ohhhh very goooood an fantastic project i am archaeologeist in iran my favorit is zagros prehistory in iran and iraq countery . in my recent archaeologycal Survy i had find meny new type of this pottery
Great job! Congratulations to everyone especially for designing the experiment and carrying it out. I was unaware of this type of pottery until watching this video. Its design brings to mind several analogies: 1.) BAKING DOUGH. Like you, the inset shapes do look like they could contribute to baking in some way. If your temperatures were relatively low, would non-stick properties show up at higher temperatures? What effect would a wetter dough have? Alcohol instead of water?; 2.) GRILLING MEAT. Similar to elongated shapes on convex grills for Korean BBQ (bulgogi), would the impressions collect fats and oils when grilling meat? Would captured fats and oils be used for secondary purposes, perhaps as a lubricant, lamp oil, cooking, etc?; 3.) ABRASION (FOOD PROCESSING). Would the shapes have utility as abraders, i.e. for de-husking or some other similar processing of plants? Would they successfully separate seeds from fruits, if pushed into or scraped against the indentations en masse? Would they facilitate the processing of animals in some way?; 4.) SORTING. Similar to gold pans, would they use gravity or shaking to sorting foods in some way? Or liquids? If possible, would the unused lighter portion be poured out or emptied in some way, while the desired heavier part was collected in the indentations?; 5.) DRYING. Could these pans be used to dry plants or meats for preservation?; 6.) EVAPORATION. Would the indentations collect salt if brine was slowly evaporated?; 7.) MOLDS. Might foods be cooked in these pans that, when flipped, would feature the designs on top and the sides? Perhaps bread, or a pie? Would one ingredient be placed in the indentations so they would be on top? or rise up from the bottom? Would the designs be decorated or glazed?... LASTLY. Is it possible that the linear and round indentations have different purposes? .......... BONUS. Did a certain neolithic potter with a wicked sense of humor drive contemporary users away with avant-garde designs that were never popular, only to have revenge by causing later archaeologists to take the designs seriously and conduct entire courses around them?
I'd recommend using home ground einkorn or khorasan wheat. Einkorn came first and was very nutritious and easy to grind using hand methods. Khorasan came later and is much harder to grind, but had higher yield in the fields. Both require a very wet dough and an overnight rest to allow the coarse ground flour to fully absorb the water. The overnight rest period is perfect to give time for a native starter culture to give the bread a bit of levening as well though it will still be a heavy dense loaf, like modern northern European 100% rye loafs. Even when rested overnight, it will be a wet and sticky dough. That is why the tray is useful. Even today, artisan einkorn loaf is baked in a preheated cast iron pot lined with parchment paper to contain the loaf and trap in moisture so it doesn't dry out in the oven. Without that, the loaf would run across the floor of the oven like hot lava. See the overnight artisan einkorn recipe in Carla Bartolucci's book. You might find that recipe on the Jovial youtube channel as well. Einkorn is the oldest cultuvated wheat in prehistory with evidence as far back as the end of the last ice age. Khorasan is much more modern, believed to be hybridized in Persia maybe ~6 thousand years ago. I bake home ground einkorn 2x a week for our family bread needs. Do the designs in the tray leave an impression in the loaf? Might be a way for each family to sign bread loafs and trays baked in the communal village oven.
ohhhh very goooood an fantastic project
i am archaeologeist in iran my favorit is zagros prehistory in iran and iraq countery . in my recent archaeologycal Survy i had find meny new type of this pottery
Thanks. I'd expect that these show up fairly often in western Iran.
Great job! Congratulations to everyone especially for designing the experiment and carrying it out. I was unaware of this type of pottery until watching this video. Its design brings to mind several analogies: 1.) BAKING DOUGH. Like you, the inset shapes do look like they could contribute to baking in some way. If your temperatures were relatively low, would non-stick properties show up at higher temperatures? What effect would a wetter dough have? Alcohol instead of water?; 2.) GRILLING MEAT. Similar to elongated shapes on convex grills for Korean BBQ (bulgogi), would the impressions collect fats and oils when grilling meat? Would captured fats and oils be used for secondary purposes, perhaps as a lubricant, lamp oil, cooking, etc?; 3.) ABRASION (FOOD PROCESSING). Would the shapes have utility as abraders, i.e. for de-husking or some other similar processing of plants? Would they successfully separate seeds from fruits, if pushed into or scraped against the indentations en masse? Would they facilitate the processing of animals in some way?; 4.) SORTING. Similar to gold pans, would they use gravity or shaking to sorting foods in some way? Or liquids? If possible, would the unused lighter portion be poured out or emptied in some way, while the desired heavier part was collected in the indentations?; 5.) DRYING. Could these pans be used to dry plants or meats for preservation?; 6.) EVAPORATION. Would the indentations collect salt if brine was slowly evaporated?; 7.) MOLDS. Might foods be cooked in these pans that, when flipped, would feature the designs on top and the sides? Perhaps bread, or a pie? Would one ingredient be placed in the indentations so they would be on top? or rise up from the bottom? Would the designs be decorated or glazed?... LASTLY. Is it possible that the linear and round indentations have different purposes? .......... BONUS. Did a certain neolithic potter with a wicked sense of humor drive contemporary users away with avant-garde designs that were never popular, only to have revenge by causing later archaeologists to take the designs seriously and conduct entire courses around them?
Those are some very interesting suggestions. Probably we should test some of them out in future, especially the grilling one.
@@thearchaeologistslaborator6591 Thank you for your kind reply and your willingness to inquire further. I look forward to your results.
🔥🔥👍
Thanks!
I'd recommend using home ground einkorn or khorasan wheat. Einkorn came first and was very nutritious and easy to grind using hand methods. Khorasan came later and is much harder to grind, but had higher yield in the fields. Both require a very wet dough and an overnight rest to allow the coarse ground flour to fully absorb the water. The overnight rest period is perfect to give time for a native starter culture to give the bread a bit of levening as well though it will still be a heavy dense loaf, like modern northern European 100% rye loafs. Even when rested overnight, it will be a wet and sticky dough. That is why the tray is useful. Even today, artisan einkorn loaf is baked in a preheated cast iron pot lined with parchment paper to contain the loaf and trap in moisture so it doesn't dry out in the oven. Without that, the loaf would run across the floor of the oven like hot lava. See the overnight artisan einkorn recipe in Carla Bartolucci's book. You might find that recipe on the Jovial youtube channel as well. Einkorn is the oldest cultuvated wheat in prehistory with evidence as far back as the end of the last ice age. Khorasan is much more modern, believed to be hybridized in Persia maybe ~6 thousand years ago. I bake home ground einkorn 2x a week for our family bread needs. Do the designs in the tray leave an impression in the loaf? Might be a way for each family to sign bread loafs and trays baked in the communal village oven.
Many thanks for these excellent tips. One of these days, I'll try redoing the experiment (we have lots of the trays now) and will follow your advice.