Greyware Spoon
The emblem of the attempt to define domestic space at Beth Shean for its simple, crude, but intriguing presence, this grey clay spoon acts as a physical metaphor. Easy to imagine how it was used, but difficult to prove anything, this spoon was probably an important part of a person's daily life, because it was probably used for eating or preparing food. Ceramic utensils were used mostly in food preparation, with more expensive utensils used in more prestigious contexts like fine dining and liturgical contexts.
Provenience: LTE House I.5
Date: 400-650 C.E.
Object Number: 29-103-1095
Further Reading:
Yizhar Hirschfeld, The Palestinian Dwelling in the Roman-Byzantine Period (Jerusalem, 1995)
J. Russell, "Byzantine Instrumenta Domestica from Anemurium: the significance of Context" in R.L. Hohlfelder, City, Town, and Countryside in the Early Byzantine Era (Boulder-New York, 1982)