First-century pottery manufacture at Eccles, Kent
by Alec Detsicas
Roman Pottery Studies in Britain and Beyond.
BAR S30 Oxford, 19-36
This group
of at least twenty-six mortaria (seven wall-sided and nineteen flanged) is of
especial interest because it is from a single kiln and all these vessels would
have been made within a few months during the lifetime of the kiln; the apparent
differences in fabric may be due to differences in firing conditions.
Wall-sided mortaria were in use in Germany in the Augustan period
and continued to be produced in Claudian times. The wall-sided mortaria in this
group show surprising variety, including nos. 112, 121 and 104, which are not
dissimilar in section from those in use at Haltern in A.D. 16, alongside nos.
119 and 100 whose bulging beads certainly denote a late date in the history of
the form. Nevertheless, it must be said that all the wall-sided mortaria from
the Eccles kiln lack the attractive streamlined quality of most of those found
in quantity at Richborough and Camulodunum. The group shows that the development
of forms like nos. 119 and 100 did not necessarily cause the production of older
favourites to cease. Mortaria like no. 114 seem to belong to a curious hybrid
from somewhere between the wall-sided and flanged forms
Flanged mortaria were already present, though in small quantities,
in A.D. 16 at Haltern, and there is no reason why they should not have been made
at Eccles alongside wall-sided forms, though this may not have been the practice
in larger concerns (e.g. at Camulodunum). The use of trituration grit in
mortaria was not a regular practice in Britain until c. A.D. 55.
98. Diameter c. 32 cm. A mortarium in fine, yellowish cream fabric, with pink
core tempered with fine grit; there has never been any trituration grit, and the
surface is completely unworn.
99. A fragmentary rim from a mortarium in pale brown fabric, with drab core; the
fabric is tempered with grit.
100. From a mortarium in cream fabric, with pink-brown core.
101. A mortarium in buff-cream fabric, with pink and cream sandwich core. It
cannot be said to have true trituration grit, though about three grits are
visible on the internal surface.
102. A mortarium in fine, yellowish cream fabric tempered with some fine grit;
there are a few white and red-brown trituration grits.
103 & 105.
Diameter c. 32 cm. About a half of each of two mortaria of similar form in
fine-textured, slightly soft, pinkish brown fabric tempered with grey, white and
red-brown grit. Neither of these vessels has ever had any trituration grit and
their inside surfaces are probably weathered rather than worn. This type of
mortarium is recorded from Camulodunum within the period A.D. 43-65 (Hawkes
and Hull 1947, fig. 53, no. 29).
104. A mortarium in fine-textured, slightly yellowish fabric, heavily tempered
with white (chalk?), red-brown and grey grit. The spout is unusually large and
elaborate for a wall-sided mortarium.
The mortaria reported on in this article
were not located in the store. This sherd PICTURE
is from the excavations on the villa
106-108.
Three mortaria similar in form and fabric to no. 120, below. 109. Diameter c. 34
cm. Nearly half of a mortarium in drab cream fabric,