3,000 years old, but anything but plain: pottery from around 1000 BC was extremely varied in form and decoration. A set of tableware included bowls, dishes, cups, pots and mugs. The pile-dwelling community sourced the clay they needed from local deposits in the surrounding area. Clay preparation, shaping and the application of decorations took place indoors. Even back then, there was tableware for everyday use and for special occasions. Grey vessels with simple decorations sufficed for daily use, whilst the black tableware – elaborately decorated with white patterns – was brought to the table on special occasions. To ensure the objects had a beautiful sheen, they had to be polished with a smoothing stone before firing. The black colour was produced by a special smoking-firing technique. Some pottery was also coloured a bright red.

Of particular interest are the bird-shaped vessels – presumably drinking bottles for infants. They may also have been used as oil lamps or musical instruments. The clay moon idols may have formed part of household altars. Smaller amulets and clay rattles were used in ritual ceremonies or when making music. The clay stamps are interpreted as bread or skin stamps.

 

House type:

Single-room Bronze Age log cabin

(c. 1000 BC), walls made of bog pine.

Reconstructed:

1931/1977, based on excavations at the „Wasserburg Buchau“, Federsee moor, 1921–1937.

 

Birds, stamps, moon horns

When science is at a loss, it experiments. That’s usually when the best ideas emerge. The little clay birds make excellent whistling sounds. But they also serve as drinking vessels – perhaps as bottles for infants? It’s clear what the stamps were used for. But what was the story behind the little moon horns? Like their larger counterparts, they are reminiscent of the moon in the night sky. Did they serve as lucky charms? Worn like an amulet on a leather cord around the neck? Or were they little pocket calendars, with each dot representing a month?

What do you think?