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Make your own Clay Balls
How were the clay balls made? What did the people of Çatalhöyük use?
Was it just mud? Did they make the clay? Were there recipes?
"You know you can make balls out of various types of clay and
... you can try different ways of rolling the clay to see how round you can make it."
... you can try different ways of rolling the clay to see how round you can make it."
Go ahead and make your own clay balls.
Make notes on:
- The type of soil/clay you used
- How you shaped the balls
- How you dried them
Here are some tips
"You really need to make sure that the clay or soil you use is not too soft, or too wet. It is better that the clay is slightly harder than softer. You have to press it a lot as you roll it around in your hands and make sure it is very, very compact because only then can you make a very, very round surface."
"You should also experiment with the way you dry your clay balls.
"I noticed that the clay balls I dried in the sun all cracked ... as opposed to the clay balls that I dried in the shade which didn't crack."
Mirjana Stevanovic is an experimental Archaeologist.
Here's Mira's Recipe
- flotation soil (This is fine soil that has been washed in water to find other materials such as seeds and bone.)
- backswamp soil ( This soil comes from a swampy area from the site.)
- straw/chaff (This is the "binder." It holds the clay together.)
