Cup

Cream coloured fine ceramic cup painted with foliage sprigs and leaves. Flowers are light brown inside, with dark brown outlines. The vessel is restored from a few ancient sherds and modern reconstruction with painted plaster. Highly-skilled potters at Meroe produced beautiful ceramics so delicate that archaeologists call it ‘eggshell ware’. Using potter’s wheels they shaped very fine clay into thin walled cups, beakers and bowls used for formal tableware. The floral painted patterns on this cup were inspired by Greek ceramics.