Pottery Jar
 Pottery jar from Cronk Mooar, Arbory | Dimensions: Height 52cm, maximum diameter 28cm Manx Museum Accession Number - 1954-5786 |
The first farmers introduced an important new type of container - the pot. Made from baked clay, it could stand the direct heat from a fire during cooking, a distinct advantage over organic containers.
The distinctive local pottery is named after an archaeological site at Ronaldsway. Developed locally, it is fairly crude. Large jars with thick, straight-sided walls, round bases and applied rims and cordons are common. The fabric is very coarse and some of the tempering grits exceed 10mm in diameter.
Decoration on Manx Neolithic pots occurs mainly at or near the rim. In this example small dots have been stamped into the wet clay using a pointed tool or hollow feather quill.
This pottery jar was excavated in May 1947. Many such jars were used in association with cremation 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 jars may have been covered by stone lids or textile/leather lids, attached by a cord under the rim.
Examples of Neolithic pottery and a reconstruction of a cremation burial are on display at the Manx Museum.
A selection of Neolithic objects -
For more information see -
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