Experimental archaeology

The Orkney Grooved Ware experiment (part 2)

March 7, 2018

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Stephen Harrison

This second instalment of the Orkney Grooved Ware experiment is about building the kiln, firing the pots, and examining the archaeological traces of the entire process. Again, more information in the image captions!

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Building the first turf kiln

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The first stage of the firing process. Once the flames from the wood fire died back, the glowing embers were spread across the base of the firing chamber and covered with a layer of peat mould. After about ten minutes, the peat began to smoulder; loading vessels could then begin

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Loading the first layer of vessels

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Loading the kiln. Owing to poor quality clay (very high sand content in the raw material), the large vessel (centre), H. 59.7cm x W. 53cm, did not survive the firing

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Kiln loaded, capped with a domed layer of wet seaweed, and firing. A slow rise in temperature means that vessels are better able to withstand the adverse effects of thermal shock

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The first vessels appearing in the spent fuel ash. Although not visible on this photograph, the large vessel has numerous deep cracks across the base and along the walls, and fell apart during removal from the kiln

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Unloading the kiln: a handful of straw provides good insulation for this task

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The kiln partially unloaded

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A range of fired Grooved Ware vessels

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Montage of the area immediately outside the kiln after unloading (kiln at top of photograph), comprising a trampled and compacted surface of broken and crushed pot sherds, fuel ash, and blocks of turf superstructure

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Close-up of heat damaged kiln wall. This material is very similar to the bulk samples obtained from the Knowes of Trotty structure in 2006

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Excavating the kiln, August 2007. The multi-coloured ash deposits were between c.0.3-0.4m in thickness, beneath which was an uneven basal layer of charred wood and charcoal from the initial pre-loading fire

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The base of the firing chamber after excavation. On sectioning, it was found that heat penetration into the underlying surface was minimal (2-5cm)

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Magnetometer survey of the kiln’s footprint by members of the Geophysics Unit, Orkney College/UHI, August 2007

Tags:

Orkney

Neolithic

Grooved Ware

potting

clay

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