Faience: the ceramic technology of ancient Egypt - by Amelia Carolina Sparavigna, Archaeogate, 12-02-2012 ,
The term "faience" is commonly referred to a glazed earthenware, the use of which spread in Europe during the Renaissance from France and Italy [1]. The term was derived from Faenza, the town in Italy, where the glazed earthenware was mainly produced. The other name often used for this earthenware is "majolica". Majolica itself had a long tradition in the North African and Near East Islamic production of ceramic. In the 19th century, European archaeologists used the misleading name of "Egyptian faience" to designate the siliceous ceramics produced in the ancient Egypt. The ancient faience was a completely different material created to imitate the gloss and colour of gems and precious stones. This material started to be used in jewellery in Egypt and the Near East, about the fourth millennium BC [2], that is, during the predynastic age.
More at:
http://porto.polito.it/2489310/2/Faience_acs.pdf
At the Egyptian Museum, Torino
