The House of Serenos. Clementina Caputo

IV). The closest parallels are from Elephantine,¹⁶ Kom el-Nana (Amarna),¹⁷ and El-Ashmunein,¹⁸ all dated within the span of the mid-fourth to the seventh century CE.

      The medium bowls with everted rims and almost hemispherical bodies (Pl. II: nos. 39–41, Group 6) occur mainly in the contexts below floors of Room 9 and Street 2; only two examples come above floors, in Room 4 (DSU 23) and Room 8 (DSU 102) (Phases II–III). The exterior surface of these bowls is often blackened by soot, and the top of their rims is rarely decorated with wavy lines on cream or white color. The rim diameter ranges between 18 and 25 cm. Similar shapes are attested at Ismant el-Kharab/Kellis (early Roman period),¹⁹ at Elephantine (end of first–end of fourth/beginning of fifth century CE),²⁰ and at Kom el-Nana at Amarna (400–700 CE).²¹

2.1.2. Dishes

      Four different types of dishes have been identified so far (Pl. II: nos. 42–46, Group 7). No. 42 (Group 7a) is has a low shape with flanged rim and carinated walls, the base of which is missing. It is made of A1a fabric and has the red slip only on the inner side. The dish imitates in its shape the Eastern Sigillata B Ware,22 but on the outside of the rim, instead of the rouletting, a layer of painted cream color is present. The Egyptian copies of these Eastern Sigillata dishes are attested, both in ceramic and faïence,²³ in most of the Egyptian sites occupied during the Roman imperial period. The closest parallels for the example in the catalogue are from Elephantine,²⁴ El-Ashmunein,²⁵ Tebtynis,²⁶ and Mons Claudianus,²⁷ dated from the first half of the first to the third century CE. The dish no. 43 (Group 7b) has a pronounced bead rim and sharply carinated body. The base is missing. The surfaces are plain and pinkish. The shape resembles some casseroles with a flat base produced during the Roman period, but there are no traces of cooking on it. In Area 2.1, these types are mainly spread in the dumped material below floors (Phase II). Similar vessels are attested at Elephantine,²⁸ Tebtynis,²⁹ and Mons Claudianus,³⁰ dated within the first to second century CE.

      The small vessels nos. 44 and 45 (Pl. II, Group 7c) have everted rims and a shallow carinated body. The bases are missing. They are made of A1a fabric, and only one of them has a decoration on top of the rim, consisting of red dots on cream color (no. 45); the other one (no. 44) has plain surfaces, orange in color. The latter has been reused as an ostracon. The Greek text (O.Trim. 1.446) is written on the outer side of the sherd and is incomplete, with only a few letters preserved.³¹ The date suggested for the text on the basis of stratigraphy is ca. 275–350 CE. The shapes of both examples in the catalogue recall a type of bowl/dish with carinated contour and rounded base widespead during the Ptolemaic period in Egypt, and they have very close parallels in some specimens found in the Ptolemaic deposits at Mut el-Kharab.³² However, the physical characteristics of the Amheida pieces would suggest a later date, that is, the Roman period. They have been found in two units located below the floors of Room 2 (DSU 49) and Room 10 (DSU 241), in which most of the ceramic fragments are dated between the first century BCE and the early fourth century CE (Phase II).

      The small dish no. 46 (Pl. II, Group 7d) has a flat flared rim and molded body; the base is missing. A decoration is visible on top of the rim, which consists of wavy red painted lines and spiral motifs on cream color.³³ The fragment is blackened by soot on the external surface and on the rim, suggesting that it was reused as a lid. Traces of red slip are still visible under the black layer. The amount of soot on it suggests that the vessel was reused as a lid. It has been found in one of the units above floor (DSU 157) in Room 15 (Phase III). The closest parallels are from El-Ashmunein, were several examples have been found in the South Church contexts,³⁴ and some similar shapes are attested from Elephantine,³⁵ Kom el-Nana,³⁶ and Tod,³⁷ all of them are dated between the second half of the fourth and the mid-seventh centuries CE.

2.1.3. Oasis Red Slip Ware (ORSW)

      The fine wares with red slipped surfaces are attested on several sites in both Dakhla (Oasis Red Slip Ware) and Kharga Oases (Kharga Red Slip Ware).38 The vessels in the catalogue (Pl. III, Group 8) are predominantly bowls, which occur with either wide flanged rims (nos. 47–51, Group 8a), sometimes with areas of modelling on them (no. 54, Group 8d) or direct simple rims (nos. 52–53, Group 8b-c). They normally have simple convex sides, and the bases are either round, flat, or with a low ring. The rim diameters range from 9 cm, in the small-sized bowls, to 28 cm, in the largest examples. Restricted forms are rare among the assemblages; only one base of fragmentary closed form (no. 55, Group 8e) is attested so far.

      All examples are made of A27 fabric, with red-fired body and shiny red/red-orange slipped interior and exterior surfaces. In Area 2.1, the ORSW occur only in the occupation levels (0.61%), dated to the second half of the fourth century CE (Phase III). The closest parallels are from Alexandria,³⁹ Douch/Kysis,⁴⁰ Ismant el-Kharab/Kellis, Mut el-Kharab,⁴¹ and Ain el-Gedida,⁴² and are generally dated between the beginning of the fourth century CE and the fifth century CE.⁴³

2.1.4. Liquid Vessels

      The large family of liquid vessels includes several forms related in particular to the service of beverages, costrels, jugs, and flagons (Pls. III–IV, Group 9). This family is not one of the richest among the ceramic material from Area 2.1 (2.9%), but its chronology extends from the Roman period to Late Antiquity. The different shapes can be organized at least in nine sub-groups.

      The first group listed consists of handled costrels with strainer (Pl. III: nos. 56–59, Group 9a). The oval or irregularly-shaped handles are joined below the rim or on the neck, terminating on the shoulder. The strainer generally has one central hole, surrounded by four to five additional holes of a similar size. These containers are made of A1b and A5 fabrics, with cream or white slipped surfaces. Generally, these types occur in the dumped materials levelled below floors of Area 2.1 (Phase II). They were common in the Eastern desert, where the closest parallels are from Mons Claudianus,⁴⁴ dated to the mid-first to second century CE. Only one specimen (no. 58), with a complete spout applied on the shoulder, has been found at Amheida in a late occupation level (Room 13, DSU 207, Phase III). Its shape is very similar to those attested at Elephantine,⁴⁵ dated to the third–fourth century CE, and similar shapes are also very common in Antinoopolis, the Theban area, and Koptos,⁴⁶ dated to the fifth–sixth century CE.

      The jugs nos. 60–61 (Pl. III, Group 9b) are not so abundant in Area 2.1 (only 5 MNI in total). The examples in the catalogue come from stratigraphic units located above the floors of Room 4 and Room 15 (Phase III). The shape is characterized by double-lipped rim with a broad, approximately cylindrical neck, and handles, rising from the edge, sit vertically on the shoulder. One of the pieces (no. 60) has the rim slightly pinched on the part opposite to the handle. The two bottles nos. 62–63 (Pl. III, Group 9c) also have pinched, in-turned rims, forming a cup mouth, sloping shoulders; only in one case (no. 62) is the handle still preserved. All of them are made of A1a fabric, except for no. 63, which is made of B10 fabric. The few parallels found are from Elephantine and are dated to the third–fourth century CE;⁴⁷ for nos. 62–63, similar examples have been found also in El-Ashmunein contexts,⁴⁸ dating to the fourth-fifth century CE.

      Single-handled trefoil flagons (Pl. III: nos. 65–67, Group 9e) are attested from both above and below floors (Phases II–III). No. 65 comes from one of the dump layers below Street 2 (DSU 368). It is made of forty pieces, most of which join to complete the entire profile of the vessel. The in-turned rim forms a cup-mouth on a Medium-tall neck, ovoid body, and high foot-ring base. The vessel is made of a very soft peach-colored fabric, and the exterior surface has a thick orange slip layer. It is probably an Aswan ware production, where these vessels were used for boiling water.⁴⁹ However, some parallels are also found at Mons Claudianus, dated to the first–second century CE,⁵⁰ and Bir Showish (Bahariya), where some table amphoras have been found in House 3 with the same cup-mouth and rib