Europa Postmediaevalis 2020: Post-Medieval Pottery in the Spare Time

Post-medieval pottery in the spare time is a collection of papers planned for what would have been the second Europa Postmediaevalis conference. The focus is on the Early Modern period (15th to 18th centuries) and the growing use of new ceramic forms for leisure activities. Although the conference itself could not be held, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the volume nevertheless brings together 28 contributions from authors from nine countries, from Portugal to Russia, from Italian Sardinia to Polish Stargard. A finds assemblage from the United Arab Emirates published by Portuguese colleagues, represents the tenth country.

The volume comprises several subtopics which at first glance seem diverse. And yet, be they smoking, drinking coffee or alcohol, garden strolls or games, they share one thing in common: they are hobbies and vices enjoyed mainly in one’s free time. In the Early Modern period, these were typically activities of a rather luxurious nature, initially reserved for those with loftier positions in society but which, over time, gradually filtered down to the lower economic classes. It is therefore not surprising that the greater demand for new activities was also reflected in pottery production. As such, new ceramic forms such as cups, pipes and flowerpots began to appear in Early Modern archaeological assemblages and form the basis of this anthology.

The volume will provide readers with useful comparison assemblages and serve as a source of inspiration for subsequent research.