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The Old Kingdom "kohl-pot" and its reinterpretation

Publication at Faculty of Arts |
2016

Abstract

The article aims to interpret the so-called "kohl pot" in the Old Kingdom. There are only several vessels of this type that have been discovered and published so far.

All of them come from burial contexts, and although some of them have been described as cosmetic jars, there is no reason as to why. The author of the present study has arrived at another interpretation based on the archaeological contexts of the vessels and on iconography.

The position of the vessels in burial chambers, as well as their depictions in the Old Kingdom reliefs, rather point to their usage by ancient scribes as water pots.