The Brands Collection Museum in Nieuw-Dordrecht has received two prehistoric urns. They were donated by amateur archaeologist Eric van der Schoot, who recently moved to New Dordrecht.
“The urns are a nice addition to the museum’s collection,” said curator Thomas Bruins. The museum already possessed shards and replicas of prehistoric pottery, but did not yet have any archaeologically intact specimens.
According to Bruins, the thin walls of the urns show that they are not everyday utensils, but that they were intended to store cremated remains. Furthermore, two small, identical, indentations in the rim indicate that the excavation was once carried out by ‘a careless person with a spade’.
The museum is currently conducting research into the urns in the hope of learning more about their exact provenance. The urns have been given a place in the Janny Jalving Hall of the museum.