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.
