I have always said that “ancient pots in museum cases sometimes appear quite boring, I know that they're not!” and I have always thought that it is my job to bring them to life. Never mind the “upbeat techno”, I offer the archaeological equivalent of live theatre. Once people see the dead potsherd reborn on the wheel, witness lump of clay spiralling up into a pot: Once they have held a replica of that pot in their hands: Once they have heard the story of its creation and use many thousands of years ago: Then their “boredom” turns to fascination. I have had groups that were simply passing through the museum stay and talk with me for over an hour.
Children are the harshest critics, capable of delivering killer blows far more cutting than anything Charlie Brooker can dish out. I often work with groups of “disengaged youth” they usually don’t want to leave at the end of the session. With children I often use a few sherds of North African olive oil amphorae that I have. I get them to hold onto the dull boring bit of pot, I even tell them that that’s what it is, then I tell them the story: of the potter on the north coast of Africa, how he dug and prepared his clay, formed the pot on the wheel, fired it in his kiln; of the olive grower who bought the pot along with many thousands of others, how he picked and pressed the olives to extract the oil and then packed it into the pot sealing it with beeswax or pitch: of the merchant who bought the now full amphora and the altar he set up to ensure the safe completion of his trading venture to Britannia: of the dock workers and loaded and secured the very heavy pot in its place in the bottom of the hold ensuring that it couldn’t move and capsize the boat: of the sailors who sailed the ship through the busy shipping lanes and trade routes of the Mediterranean, out through the pillars of Hercules into the wild storm tossed Atlantic: of their fear of the open ocean and their offerings to the Gods of the deep to keep them safe on their Journey: Of the ship safely delivered to Arbeia at the mouth of the Tyne where the Amphora was transferred to a flat bottomed barge and carefully steered up river by the Praefectus numeri barcariorum Tigrisiensium, Arbeia "The Company of Bargemen from the Tigris at Arbeia" : of the merchant who received the consignment of olive oil and sold it from his taberna in the town of Coria (Corbridge): Of the citizens who burned the oil in their lamps, cooked their food with it, offered it to their household gods in the Lararium, mixed it with white lead and applied it as makeup, rubbed it on old battle wounds to heal them, massaged themselves with it in the bath house and when the amphora was finally empty of the rubbish dump where it was deposited in the field next to the town: of the children who broke it into small pieces while practicing with their slingshots and used the broken pieces while playing board games leaving only a few remaining sherds for me to pick up over 1600 years later. 
There is something very special and satisfying about using replicas of ancient tools to make a replica of an ancient tool. Making tools to make tools isn't that one of the activities that makes us human?
What I love most about my work is the diversity, my workshop is always full of pieces from a whole range of time periods. Requests from museums always open up new avenues of enquiry and research. Even though I have made the things that are on my workshop shelves they are not my forms, they're the things that have always fascinated me in museums, so not only do I have my own ever changing museum, but I get to investigate them in a way that would not be possible in any other circumstance. The photo above is the stuff I'm busy with today, canopic jars, Neolithic bowl and some Bronze Age pots from Perth & Kinross. These last pieces are being made in preparation for my demonstrations and workshops at the 'Making the Bronze Age' event at; Bellwood Riverside Park on the 19th & 20th June 2010, during the Perthshire Archaeology Month. At this event I'll be making and firing, beakers, food vessels, collared urns and much more, as well as giving members of the public the chance to have a go. Neil Burridge will be making Bronze Age swords, Damian Goodburn and David Strachan will be making a BA wood carving, Twist Fibre Craft Studio will be making textiles, etc, etc, etc. Try to come along and join in the fun.
The workshop went really well with everyone producing several Roman Pots, lamps and goddess figures.
A great time was had by all and the food was fantastic.
The workshop is ready to go and there are many workshops planned for the future. I don't suppose that a collection lof different types of ancient potters whee like this, , can be seen anywhere else in the country.
What a joy, to create a new wheel in the image of a very old wheel and then make the first pot on it. I'm delighted to say that it performed beautifully. Counting down to the first Roman pottery workshop in my new studio. Shelves are up, the number of wheels is growing by the day and I'm getting quite excited. 
I'm hoping to recreate some sets of Bronze-Age grave goods so I'm setting myself the challenge of making a jet necklace from Kyloe in Northumberland. I suspect that this reconstruction from the 1928 edition of Archaeologia Aeliana isn't quite correct but .............
Simonside & the Coquet Valley from Castle Hill 
Now I’ve called today’s blog 'Magic Sites in Northumberland' which may be a little romantic but as we sat on the ramparts looking out at the view the sun broke thorough the clouds and the silence was broken by the song of rising skylarks all around us. It really was pretty magical but an even more magical site awaited us.
From Alnham we headed for Milfield and a great lunch at the Milfield Country Café, after which I bought a useful little book by Archaeologist Clive Waddington; ‘Maelmin a pocket guide to archaeological walks'. Walks centered around the Maelmin Heritage trail. One in particular caught my eye, a place that I have meant to visit for years, Roughtin Lynn.
The waterfall, Roughtin Lynn (or Linn), is hidden in an overgrown gorge with, dare I say it, a quite magical atmosphere. It's not a big waterfall, it's certainly doesn't carry a large volume of water, but it is a very beautiful waterfall. Most importantly as far as I'm concerned it lies at the heart of an ancient landscape containing England's single largest rock art site, which did not disappoint, right next to a deeply ditched and banked enclosure, which may be a strangely placed hill fort but is possibly much older. This site certainly warrants a second visit and it will get one.
Anyway, back to the workshop I've got to make potters wheels for my forthcoming Roman Pottery workshop and canopic jars for a couple of museums.
Visit my website at www.pottedhistory.co.uk
