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Ligita Beitiņa
98
Pottery
Archaeologists use pottery for registering the density of population and dating, as well as
to determine the ethnicity of inhabitants. Fragments of the most ancient earthenware stored in
the collection of Turaida Museum Reserve were found at Sigulda Hill of the Cross. By the type
of surface processing they can be referred to scratched and textile-impressed pottery. It is
considered that textile-impressed pottery has been used by Baltic Finns, while scratched
pottery – by the Balts [32: 183]. Sherds of pinched pottery and polished burnished pottery can
be referred to the first millennium AD [12]. These are from vessels that have been in use before
the introduction of the potter’s wheel in the 11th century. Among the most ancient find of the
Late Iron Age (the 9
th
–12
th
centuries) a hand-made clay crock from a double-burial at Krimulda
New Cemetery (SM 2936: 20) should be mentioned. The vessel has thin walls, a slightly widened
middle part, it lacks ornamentation. It can be referred to the smooth pottery type.
Wheel-made pottery that falls within the time period covered by this catalogue, has been
found in almost all archaeological sites investigated at Turaida Museum Reserve. Unlike the more
ancient pottery, rather many of the 11
th
–13
th
century wheel made articles have been preserved
almost wholly (SM 3249: 6, Saksukalns; SM 2933: 7, Liepenes; TMR 23939, single find). The shape
of vessels also changed with the introduction of the potter’s wheel. Clay crocks have more plastic
contours, and sometimes on their outer walls ornamentations of a zig-zag or parallel line pattern
has been made.
Various finds
An ear cleaning spoon
(SM 8831) was found during the investigation of Turaida Hillfort.
Similar cosmetic accessories have been encountered also in the other 10
th
–12
th
century dwelling
sites, especially in the territory populated by the Livs. Archaeologist Roberts Spirģis has estab-
lished that most of these have been found at Daugmale Hillfort – 20 ear cleaning spoons [42:
202–204 and Fig. 104]. The spoons have a decoratively formed end of the handle, which, like that
of the specimen found at Turaida, often ends with a miniature zoomorphic figurine – a small bird,
horse, cock. The closest analogues to the spoon of Turaida Hillfort by size and ornamentation were
found at Daugmale Hillfort (stored at the Latvian National Museum of History: A 12600: 703).
Bone skates.
The bone skates obtained during the investigation of Turaida Hillfort (TMR
15842) is a rare find. In Latvia, such skates are known also from the 11
th
–12
th
century archaeo-
logical material of Daugmale Hillfort [20: 20, Table 49], in Scandinavia – in the Viking time and
medieval material.
Bibliography see at p. 74-76.
Baltu un Baltijas somu
senlietu katalogs
CataloGue
of the Baltic and Baltic- Finnic
antiquities