Archive

Temple Laugherne Knight Jug Perhaps one of the most unusual finds from the past two years was this medieval jug which was found during excavations at Temple Laugherne. Anyone at Worcestershire Archaeology Day 2021 will have seen great talks on a variety of subjects. This jug featured in the Fascinating Finds talk. Sometimes we have...

There is currently a fascinating collection of pottery out on a table in one of our offices, being worked on by one of our illustrators, which is causing colleagues to pause as they walk past. However much we’re used to seeing archaeological finds we are still attracted to a display of nice pottery. As we...

  Over 3000 years ago, fingertips were pressed into the damp clay of a large pot, creating a patterned band and dimpling the top. Once dry, it was fired and used before being broken – several large fragments were put into an isolated pit on the gravel ridge east of the River Severn. Prehistoric pots,...

Dig a hole in any medieval town or village in England, and you’ll find pottery. On most medieval excavations, potsherds are likely to be the most abundant type of artefact. Popular ideas about medieval crafts such as pot-making are dominated by images of bearded men in dirty aprons, such as this extract from this article...

  Ever dropped a plate or mug? Almost everyone has broken crockery at some point, but what did you do then – repair it, or throw it away? This month we found evidence of Roman thriftiness near Evesham: a pot repaired with lead. Yes, you read that correctly. Before the invention of superglue and epoxy...

  Roman street food? Perhaps. We’ve been experimenting with a reconstruction of an unusual oven found during The Hive excavation to see how and what the people of Worcester ate in Roman times. Before The Hive was built, an extensive excavation took place. Fragments from a number of unusual prefabricated Roman ovens were found, one...

  Two workshops have recently been hosted by Worcestershire Archive & Archaeology Service to bring together the prehistoric, Roman, and medieval ceramic research groups to discuss the creation of universal terminologies and study approaches. At present each group has their own terms for pottery forms (shape) and there are many geographically specific and overlapping reference...

  A medieval cooking pot – not the prettiest, but the source of fascinating information none the less. Our January Find of the Month gives us an insight into the lives and eating habits of ordinary medieval people, and how these changed over time. This particular pot fragment, or sherd, is unusually large and helpfully...

Interested in pottery identification? Our recently updated reference resource is freely available online to help anyone trying to identify pottery that was made or used in Worcestershire. Since 2003, the Worcestershire Ceramics Online Database has made the Worcestershire ceramic fabric type series accessible to all. The database holds information on all of the pottery fabrics found...

Following on from our archaeology workshops over the past couple of years we have a new series led our Finds Archaeologists.   This short course will give you the opportunity to learn more about archaeological finds from local experts. Sessions will also include a chance to handle examples, so that you get first-hand experience of...