Name: Ābele Bierznix (Emily Menzel)
Wiki: https://wiki.eastkingdom.org/wiki/%C4%80bele_Bierznix
This bowl is a replica of bell-beaker culture (2800–1800 BC) pottery. The patterns etched on the surface are based on a Beaker found at Denton, Lincolnshire, Eng. (source: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Beaker-folk)
The shape is also meant to be based on that beaker, except the clay kept slumping, making the pot more squat than tall.
It was formed using the traditional coil-and-scrape method used prior to the pottery wheel, formed from locally harvested clay tempered with 20% sand from a river beach, and fired in a surface fire covered with an inverted terracotta flower pot on a slightly windy day in April. The flowerpot covering kept it free of fire clouds and buffered it from sudden thermal shifts caused by the wind. The pot did sustain a few hairline cracks at the rim, but none that threaten its structural integrity.
The pot was seasoned with olive oil and heated to 400 degrees in an oven. After coming out of the oven, the oil coating is no longer apparent, but the beaker holds water without leaking. I will attempt to cook in it over a campfire this May at Panteria!
This is a great project! Thanks for sharing your work with us.