Colby Mooar Pottery Jar
Date made: Neolithic
Description: Five thousand years ago, the first farmers introduced an important new type of container - the pot. This distinctive local type of pottery is named after an archaeological site at Ronaldsway, where the first example was found.
The fabric is very coarse and some of the tempering grits exceed 10mm in diameter. The pots were tall with thick, straight-sided walls. A particular feature is their round bases, which indicates that they were never meant to stand up on their own, they were built to be buried. They were simply decorated by pressing pointed tools or feather quills into the wet clay. This pot has small dots all the way around the top.
Pots like this were often used in association with cremated human burials. The cremation would be covered by a much smaller pot and the large jars placed in the ground next to them, perhaps acting as a holder for offerings of food. The pots may have been covered by stone lids or textile/leather lids, attached by a cord under the rim.
This pot was found whilst a field was being ploughed in May 1947. It was carefully excavated and kindly donated to the Manx National Collections. It is one of the most complete pots of this type so far found and is on display at the Manx Museum.
Measurements: overall: 52 cm x 28 cm
Materials: Pottery
Date found: 1947
Object name: Pottery
Collection: Archaeology Collection
ID number: 1954-5786
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