Clay Scrunch
In 2004, while digging a test pit at co-ordinate 8-V on the site designated as EaKa-1, some unusual pottery sherds were recovered. Three fairly large sized pieces collected had a degree of curvature that was beyond what is normally seen and this suggested that the pottery was part of something quite different. Back at the lab the sherds were cleaned and it was discovered that these “curved” pieces fit together. However, once glued together, it was apparent that the sherds were not from a broken clay pot.
Photo (with scale) of clay scrunch (exterior view)
Photo (with scale) of clay scrunch (interior view)
The item is approximately 9.95 cm in length and 5.0 cm in width with an overall weight of 35 grams. The intact edges of the artifact taper and undulate to form thin twisted “rims”. The tempered clay has been well fired. Gaps and broken edges indicate that there are missing pieces but, after being re-fit, three pottery sherds formed an elongated, rounded object that is “bowl” or “cup” like in appearance. However, it is unlikely that it functioned as either a cup or a bowl.
Clay scrunch exterior view
Clay scrunch interior view
Instead, it is more likely that this pottery object is a chunk of waste clay that was discarded into a fire. This idea is based on the fact that when placed onto fingers that are curved upwards, the exterior contours of the item fit neatly within a hand rolled into a “scrunch” position. A coil of wet, malleable clay placed in this manner could easily be formed using the thumb or fingers of the opposing hand.
This could have been a method of testing the clay or the clay and temper mixture. It may have been someone learning and/or practising how to make pottery. Perhaps the intention was to create a functional object which was achieved but we are just unaware of its use? In the absence of clear evidence, this is just sheer speculation on my part. However, in my opinion, this somewhat mysterious scrunch of clay represents another cool discovery.
View of clay scrunch fit within clenched fingers
Exterior view of clay scrunch (no scale)
