I’ll kick it off then...

[shaggybfc]

Since this section is lacking content, I thought I’d kick it off with a few ID requests for pottery I’ve been picking up.
Now Cath has declared her interest in pottery and has become an expert, positive IDs should forthcoming.

Any ideas on the age of this?

[tone]

look's like a piece of roman grey ware to me. but admit i'm no pottery expert.

[shaggybfc]

look's like a piece of roman grey ware to me. but admit i'm no pottery expert.

Thanks - Grey ware would’ve been my ‘guess’ as well, buts that’s purely because it’s grey in colour....

[alloverover]

Thanks - Grey ware would’ve been my ‘guess’ as well, buts that’s purely because it’s grey in colour....

Thats why its Grey ware shaggy

[shaggybfc]

Thats why its Grey ware shaggy

Arh yes, but I’ve seen timeteam, it’s all about the fabric and inclusions and all that malarkey...... so just because it’s grey...... don’t make it Roman,,,,,, or does it?

[alloverover]

Arh yes, but I’ve seen timeteam, it’s all about the fabric and inclusions and all that malarkey...... so just because it’s grey...... don’t make it Roman,,,,,, or does it?

It does with your bit shaggy, thats Roman grey ware mate

[Oxgirl]

Since this section is lacking content, I thought I’d kick it off with a few ID requests for pottery I’ve been picking up.
Now Cath has declared her interest in pottery and has become an expert, positive IDs should forthcoming.

Any ideas on the age of this?

I’m an expert on my local pottery type only and I’m no expert on Roman stuff cause, as you know, I’m allergic to Roman things

Saying all that it does look like Roman grey ware to me too though

[Easylife]

From my limited pottery knowledge it just screamed Roman greyware at me, being unglazed and err well grey!
A great sign of things to come from that field.

[Pottery Man]

Yup. Greyware
Er... Roman Grey Coarse Ware

You want the clever bit? Unlike grey (reduced) pottery in general, the Romans made it with intentionally grey appearance out of clay that was dug from the same sources as their finewares. They made 'catalogue pottery' inasmuch as many of the shapes were made more or less to a standard shape at several different places during given periods.
If you look at Arretine or Samian or 'colour-coated' wares [Samian is modern parlance for colour-coated wares made at Arrezzo - so Arretine wares and among many places was made in England near St Albans and one or two places under the M1 & M25 not far from Potters Bar - no giggling at the back!] - Samian is famous for academics having numbered identities for the shapes. Some Samian shapes have greyware parallels.

Back to the grey ware. It was a firing habit of Roman potters to use a fire-pit. They stacked the dry pots in a shallow heap like an old style beehive. Fuel was stacked over and around the heap and a slow small fire was started, possibly over the top of the heap but pictures suggest some kilns were more like modern kilns having a fire from one side. Whatever the method, it was reasonably fast and smoke was avoided until the pots were hardened and the thousand degrees achieved. At that stage, with the bigger logs burnt out but still giving lots of heat as charcoal, they put a cloak of turf or possibly used clay daub with straw to partially enclose the firing and to strongly reduce the amount of air getting to the final charred ashes. They slowed the kiln and turned the flowerpot-orange colour to a light grey (red iron reduced to black/grey iron in the fired clay. It cooled and produced an even flat grey finish on the exposed surfaces.

[shaggybfc]

Thanks Potteryman

[Pottery Man]

Roughly where did the piece of Roman grey ware come from? My mate squizzed it and asked if you are near or it was found near Mancetter or along the Blythe or Avon and the line of the A5. He suggested it was not a high quality pot but if you found one bit, were you ignoring others and was anything else later Roman picked up in the close area? Lots to take in. Mancetter was a huge Roman pottery centre by their standards. Prolific.....
https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/ar ... group=1889

Back in my past I recall archaeologists saying up to 80 kilns in and around Hartshill and Mancetter - lots of clay used but remember the Latin was a 500 year occupation and most of us dropped Latin before GCE became GCSE.

[shaggybfc]

Hi PM, it was found in South Warwickshire. Within1 Mile of the Fosseway, and 2 miles from a Roman fort.
When I get some time this evening, I’ll share some other bits and pieces I’ve pulled off the field. I have a broken base of a cheese press as well that I believe is Roman as well.

[shaggybfc]

And the base of a cheese press as promised. This was found on the surface after the field was ploughed - the breaks were fresh. I’m assuming it’s also Roman?
In South Warwickshire.
Thanks

[Marley]

Sort of pottery I guess, Hypercaust tile

[Pottery Man]

You are on top of the Fosse and you must see lots of 2nd/3rd/4th Roman grey wares.
It would pay you to get hold of the Hartshill/Mancetter archaeology reports, and there were dozens of kilns in that area. The potters carried on in the area for about 450 years.
Roman forts were often short-lived, and the villas and occupations of communities provided far more domestic items than military in the middle of England.
One of my earliest student days Roman sites was the Lunt at Baginton, and discovered how astonishingly common were Roman finds in Warwickshire. They were farmers or managers of agricultural landscapes. Villas are common enough and for every one we see above ground, there are fifty ploughed out or robbed of stone or ceramic material.