The only clay vessels I've seen perforated like that are
strainers/colanders, but from your description, bread pan sounds highly
likely to me.  Oil would be used to season the pan to make it nonstick
(like a cast-iron pan), and the rim would help standardize the size of
loaves; using it to bake smaller loaves would explain the "clear" area
surrounded by a blackened rim.  The perforations would help the bread bake
evenly and develop a crisper crust; you see them in most modern pizza pans.

You can see a modern potter/baker describe making nearly identical pans in
post #7 on this page:
http://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/1091-oven-stones-for-baking-bread/

I remain curious about whether similar pans appear elsewhere!

Esther Brownsmith


On Thu, Jul 31, 2014 at 3:43 PM, Julie A. Hruby <[log in to unmask]
> wrote:

> Hi Peter,
>
> Yes, many of them have pretty clear blackening, usually on the smoothed
> side (you can perhaps see a bit at the bottom of the near edge in the
> photo). Occasionally they have blackened marks on the side with
> indentations, but in that case, it can be inconsistent, with a round
> ³clear² area in the center, then a ring of blackened surface around it.
> Some experimental work I did with a student a few years ago suggests that
> the blackening is probably burnt oil, and sometimes it seeps through the
> clay. In combination with the gritty fabric, that seems to suggest that
> they were used for heating. The current scholarly consensus (such as there
> is) suggests that they were probably used for making breads of some sort.
>
> Thanks,
> Julie
>
>
> --
> Julie Hruby
> Assistant Professor of Classics
> Dartmouth College
> HB 6086
> Hanover, NH 03755
> (603) 646-2910
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: <Burns>, Peter <[log in to unmask]>
> Reply-To: "Cooking technologies of ancient Mediterranean cultures."
> <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Thursday, July 31, 2014 at 3:20 PM
> To: "[log in to unmask]"
> <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: [ANCIENT-FOOD-TECH] On griddles
>
> >My question is...why the name "griddle" are we sure it's not a decorated
> >"tray".....is there indication of use with heat...
> >I'm curious...we have misnomered items in our collections.
> >Thanks
> >Peter
> >
> >
> >Peter Burns
> >Zooarchaeology Laboratory
> >Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology
> >Harvard University
> >11 Divinity Avenue
> >Cambridge,MA 02138 USA
> >Phone: 617-495-8317
> >________________________________________
> >From: Cooking technologies of ancient Mediterranean cultures.
> >[[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Julie Hruby
> >[[log in to unmask]]
> >Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2014 2:59 PM
> >To: [log in to unmask]
> >Subject: On griddles
> >
> >Dear all,
> >
> >Welcome to the Ancient Food Tech list. In the first day of publicity, we
> >had nearly 200 different people subscribe, which is fantastic! I really
> >look forward to all of us having the opportunity to learn more about
> >ancient foodways from each other.
> >
> >So, let's start in:
> >There's a type of cooking pot that we know from many Mycenaean sites,
> >often called a "griddle." I've uploaded a (poor quality - my apologies)
> >photo of one that's on display in the Mycenae museum to Imgur, at
> >http://i.imgur.com/7NvTaex.jpg. Some are quite shallow, like the one in
> >the photo; others have much higher walls wrapping about 1/2 to 3/4 of the
> >way around the circumference.
> >
> >My question is this: I've heard rumors of similar vessels occurring
> >elsewhere around the Mediterranean. Can anyone share bibliography related
> >to comparable vessels from outside of the modern country of Greece? Do we
> >have any sense of the range of contexts from which this type of pot (or
> >perhaps its relatives) might come?
> >
> >Thanks much,
> >Julie
> >
> >
> >--
> >Julie Hruby
> >Assistant Professor of Classics
> >Dartmouth College
> >HB 6086
> >Hanover, NH 03755
> >(603) 646-2910
> >
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