Pottery in Archaeology

This is an up-to-date account of the different kinds of information that can be obtained through the archaeological study of pottery.

Clive Orton (Author), Michael Hughes (Author)

9781107401303, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 13 May 2013

362 pages, 58 b/w illus. 3 maps 9 tables
25.1 x 17.8 x 2.5 cm, 0.77 kg

'… the organization of a volume of this scope is a daunting task. Readers can pick and mix relevant chapters. Allowing such flexibility in use without losing consistency is probably Pottery in Archaeology's biggest feat. In its second edition, [it] is still one of the most accessible and authoritative pottery manuals [and] will be of interest to any scholar of the Roman period who finds herself faced with a table of potsherds or … [trying] to get to grips with the value of pottery evidence.' Astrid Van Oyen, The Journal of Roman Studies

This revised edition provides an up-to-date account of the many different kinds of information that can be obtained through the archaeological study of pottery. It describes the scientific and quantitative techniques that are now available to the archaeologist, and assesses their value for answering a range of archaeological questions. It provides a manual for the basic handling and archiving of excavated pottery so that it can be used as a basis for further studies. The whole is set in the historical context of the ways in which archaeologists have sought to gain evidence from pottery and continue to do so. There are case studies of several approaches and techniques, backed up by an extensive bibliography.

Part I. History and Potential: 1. History of pottery studies
2. The potential of pottery as archaeological evidence
Part II. Practicalities: A Guide to Pottery Processing and Recording: 3. Integration with research designs
4. Life in the pot shed
5. Fabric analysis
6. Classification of form and decoration
7. Illustration
8. Pottery archives
9. Publication
Part III. Themes in Ceramic Studies: 10. Making pottery
11. Archaeology by experiment
12. Craft specialisation and standardisation of production
13. Pottery fabrics
14. Form
15. Quantification
16. Chronology
17. Production and distribution
18. Pottery and function
19. Assemblages and sites
Conclusion: the future of pottery studies.

Subject Areas: Archaeological science, methodology & techniques [HDW], Archaeological theory [HDA], Archaeology [HD], Ceramic arts, pottery, glass [AFP]