Pottemageraffald fra Illerup ådal

Resumé

The waster from the potter in Illerup
By Morten Søvsø

The article deals with two finds of pottery remains from the Illerup river valley near Skanderborg. A survey of the material reveals that there were distinct differences between the types of vessels in the two finds, and – rather surprisingly – it is hardly a question of remains from the same potter, but instead from two potters who did not necessarily work during the same period of time. The predominant type of vessel in the first collection was an unglazed globular pot with a rounded body and an outbent rim. Furthermore, there are many potsherds from simple decorated pitchers as well as some from big unglazed bowls. These types of vessels were also present in the pottery from the other collection, but there was a considerably larger share of the big bowls. Moreover, there were potsherds of smaller bowls glazed on the inside, as well as a few potsherds from very small pitchers. A number of feet in the find indicate that some of the pots have been applied with tripod feet. One distinguishing feature of both of the finds is that the profiles of the rims of the pots or vessels vary greatly, and that the potter did not work with any standard type; a fact that ought to be remembered before fine-meshed typologies on the rim profiles are set up. Both pottery finds belong to the 14th century, but it is not possible to say whether one of the finds is younger than the other. The pottery from both finds must be designated as typical high-medieval kitchenware of a simple, undecorated type, which is the most commonly found one in East Jutland.