Inside the Museum of London

Pot Idol is a contest to find the ceramic star of tomorrow! The winner will be given its time to shine and brought out from the archives at the Museum of London’s Festival of British Archaeology event, Hands-on pots. Over the next six weeks we will be presenting 6 hopeful pots for your consideration – it’s down to you to decide which will win the coveted title of Pot Idol. Once all of the hopefuls have been given a chance to win your hearts, we will ask you to cast your vote and change the life of one lucky pot. The chosen ceramic will appear at the Museum of London’s Festival of British Archaeology event, Hands-on pots on 21 and 22 July, where you can meet the winning pot face to, er, pot.

> Find out about contestant two, Amphora
> Find out about contestant three Loomweight

Curator, Meriel Jeater, introduces our fourth contender, Cooking Pot…

This is a medieval cooking pot dating from the late 12th to mid 14th century. It has a rounded bottom which makes it slightly wobbly on a shelf but this would help it to sit properly in the hot embers of an open fire when it was being used.

The Festival of British Archaeology runs from 14-29 July 2012. Join staff at the Museum of London for an exploration into the vital role that ceramics have played in the history of the capital. Discover how pots were made and why, and try crafting your own. A special weekend of family activities will take place on 21 and 22 July.