List of Figure's ............................................. xiii
List of Tables ................................................. xv
Preface ...................................................... xvii
Acknowledgments ............................................... xix
Part I History and potential
1 History of Pottery Studies ................................... 3
Introduction ................................................. 3
The Art-Historical Phase ..................................... 5
The Typological Phase ........................................ 7
The Contextual Phase ........................................ 12
Parallel Themes - Ethnography ............................... 14
Parallel Themes - Production and Technology ................. 15
Parallel Themes - Scientific Methods ........................ 17
Parallel Themes - Quantification ............................ 21
The Way Ahead ............................................... 22
2 The Potential of Pottery as Archaeological Evidence ......... 24
Aims ........................................................ 24
Foundational Data ........................................... 25
Integrated Data ............................................. 33
Interpreting Data ........................................... 35
Implications for Practice ................................... 36
Part II practicalities: a guide to pottery processing and
recording
3 Integration with Research Designs ........................... 41
4 Life in the Pot Shed ........................................ 46
Introduction ................................................ 46
Setting up Base ............................................. 47
Collection Policy and Practice .............................. 48
Initial Processing .......................................... 50
Equipment ................................................... 51
Retrieval Procedures ........................................ 52
Cleaning and Drying ......................................... 54
Initial Recording and Processing ............................ 55
Initial Viewing and Spot-Dating ............................. 57
Sorting ..................................................... 58
Physical Reconstruction ..................................... 59
Cataloguing ................................................. 60
Computers in Pottery Research ............................... 65
To Keep or Not to Keep ...................................... 69
5 Fabric Analysis ............................................. 71
Introduction ................................................ 71
Equipment ................................................... 71
Firing Characteristics ...................................... 72
Inclusions .................................................. 75
The Matrix .................................................. 76
Creating and Using a Fabric Type-Series ..................... 77
6 Classification of Form and Decoration ....................... 81
Introduction ................................................ 81
Uses of Form Data ........................................... 81
Creating and Using a Form Type-Series ....................... 82
Describing Shapes ........................................... 85
Vessels and Sherds .......................................... 85
Decoration .................................................. 86
Decoration Type-Series ...................................... 90
7 Illustration ................................................ 93
Introduction ................................................ 93
The Purpose of Illustrations ................................ 93
Drawing Pottery ............................................. 95
Photography ................................................ 100
8 Pottery Archives ........................................... 104
Introduction ............................................... 104
Uses of Archives ........................................... 104
Practical Issues ........................................... 105
9 Publication ................................................ 113
Introduction ............................................... 113
Purpose of Report .......................................... 114
Layout of Report ........................................... 115
Indexing and Correlation ................................... 115
Minimum Standards of Publication ........................... 115
Computer Media ............................................. 116
Pottery Specialists Do It on Their Own ..................... 117
Summary .................................................... 117
Part III themes in ceramic studies
10 Making Pottery ............................................. 121
Introduction ............................................... 121
Raw Materials for Pottery Manufacture ...................... 122
Clay Preparation ........................................... 125
Forming .................................................... 125
Surface Treatments ......................................... 133
Drying ..................................................... 134
Firing ..................................................... 134
11 Archaeology by Experiment .................................. 140
Introduction ............................................... 140
Questions about Production ................................. 140
Questions about Use ........................................ 143
12 Craft Specialisation and Standardisation of Production ..... 144
Introduction ............................................... 144
Archaeological Evidence .................................... 145
Discussion ................................................. 148
Implications for Theory .................................... 149
13 Pottery Fabrics ............................................ 150
Why Look at Fabrics? ....................................... 151
Visual Examination ......................................... 155
Archaeometric (Scientific) Techniques: Introduction ........ 160
Archaeometric Techniques: Petrological Analysis ............ 162
Archaeometric Techniques: Compositional Analysis ........... 168
Archaeometric Techniques: Scanning Electron Microscopy
(SEM) and Materials Science Approaches ..................... 182
Integration of Scientific and Archaeological Evidence ...... 186
14 Form ....................................................... 190
Introduction ............................................... 190
Approaches to the Classification of Shape .................. 191
The Type-Series Approach ................................... 191
Formal Classification Systems .............................. 192
Measurement-Based Classification ........................... 192
Geometric Shapes ........................................... 196
Mathematical Curves as Descriptions of Shape ............... 197
Automatic Capture of Shapes ................................ 198
Classification of Manufacturing Stages ..................... 200
15 Quantification ............................................. 203
Introduction ............................................... 203
The Sampling Basis ......................................... 204
Uses of Comparisons of Assemblages ......................... 205
Assessment of Measures ..................................... 206
Practicalities ............................................. 208
Are the Assemblages Really Different? ...................... 210
How Big Should an Assemblage be? ........................... 212
Case-Studies ............................................... 213
Spin-offs .................................................. 215
Discussion ................................................. 218
16 Chronology ................................................. 219
Introduction ............................................... 219
Pinning Down Dates ......................................... 220
Bringing the Evidence Together ............................. 225
Seriation .................................................. 226
A Case Study ............................................... 232
Polemic .................................................... 233
17 Production and Distribution ................................ 235
Information Content of Distribution ........................ 236
Distribution of Artefact Types ............................. 238
Sources of Supply to a Site ................................ 241
The Identification of Source from Distribution ............. 244
18 Pottery and Function ....................................... 246
Individual Vessel Function ................................. 246
Function, Production and Distribution ...................... 259
Symbolic Meaning ........................................... 260
19 Assemblages and Sites ...................................... 262
Pottery Life Expectancy .................................... 262
Sherd-Links ................................................ 264
Field Survey Data .......................................... 267
Sherds after Burial ........................................ 269
The Role of Quantification ................................. 271
Conclusion: The Future of Pottery Studies .................. 273
Appendix 1: Suggested Recording Systems for Pottery from
Archaeological Sites ....................................... 275
Appendix!: Scientific Databases and Other Resources for
Archaeometry ............................................... 286
Bibliography .................................................. 291
Index ......................................................... 329
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