EMWE - Early Medieval Essex Ware (Fabric 13)

Hard and sandy with weakly oxidised, dull brown or grey-brown surfaces and a grey core. Tonal variation is common, occasionally within the same vessel, and completely oxidised or reduced examples are not infrequent. There is abundant quartz sand of medium-coarse size, rounded and sub-rounded, clear and opaque. The distribution of orange- (oxidised) or grey-tinted (reduced) quartz grains depends to some degree on the firing colour of the surrounding matrix. Moderate and coarse earthy inclusions of red and black iron oxide are likewise influenced by matrix colour. Fine brown mica is common. Rarer material includes earthy iron-rich or grey clay pellets and/or mudstone, calcareous particles, black organic matter or striated voids and occasional flint inclusions. (Cotter 2000)

This example is relatively fine in comparison with most EMWE.

Example from Whatfield.