Malone & Dean on sun 27 jul 03
For those that may have missed this small article that appeared in the
London Times last week I'm posting an excerpt as a cautionary note for
fellow terra sig users.
Reuters 7/14/03
Rome. An excavation of a small village near the pottery making centre of
the Roman empire unearthed an unusual relic yesterday that promises to shed
light on the ceramic techniques of pre-Christian Rome. Interred in a
sealed stone chamber beneath the floor of a pottery workshop for over 2500
years one of the finest intact examples of Roman terra sigillata ware was
discovered by archeologists Teusday. The ornate lidded burial urn
contained ashes identified by the inscription as the remains of one Ptolomy
the potter. Scenes of pottery making adorn the exterior and frame the
following eulogy to Ptolomy.
Ptolomy's Last Pot
Portly Ptolomy the potter
Craved a finish many potters long for.
So on his pot of terra cotta
Went seven coats of Sigilatta.
Innocently poor Ptolomy
Sigilatilized his pottery
Not knowing that psychology
Superceded Sigilatomy.
One coat caused crying consternation,
The second, awful agitation!
With the third came cursing incantations,
And the Fourth, remorseful recriminations.
The fifth frustrated Ptolomy's mentations
With chronic ceramic defenestrations.
While his Sixth slipaceous application
Held no promise of sigilat-salvation.
Seven sigilatilations
Brought on unbridled irritation:
The secret sheen that potters sought
Was absent from Ptolomy's pot.
So Ptolomy picked out a pebble,
A perfect pottery polishing bauble,
And rubbing with an earnestness
That belied his inner nervousness
He started on a tiny spot
On the backside of his little pot
To try to rub the dullness out
And show the sheen he'd dreamed about.
He rubbed around in each direction
Despairing of his pot's perfection
And after hours of close inspection
At last he saw a slight reflection.
Many more hours of rubbing ensued
And slowly the dream that he pursued
Began to show under his hand.
But his body'd had all it could stand.
Even as he neared completion
Ptolomy faced his own deletion
For he'd neglected all nutrition
And was consumed by his own ambition.
Poor Ptolomy expired from extreme starvation
And Terra Sigilatilation.
www.lightwavepottery.com
Janet Kaiser on thu 31 jul 03
HA! HA! titter-titter...
But speaking of Ancient Rome, did you also see that a TIN
container (not a ceramic jar or glass bottle) of Roman face
cream was discovered at a site in London and opened this
week? Apparently the contents smelled of sulphur... Amazing
if it really was 2000 years old, but I am as little
convinced it was actually Roman as the "Eulogy to Ptolomy"
below, but you never know...
Sincerely
Janet Kaiser - now going to hit "send"... I wonder what
will happen?
*** IN REPLY TO THE FOLLOWING MAIL:
>Reuters 14/7/03
>Rome. An excavation of a small village near the pottery
making centre of
>the Roman empire unearthed an unusual relic yesterday that
promises to shed
>light on the ceramic techniques of pre-Christian Rome.
Interred in a
>sealed stone chamber beneath the floor of a pottery
workshop for over 2500
>years one of the finest intact examples of Roman terra
sigillata ware was
>discovered by archeologists Tuesday. The ornate lidded
burial urn
>contained ashes identified by the inscription as the
remains of one Ptolomy
>the potter. Scenes of pottery making adorn the exterior
and frame the
>following eulogy to Ptolomy.
>
>Ptolomy's Last Pot
>
>Portly Ptolomy the potter
>Craved a finish many potters long for.
>So on his pot of terra cotta
>Went seven coats of Sigilatta.
>
>Innocently poor Ptolomy
>Sigilatilized his pottery
>Not knowing that psychology
>Superceded Sigilatomy.
>
>One coat caused crying consternation,
>The second, awful agitation!
>With the third came cursing incantations,
>And the Fourth, remorseful recriminations.
>The fifth frustrated Ptolomy's mentations
>With chronic ceramic defenestrations.
>While his Sixth slipaceous application
>Held no promise of sigilat-salvation.
>Seven sigilatilations
>Brought on unbridled irritation:
>The secret sheen that potters sought
>Was absent from Ptolomy's pot.
>
>So Ptolomy picked out a pebble,
>A perfect pottery polishing bauble,
>And rubbing with an earnestness
>That belied his inner nervousness
>He started on a tiny spot
>On the backside of his little pot
>To try to rub the dullness out
>And show the sheen he'd dreamed about.
>
>He rubbed around in each direction
>Despairing of his pot's perfection
>And after hours of close inspection
>At last he saw a slight reflection.
>
>Many more hours of rubbing ensued
>And slowly the dream that he pursued
>Began to show under his hand.
>But his body'd had all it could stand.
>
>Even as he neared completion
>Ptolomy faced his own deletion
>For he'd neglected all nutrition
>And was consumed by his own ambition.
>
>Poor Ptolomy expired from extreme starvation
>And Terra Sigilatilation.
*** THE MAIL FROM Malone & Dean ENDS HERE ***
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TRUTH is too precious to tell every fool who asks for
it...
****** This post was sent to you today by Janet Kaiser
*******
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8 Marine Crescent, Criccieth LL52 0EA, Wales, UK
Tel: ++44 (01766) 523570 URL: http://www.the-coa.org.uk
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