tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post401028304043091122..comments2023-11-29T07:39:34.401+00:00Comments on Carla Nayland Historical Fiction: Wooden tableware in early EnglandCarlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-3087403715317680952009-01-19T19:40:00.000+00:002009-01-19T19:40:00.000+00:00Meghan - glad you found it interesting.Tenthmediev...Meghan - glad you found it interesting.<BR/><BR/>Tenthmedieval - Good question. Some pottery cooking vessels are known, I believe - if I remember rightly there are some pottery finds from West Stow (5th-7th century approx) that are consistent with being from pots used for cooking. Some of the early 'bonfire pottery' doesn't survive that well in some soil conditions, so there may be a differential survival problem in the same way as with wood, though less severe. So a site that appears to be pottery-less might actually have had some, just as it would (presumably) have had wooden, leather and basketry articles that didn't survive. I don't think I'm arguing that pottery was unknown or never used, just that it wasn't used in large quantities because other materials could substitute for it in some of its uses. Metal vessels could presumably have been recycled as scrap, metal being a highly valued commodity, which might contribute to their rarity as finds - what do you think?<BR/><BR/>Gabriele - I found your post before I checked the comments on mine! <BR/><BR/>Elizabeth - See above; my guess is that pottery, and probably also metal, was used for cooking pots. One common use for broken bits of pottery was to make spindle whorls. I hadn't heard of the chicken feed scoop before, though! How do they know that's what the shard was being used for?<BR/><BR/>Robin Wood may well have made props for the film. I gather he does a lot of work for film and TV. I think I first came across him when Time Team had him on to make a replica item for them (can't remember what it was), and looked up his site for more information.Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-91013704924944870862009-01-17T21:38:00.000+00:002009-01-17T21:38:00.000+00:00I was going to ask about the cooking pot issue too...I was going to ask about the cooking pot issue too. I've been told that metal cooking pots were few and far between. I have replica wheel thrown cooking vessels for the early Norman period and they're fabulous to cook with. I have also been told that broken pots had all kinds of functions and weren't just dumped - again later period and I can't recall the functions, except one was using a broken shard as a scoop for poultry feed!<BR/>A very interesting article though, Carla. I've seen the Robin Wood site. He's made items for the new Russell Crowe film Nottingham hasn't he? I have a lot of turned wood in the house as the group leader of my local Regia branch is a dedicated bodger (wood turner!)<BR/>Another group member's beech tree was cut down, and now I have a drinking mug made from it!Elizabeth Chadwickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16911841862257909703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-80631316203557599592009-01-16T16:35:00.000+00:002009-01-16T16:35:00.000+00:00Lol, it's pottery day in blogland; I have one up, ...Lol, it's pottery day in blogland; I have one up, too. though not so detailed.Gabriele Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17205770868139083575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-5970610550093262062009-01-16T11:39:00.000+00:002009-01-16T11:39:00.000+00:00Everything you say here is very true, but it leave...Everything you say here is very true, but it leaves one big question about the aceramic period and pottery-less sites: what on earth were they <I>cooking</I> in? Metal pots are very rarely evidenced, though that skillset was probably more widely held. In Ireland there are finds known of treated leather cauldrons, but, really, unless there was nothing better why would you? But you can't cook in wood.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-31888414750422308712009-01-15T22:46:00.000+00:002009-01-15T22:46:00.000+00:00"Wooden vessels offer several advantages over pott..."Wooden vessels offer several advantages over pottery (Pollington 2003). The skills and tools needed to shape wood into a bowl or cup are similar to those needed to shape wood into all the other useful domestic objects required by a farming village. Woodworking doesn’t require building and firing a kiln, and every village would have to have a ready supply of the raw material to hand as it was also needed for building and for fuel. Wooden vessels are less prone to breakage than pottery, and if an item does get damaged or broken beyond repair it can be usefully used as kindling for the fire."<BR/><BR/>I'd never thought about this before. Very interesting!Meghanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03375626649089998707noreply@blogger.com