KE 244 (Late Hellenistic-Early Roman Brazier or “Firestand“) [permalink] [next] [show more links]
Type
Inventoried Object
Logical part of
Chicago/Indiana/Vanderbilt Excavations Inventoried Objects
Subject number
P 45
Typological identification
Roman Cooking Ware
Comparanda
cf. Sparkes1962, p. 130, pl. V:4 (very close parallel)
Comparanda
sim. AgoraV, pp. 34-35, no. G 123, pl. 38 (H. S. Robinson). This piece is a complex example of the general idea of stands for pots. It integrates a plate to contain the fire. In this instance the walls of the stand are vertical and only curve in one plane to form protection from wind and to concentrate heat.
Description
Retaining lug of a brazier that served as a stand for cooking pots. A small part of the short everted rim allows the overall orientation to be recovered, though the exact stance is unclear. The wall curved inward, which is different than the flaring walls in the comparandum drawn from Sparkes1962. Such stands had the form of a near semicircular wall onto which a cooking pot could be set and kept in place by the lugs on each side; fire would be lit below the pot. There probably were vents in the walls to maintain the flow of oxygen to the fire.
Fabric, firing, and surface description
Hard, slightly granular fabric with frequent tiny elongated white bits and less common darker bits. Some voids visible in break.
Preservation comment
One sherd preserves left-hand (when looking at front of object) retaining lug of brazier that served as stand for cookpot. Rare abrasion; worn breaks; irregular patches of plaster encrustation on all surface.
Published as
KenchreaiIV, pp. 144-145, no. RC 100, pl. 38 (erroneous description and misidentification; B. Adamsheck)
Material
Ceramic (Material)
Fabric Munsell reading
2.5YR 6/8 (light red)
Drawing
Photograph
Photograph
Photograph
Photograph
Photograph
Suggested citation
“KE 244 (Late Hellenistic-Early Roman Brazier or “Firestand“).” In Kenchreai Archaeological Archive, edited by J.L. Rife and S. Heath. The American Excavations at Kenchreai, 2013-2024. <http://kenchreai.org/ke/ke0244>