A fine pottery industry developed at the site of Meroe in the Sudan north of Khartoum in the first centuries of the common era. Although the inspiration may have come from contact with the Mediterranean civilizations to the north, this was a local Sudanese development. This globular jar has been restored from many pieces that were recovered by the John Garstang excavations at Meroe in 1909-1910. This globular bowl is made of a fine eggshell ware made of a very fine marl clay. Where the short vertical rim meets the shoulder of the vessel there has been drawn a red line. The body of the vessel has been decorated with an impressed diamond-shape design. It is uncertain what sort of a tool was used to make this decoration and whether or not the impressions were done individually with a stamping tool or in multiples, perhaps by rolling a tool across the surface of the vessel. (Rexine Hummel & S.B. Shubert)