This black earthenware vessel has a shape that is typical of early Ban Chiang pottery. It was made with coils of clay which were paddle-beaten to smoothen and strengthen the walls. The vessel was then incised with geometric patterns. The black surface was the result of the the pot coming into contact with burning fuel during the firing. The site of Ban Chiang was first uncovered in 1957. Pottery was found with skeletal remains, glass beads, as well as iron and bronze bracelets. Recent dating methods suggest that there were three mains phases of pottery-making, with the black earthenware falling into the earliest phase of 3600 to 900BCE.
