Pottery Practical

General

Fabric:

Colour – Oxydised / Reduced atmosphere

Coarse / Fine Ware

Inclusions – frequency / size range / angularity or roundness / well or ill-sorted /(Quartz or Limestone)

Hardness

Hand-built / Wheel-thrown

Burnished / Unburnished / Slip / Glaze

Decorated / Plain – Comb / Ring / Ring & Dot / Applique / Painted / En Barbotine / Rouletting

Iron Age:

Generally hand-built (except a few in the Late IA – i.e. Dragonby)

Did not use kilns – clamps or bonfires / different oxidising conditions over pot surfaces can often be seen

with different colourations

Decoration normally applied at Leather Hard Stage

May be deliberately left coarse on outside for grip – n.b. whilst smooth on inside though!

Ash layer can produce grey/darker colouration

Schumorphism reflecting objects in other materials

Evidence of use – wear / burnt residues / sooting (at least 20 different patterns of)

If conserved glue size can darken material

Gallo-Belgic Wares:

15 BCE through to invasion period (43 CE in S / 71 CE in N)

Wheel-made

Named after Gallia Belgic Province (NE France / Low Countries)

Chronology established by known occupations of two Roman forts on R.Lippe and extended by known

occupation of other forts to 69CE / Civil Wars following Nero’s death brought to an end

Terra Nigra – fine, white fabric, fumed black surface

Terra Rubra – fine, orange / red

Two vessel forms – platters & cups

Modelled on Arretine Ware (as was samian)

Literate & Illiterate stamps

All locally found at Redcliffe, N.Ferriby – probably traded goods or diplomatic gifts

Early Roman Period:

Amphora

Bulk liquid container of the Mediterranean

Thick, granular fabric

Often classified by Dressel #

Dressel 20 most common in Britain – globular in form / Olive Oil from Spain, 1^st-3^rdC

Variety of marks on exterior – stamps / painted inscription (Fituli Picti) with 5 components

/ inscriptions on seal/lid (sealed with cork, then mortar, then resin seal)

Mortaria

Heavy kitchen bowl with roughened interior & spout in a hard fabric

Shape changes through time – spout well-formed in early period / not so well-formed later

Trituration – clear mineral grit earlier / poly-chrome mid-period / black grit in 3^rd-4^thC

First half of Roman period often has stamp on side of spout

Brought in by army for their cooking style / cultural introduction

Production a specialised craft:

– by 100CE Britain could supply all its Mortaria needs

- Hartshill/Manceter / Oxford by mid-2^ndC / Nene Valley / Crambeck by 4^thC

Mortaria normally white fabric at introduction – in 2^nd/3^rdC red clay often given white slip

& poly-chrome grit

Rusticated Ware

Rough “artex” like finish – for grip / contrasts with smooth interior

Originally produced in Germany

Very restricted date range 70-130CE – i.e. first two generations of Roman period

Normally found close by Roman roads or forts – i.e. associated with army

Made at various N.Lincs sites including Dragonby & Roxby

Flagons

No notes

Samian / “Terra Sigillata”

(n.b. normally small “s”)

Fine ware / few inclusions / red slip (finish due to “illite”)

Not from Island of Samos!

Forerunner Arretine Ware from Arrezo – late 1^stBCE, Republican Period

Made/exported South Gaul → Central Gaul → East Gaul to mid-3^rdC

- export stopped due to Civil Wars disrupting distribution infrastructure

- East Gaul to East Britain cont. to mid-3^rdC

Short-lived production in Britain at places such as Colchester & Peterborough

Undecorated form is wheel-thrown

Decorated form (mainly bowls) moulded, with raised undecorated rim

- therefore needs a die-maker, dies called “poinçes”

- also mould-maker

- first band of decoration is “ovolo”

- then scenes of classical figures

- sometimes advertising stamp

- mould-maker might sign (reverse cursive Latin)

- potters stamp & quality-control signatures may be found

- Foot-ring is luted on after bowl moulded

Dipped in red-slip / check for dip-marks

Dating from known events – e.g. Pompeii’s destruction & Boudica’s destruction of London

Dragendorf # - e.g. “Drag 30”

Only certain vessels stamped – e.g. cups

OF / OFIC / OFFICINA – “Workshop” FEC / FE / F – “made this”

M – “by the hand of” VRI- “fired this”

Black Burnished Ware

Originates Poole, Dorset (BB1) – probably Middle IA

Heavily influenced by military

Diamond pattern around central band

Distributed throughout Britain mid-2^nd to 4^thC CE (NOT East Yorkshire!)

Hard, dark grey fabric (occasionally lighter) – abundant well-sorted translucent quartz

- occasionally rounded shale fragments / red & black iron ores / flint / white mica

Surface burnished (1^st to 2^ndC) or slipped & burnished (3^rd to 4^thC)

– latter difficult to see check if drip marks

Jars normally unburnished interiors / Open-forms (dishes, bowls) burnished both surfaces

Hand-formed, although rilling may seem evident - coarse textured

BB2 from Colchester area 2^nd & 3^rdC

- wheel-made

- hard, sandy fabric / dark-grey to black with brown/reddish core

- abundant quartz inclusions & some black iron & mica

Also briefly made at Rossington Bridge nr Doncaster in mid-2^ndC

Later Roman Period:

Nene Valley

Flourished in later Roman period, plugs gap due to disappearance of samian (Civil Wars)

Folded Beaker introduced mid-3^rdC into 4^thC

Slip Ware – “Nene Valley Colour Coated Ware”

- check to see if any dip-marks

- varies from Olive-Green though iron-rich Purply to Red, Brown & Orange slip

- En Barbotine technique to decorate – piping thick slip

- Appliqué and Rouletting also used

- novelty Head Pots

- early 2^ndC “Rough Cast” – powdered sand/crushed clay – sandpaper feel

Crambeck Painted Parchment Ware

Fine ware using outcrop of White Oxford Clay

(but National Roman Fabric Reference Collection classifies as “Coarse Ware”!)

Crambeck also produced Grey & Red Ware

Variable hard or brittle fabric with laminar features – abundant fine sand tempering

Orange / Brown decoration

Commences early 4^thC to end of Roman period (340+CE)

Principle market Malton / York – also, NE England & some in NW

Supplies army in large quanities

White Clay if oxidised remains white / if reduced turns light-grey

Holme-on-Spalding-Moor Ware

3^rd to 4^th

Heavier with simple wavy-line decorations

Coarse, shell-tempered, grey or brown fabric

Hand-built

Often pitted due to leaching of shell

Sandier, grey fabric can be wheel-made

Distributed in Lincs. / Humberside / Yorkshire / some further N & W

Medieval Pottery

Obvious change from Saxon period is glazing – first use was post-Conquest (more or less)

Two forms – “splash glazing” & “suspension/liquid form”

Lead glaze on reduced pot gives a dull olive-brown / olive-green

Lead glaze on oxidised pot gives a variety of brown, green & oranges

By 12^th/13^thC glaze manipulated by adding copper – gives a rich green

Fine Ware essentially glazed & usually the jug form – i.e. the liquid dispensing form

Coarse Ware – unglazed – cooking form

Main forms: Jug / Cooking Pot or Jar / Drip Pan / Pancheon (large bowl) / Curfew (for covering fire)

/ Pipkin / Cistern (for filtering liquids - remember little mushrooms) / Costrel / Chafing Dish (late Med)

No broad strap-handles on “Orange Ware” (although a cistern in H&ER Museum seems to be an e.g.)

Hull

Late 11^th/12^thC ← 1300 → 1350 → 1450

“Orange Ware” / “Beverley Ware” “Humber Ware” Dark Purple Glaze

(Iron in glaze)

“Bi- chrome” when internal & external glazes different colours – internal glaze only late Medieval

“Beverly Ware / Orange Ware”

Late 11^th/12^thC to 12^th/13^thC “”Beverley 1” / 12^th/13^thC+ “Beverley 2”

Beverley well situated for distribution

Pottery manufacture moves out of towns to countryside in 13^thC

By 14^th & 15^th all main pot production in countryside

“Wheat Ear & Raspberry” typical of beginning of Hull – uses a mould

Later 12^th / early 13^thC highly decorated, often appliqué

Comes to end approx. 1346/50 probably due to “Black Death”

“Humber Ware”

Starts approx. 1320’s – fully takes over by 1350 & continues to 16^thC

Always produced in countryside – e.g. West Cowick (where first found)

Essentially same forms, but plainer & heavier – duller colours (Olive-Green)

- Purply-Brown at edges

Starts plain (with some “Wheat Ear”)

By 15^thC some decoration – e.g. applied “Tennis Racket Heads” / comb / thumbs on rim

“Imported Ware”

“Saintogne”

From SW France, around Bordeaux an English possession to 1453

· principle exporter of wine to England via Southampton, London & Hull

· wine not in Saintogne Jugs, rather fills up ship cargoes as part of whole commercial/marketing package

Two types: “Saintogne Jugs” & “Saintogne Pegau”

(last is a large vessel with three handles & sometimes

“Parrot Beak Spouts”)

Often scratched with “Merchant Marks” after firing

Main decoration types: Pot-bellied Birds / Floral Shields / Angular Patterns

Firing a white clay with a glaze gives a yellowish-green colour

- adding copper gives darker colour for painting

- iron-rich slip for brown

“Saintogne Poly-chrome” if highly decorated

Main import throughout Medieval period – in 13^th/14^thC 10-20% of pot in Hull!

“Low Countries Red Ware”

From Holland / Belgium

Oxidised ware with bright Reddish/Brown glaze

Imported because supplied two kinds of items not made locally

- Skillet/Frying Pan & “Grape” a large Pipkin with three legs

“Stone/Grey Ware”

Fired at about 1050^o & becomes impermeable due to particles fusing

Imported in late Medieval period (14^th/15^thC) thru to 17^thC, when start to produce own

Often restricted to Jugs & Mugs early on

Post-Medieval period sees “Grey Beards” / “Cardinal Bellarmine Jugs”

Salt glaze – added during firing