Rejected pottery in Gebel Barkal: Revisiting the localisation of ceramic workshops in the Kingdom of Meroe (Sudan)

A significant pottery dump at Gebel Barkal, covering over 9500 square meters, provides evidence of ceramic workshops linked to the Great Temple of Amun during the Kingdom of Meroe (3rd–1st centuries B.C.). The highest concentration of rejected bread moulds—showing deformation, cracking, and melting—was found in the northwestern part, suggesting the workshop's proximity. These moulds, along with fragments of a Hellenized krater, indicate temple bakeries' extensive bread production for staff and pilgrims. This discovery refines our understanding of ceramic production and temple economy in ancient Sudan.

Malykh, S. E. (2022). Rejected pottery in Gebel Barkal: Revisiting the localisation of ceramic workshops in the Kingdom of Meroe (Sudan). Vostok. Afro-Aziatskie Obshchestva: Istoriia I Sovremennost, (5), 28. https://doi.org/10.31857/s086919080018487-2