Vast amounts of unglazed ceramic fragments—the remains of bottles, bowls, jars, storage containers, and other items essential to daily life—have been excavated at multiple sites in the Western Sudan region and even north of the Sahara at sites including Sijilmasa. Decorated with imprinted roulette patterns or slip-painted motifs, these vessels were used domestically for cooking and food storage. Such terracotta containers also transported commodities including grains and fish from Mali’s fertile Inland Niger Delta across vast distances.
