Egyptian pottery includes all objects of fired clay from Ancient Egypt. First and foremost, ceramics served as household wares for the storage, preparation, transport, and consumption of food, drink, and raw materials. Such items include beer and wine mugs and water jugs, but also bread molds, fire pits, lamps, and stands for holding round vessels, which were all commonly used in the Egyptian household. Other types of pottery served ritual purposes. Ceramics are often found as grave goods.
Faience
Egyptian faience is frequently discussed in surveys of ancient pottery, as in stylistic and art-historical terms, objects made of it are closer to pottery styles than Egyptian glass.
Egyptian faience was very widely used for small objects, from beads to small statues, and is found in both elite and popular contexts. It was the most common material for scarabs and other forms of amulet and ushabti figures, and it was used in most forms of Egyptian jewellery, as the glaze made it smooth against the skin.
2. Bowl, c. 200–150 BC. Metropolitan Museum of Art.
3. Ushabti, c. 1294–1279 BC. Louvre. (c) Rama
4. Vases probably used for the funeral of Rameses II.
5. Senet gameboard, with counters and sliding drawer to contain them, c. 1390-1353 BC. Inscribed with name of King Amenhotep III. Brooklyn Museum.
6. Cup with Lotus decoration. Louvre. (c) Loic Evanno
Clay
Egyptian potters employed a broad range of decorative techniques and motifs, many of which are characteristic of specific periods.
2. Pot with depiction of a galloping horse from the 18th Dynasty. Neues Museum, Berlin. (c) Didia
3. Storage vessel with blue decoration from the 18th Dynasty. Neues Museum, Berlin. (c) Didia
4. Vase with painting in the scenic style from the tomb of Kha and Merit, 18th dynasty, Deir el-Medina. Egyptian Museum, Turin. (c) Didia
Digital Maps of the Ancient World 