Stave bowl

In the early medieval period, there is not yet a clear distinction, evident in quality and decoration, between tableware and kitchenware. It is known, however, that while clay or metal vessels were used for cooking and baking, meals were eaten from plates and bowls, both ceramic and wooden. Among the latter, we can distinguish between turned vessels, formed from a single piece of wood using simple carpentry tools, and stave vessels, assembled from a number of elements. The featured bowl is an example of this type of stave vessel, preserved in its entirety, although slightly damaged and deformed. It was recovered from Trench VI, located in quarter 5 of Szczecin's Podzamcze, where permanent archaeological excavations were carried out from 1986 to 2001. It was found in the interior of building 47, on the fourth occupational level in layer XXXg, and was given the number 4948/5/VI/S in the field inventory. The cooper who made it used a round, flat block as the bottom, 10 staves and a single bonding rim twisted from bast into a double coil. The edge of the bottom had to be bevelled to fit into specially hollowed holes in the bottom of the staves, called crozers. A rim of bast, placed in the recesses cut in the outer side of the staves, secured the vessel against coming apart. The joints between the staves and the bottom were additionally sealed on the inside with a black substance, probably based on tar. Bowls of this type are common on medieval sites and have been discovered in both poorer and richer settings. They were used as tableware, probably for the consumption of semi-liquid foods, known as "Brei", or various types of groats, which were the staple diet of the population at the time. Sławomir Słowiński