Lees Court Estate excavation team going potty!
KAS members working on the Lees Court Estate excavations and surveys 2024 carried out an experiment with ancient clay in May and June 2024.
Natural clay was taken from the edge of the ancient ring ditch excavation in Stringmans Field courtesy of Lady Sondes, the estate owner, and carefully dried. It was then sifted and rehydrated, and the next day put to start drying on plaster bats.
A few hours later, ready to be used, it was wedged (kneaded to ensure clay consistency and remove any trapped air which would cause the clay to burst on firing), and 300 gram balls of this clay were given to any willing excavation member.
This starting clay was yellow/ greenish and 12 volunteers made a pot each, some pots being tempered (mixed with) 5-10% of fine burnt flint or pot boilers (rough flint temper can be seen in Peterborough pottery found on the excavation) from an other, but similar, Kent excavation site.
The pots were left to slowly dry at room temperature for about a week, then taking to the Potters Studio in Flimwell, East Sussex, to be fired in an electric kiln at a steady temperature of 1260 degrees Celsius, unlike the ancient pit firings which would have been at a lower temperature of about 1000 degrees. They were placed in a clay tray made to protect the kiln from any melting, sticking to the kiln shelf or potential bursting.
On opening the kiln, not only did all the pot survive the firing perfectly, they also had turned a bright orange shade!
A lively photoshoot and brainstorming on the experience of making a pot like the ancients ensued:
The colour change from the yellow/ greenish unfired clay to bright terracotta is puzzling but the orange shade shows how much iron the clay must have contained. This is also in line with Beaker period pot shards found during the 2024 excavation on the site, which show thicker walls and duller orange colours, but seem to also be of a similar terracotta clay. However, no clear iron-rich deposits were found either on the site or in the chalk henge ring and very little red flint was present. The higher firing temperature of a modern kiln might also have influenced the final colour of the pieces?
The fired pots were not watertight and the group thought that to make pottery waterproof in the late Neolithic to Bronze Age period, resins, beeswax, fats/ oils or starches were potential options. But as the site is surmised to be of a funerary purpose, waterproofing might not have been an issue?
The technique used to make the pots was mostly coiling, as was the case in Prehistoric time, whereby regular rolls of clay are arranged upwards and the bottom edge smoothed into the lower coil as the pot is being built. This was difficult as the clay was quite brittle and decoration made with reference to prehistoric styles, using twisted cord, chicken bones, nail marks and sharp items was also challenging while/ when pots were too wet.
Overall, the participants found that ancient pottery was a labour intensive, very skilled and creative craft, and making a pot as it might have been made in the ancient past enhanced their connection with this intriguing site.
The last excavation day and Open Morning are June 15th, from 10.30-12.30pm.
