Today I have been researching and amending my ‘potted potty history page’. I am learning so much. I have also been reading about the Mere Village Archaeology Dig and looking at the BBC programme ‘Ceramics a fragile history’ which I have given you the link to below. 

The things that made me go Wow today are:

• We just do not know a lot! We make a lot up to fill in gaps but we get our best shot of understanding through what we dig up but also through what we observe in other cultures. 
• We think that the early pots may have been formed in holes in the ground or with coils or both
• That immigrants have given us so much more than we realise! From the flat bottomed pot to the wheel, to glazes, firing techniques and decoration. 
• We were part of Europe and the Thames was just a tributary to a river that is now the channel.
• We would have been lost without the amazing gifts immigrants have given to our country.

So today I have been looking at brushing on cobalt carbonate to some pots so I can see what difference adding this makes to a fired pot. This should give it a blue colour. This links to the delft ware and colours brought over with these migrants (see the video below) 

Doing the historical research enables me to place a context around what I am doing but also allows me to increase my skill set as I am investigating how it was done before. Obviously I am not brilliant but it is nice to see how things have been done.