Abstract:
A unique potmark was identified on a ceramic vessel (49357) in the Auckland War Memorial Museum Tamaki Paenga Hira. The vessel was acquired by Lt. Col. F. Waite in Egypt during the early twentieth century. Potmarks are found on ceramic vessels from the Predynastic and Early Dynastic periods of Egypt. Previous studies have examined potmarks to identify what they may refer to. The previously unrecognised potmark on 49357 has no direct parallel in existing corpora. The existence of this potmark raises issues regarding the interpretation of potmarks on ceramic vessels and the interpretations that can be drawn from them.