Not Sweating the Small Stuff

Souvenirs from Ancient Egypt

In this post I'm going to try to work up something very small and perhaps not significant into something mildly interesting. If I fail, please be kind!

About 15 years ago, Dr Somebody van Macklenberg, a Portuguese archaeologist friend of my father, sent me what he described as a night lamp. 3000 years old. And made of orange pottery.

Something to be put beside a bed.

This for me wonderful object came in a very large cardboard box from a dig in Egypt. After excavating away layers and layers of newspaper, I found the inch-wide lamp at the centre.

More recently, it's been suggested this ancient artifact was in fact a domestic votive dish ... for unguents offered to gods.

Either way, it's been on my desk ever since - and I look at it more than from time to time. It seems to stimulate my imagination. Big time.

And I was reminded of my treasure when I came across a tiny shard in the desert when I was walking from Aswan in Upper Egypt ...


... across the desert ...


... to an early Christian monestry (St Mark's?) ...

I sometimes wonder what my shard was originally part of.

It's slightly concave. Thin. The 'outside' incised with close concentric circles. Each filled with dark colour.

Any ideas guys?

Suggestions will lead to further imaginings - of course!