Tracing Tangible Borderscapes Between the First and the Second Nile Cataracts Ceramics in the Ninth–Tenth Centuries CE

Abstract

This paper examines perspectives on ceramic production between the First and Second Nile Cataracts during the ninth and tenth centuries CE, by analysing how pottery reflects socio-cultural interactions across political frontiers. By focusing on ledged vases produced in Aswān and Faras, the study investigates differences in stylistic choices as adaptations shaped by interactions and experiences of potters working in the Egyptian-Nubian borderland. The theoretical framework draws on the concept of borderscapes, which emphasises complexity and fluidity of border landscapes as dynamic cultural zones.This paper examines perspectives on ceramic production between the First and Second Nile Cataracts during the ninth and tenth centuries CE, by analysing how pottery reflects socio-cultural interactions across political frontiers. By focusing on ledged vases produced in Aswān and Faras, the study investigates differences in stylistic choices as adaptations shaped by interactions and experiences of potters working in the Egyptian-Nubian borderland. The theoretical framework draws on the concept of borderscapes, which emphasises complexity and fluidity of border landscapes as dynamic cultural zones