Here’s a guessing game for you. Is this jar Roman (from first century Britain) or is it from the ancient city of Ur? It was found in pieces in a store room full of stuff that could be from either place. Experts haven’t a clue. They also have no idea what it was used for. Storing dormouse snacks? Snakes for religious purposes? (Yep, these are serious suggestions…)
I looked at it and thought: incense. But then why would there be a hole in the base? And why are the holes, which are beautifully cut, so oddly arranged? I can’t make it make sense. Which will drive me insane. So: save my brain, solve this for me! What could this jar have been used for?
Even bizarre suggestions gratefully accepted.
Nicola Griffith 
My mom used to have a jar like that for storing garlic.
Colleen, garlic. Yes, of course. I knew I'd seen something like it. Ta!
My first thought was some variant of beehive. But it could also have been a meat smoker. Cool puzzle.
Mark, the key, I think, is that it's a jar. Jars are used to store things. They have openings big enough to reach into (or tip from, or dip into with tongs/ladle). A beehive would be either woven or wood (and a different shape). I'm still thinking: food storage. Some kind of root, maybe. Something small and used often. I like the notion of garlic or onions or bunches of dried herbs.