If we asked you to imagine what ancient pottery looked like, you might think of examples like Roman amphorae, Moche pots, or even the Terracotta warriors. In this post, you will find the YouTube video exploring the surprising pottery in the ancient world, and a full video transcript (with relevant sources and links).
YouTube Video
YouTube Video Transcript
Here, you will find the complete transcript of the video in the previous section with hyperlinked references/citations.
Intro
If we asked you to imagine what ancient pottery looked like, what would you think of? Perhaps, you would think of containers, like this Roman amphora? Maybe a specific design comes to mind, like what we see on this Moche pot? Or maybe your mind goes to statues like the Terracotta warriors?
Pottery is a type of ceramic made from clay. And the examples we just mentioned are all important and famous types of pottery. We also have examples that are a bit more uncommon and give us a glimpse of people’s everyday lives in the past.
Hi, I’m Dr. Smiti Nathan, and I’m an archaeologist. In this video, we’re going to explore examples of pottery from across the globe and time. Some of them might surprise you. Now I thought we could have a bit of fun. So instead of just telling you about these interesting objects, we’re going to give you clues and you can try to guess what they are. Are you ready? Let’s get into it.
Ancient Indus
First up, let’s go to the Ancient Indus during the height of the Urban period (2600-1900 BC), specifically the site of Mohenjo-Daro, which is located in the modern-day province of Sindh in Pakistan.
If you entered the city’s gates, you would see monumental architecture like the “so-called” Great Bath, intricate drainage systems, wells, and bathing platforms. There was also a thriving craft and trade economy, so you might have seen artisans making or selling things like steatite stamp seals, standardized weights and measures, and of course, many impressive clay vessels and objects.
Now if you went to the Lower Town, you would find long streets surrounded by multiple blocks of buildings, including houses. During excavations in this area in the 1930s, archaeologists discovered two clay objects that stood out from the usual pottery and figurines. These two wheel-thrown vessels were flattened at the base for stability, and one even featured a cream-colored slip on the surface. It seems that after these objects were fired in a kiln, ancient artisans carefully drilled the objects with small holes at the front and top.
Do you have any idea what these could be?
Scholars think these holes may have been used to rig pegs and strings, which would hold a piece of bait in place. So when a rat, rodent, or other animal entered the vessel and grabbed the bait, the string would be pulled, thus, triggering the trap to be closed with them inside.
So you might be thinking, “How were researchers able to figure this out based on two objects?”
We actually have examples of similar rat traps from other sites. For example, at the sites of Mundigak and Bampur, an array of similar rat traps have been unearthed. In fact, at Mundigak, these rat traps are thought to be several centuries older than the rat traps at Mohenjo-Daro. Having other rat traps to compare the Mohenjo-Daro objects to, helped researchers feel confident in their interpretation of these two artifacts.
Now, the Mohenjo-Daro rat traps are interesting for a few reasons.
First off, the design itself shows ingenious adaptation. Ancient artisans took existing technologies and materials often used in pottery production to fashion a rat trap. The trap itself was made on a pottery wheel and cut off from the wheel in “the usual way.” This suggests that the trap was made using a similar process to other pottery that excavators found at the site.
Second, the idea of this rat trap and its design points to exchanges between the people of the Indus and elsewhere. It seems that pest control was an issue for some people in Mohenjo-Daro, as well as Mudigak, Bampur, and elsewhere. In fact, we have examples of similar rat traps from the 12th dynasty site of Kahun in Egypt (2000-1800 BCE).
Ancient Indus communities actually interacted with people far from their homes, including communities that lived in Afghanistan, Central Asia, southern Iraq, eastern Iran, and the eastern Arabian coast. We have evidence of several different artifacts as well as shared design motifs that point to the exchange of both goods and ideas between these people.
Ancient Central Europe
Now let’s go to Central Europe during the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age. The vessels pictured here were pretty common in this region at that time. Vessels like these have been found from cremation graves at Bronze and Iron Age sites in present day Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Slovakia. The shape is quite unique. Many looked like an animal, such as birds or large two-legged horned animals.
If you went to the Altmuhl valley in Bavaria, Germany, during this time period, you might have seen these vessels scattered around at various settlements and in graves. A team of archaeologists recovered pottery dating between 1200 BCE and 450 BCE from graves in this valley and unearthed some pretty interesting uses for these small vessels.
In the case of the rat traps, archaeologists were able to solve the mystery largely based on the artifact’s shape and design. Sometimes, archaeologists need to go even deeper to figure out what certain pottery was actually used for.
The shape of the vessel made it difficult to test for organic residues that might help us better understand the vessel’s purpose. Instead, archaeologists were able to use an open, bowl form of these vessels taken for analysis. There were taken from late Bronze Age and early Iron Age graves from Dietfurt-Tankstelle and Dietfurt-Tennisplatz
The researchers here used organic isotope analysis to find evidence of what was contained in these vessels. This technique involved analyzing the isotopic ratios of fatty acids from residues taken from vessels and comparing them with known lipid samples. Researchers found that the samples extracted from the vessels had a high content of isotopes commonly found in animal fat.
Do you have any idea of what these objects could be?
They are infant weaning bottles.
Let’s start with the vessel itself. The shape of the vessel made it an ideal container for feeding infants. If you’ve watched an infant with a cup can see how the tiny spouts would have made it easier for infants to drink from the vessel. No doubt the fun shape of the vessels would have also been appealing to young children as well.
Now in terms of the isotope findings, the researchers believed they had found evidence that these vessels were used to feed animal milk to infants and wean them off of breast milk.
These Central European weaning bottles are interesting for a few reasons.
First off, these vessels were initially believed to feed the sick or elderly. Recent researchers suggest that this hypothesis represents a lack of historic scholarly interest in the lives of women and children, rather than a lack of evidence for use by infants. Interest in the role of women and children in the past was largely marginalized until, frankly, more women entered archaeology. If we think of other historically marginalized groups and identities, their representation increases when we have diverse scholars and teams who are interpreting the record.
Second, this represents evidence of weaning in the archaeological record, which is pretty cool and not so common, at least to date. It’s also worth noting there was also a “baby boom” or large population growth during this period. Researchers think that weaning practices may have contributed to this population growth.
You might be wondering, “How?”
You see, breastfeeding might have served as a form of birth control because when you breastfeed you have a lower likelihood of getting pregnant. Now, if you primarily feed young children with breastmilk and you’re able to wean them off of it sooner, then you would likely be able to get pregnant earlier than if you had just kept breastfeeding. So this possibly led to more babies overall.
The researchers noted these vessels offer a unique window into our understanding of managing infant nutrition in the past and how using specialized techniques such as residue analysis can help archaeologists uncover some surprising uses of pottery.
Ancient Nok
Now let’s go back 3500 years to see the Nok culture thriving in Western Africa. If we were to go to the area that is part of modern-day Nigeria, we would likely find artisans working with iron, as well as making large terracotta figurines. These figurines are some of the earliest known large-sized sculptures in Africa – outside of ancient Egypt. The function and purpose of these sculptures are still unknown, but there are other clay objects that give us a peek into the everyday lives of the ancient Nok.
If you were to visit a Nok settlement, you would likely see people partaking in various activities to provide food. There likely would have been some kind of agriculture happening, as well as hunting and foraging wild food sources.
Now when it comes to pottery, scholars studied over 400 sherds from 12 different Nok sites. These sherds came from pots that are commonly found at Nok sites and consisted of coarse red wares that were decorated with different incised designs.
Now, from the look of the sherds alone, it might be tricky to figure out what these pots were used for, so I’ll give you another clue before asking for your guess.
The researchers extracted lipids from around 60 sherds from different periods of Nok culture. Using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, they were able to identify lipid markers that suggested the presence of beeswax within these pot remains.
Now, do you have any idea what these pots would have been used for?
The researchers think they were used for honey collecting or honey storage.
Now it’s important to note that honey itself wasn’t identified in the chemical analysis. The lipid markers suggest the presence of beeswax, which is being interpreted as a proxy for collecting honey or storing it for later consumption.
This is a strong hypothesis because honey was important throughout antiquity. Honey could be consumed as a direct food source, and if it had bee larvae and pupae those could also be possible nutritional sources. Honey could have been fermented into a beverage – think honey mead or honey wine. So honey has been important to humans for a long time.
Now, when it comes to the Nok pottery, they are interesting for a couple of reasons.
First off, we get to learn more about the food that the Nok people likely consumed. Creating a specific type of pottery to collect honey shows community-wide intent. Now, even if they were only used for storage, these vessels and beeswax residues were found at multiple sites. This hints that honey was a wild food source that many Nok communities likely desired, and they were creating tools and technology to support its collection and storage.
Second, these findings contribute to our understanding of bee-related activities in the ancient world. In fact, the majority of rock paintings with honey collecting activities come from the African continent. The Nok pottery gives us another important proxy in which to understand bee-related human activities. The researchers of the study we mentioned noted that within many parts of the African continent today, including present-day Nigeria, ceramic bee hives are used for honey collection. However, it’s important to note that the Nok vessels were generally a smaller size than these modern day examples.
Ancient Chorrera
Now let’s take a look at some pottery from the Chorrera culture, who lived in the coastal regions of modern-day Ecuador during the Late Formative Period (900 BC – 100 BC). They created many striking vessels, including elaborate human effigies made from molds, as well as more common forms such as bowls, ollas, and bottles.
Let’s take a look at these vessels.
Do you have an idea of the main purpose of these vessels?
The main function of the vessels was to store and transport water. The earliest form included a straight-spout bottle and a stirrup-handle bottle. Over time, the vessel form evolved to have more elaborate decorations including anthropomorphic and zoomorphic forms.
However, potters were able to incorporate some interesting innovations into the vessel’s form.
Do you have an idea of what this innovation could be?
It’s whistling! They’re actually now referred to as whistle bottles.
Past potters realized that when using the vessel, air would move through and produce a whistle sound. This is what it sounds like.
In terms of design, potters went on to incorporate a resonator into the bottle handle. The resonator was made either by inserting a hollow ovid container into the handle or the potter made a cavity into the handle itself. This actually amplified the whistle sound the bottle made.
Eventually, the whistle bottles’ form consisted of two different vessels joined together by a duct near the bottom of both vessels. One vessel usually had a small hole in the upper part for air to travel through and make the whistle sound. When the other vessel tilted with water inside, the air in the vessel moved towards the slit entering the resonance box and creating the desired whistle sound. This is what it sounds like.
Given the elaborate shape and ability of the vessel to create the whistle sound, many archaeologists believe the vessels may have had a symbolic or ceremonial role. Their presence in many funerary offerings helps support that hypothesis.
Now these whistle bottles are interesting for a few reasons.
First off, these whistle bottles showcase how Chorrera potters were not only able to manipulate clay to create these vessels, but also understood enough about sound and the movement of liquids to create the whistle sound they wanted.
Second, if we think about our senses, it’s easy to imagine how pottery appeals to our sense of touch, sight, and even taste. However, these objects tap into our sense of sound. They also give us a better understanding of the sounds people in the past might have heard.
Ancient Mediterranean
So far we have talked about pottery that was made for a specific purpose, but we also have examples where ancient people reused and recycled pottery in interesting ways. Now let’s go to the ancient Mediterranean.
Let’s start with ostraca. They are sherds of pottery, but could also be flat stones, or even flakes of limestone that were used as a writing surface. The word ostraca comes from ancient Greek; however, ostraca were also used in ancient Egypt and Rome.
Now ostraca had many uses. I’ll give you a moment to think of some ideas on how they were used.
During the New Kingdom period in ancient Egypt, ostraca were used for documentation and personal letters as well as funerary inscriptions, spells, and hymns. Ostraca are often considered by scholars today as a cheaper alternative to papyrus.
When it comes to the ancient Romans, we have examples of ostraca being used for government operations such as recording census information or to assign tasks for Roman legions at an outpost.
In ancient Greece, ostraca were used in voting. The sherds could be used to vote for someone in a democratic election or in other cases to banish someone from the polis. This is where we get the word ostracize.
Now ancient Greeks and Romans also had another form of recycled pottery, which they called pessoi. Pessoi translates to pebbles from ancient Greek and refers to small rounded fragments of pottery. Some recovered pessoi appeared to have been cut from decorated pots, while others were taken from courseware vessels such as storage jars.
Some pessoi may have originated as ostraca, and like ostraca, they had many uses, like game pieces. There is one use that is, at least to us, quite interesting. Before you guess, let’s look at the location in which some of the interesting-to-us pessoi were found.
In Athens, we find some of these pessoi in either abandoned wells that were filled with refuse from domestic settings or potters’ workshops. While the number of pessoi found in the wells varies, thir quantity suggests that they were items of everyday use.
So what do you think these pessoi were used for?
We think they were used for anal hygeine
Scholar John Papadapoulos suggests that these circular, rough-edged, pottery pieces were used by Greeks and Romans to clean themselves after defecation. Much like many of us use toilet paper today.
To understand his logic, we need to look at some artistic, textual, and archaeological references.
When it comes to art, a fragment from a decorated drinking cup (kylix)seems to be depicting a person ready to wipe themselves with a pessoi. The figure is shown squatting and defecating.
When it comes to text, playwright Aristophanes makes references to the use of stone to wipe oneself in his works Peace and Acharnians
When it comes to archaeology, pessoi have also been found in latrines in both Greek and Roman contexts. Researchers were able to use microscopy and identify solidified and partially mineralized excrement on the surfaces of terracotta pessoi from Roman latrines, one from Utica, Sicily, and another from Gortyn, Crete.
Papadopulos notes many of the pessoi he was writing about were found in the same wells with stone disks and pebbles shaped for wiping. Interestingly enough, this fragment itself looks like a pessoi given that the edges were trimmed and rounded off. Therefore, he believes it is not too far of a leap to suggest pessoi were used in the same way.
Now, when it comes to ostraca and pessoi, they might have an interesting connection.
If you remember from earlier, some ostraca were used to elect individuals for ostracism. Ostraca have been found with the names of famous people who fell out of the public’s favor such as the philosopher Socrates and the famous general Themistocles. Some scholars believe that some pessoi may have originated as ostraca. There are some scholars who think some of these ostraca were intentionally used as toilet pessoi thus, “literally putting faecal matter on the name of hated individuals.”
Outro
From defending against pest invasion to performing civic duties, the pottery we looked at together offers us a glimpse into the everyday lives of past people. Some of these objects required us to dig deeper to understand what they were used for and how they were possibly reused over time. We hope you enjoyed putting on your archaeology hat to piece together the clues we gave you about these objects. Let us know in the comments if you guessed correctly based on the clues we gave you or which pottery type surprised you the most. Now if you like these sorts of interactive videos, check out this video here.
Additional Reading + Resources
Credits
Sneh P. Patel: Co-Producer, Researcher, Scriptwriter
Noor Hanania: Lead Video Editor
Nada Sabbah: Thumbnail Design
Smiti Nathan: Director, Co-Producer, Support Video Editor, Researcher, Scriptwriter
Anya Gruber: Peer Reviewer
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