Ancient Egyptian Ritual of “Smashing the Red Pottery” (sd dsr.wt) and Red Ceramics of the Old Kingdom
Malykh Svetlana E.
The article is devoted to the problem of interpretation and material fixation of the ritual of “smashing the red pottery” on the basis of a complex analysis of written, iconographical and archaeological sources. The author comes to the conclusion that the ritual sd dSr.wt was performed at the final stage of funeral rites and was intended to protect the body of the deceased and the burial place from any evil. Bowls and jars of any type could be used for the ritual, but the main requirement was the red colour. No special utensils for the “smashing the red pottery” ritual were manufactured either in the Old Kingdom, or later.
Keywords: Ancient Egypt, Old Kingdom, ritual of “smashing the red pottery”, Ancient Egyptian funeral rites, Ancient Egyptian ceramics