Category Archives: Archaeology

Once pottery is broken it appears to be useless. The prophet Jeremiah, prior the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem, was told by the LORD to buy a piece of pottery. Follow the story:

The LORD told Jeremiah, “Go and buy a clay jar from a potter. Take with you some of the leaders of the people and some of the leaders of the priests. Go out to the part of the Hinnom Valley which is near the entrance of the Potsherd Gate. Announce there what I tell you. (Jeremiah 19:1-2 NET)

Eventually, he was to break the clay jar.

The LORD continued, “Now break the jar in front of those who have come here with you. Tell them the LORD who rules over all says, ‘I will do just as Jeremiah has done. I will smash this nation and this city as though it were a potter’s vessel which is broken beyond repair. The dead will be buried here in Topheth until there is no more room to bury them.’ (Jeremiah 19:10-11 NET)

Broken pottery is clay that has been formed and fired before being broken. David described his weakened condition using an analogy to potsherds:

The roof of my mouth is as dry as a piece of pottery; (NET), or “my strength is dried up like a potsherd” (Psalm 22:15 ESV)

Collected potsherds on the surface of Derbe. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

The pottery is now potsherds, sherds, or shards. Is there any practical use for it? Yes.

• Scraping sores. “Job took a shard of broken pottery to scrape himself with while he was sitting among the ashes.” (Job 2:8 NET)
• Taking fire from the hearth, or scooping water from a cistern (Isaiah 30:14). This would require a shard from a larger jar.
• Writing material. When the potsherd is used as a writing surface it is called an ostracon (plural is ostraca). We have some famous examples such as the Lachish Letters, the lots at Masada, the Arad ostraca, Samaritan ostraca, et al.

In Nebuchadnezzar’s vision of the future, the “toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay [pottery, NAU]” (Daniel 2:42). I could have told him this would not work. “Iron does not mix with clay [pottery, NAU]” (Daniel 2:43).

If we move to modern times, there is another practical use for potsherds.

• Archaeological dating. Potsherds are an indicator of the chronological periods during which a tell was occupied. Flinders Petrie, working at Tell el-Hesi in 1890, observed the relationship between the various layers of the tell and the pottery found in each layer.

Pottery is the most durable of things discovered during an archaeological dig. Even when the pottery is broken it endures, and can be useful for some purposes. The pieces of broken pottery are called potsherds, sherds, or shards.  Visit any archaeological site and you will see a pile of broken pottery. The largest pile I recall seeing is at Ramat Rachel between Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

A pile of potsherds at Ramat Rachel. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Cities of biblical times likely had a common place to dump broken pottery. In the days of Jeremiah, Jerusalem had a gate known as the Potsherd Gate.

Go out to the part of the Hinnom Valley which is near the entrance of the Potsherd Gate. Announce there what I tell you. (Jeremiah 19:2 NET)

Ferrell Jenkins looking at a rim and a handle at Ramat Rachel. Photo: Leon Mauldin.

Is there any use for this broken pottery? Answer to follow…