Avenches – Roman Museum – Permanent Exhibition
Avenches – Roman Museum – Permanent Exhibition Avenches – Roman Museum – Permanent Exhibition
Second Floor Pottery Pottery An indispensable tool for archaeologists as regards ... ... Quantities Hundreds and even thousands of sherds come to light in every excavation. The palace Derrière La Tour for instance extended over an area of approximately 7,000 m 2 and provided more than 80,000 sherds representing approximately 20,000 vessels. ... a Means for Dating Other Finds Pottery has several traits that make it one of the most reliable chronological tools. It does not really decay and is often found in a good state of preservation by the archaeologists; even after having been buried for several thousands of years it generally shows very little change. Pottery is very susceptible to fashion trends. Since the material is fragile, the objects break easily and must, therefore, be frequently replaced. Thus, it is easy to observe the evolution of shapes and decorations over the years. Unlike objects made of glass or metal, pottery was not recycled. ... its Various Uses Pottery provides us with information about many sectors of everyday life: eating habits (kitchen and tableware), storage (storage vessels), transportation of food (amphorae), lighting (lamps), cosmetics and hygiene (perfume and ointment bottles), writing (inkwell), crafts (paint pots, crucibles, moulds and other potter’s accessories), games and toys (counters, dolls, small animals), construction (tiles, pipes, hearths, floors). An Important Contribution Towards the Understanding of Local History In the study of imported tableware on the one hand and of amphorae on the other, pottery gives us indications as regards commercial trends. Amphorae served as containers for transporting all kinds of goods (olive oil, wine, exotic fruit, fish sauce) from the Mediterranean area (Italy, Greece, North Africa, Near East). The study of pottery produced in local workshops informs us about the needs of the population, fashion trends and technological progress. Pottery tells us about the preparation of meals and eating habits, hygiene and body care, lighting and all sorts of aspects of everyday life (piggy-banks, inkwells, etc.). Sometimes pottery even supplies the names of the potters who produced it or those of the workshop owners. Graffiti found on certain vessels tell us about their contents, about writing and they give us names of the local inhabitants who marked their crockery. The study of the shapes and decorations also offers information on regional predilections and trends, which the local people were exposed to. 1 2 55 Second Floor
Second Floor Kitchen and Tableware Kitchen and Tableware (Display case 8) Upon the arrival of the Romans, the local population – while continuing to use their traditional kitchen and tableware – began to adopt new types of vessels, which were either imported or inspired by Mediterranean customs: mortaria, jugs, terra sigillata pottery. It seems that wooden vessels were not very popular and were mainly used by poorer people. Pottery, most abundant and best known thanks to numerous discoveries made practically all over Roman Switzerland, was used by everybody and at all times. Coarser tableware was mainly used by people from the lower and middle classes, while imported fine ware like terra sigillata, was rather expensive and probably bought only by the middle and upper classes. The same applies to bronze and brass objects. There is no doubt that besides gold, silver was the most valuable material. During certain periods, glass was also highly sought after and certain objects were traded at the price of silver items. 1-3. Bronze serving platters. 4-16. Silver, bronze and bone spoons. 17. Combined foldable spoon and knife with a bronze handle in the shape of a lion; the blade of the knife is missing. 18-20. Pewter, bronze and ceramic serving bowls. 21-23. Silver, glass and ceramic bowls. 24. Glass serving bowl. 25-26. Glass and ceramic serving bowls. 27-28. Glass storage vessels. 29. Glass goblet. 30. Ash wood plate. 31. Iron ladle. 32-35. Iron kitchen knives (?) with bone and bronze handles. 36-38. Handle fittings of bronze vessels. 39. Handles of a bronze pail. 40-43. Glass beakers and cup. 44-45. Earthenware and glass folded beakers. 46. Silver beaker decorated with two scenes: ship builders at work and fishermen (2). 1st century AD. 47-49. Bronze and glass perfume flasks. 48. Flask decorated with two scenes linked to the Dionysos myth (p. 57, 1). 2nd-1st centuries BC. 50-54. Glass drinking cups. 55-62. Mosaic glass vessel fragments. 63-67. Handles from bronze jugs. 1 2 56 Second Floor 8
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- Page 39 and 40: First Floor Religion Roman Religion
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Second Floor Pottery<br />
Pottery<br />
An indispensable tool for archaeologists as regards ...<br />
... Quantities<br />
Hundreds and even thousands of sherds come to light in every excavation. The<br />
palace Derrière La Tour for instance extended over an area of approximately<br />
7,000 m 2 and provided more than 80,000 sherds representing approximately<br />
20,000 vessels.<br />
... a Means for Dating Other Finds<br />
Pottery has several traits that make it one of the most reliable chronological tools.<br />
It does not really decay and is often found in a good state of preservation by the<br />
archaeologists; even after having been buried for several thousands of years it<br />
generally shows very little change.<br />
Pottery is very susceptible to fashion trends. Since the material is fragile, the<br />
objects break easily and must, therefore, be frequently replaced. Thus, it is easy<br />
to observe the evolution of shapes and decorations over the years. Unlike objects<br />
made of glass or metal, pottery was not recycled.<br />
... its Various Uses<br />
Pottery provides us with information about many sectors of everyday life: eating<br />
habits (kitchen and tableware), storage (storage vessels), transportation of food<br />
(amphorae), lighting (lamps), cosmetics and hygiene (perfume and ointment<br />
bottles), writing (inkwell), crafts (paint pots, crucibles, moulds and other potter’s<br />
accessories), games and toys (counters, dolls, small animals), construction (tiles,<br />
pipes, hearths, floors).<br />
An Important Contribution Towards the Understanding of Local History<br />
In the study of imported tableware on the one hand and of amphorae on the other,<br />
pottery gives us indications as regards commercial trends. Amphorae served as<br />
containers for transporting all kinds of goods (olive oil, wine, exotic fruit, fish sauce)<br />
from the Mediterranean area (Italy, Greece, North Africa, Near East).<br />
The study of pottery produced in local workshops informs us about the needs of the<br />
population, fashion trends and technological progress.<br />
Pottery tells us about the preparation of meals and eating habits, hygiene and body<br />
care, lighting and all sorts of aspects of everyday life (piggy-banks, inkwells, etc.).<br />
Sometimes pottery even supplies the names of the potters who produced it or<br />
those of the workshop owners.<br />
Graffiti found on certain vessels tell us about their contents, about writing and they<br />
give us names of the local inhabitants who marked their crockery.<br />
The study of the shapes and decorations also offers information on regional<br />
predilections and trends, which the local people were exposed to.<br />
1<br />
2<br />
55<br />
Second Floor