Research aims to uncover use of sheep dung in ancient pots
RESEARCH INVOLVING archaeologists from Yorkshire is aiming to shed new light on the prehistoric era by studying how ancient pottery from the period was made.
The new study, called Dung and Dusted, will examine whether sheep dung could have been employed to fire pots before the widespread use of kilns.
Led by Dr Michael Copper, from the School of Archaeological and Forensic Sciences at the University of Bradford, the researchers said the study could lead to a greater understanding of how different societies were organised.
Dr Cooper, a specialist in prehistoric pottery and ancient ceramic technology, said: “Despite considerable advances in our knowledge of how ancient pots were made and used, archaeologists still know remarkably little about how prehistoric pottery was fired before the introduction of the potter’s kiln, including what fuels were used.
“One abundant and freely available fuel source in prehistory would have been animal dung. Could it have been the case that dried dung was used to fire pottery in prehistoric Britain?”
The project, funded by the Gerda Henkel Foundation in Germany, will undertake firings of handbuilt replica prehistoric pots using sheep dung and other fuels.
The pots and firing sites will then be analysed to see whether residues left behind can be matched to ancient pottery or can be used to help archaeologists identify dung firing on ancient sites.
Dr Cooper said the project could pave the way for archaeologists to understand how prehistoric communities went about tasks such as pot firing using materials and techniques which have been lost during the passing of the centuries.
He said: “The project is significant not only for our understanding of how prehistoric pots were being made and the implications this has for ancient economic practices, but also because variations in technological practice, such as fuel choice, often pass from older to younger generations within the same community, meaning they can tell us a great deal about the social identities of the potters.”
Dr Cooper will be joined by Dr Cathy Batt, who has experience of investigating ancient firing sites, and Dr Gregg Griffin, whose recent studies looked at ways to identify fuels from residues discovered on archaeological digs.