Virtual Museum Beaker Gallery Display 2 Link - QEQM Hospital, Margate Link

Alex Gibson stated that it seemed typologically early in the British sequence, equating to Clarke’s (1970) Wessex/Mid Rhine Group, Step 3 of Lanting and van der Waals’ (1972) scheme.

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Rim diameter was in the region of 140mm; the base diameter was circa 65mm and the vessel height was estimated at 145mm.

The fabric was very friable and poorly fired, with red surfaces and a black core. It contained abundant crushed grog (rarely over 2mm across) and sparse flecks of burnt flint (up to 3mm across).

Both surfaces had been covered with a slip but this was peeling away leaving abraded, decoration-free patches on the outer surface.

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The decorative scheme had been executed using a square-toothed comb and comprised four bands of between four and six encircling lines of comb impressions separated by undecorated bands in between.

It is a type which is also encountered on East Anglian Beakers - vessels which are much more common in Kent.

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The vessel is similar to the Beaker discovered at Cliffsend, Ramsgate (Macpherson Grant 1968).

This was the first recorded instance of a Thanet Beaker and had been on display at Ramsgate library before being unfortunately destroyed during a fire there.

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Not withstanding the friable nature of the pot, it appears that this vessel may not have been complete when deposited.

An area devoid of sherds was visible in the centre of the Beaker during excavation and it is possible that we may have another example of an intentionally perforated vessel similar to that seen in the Beauforts Beaker (Gibson 2005). The fragmentary nature of the QEQM vessel has unfortunately prevented its complete reconstruction at this time.

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		The Beaker Period 2500 - 1700 BC
Return to QEQM main Display Display Contents QEQM Hospital, Margate Link - The Beaker Type Dimensions Fabric Decoration Parallels Comment Scales in centimetre divisions		QEQM Hospital, Margate Link - The Beaker Photo by TTA



		The Beaker was the subject of specialist analysis by Dr. Alex Gibson. The following information has largely been summarised from his report (Gibson 2006).
		Type Alex Gibson stated that it seemed typologically early in the British sequence, equating to Clarke’s (1970) Wessex/Mid Rhine Group, Step 3 of Lanting and van der Waals’ (1972) scheme. Top
Photo by Susan Deacon (TTA)
Photo by Susan Deacon (TTA)		Dimensions Rim diameter was in the region of 140mm; the base diameter was circa 65mm and the vessel height was estimated at 145mm. Top Fabric The fabric was very friable and poorly fired, with red surfaces and a black core. It contained abundant crushed grog (rarely over 2mm across) and sparse flecks of burnt flint (up to 3mm across). Both surfaces had been covered with a slip but this was peeling away leaving abraded, decoration-free patches on the outer surface. Top
The fragile surface of the QEQM Beaker
		Decoration The decorative scheme had been executed using a square-toothed comb and comprised four bands of between four and six encircling lines of comb impressions separated by undecorated bands in between. It is a type which is also encountered on East Anglian Beakers - vessels which are much more common in Kent. Top
Rim sherds from the QEQM Beaker
The Cliffsend Beaker By Nigel Macpherson Grant		Parallells The vessel is similar to the Beaker discovered at Cliffsend, Ramsgate (Macpherson Grant 1968). This was the first recorded instance of a Thanet Beaker and had been on display at Ramsgate library before being unfortunately destroyed during a fire there. Top
Rim sherd from the QEQM Beaker showing the impression of a seed grain (bottom left-hand corner)
Base of the QEQM Beaker		Comment Not withstanding the friable nature of the pot, it appears that this vessel may not have been complete when deposited. An area devoid of sherds was visible in the centre of the Beaker during excavation and it is possible that we may have another example of an intentionally perforated vessel similar to that seen in the Beauforts Beaker (Gibson 2005). The fragmentary nature of the QEQM vessel has unfortunately prevented its complete reconstruction at this time. Top
The QEQM Beaker as excavated
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		Abbreviations TTA - Trust for Thanet Archaeology.
		Bibliography Clarke D.L. 1970. Beaker pottery of Great Britain and Ireland. Cambridge University Press. Gibson A. 2005. The Beaker and Other Pottery in Hart P.C. ‘Beauforts’, North Foreland Avenue, Broadstairs, Kent. Trust for Thanet Archaeology report, Part 3. Gibson A. 2006. The Beaker and other Prehistoric Pottery in Gardner O.W. and Moody G.A. Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital, St. Peter’s Road, Margate, Kent. Trust for Thanet Archaeology report, Part 3. Lanting J.N. and van der Waals J.D. 1972. British Beakers as seen from the Continent. Helinium 12. Macpherson Grant N. 1968. A Beaker from Cliffsend, Ramsgate. Archaeologia Cantiana LXXXIII, 268-71.
		Acknowledgments Thanks go to Alex Gibson for the analysis of this Beaker vessel and the other Prehistoric pot sherds from the excavation. Much thanks also goes to Maggy Redmond for her excellent illustration of this fragmentary vessel.
		The text is the responsibility of the author; the photographs are by the author and members of the Trust for Thanet Archaeology (credited where known) unless otherwise stated.
		Paul Hart Version 1 - Posted 16.12.06 Top
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