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What was the pottery used for?

It is no coincidence that the use of pottery began in earnest at the same time as agriculture appeared. Arable farming and cattle-breeding meant that people needed pots for storing cereals and dairy products. Pottery vessels were also used at the end of the Mesolithic period, but they were a little cruder and less varied. In the Neolithic period several types of vessel were made. The shapes and decorations must have had both a symbolic and a practical significance. Some pottery vessels are not decorated at all and were probably everyday pots used in the household. Other vessels are richly decorated; many were placed outside the Neolithic barrows – probably as sacrificial vessels.

What was the pottery used for?
Pottery vessel from Jordløse mose.
What was the pottery used for?
Pottery vessel from Hagebrogård, northern Jutland.
What was the pottery used for?
The decoration on these two vessels, both from the Holbæk area, probably reflect functional differences. The vessel from Undløse Bog (above) is hardly decorated at all and was probably a household pot, whereas the vessel from Jordløse Bog, displaying a delicate and detailed ornamentation, most likely was used on special occasions only.