Type A vessel

The settlement in Dziedzice is one of the oldest Slavic settlements in Pomerania dating back to the late 6th-7th centuries. During the excavations, the archaeologists discovered numerous artefacts, which allowed them to establish what did the everyday life of the inhabitants look like. These included residential structures partially sunk in the ground, referred to as half-dugouts, as well as hearths and pits used as storage pits or trash dumps. One of the half-dugouts contained an egg-shaped broken pot with a characteristic outward-sloping edge of the spout, transitioning into a short neck and the body. In the bottom part, the inner side bore traces of the process of forming its walls – finger marks. The outer surface of the pot is uneven and rough, devoid of any ornamentation. The vessel was entirely made without the use of a potter's wheel, most probably from wide strips of clay enriched with sand and granite. It was fired in a fireplace at a temperature of about 700-800°C. The process of preparing clay vessels for firing began with drying in the open air or by heating over a fireplace. This removed excess water that could cause cracking or deformation during the firing process. The dried pots were then put in a fireplace, the temperature of which was regulated by adding the right amount and type of wood. Too rapid, uncontrolled temperature rise could cause the walls to crack. At a temperature of about 600-700°C, the clay was irreversibly transformed into a durable ceramic material.

Grzegorz Durdyń