related objects, vessels, new year flasks
Date:
Ancient Egyptian period, Late Period (664-332 BCE)
Provenance:
Lower Egypt, Alexandria, Nelson Island
Material(s):
Man made material, faience
Hall:
Nelson Island Collection, showcase 34
Description
Faience flask of the new year from the Hypogean Tomb “Edimon 2”. It bears two hieroglyphic inscriptions on its shoulders. The neck is missing.
New Year flasks
These flasks were so-called because in their inscriptions "New Year" is often quoted. In Ancient Egypt, the beginning of the new year coincided with the arrival of the Nile flood. It has been suggested that such flasks contained water from the Nile bottled on that occasion; or possibly some other liquid, bottled on that occasion for ritual purposes.
The information given here is subject to modification/update as a result of ongoing research.
References
- Mona Serry, ed., Bibliotheca Alexandrina: Antiquities Museum, introduction by Ismail Serageldin (Alexandria: Bibliotheca Alexandrina. Antiquities Museum, 2015): 260-261, 336.