Medieval Face Jugs from Lodose, Sweden. Where Were They Made?

Ceramic jugs with anthropomorphic decoration can be found in almost every medieval town in Northern Europe and they are generally dated to around 1250-1350. Most examples found in Scandinavia seem to be of German origin, but English jugs also occur. This paper deals with sherds from 12 such jugs found in the medieval town of Lodose, West Sweden, which were analysed using ICP-MA/ES in order to establish their provenance and whether they might have been locally made. The results show that most came from the former Hanseatic city of Litbeck, but there are also jugs from other regions in Northern Europe. The study forms part of a major project dealing with over 43,000 potsherds from the town of Lodose.