The Combed Jar as a Trade 'Brand' of the Early Bronze Age

Based on thin-section petrography and trace element analysis, a Combed jar from a Fourth Dynasty Giza tomb in Egypt, now in the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston MFA 37.1319), is identified as originating from the region between Byblos and Tripoli in Lebanon. The result is further secured by the presence of a distinctive applied potmark known primarily from the Central Levant. The jar belongs an extensive corpus of such vessels imported by the Egyptian state from the region. It is argued that the almost exclusive acquisition of two-handled Combed jars into Egypt during the Old Kingdom demonstrates product procurement strategies geared towards efficient supply on one hand, and cognitive reception on the other.