Food Vessel
Encyclopedia
Food Vessels are an Early Bronze Age, c.2400-1500BC (Needham 1996), pottery
type. It is not known what Food Vessels were used for and they only received their name as antiquarians decided they were not Beaker
s (regarded as drinking-vessels) and so it provided a good contrast. Recently, the concept of the food vessels was questioned by many archaeologists in favour of a concept of two different traditions: the bowl tradition and the vase tradition. Vases are tall vessels with their height being greater than their largest diameter, while bowls are short vessels with their height being less than or equal to their greatest diameter (Gibson 2002, 95).
Food Vessel fabric is coarse and thick and sometimes has elaborate rims in comparison to Beakers, which have fine fabrics and simple rims (Gibson & Woods 1997, 158). Food Vessels generally have complex decoration, and are of a similar form to other second millennium vessels, such as Collared Urns and Accessory Vessels, suggesting they all stemmed from the same type of Neolithic
vessel (Gibson & Woods 1997, 162).
The earliest Food Vessels are of the bowl form and first appear in Ireland during the Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age transition (~2400BC). It is a possibility that vessels discovered in Scotland and Ireland dated to the Early/Middle Neolithic, known as Impressed Wares, are the precursor of the Food Vessel (Gibson 2002, 95). The single-burial tradition dominate and together with the pottery the feature is cited to have strong roots in the Beaker tradition that dominates in many areas of western Europe. They may have reached Ireland via Britain from the lowland areas around the Rhine or farther north. In Ireland food vessels coincide with beakers
and have been found all over. In Britain food vessels are attested around 2200BC and are most prevalent at the time Beaker pottery was being replaced by other types of ceramic, such as Cordoned Urns and Collared Urns. In Britain they have a distinct focus in the north.
Food Vessels occur frequently with both inhumations and cremation
s in Britain and Ireland (Burgess 1980, 82).
of northern Britain
and Ireland during the Early Bronze Age
c.2100-1700BC (Burgess 1995, 145) due to the material culture of the people. The term Food Vessel Culture is not generally used in modern archaeological reports as the term is seen as rather outdated due to changes in archaeological theory
.
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
type. It is not known what Food Vessels were used for and they only received their name as antiquarians decided they were not Beaker
Beaker
Beaker may refer to:* Beaker , a beverage container* Beaker , or "laboratory beaker", a glass object used for holding fluids and chemicals in a laboratory setting.* Beaker , a prehistoric drinking vessel...
s (regarded as drinking-vessels) and so it provided a good contrast. Recently, the concept of the food vessels was questioned by many archaeologists in favour of a concept of two different traditions: the bowl tradition and the vase tradition. Vases are tall vessels with their height being greater than their largest diameter, while bowls are short vessels with their height being less than or equal to their greatest diameter (Gibson 2002, 95).
Food Vessel fabric is coarse and thick and sometimes has elaborate rims in comparison to Beakers, which have fine fabrics and simple rims (Gibson & Woods 1997, 158). Food Vessels generally have complex decoration, and are of a similar form to other second millennium vessels, such as Collared Urns and Accessory Vessels, suggesting they all stemmed from the same type of Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
vessel (Gibson & Woods 1997, 162).
The earliest Food Vessels are of the bowl form and first appear in Ireland during the Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age transition (~2400BC). It is a possibility that vessels discovered in Scotland and Ireland dated to the Early/Middle Neolithic, known as Impressed Wares, are the precursor of the Food Vessel (Gibson 2002, 95). The single-burial tradition dominate and together with the pottery the feature is cited to have strong roots in the Beaker tradition that dominates in many areas of western Europe. They may have reached Ireland via Britain from the lowland areas around the Rhine or farther north. In Ireland food vessels coincide with beakers
Beaker culture
The Bell-Beaker culture , ca. 2400 – 1800 BC, is the term for a widely scattered cultural phenomenon of prehistoric western Europe starting in the late Neolithic or Chalcolithic running into the early Bronze Age...
and have been found all over. In Britain food vessels are attested around 2200BC and are most prevalent at the time Beaker pottery was being replaced by other types of ceramic, such as Cordoned Urns and Collared Urns. In Britain they have a distinct focus in the north.
Food Vessels occur frequently with both inhumations and cremation
Cremation
Cremation is the process of reducing bodies to basic chemical compounds such as gasses and bone fragments. This is accomplished through high-temperature burning, vaporization and oxidation....
s in Britain and Ireland (Burgess 1980, 82).
Food Vessel culture
The Food Vessel Culture is a name given by some archaeologists to a cultureArchaeological culture
An archaeological culture is a recurring assemblage of artifacts from a specific time and place, which are thought to constitute the material culture remains of a particular past human society. The connection between the artifacts is based on archaeologists' understanding and interpretation and...
of northern Britain
Prehistoric Britain
For the purposes of this article, Prehistoric Britain is that period of time between the first arrival of humans on the land mass now known as Great Britain and the start of recorded British history...
and Ireland during the Early Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
c.2100-1700BC (Burgess 1995, 145) due to the material culture of the people. The term Food Vessel Culture is not generally used in modern archaeological reports as the term is seen as rather outdated due to changes in archaeological theory
Archaeological theory
Archaeological theory refers to the various intellectual frameworks through which archaeologists interpret archaeological data. There is no one singular theory of archaeology, but many, with different archaeologists believing that information should be interpreted in different ways...
.