An Egyptian Black-Mouth Pot Predynastic Culture Naqada I Period, Circa 4000-3500 BC Earthenware Height 31 cm Diameter 13 cm. Reference F. Tiradritti, 'The Cairo Museum Masterpieces of Egyptian Art', 1998. Note Pottery is the one artefact which survives most readily in the archaeological record, it's broken fragments being almost indestructible. Black-mouth pots were produced during the Naqada I period and are characterized by a dark band around their rim. The remainder of the exterior surface is coloured red with haematite, while the interior is entirely black. This two-tone effect was obtained by up-ending the pot in a layer of slow-burning coals. The lack of oxygen had the effect of carbonizing the surface, thus blackening the clay