REPORT ON THE STAPENHILL EXPLORATIONS. 185 
Roman ; and it is only of late years that the characteristics which 
determine its Saxon origin have been pointed out. 
If anyone carefully compares the pottery of the Anglo-Saxons 
with that of British, Romano-British, and Roman manufacture, he 
will see that the distinction between them is as well-defined as it 
is possible to be in the case of vessels made of clay. In 
material, shape, colour, and ornamentation, the different wares 
scarcely possess anything in common. All the Anglo-Saxon 
pottery seems to have been wrought by the hand without the aid 
of the lathe or wheel, out of a dark-coloured clay, with which very 
frequently small fragments of felspar were mixed. The firing of 
this pottery has been very imperfect ; it was probably first dried 
by exposure to the air and sun, and then burnt, or rather baked, 
in the ashes of a fire lighted over and around it—probably the 
funeral fire lighted at the grave of the deceased. 
The majority of the vessels found at Stapenhill are of a dark- 
brown colour passing into black, though a few are so highly burnt 
as to acquire a reddish-brown tinge, and feel extremely hard to 
the touch. 
These vessels are usually known as Burial Urns, and may be 
divided into three classes: (1) Cinerary Urns ; (2) Food Vessels ; 
(3) Drinking Cups. 
(1) Cinerary Urns. These contain, or accompany the bones or 
ashes of the person cremated; they are of large size, with wide 
mouths, and approach more nearly in shape to the urn of classical 
writers than either of the two other kinds. They are generally 
very highly ornamented, but have not, as a rule, been exposed to 
a very high heat during firing. In addition to human bones or 
ashes, they often contain the weapons or ornaments of the 
deceased. 
The second class of burial urns is known as Food Vessels, and 
vary in size from two to eight or ten inches high, are always wide- 
mouthed, usually plain, though a few have been found possessing 
projecting knobs or ears. 
The third class are termed Drinking Cups, and occur but 
rarely ; but where found this kind of vessel seems to have had 
