Handmade Wares Research Articles

Object of gritted hand-made ware from Ashtead, Surrey

Object of gritted hand-made ware from Ashtead, Surrey

III.—Pottery: Early Pottery From Geraki

During the trial excavations carried out on the acropolis of Geraki in 1905 a certain number of fragments of interesting prehistoric pottery were found, as announced in the report published. It was hoped that it might be possible to examine the site again, and to obtain further information about its occupation in early times. This hitherto has not been possible, and therefore there seems no reason why the fragments should not be illustrated, since they seem to be the earliest pottery yet found in Laconia. The fragments found, fall into the following classes:—(A) Monochrome, hand-made ware: the biscuit is grey, and well polished with a brown surface. To this class belong three pieces in Fig. 1 b-d; the first is from a narrow-necked bowl, the second from a jar that had a rim inside its lip to support a lid, and the third (d) is a broad ribbon handle on the lip of a large, open, flat bowl. The fourth fragment (Fig. 1 a) is unpolished, but of the same clay as the other fragments, and is decorated with incised lines.