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Article: Gifts of the Nile: ancient Egyptian faience.
- Article from:
- The Middle East
- Article date:
- March 1, 1999
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 IC Publications Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Ancient Egyptian Faience
Made from the sand of the desert but possessing the allure of gold and semi-precious gems, the ceramic today known as Egyptian faience was both a versatile and magical material. From late Predynastic to Roman times it was shaped into myriad objects, such as amulets, chalices, beads, jewellery, animal and human figurines, inkwells, dolls, game boards, inlays and tiles, and used by many Egyptians, especially royalty and the court circle.
Colourless when it entered the kiln, faience was transformed by firing into the sparkling blue of the Egyptian sky and a wide range of other scintillating colours.
More than just a ...