Abstract
Ceramics in the Sahara are a fascinating subject of research, not least because they appeared very early. It has been present since the early Holocene (10thmillennium BC) in the central Sahara and the Nile Valley, and available data indicate independent invention in different areas. The study of decoration allows us to distinguish different cultural groups in ancient times. The wide distribution of certain types of decoration, sometimes on a Saharan scale, indicates contacts and exchanges, even if modes of distribution change over time. Different approaches to the analysis of ceramic ornamentation have been developed, and the importance of the technique and tool used to apply the decoration is widely accepted. Archaeometric analyses not only lead to the identification of the chemical composition of clay, which helps to identify the sources of raw materials and thus to trace distribution patterns, but they also improve our knowledge of the function of vessels and ancient dietary habits.
