Pottery - Serving and Eating

This household jug was used for pouring water, wine, or a mix of the two. People of all ages and social statuses drank wine in the ancient world, making wine-bibbing then much more common than in our own society. The importance of the products of the vine is underlined by the jug's painted decoration.
Jug with grapevine decoration
KM 20023
3rd to mid-4th c AD
Karanis, Egypt

Filtered water jars were designed to keep unwanted elements out of water indended for drinking or cooking. In this case, the filter (at the base of the neck of the pot) is quite simple, but some filters could be quite decorative. A much smaller filtered jar could be used to fill oil lamps
Spouted jar with filter
KM 8082
2nd-5th c AD
Karanis, Egypt

When this large shallow dish was first accessioned by the Kelsey Museum, it was labelled a 'culinary mixing bowl', but it was more probably used to serve cooked food. The lamb symbol stamped inside may be evidence of the spread of Christianity into Egypt, invoking the 'Lamb of God' imagery used by early Christians.

Compare this platter with the fragment of another dish from Karanis.

African Red Slip Vessel with Stamped Decoration
KM 7167
6th c AD
Karanis, Egypt 		Lamb
Center detail of KM 7167

This bowl is an import to Karanis, coming from production centers further west on the North African coast. African red-slip ware was considered 'fine' tableware, and in some households it would have been used only on special occasions. By contrast, the coarser jugs (such as the two shown above) were made locally and used frequently, probably for transporting, storing and serving liquids. This type of imported dinnerware would have been more expensive than the local coarsewares represented in the domestic assemblage.
African Red Slip Vessel with Stamped Decoration
KM 20978
5th-6th c. AD
Karanis, Egypt		 Lamb
Center detail of KM 20978