Formy i funkcje średniowiecznych naczyń ceramicznych z klasztornego krużganka w Trzemesznie (badania archeologiczne w 1989 roku)

Abstract

This article provides an overview of the pottery recovered in 1989 from trench XXXIII at the site of the former monastery complex in Trzemeszno (Wielkopolskie Voivodeship), on the north side of the church. Individual vessel forms are presented and an attempt is made to determine their function, though this is problematic in view of the fragmentary nature of the material. The most commonly represented vessels in this assemblage are pots, which differ both in form and production technique. They were used for cooking food. Pots were accompanied by lids, which also feature among the analysed sherds. Other vessel types include bowls of various shapes and sizes. These served a secondary role in food preparation and would also have been used for storing, conveying and serving food, and as animal feeders, plant pots and containers for various products, not only foodstuffs. The Trzemeszno assemblage includes jugs, which were used to store and carry water and other liquids during meals and religious ceremonies, and to cool wine. Solitary examples of specific vessels were represented by sherds from a pipkin and a goblet(?). Iconographic evidence and analogies from other monastic centres proved useful in determining the function of these ceramic vessels. Most of them served more than just their principal purpose, depending on the circumstances and particular needs of the user. As a result, the function of many vessels can only be hypothesised, unless their contents or other traces of usage give a clear indication of what they were used for. No use-wear evidence was noted on the majority of sherds in this assemblage. On the one hand this made it more difficult to determine the function of the vessels, whilst on the other it suggested that they were multifunctional. A chronology for the pottery was established based on its technological and morphological features, and on finds from other monastery sites (e.g. from nearby Strzelno). The earliest vessels date from the 14th century and the most recent ones, from the second quarter of the 16th century.