A Cargo of Islamic Ceramics from the Eighteenth-Century Sadana Island Shipwreck in the Red Sea: Typology, Form and Function of Qulal and Other Shapes

• Other Authors: Braun, Kathy J. (authoraut)
• Format: Others
• Language: English; English
• Published: Florida State University
• Subjects: Anthropology; Archaeology; History
• Online Access: http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_migr_etd-3089

Study of the eighteenth-century Sadana Island ship and the cargo it was transporting is an opportunity to add to our understanding of Ottoman-era Muslim seafaring. The Sadana Island shipwreck was explored by Cheryl Ward during excavation seasons in 1995, 1996, and 1998 with INA-Egypt and with the cooperation of the Egyptian authorities. Of four vessels of similar size and with similar cargo complements which have been located in the northern Red Sea, the only accessible site with substantial hull remains is the Sadana Island shipwreck. The qulal assemblage excavated from the Sadana Island shipwreck was one component of the main cargo of an Islamic trading vessel northward bound toward Cairo and the Suez. Unlike luxurious Chinese porcelains, earthenware water jars are representative of daily life for Middle Eastern families of the time. Needed by every household, the jars were used, broken, and replaced regularly. This constant demand made qulal a good choice for the trading vessel to load and a good product for potters to manufacture. This thesis is an attempt to catalog, type, and compare these previously unstudied vessels in order to understand their place within the Sadana Island shipwreck and the culture in which they were a part. === A Thesis submitted to the Department of Anthropology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. === Summer Semester, 2005. === May 10, 2005. === Trade, Ottoman, Islamic, Red Sea, Sadana Island, Water Jars, Archaeology, Shipwreck, Ceramics, Pottery === Includes bibliographical references. === Cheryl A. Ward, Professor Directing Thesis; Rochelle A. Marrinan, Committee Member; Daniel J. Pullen, Committee Member.