This is a large piece of Iron Age Pot. It is made from clay from the local area and has some tiny bit of stone mixed into the clay. This if for when the clay is fired and made hard. Because the clay is wet, when it is put into the fire the water trapped inside the clay turns to steam and forces its way out. If the pot was only made from clay there would be no gaps for the steam to come out and the pot would shatter. The stone inclusion gives it a rough feel but keeps the pot in one piece while it is fires.

The orange and black colour of the pot is not just from the pots first firing. It is from  soot showing us that this pot extensively used as a cooking pot.

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