We based this exquisite replica Bronze Age Beaker on an example excavated from Seahouses on the magnificent Northumberland coast.
Like the original, we have finely decorated this piece using a bone comb to impress intricate details into the pot's surface. This vessel is a fine example of the skilled craftsmanship displayed by these ancient people.
Around 2500 BC Britain saw the first use of metal, Gold and Copper, and alongside these new materials came pottery beakers. Often considered to mark the end of the Neolithic and the beginning of the Bronze Age, it was a time of significant change, with some research studies claiming that a vast proportion of Britons were replaced by a wave of migrants from Europe. In terms of pottery, this change resulted in a bloom of creativity where potters showed off their skills by creating highly decorated pottery forms.
Smoke fired Terracotta
Height 190 mm, diameter 135 mm
We have fired this pot to emulate the ancient firing conditions. The original pot would have been fired in an open wood fire, in close contact with the fuel, a process that leaves its mark on the clay as variations in the surface colour. However, the very low temperatures achieved in open firings also result in relatively weak pots, so this pot has been fired to a somewhat higher temperature to strengthen it, in a unique firing process that allows me to achieve an authentic appearance.
As with all our Museum Quality Replicas, we have made this pot, as the original would have been, entirely by hand from natural clay and using replicas of the types of tool that the Bronze-Age makers would have used. In keeping with the original pot, the decoration has been applied using a hand twisted cord made from natural bark fibres, in this case, Lime Bark Bast.
Health & Safety
This pot is a Museum Quality Replica made using the tools and techniques that ancient potters would have used during this era. As this is an unglazed pot with a porous surface, it will absorb some of the flavours during the cooking process, which does add to the taste of future dishes. However, it does also mean that this pot does not meet modern Health and Safety standards, and therefore, we do not advise that you use it for cooking. When ancient cooks used these pots, they relied on applying sufficient heat to the pot and contents to ensure that the heat killed all bacteria. Heating to over 70°C for at least 10 minutes would have killed most disease-causing bacteria, and temperatures of 100°C would do even more.
All items are sent using a second class postal service; if you wish to have an item sent first class, please contact me for a quote. Many Thanks