Accessory vessel
Date Made/Found: 2500-800 BC
, 1813 - 1858
Previous owner: Previously owned by
Thomas Bateman
, British, 1821 - 1861
Material and Medium: Pottery
Dimensions: Height 50mm, 55mm diameter at rim, maximum diameter 69mm.
Department: Archaeology
Accession Number: J93.887
Small pottery cups are often found buried in Bronze Age graves alongside other pots. They are sometimes called accessory vessels. Archaeologists are not sure what the function of these tiny pots was. Pots were made on a household scale and vary greatly in size and shape.
Prehistoric pots were coil-built. This means they were made by building up rings of clay and smoothing the sides to flatten the bumpy surface. Extra material, known as temper, was mixed into the clay to diffuse heat and stop pots from exploding during firing. Pieces of stone, straw and grog (broken up bits of old pots) were used for this purpose.
Display Location:
AH2
