Decorated Jar with Boat Scenes
Unknown Artist
c. 3300–3100 BCE
Medium
marl clay pottery
Dimensions
{"diameter":{"width":0.282},"diameter of mouth":{"width":0.152},"overall":{"height":0.32}}
Classification
Vessels
Department
Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust
Accession Number
1914.639
About this artwork
The decoration painted on this jar shows two multi-oared boats traveling through fertile riverbanks lined with trees and aloe bushes. Rows of triangles indicate the desert hills in the background. The Nile was Egypt’s primary means of transportation and communication, since river traffic was far more efficient than travel by land. The concept of boat travel permeated all aspects of Egyptian life and religion. The sun god Ra was believed to travel by boat across the heavens by day and through the...