In the kiln

Kilns were usually situated near the area where the clay was won (Fig. 2 and 3). Having to transport the clay to the potter’s workshop would have cost time and money.Boardman 1998, Early Greek Vase Painting. 11th-6th centuries BC: A Handbook, London, 11. Some examples of Mycenaean kilns have been found, though not many. A kiln found in Pylos is considered typical of that time. It is oval in shape with a brick floor in the middle to place the pottery on.

The kiln would first be filled to the brim with pottery, after which it was first heated slowly to prevent the clay pottery from cracking. The kiln would then be heated more intensely for several hours. After cooling down, it could be opened without damaging the pottery inside. A small deviation in temperature could lead to the destruction of the entire content.Lewis 1983, The Manufacture of Early Mycenaean Pottery (Dissertation, University of Minnesota), 41-43. The heat could be monitored by small sliding doors which allowed excessive heat to escape (see video. Disclaimer: this video shows the process of pottery-making in the Classical Period (ca. 510-323 BCE). The process in Mycenaean times must have been similar, but it is possible that there were small differences).For more information on kilns and the production of pottery, see Mountjoy 1993, Mycenaean pottery: an introduction, Oxford, 121; Lewis 1983, The Manufacture of Early Mycenaean Pottery (Dissertation, University of Minnesota),41-43. Luckily, no mistakes were made in the case of our stirrup jar.