The subject of this paper is the study of a pottery shape known as the “husking tray”, whose functional interpretation
is the main topic of my doctoral research.
The husking trays are usually very large trays, made of a coarsely straw-tempered clay, characterized by a very
wide oval base and low sides; they were used by the communities living in Northern Mesopotamia during the
seventh and the first half of the sixth millennium BC.
The most interesting feature of this kind of vessel is the presence of incisions and impressions on their interior
surface.
Several scholars have suggested various hypotheses about how the husking trays could have been used and what
specific function they could have had, but these suggestions have remained merely theories so far.
In the paper it will show a first experimental analysis which has revealed that the husking trays could have been
pans used to bake bread and the incisions/impressions on their inner surface could have been anti-adhesive
arrangements.
