Help me figure out what these are!!!!!?!

[DanTheNewbie]

It was my third time out metal detecting today, I researched a place in Wethersfield Connecticut , an old ship building site as far back as 1600's. There were tradin posts as well. I detected for a few hours and just found junk I decided to move from the park area down to his river that passes right by and the Tide was reallllllly low so I walked out and found broken blown glass bottles and red clay pots everywhere piles of them, I found these buried next too each other I had gotten a signal right by them and luckly didn't damage them, I think they are crucibles but not sure? Anyone know? No markings on them

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[DanTheNewbie]

Sorry I don't know how to upload pictures directly with iphone

 

[Curious The George]

They are ceramic mortars. A pestle goes with them. Used by pharmacists to grind powders to make pills.

Do a web search for "mortar and pestile". Open the wikipedia link and you'll see photos of several types.

 

[DanTheNewbie]

I don't know I though that a first but the are tiny, 1 in by 1 in and they have burn marks around the outside and near the spouts. Is there anyway to figure out if they are old

 

[Curious The George]

OK, too small for a normal mortar. Could be crucibles from a metal smith, jeweler or silversmith. Date by the pottery and glass you are finding associated with them. Unless a crucible collector/expert turns up on here that's about the best you can do. If there is a historic museum near you it might be a place to take them and ask. Better yet a working historic site, that has a silversmith or pewtersmith doing demonstrations of the old way of metalsmithing.

 

[DanTheNewbie]

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