Egyptian Pottery Distribution in A-Group Cemeteries,Lower Nubia: Towards an Understanding of Exchange Systems between the Naqada Culture and the A-Group Culture *

Abstract

This paper explores exchange systems in the Predynastic and Early Dynastic Nile valley by examining distribution patterns of Egyptian pottery vessels in A-Group cemeteries of Lower Nubia. So-called ‘Hard Orange Ware’ vessels, manufactured within the Naqada culture area, were widely distributed along the valley, from the Delta to the Second Cataract region and beyond. Their presence in A-Group cemeteries, imported from the north, provides suitable material for investigating exchange systems between Naqada and A-Group societies. Quantitative analyses, including those on form assemblages and ‘fall-off patterns’, are applied, with the aim of elucidating distribution patterns, which may indicate developing complexity in exchange systems in Lower Nubia as complex societies developed within the Naqada culture.