Publisher's Synopsis
This work treats the main religious motifs in the decoration of Meroitic painted and stamped pottery, via examination of published and unpublished material from several sites of Meroitic Kush. The source material ranges from the first to the fourth century A.D. The main religious motifs were identified by viewing them in their original Egyptian format first and in their Napatan and Meroitic recast next, with their individual significance indicated. The analysis of the data leads the author to interpretations and insights into the meanings of these motifs as well as their incidences and distribution within Meroitic Kush. The results show that there are manifest religious concepts underlying the decoration of Meroitic painted and stamped pottery. The main motifs did not function only as decorative elements but rather with symbolic religious meanings. The work thus offers a contribution to efforts at exploring fields of cognitive archaeology in Meroitic studies.